Gaming

Strangers?
Why have they removed things from the game?
Is it to get you to pay for them?

Anyway, back on the bike. And mind your head!



But I made sure not to play it for aaaages this time. Just got one Platinum, then got a little better on the more difficult tracks before doing a switcheroo to play some Oblivion.
Haven't played that one for a bit so it was good to go through the fiery gate once more to bash some nasty Scamps. I've got a companion helping me out but he keeps dying and I don't want to carry on by myself because then I'll die too.
I'd like to try and heal him but I only have the spell to heal myself.

Roaming the Planes of Oblivion once more with my companion.



And now entering the ominous-looking tower with my-
Oh, wait. Where's he gone?
He's dead again, isn't he?



I just can't keep him alive so let's go on anyway.

Without the companion to offer some distraction and do all the dying on my behalf I'm now struggling to stay alive in this particular Oblivion quest. I did manage to take out some Scamps from a safe distance with a bit of archery but now there are some better baddies slaughtering me. I may end up trying to do a panicky "just run past everyone" tactic.

But I'd had enough of all that dying for the moment so I waved my sword around in Hellblade to take on a lower level baddie...



...or two.
Three?
Four???

Yes, due to some ineffectual use of my focus power this ended up as a four-on-one fight that lasted much longer than necessary. But amidst more dying I did learn how to save yourself from the final deathly blow with a well-timed dodge.

I am now pedalling.



I read online that some of the challenges for this particular bike offer acorns as rewards. And I'm always in need of acorns.
So I purchased the bike, with gold coins rather than precious acorns (the double in-game currency is easily the most annoying thing about this game) and I am now pumping those legs.

Bizarrely, on this track I did a much better time by pedalling. The motorbikes continue to fail me on those steep climbs that have a pesky jump in the middle.

I don't think he'd survive long in that basket if I was riding.

E.T. phone home ambulance.

Back To Skyrim!

Now that I have the full, three-word "Fus Ro DAAAH!" shout I've been successfully screaming it at any baddie that comes my way. Knocked over a big bear and managed to scatter three naughty cultists like it was a game of ten-pin bowling.
So.... I wonder if it might help with that dragon that I had trouble with back in the day.



Yeah, that's the one in the distance. It's still there. Come on. Let's go and shout at it and- I'm dead again.
Well, it seemed like a good idea at the time.
But now that I've reloaded, if you look just over there, there seems to be some Mammoths and a Giant...



I wonder...
Wouldn't it be good if I could go over yonder to annoy the dragon and then run back over here so that all these Mammoths and Giants get involved in the fight. That would be just splendid.
Would that work? Would it???



YEAH! Damn right it would work!
You bash him with that big club, Mr Giant. Do it! DO IT!!!!
And I'll just hide behind you.

But then the dragon took off, flapped about a bit and landed a bit too close to me again...



Come on, Mammoth. Help out a cowardly adventurer?



And it does!!

We did it! Thanks, lads.



Well, I say "we" but it was mostly that mammoth. But I did get in some deadly blows and a big shout.

Sometimes Skyrim is just too much fun.

As long as you don't accidently attack the wrong one during the fight then you're mostly OK. Mostly.
So far I've only ever encountered one giant that went out of its way to attack me.
But even so I was still getting ready for a quick escape if they all turned on me at the end.