Even if you don’t consider yourself a graphics snob, once you’ve played Skyrim with a good ENB preset it’s practically impossible to go back to the game’s vanilla lighting. ENBĮNB shaders and presets are the next step in getting Skyrim up to current visual standards. SMIM makes a lot of big changes to these smaller elements of the game, but when combined with a few texture and effect upgrades (like the free official High-Res Texture DLC, Skyrim Flora Overhaul, and Pure Waters) the overall effect is a tremendous improvement on the original. If you’re returning from a jaunt through Dragon Age: Inquisition or any number of other slightly more recent next/current-gen games, the rough edges might just start to grate on you. Round edges start looking more polygonal than you remember, and details much blurrier. Seams show when you focus too closely on mundane objects meant to hold up only at a generous distance. Though it’s not fair to call Skyrim ugly, time is rarely kind to game graphics. If nothing else, SkyUI might be the push you need to install Skyrim Script Extender (more commonly known as SKSE), a popular (and in some cases required) mod that expands what other mods are able to do. For example, there’s a control panel in the Options menu that many recent mods plug into automatically, allowing players to fine-tune many of the more complex mod systems. While SkyUI changes a lot of things in favor of easier navigation (most notably Skyrim’s ridiculously cumbersome inventory) it adds a few new features too. When everything starts to feel a little too familiar, it’s time to take advantage of Skyrim’s robust modding scene for a total revamp. Before you’ve filled the basements of every one of your houses with wheel after wheel of firm yellow Eidar cheese. Before you have every title a character can have. Skyrim has been a constant presence on my hard drive since it was released just over 3 years ago, but as much as I love it I have to admit that there are only so many hours that you can spend playing before you know the map like the back of your hand.

There are fewer new games coming out for players to sink their teeth into, but there is a moment of calm to dip into ever-deepening backlogs or return to time-tested favorites. The winter release lull is a blessing and a curse.

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