Skyrim

Skyrim - Bethesda is turning the lights down low and playing some Barry White in hopes that Elder Scrolls fans will get to making little Elder Scrolls fans.

With camera swoops and thespian flourish, Bethesda's new Skyrim trailer gives us just what we needed no more of: A whole lotta snow.

Look past that and you'll notice some pretty spectacular reveals. There's the part where the camera's flying over a bunch of pine trees. Yeah, I know that's what dragons do, but how about dragon riding? Just because Bethesda's cautioned not to count on saddling one of these fire-breathing lizards doesn't mean it's off limits to modders, does it?

There's the part where someone's running (you can run in Skyrim, who knew?) and the part where you're sneaking up on a deer. Someone cuts someone else's throat near a fire pit, while another stabs downward in what appears to be one of the battle system's impressive new finishing moves. A bluish orb sparks from a staff, and someone punches the ground Neo style and detonates a fire wave. Cut to bowstrings, incantations, more finishing moves, blood spatter it's a crazy feature-tease smorgasbord. All of that's intercut with scenes of the dragon-born (that'll be you) pounding on a giant hook-winged reptile.

How about that choir half singing, half shouting Oblivion's theme song? You want to dress something up, just add voices. It's cliché because it works.

And cue finish, peeking over the craggy spine of some mountain range, pulling up and over some of the prettiest scenery I've ever seen in a game.