scumble on 6/1/2012 at 11:21
Yes, one of the mages was Illia - but companions in general have a tendency to rush in while you attempt to retreat and hide. It's not so much a problem for me as I'm using an axe-wielding Nord wench at the moment, but stealth is useful even if you're just trying to size up a room of bandits so an over-eager companion can land you in a tricky spot...
On the point of the dialogue, I think maybe the writing isn't that much improved but somehow the voice actors seem to have rescued a lot of it so it comes across well. Still, if you think about the amount of dialogue they've had to write, perhaps it's a reasonably good effort.
I'm not sure I can put my finger on why Skyrim blows Oblivion into, well, Oblivion, for me at least. I can understand the affection for previous ES games, but Morrowind and Oblivion both left me bored after the novelty wore off. I must have less patience than many RPG fans, so I guess the streamlining in Skyrim is a bit of a relief as it makes it seem less of a chore to work with.
