The snow is white like my blind eye peering through a horned helmet. The distant howl of a wolf startles me, prompting a knee-jerk response to unsheathe my two-handed battle-axe. I stand motionless on the mountain path.

 Waiting.

 I hear his ragged breath through the trees before I spot him, a flash of teeth seeking flesh. I bludgeon the beast's skull with a grunt and chase his hide before it slides down the mountainside.

This is Skyrim. And my mountain path is a sacred meditation marked by stone tablets, laying out the history of the land, the people and our religion.

This is a spiritual moment. Not in the game, but here on the couch I've been sitting on for the last four hours, sipping noodle soup and green tea, (I have a cold ok?). I had a spiritual encounter sometime between clothing this 300-pound Viking in leather and magic rings and climbing this ancient rocky path.

The Voice. Greybeards. Gods. Demons. Yes, they are overtly spiritual, and I'll admit, the pilgrimage to the sanctuary of High Hrothgar all smacks of borrowed mysticism.

But that wasn't my spiritual experience. No, it was here on a mountain clearing overlooking the village I left a few minutes ago, that I met God. It started with an urge to leave my comfy couch, my soup and even my green tea. It was an urge to go outside, to explore.

It was like my slumbering soul suddenly jerked awake, like my wife after sticking my ice cold feet between her warm calves. I wanted to be in nature. I wanted to feel the sharp, cold wind on my face, freezing the juice around my eyeballs. I wanted to be on that peak of Skyrim. And that desire also conjured up sadness. Not because I couldn't afford the ticket to the Rockies, but because somehow I knew even if Skyrim was a place I could visit with my own fleshy body, it wouldn't be enough. I was longing to be in the place that Skyrim reminded me of; the jagged peaks of the Throat of the World are only a postcard from somewhere I can’t go.

Skyrim reminds me of heaven.

Sermons and hymns (unless sung by a choir of Nords) just don't convey the wildness, wonder and the sense of purpose I imagine heaven offers. There are no golden, fleecy clouds and harps to... uhh harp on. There are no white bathrobes and soft-spoken angels with nothing better to do than star in cream cheese commercials. No, this is the heaven I want to spend the rest of eternity in; an untamed world of unexplored mountain caves, warm cottages, cold mead and big beards.

Unlikely afterlife? Maybe. But my soul just tried jumping out of my shirt, so I think there's something to this place.

Besides, the characters we're creating to conquer this northern province of Tamriel sound a lot like the description of Jesus,

...and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man,[d] dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

 17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. (Revelations 1: 13-18 NIV)

A man with golden clothing, white beard, glowing eyes, voice like the sound of rushing waters, (not unlike the dragon shouts?) with seven stars in his hand (dual wielding destruction magic?) and a double-edged sword in his mouth.

Awesome character build, and no, I'm not being facetious here.

This is a truer picture of Jesus than the skinny brown-bearded hippy we immortalize in stain glass. That was the old man, Gandalf the grey, a pilgrim hooded and cloaked. Not the all-powerful being unleashed: Gandalf the white.

This is his true nature. Sword-in-tongue and stars in hand.

Not a churchy image. Yet the image millions of young men are embodying in Skyrim.

        

 

        

         

 

 

Skyrim reviews are beginning to pour onto the internet and it sounds like Bethesda has delivered on all the dragon sized hype.

 

So the question for me isn't should I play, but how should I play?

 

While Skyrim looks like there are tons of ways to play via multiple classes and skill trees, the question becomes, will I be able to do everything I want in my first playthrough?

 

Can I become as proficient as I would like in both the bow, axe and destruction magic? Will I feel cheated trying to be a jack of all trades, l forced into specializing?

 

 

If so, I have narrowed my personal play styles down to three: the Imperial race, a paladin tank in heavy armor, complete with sword and shield with restoration and destruction magic thrown into the mix.

 

I imagine travelling the lands as a righteous crusader, taking from the rich and giving to the... me. Gold and weapons go to me. My valuable time spent doing the poor's quests is my gift. Also the appeal of giant coat of burnished steel glinting in the torch light is hard to deny.

 

A second choice is the Bosmer Wood Elf character, a sneaky rogue specializing in archery, breaking into locked chests and with a knack for alchemy.

 

I can't believe it took until my third outing in Oblivion to fully explore the bow. While it borders on nonsense, zooming in with the bow is better than chocolate. Add in the sneak damage? Chocolate wrapped in that gooey marshmallow spread.

 

My final choice is the hardy Nord, a viking-esque warrior carrying the biggest two-handed axe or greatsword I can find. I am curious to try out the Smithing skill and see what kind of weapons can be concocted from the ingredients I find along my path through Skyrim.

 

Basically, I'm modelling the Nord after Chris Hemsworth's depiction of a dethroned Thor. But instead of falling in love with Natalie Portman on modern day earth, he kills dragons and forges Mjolnir. By himself.

 

How about you guys, what kind of style are you looking forward to on your first playthrough November 11?