One of the year’s most anticipated games hits shelves today, and if the reviews are anything to go on then it’s a must-play title for anyone who likes RPGs.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim currently holds a Metacritic score of 96/100, making it the most critically acclaimed game released this year.

Having received perfect scores from the likes of Eurogamer, Giant Bomb, Joystiq, Destructoid and The Escapist, Skyrim is shaping up to be 2011’s strongest game of the year contender.

We’re still waiting for our review copy, but in the meantime here is what some major publications have had to say about Skyrim.

Giant Bomb 5/5

No other game I know of operates with this many moving parts to create such an immense world filled with this much choice in how you engage its excellent, endless fiction. It’s one thing when a game offers dozens of hours of gameplay; it’s quite another when that gameplay is good enough you’ll want to live in its world for that long. Read more

Joystiq 5/5

This is the deepest, lovliest world ever created for a single player to explore, and one that no one should deny themselves. This is a game about following Emerson’s advice, leaving the trail and finding that the most powerful force on Earth or Tamriel isn’t fire or sword, but the ever-insistent desire to know what lies beyond. Read more

Eurogamer 10/10

In weaving together the extraordinary craftsmanship evident in the music, storytelling, adventure and world design of Skyrim, Bethesda has created a very special game indeed – one that’s likely to remain in the affections of gamers for many years to come. Read more

Destructoid 10/10

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is every single reason to love a Western role-playing game, condensed into a single comprehensive experience with nothing lost in the conversion process. Read more

The Escapist 5/5

An absolutely first-rate roleplaying game that combines an abundance of content with an abundance of quality. The outdated design elements are unfortunate but not so distracting that it ruins the depth of the story, the openness of the setting, or the visceral joys of combat. Read more

IGN 9.5/10

Featuring the same kind of thrilling freedom of choice The Elder Scrolls series is known for along with beautiful visuals and a stirring soundtrack, playing Skyrim is a rare kind of intensely personal, deeply rewarding experience, and one of the best role-playing games yet produced. Read more

Gamespot 9/10

Whether you’re slashing a dragon’s wings, raising the dead back to life, or experimenting at the alchemy table, Skyrim performs the most spectacular of enchantments: the one that causes huge chunks of time to vanish before you know it. Read more

Videogamer 9/10

Skyrim is easily one of the strongest and best examples of the Western RPG, and it further establishes Bethesda’s reputation as one of the most talented and creative forces in the gaming industry. Moreover, it offers players a world so vast they could easily become lost in it, and so beautiful they may never wish to return from it. Read more

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