Gee let me think ... umm FUCK YES! Along with Mass Effect 2 this is the other "big" game that has got me creaming my pj's over. Looks like this time next year will be pretty exciting (lets not forget Uncharted 3 either).
Heh-heh, yeah, I'm impressed that I'm able to form coherent sentences at all, really. Just a few hours ago I was typing in capit-TITS YEAH TES I'M SO DAMN EXCITED F BOMB F BOMB CURSE WORDS. No really. When the announcer says "Dragon Born!" I about melted into a squealing pile of geek ooze. It sent shivers right up my timber.
Yeah, 2011 is looking to be an incredible year for gaming. With so many great releases, and new hardware with the 3DS the industry is in stellar form. Fortunately for us we don't have to wait very long. Previous elder scrolls titles were always a few years away from finished whenever they were announced. We have less than a year to go.
Concerning the engine, I'm not sure if they've had ownership of the ID engine long enough to make use of it for the game. This has been in development for quite some time, so maybe the "new engine" they're referring to is just a super buffed gamebryo. Though I would love if they took advantage of their new engine. It would greatly benefit, but I don't know how likely it is. One of the developers mentioned "You almost feel like you have a new console when you see the game" So I'm remaining hopeful.
There were two things that killed oblivion for me technically. Voice acting and animation. Improving upon these two things would add tenfold to the immersion. People everywhere had the same voice, and everyone was petrified. They just need some real animators. People have complained about this, and other prominent issues consistently (level scaling) on their forums. I'm going to bet they listened to their fans and fixed these issues for a title this big. Fallouts voice acting was much more varied, so I don't see why they wouldn't include more actors here too.
I'm actually excited that this is taking place in Skyrim. I think the rugged countryside will be beautiful, and hopefully they'll find a way to diversify the climate. (Dry wooded areas, dense pine forests...high mountains, big rivers) Furthermore, I'm a big fan of the Nordic mythology and lore. Thu'um is one thing I want to see in the game. It's just too cool not to include. Also known as the Way of the Voice, it's the act of yelling really loud and breaking down castle walls with your voice. Put simply. http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Thu'um
Who do you guys think Dovahkiin is? (What the narrator describes as dragonborn) Will he be the player or someone crucial to the storyline? The first thing I thought of when it panned in was the Nerevar, or a re-incarnation theme, with you assuming the role of Dovahkiin.
@Ramen
Maybe we'll see some Akavir play a role in the main story...would be cool to see Ka Po' Tun or fight Tosh Raka the Tiger Dragon.
Also, I really doubt they'll do anything to harm the mod community. The community for TES is insane, and keeps it alive and kicking for years. Heck, morrowind still has new mods coming out.