Classical Composer Reacts to DRAGONBORN: SKYRIM OST | The Daily Doug (Episode 788)

#skyrim #dragonborn
In this edition of #thedailydoug, I'm listening to the main theme from the Skyrim original game soundtrack. This is the fifth installment in the Elder Scrolls gaming series, and this was my first time listening to any of the music from this game. And, I thought it was quite epic! The tribal choir voices and heroic brass and driving percussion really got my blood pumping! I hope you enjoy my review!
Reference Video: • Dragonborn
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Thanks to our friend TIM WAURICK for providing the vocals on the Daily Doug Intro and extended Outro: / @timwaurickmusic
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[@Doug.Helvering]

If I was to start gaming, what console should I get?

[@manamose5430]

If it has to be console, then Playstation. But most people would probably say skip console and game on pc.

[@KingPineapple21]

I say Xbox, Gamepass will give you access to 200 games (old and new) for 15$ a month, but there are games exclusively on PlayStation and PC

[@runekongstadlarsen7569]

playstation if it has to be a console and not PC. if the playstation 5 is to expensive you could try and get a playstation 4. but games a not getting made for it really any more

[@Alexsraka]

I would recommend Playstation. By the way, there's a version of Skyrim for the console so you could probably check it out one day. Although it's kinda gory the music is just...wow.

[@Kaztrofy]

PS5 Digital with Red Dead Redemption 2.

[@DefinitelyNotBender]

"Hey You. You're Finally Awake...."

[@richardhealy]

Which village are you from, horsethief?

[@StephLoxely]

@@richardhealy 'I don't know where we're going, but Sovngarde awaits'.

[@comonaocraftar]

"Watch out, we got someone skulking arou-" oh wait, wrong game

[@stevemccann4166]

Hey smooth skin oops that’s wrong too!!

[@Telukin]

"Well, not even last night's storm could wake you. I heard them say we've reached Morrowind, I'm sure they'll let us go."

[@dragonthesharkyt]

The entire Skyrim OST is amazing, highly recommend you check it out. "Secunda", "Kyne's Breath", and "Distant Horizons" are all incredible, and very orchestral/ambient in arrangement.

[@papysson]

Beneath the Ice is so ambiant too

[@UN-Seki]

*Kyne's Peace, but I agree. "Far Horizons", "From Past to Present" and "Streets of Whiterun" are also popular and iconic tracks from the game.

[@willl676]

My favorite is the untitled theme for the Forgotten Vale in the Dawnguard DLC. It's both beautiful and melancholy, truly giving you a sense of loss over the fate of the Snow Elves.

[@xellestar]

Yes a video covering this whole ost would be great

[@skloak]

I fully and wholeheartedly agree. There’s so much goodness in this OST, it makes me not even care about Dragonborn.

[@berninhell]

You can sink hundreds of hours into playing Skyrim and even when this soundtrack plays in the background for the 1,000th time, when the crescendos match up with some intense moment in the game, it just never gets old. Epic music.

[@Hufenschwinger]

The OST turns "dunking on glitchy flying worms with flappy wings" into "battling Dragons to stop the end of the world"

[@UchihaxItachixx]

Hundreds? Get those numbers up rookie

[@reheatedpizza7292]

Just calculated my hours played, it’s almost at a year…..

[@sidneyvandykeii3169]

Fun Fact: The game was released on 11/11/11. November 11th 2011. That was the target release date and needed to be released before Christmas.

[@ThamiorSilberdrache]

It wasn't only about being before christmas, the date itself of course was special. But, different to other games that were set to a hard release date, the first released version of Skyrim was stable and didn't seem rushed only to meet that date. So I'm quite sure they planned that very well ahead and could also have released earlier if they had wanted to.

[@aj.s...]

@@ThamiorSilberdrache The game was stable?? Are you joking? The game still isn't stable, lol! I love that game and many of Bethesda's games, but they're never stable.

[@ThamiorSilberdrache]

@@aj.s... "stable" doesn't mean "bugfree". I played through the hole game when it came out before even the first patch was released and didn't have a single game breaking bug. Of course there are bugs and glitches, but getting through a game in it's 1.0 version without it ever freezing or crashing is very rare nowadays unless the game has been in Early Access for some time before the major release. Especially on AAA games.

[@ThamiorSilberdrache]

@@aj.s... Or maybe I was lucky.

[@neme6ben]

@@ThamiorSilberdrache i still remember after about 2 weeks or even less after the release, they put a patch up and it completely broke the game, had to wait a week before playing again, it was far from stable lol

[@QuantumJuicE3]

Skyrim is my favorite game of all time, 13 years later I'm still playing it.

[@slaydesaid8741]

It's a great game for sure.

[@mattbrown5511]

I'm there with you.

[@nicks7504]

Me, too. Well over 7.5k hours behind me, and still convinced I still have stuff to find!

[@johnpaulsanchez3517]

Same

[@dmytrosoboliev935]

It's timeless classic

[@TurtleOfAngst]

One interesting things that wasn't mentioned: the main themes of Skyrim (this song), Oblivion, and Morrowind are all the *same* song, re-arranged to suit the game. Comparing and contrasting the differences and why they might have chose them is quite fun. :)

[@PedroGarzaT]

That's right, the same thing Bethesda did for the Fallout franchise.

[@RianMeier]

Personally, my favorite is the Oblivion theme.

[@skilletpan5674]

Daggerfall as well?

[@paulopatine]

​@@skilletpan5674 the theme was created for Morrowind, so Daggerfall and Arena (and any of the early spinoffs) don't have it.

[@lordmortarius538]

And ESO

[@potatoCris]

Now i wanna play skyrim again... again

[@Goodfood717]

Want me to roll a character for you? edit: for eachother?

[@shadowswithin702]

Yup got it already fired up rofl

[@cassu6]

If only my computer could run it with the crazy modlists that exist today

[@RealBradMiller]

​@@Goodfood717I let Chat GPT come up with several character builds, including names and backstories, and then I can pick and choose, and brainstorm new ideas with it. It is actually cool, and I'm no AI Bro.

[@victorkreig6089]

Todd well always win

[@Vejitatheouji]

"You should have acted. They're already here. The Elder Scrolls told of their return. Their defeat was merely a delay to the time after Oblivion opened when the sons of Skyrim would spill their own blood. But no one wanted to believe. Believe they even existed. And when the truth finally dawns. It dawns in FIRE. But, there is one they fear. In their tongue, he is Dovahkin...DRAGONBORN!"

[@gulas_s_cibuli1092]

I hear this every morning, I have audio from Skyrim trailer on my alarm for many years now and I just love it :D

[@sirdroolsalot12]

R.I.P. Max Von Sydow.

[@HatedHero]

FUS RO DAH!

[@anthonycatron646]

Yes brave DOUG-AKIN, Alduin shakes at your might😆

[@chris99103]

what??? Its Dovahkiin !

[@HenriNioto]

The theme of this song is the main Elder Scrolls theme. I recommend you to listen to the other versions to compare them : Nerevar Rising (Morrowind) and Reign of the Septims (Oblivion).

[@TheCorpsehatch]

Oblivion for sure is the best version of the Elder Scrolls main theme.

[@HenriNioto]

@@TheCorpsehatch It's also my opinion ^^ (I like the one from Morrowind very much, though)

[@suntiger745]

I woulf recommend this as well. A compare and contrast between the theme songs of Elder Scrolls III, IV and V.

[@JovanDacic]

I always suspected Jeremy Soule took inspiration from Dan Goodale's Daggerfall soundtrack. I think this track shares some melodic and rhythmic similarities with the Soule Elder Scrolls theme. It's called "Snow over Northmoor." kzbin.info/www/bejne/b4HbhXakirGUhsksi=b25hOiVUkA0s1Z-M

[@HenriNioto]

@@JovanDacic It reminds me of House of the Rising Sun >< (a medieval version ^^)

[@lightmarez1794]

This song has given me chills sinse 2011. And i have listened to this thousands of times.

[@TheCorpsehatch]

The entire soundtrack is amazing.

[@Blackd0nuts]

Seriously, Jeremy Soule is the GOAT

[@caseyhanford7522]

Baba Yetu by Christopher Tin was written for Civilization IV and I believe the first video game piece to earn a Grammy.

[@happyninja42]

yeah that's a fantastic song. i also love the title screen song for Civ VI

[@marcusott5054]

That song (Baba Yetu) brings back memories. Much as the last 3 Elder scrolls Themes.

[@sherrykathman3309]

I love that song!

[@samovarcoals]

​@@happyninja42and then he expanded both those pieces into entire concept albums: Calling All Dawns and The Drop That Contained The Sea...

[@juandesalgado]

Thanks for the reaction! P.S.: The theme "B C# D C# A C# B" shows up all over the Skyrim soundtrack, as a unifying leitmotif. Here you can hear it around 4:53 in the video.

[@GedUK]

There's quite a few bits from the Morrowind soundtrack slightly earlier too.

[@savlecz1187]

@@GedUK Yep. Even the drum which opens and closes the song is carried over from Morrowind where it was supposedly meant to symbolize the beating heart of Lorkhan.

[@TalisSolepsis]

@@GedUK Of all the series, Morrowind is probably my favourite.

[@washellwash1802]

Mass Effect's main menu theme and "Leaving Earth" are gorgeous instrumental pieces I think are worth a listen

[@austinuhr8459]

Man, this one's a treat. Dragonborn is on a very short list of contenders for the greatest video game theme song of all time

[@GJ-fe3bh]

That & the soundtrack from Halo 2

[@sethharris813]

For sure. I can't hear it and not get goosebumps. It's waaay up there. I think on par with the theme from Zelda and One Winged Angel from FFVII.

[@GuardianAngelEatos]

Short list? What world are you living in? I could never make a short list of best video game pieces! I could easily name at least 30 of them!

[@sethharris813]

@@GuardianAngelEatos Interesting. Speak on that. Drop your quick list of 30. Also not everyone shares your broad taste and that's ok. I'm picky about music but I'd also say my short list is probably around 30. Lol

[@austinuhr8459]

@@GuardianAngelEatos The list gets easier when I'm only looking at title themes and main themes. In all of video game music, yeah it's pretty impossible to make a short list

[@V.F.D.DaleSalvador]

Nice, can't wait. Also hope he gets to Dark Souls soon. "Gwyn, Lord Of Cinder" and "Soul Of Cinder" would be killer to do in 1 video. Ones a solo piano piece and ones a full symphony. They are connected pieces that share melodies and such. They aren't 1 long song, but still worth listening together. "Great Grey Wolf Sif" is another good one.

[@DirranProductions]

The theme from Majula's too. Best part of DS2.

[@dsVektor]

Dark Souls 1 has such a magical OST. Gwyn, Sif, Artorias. Don't get me wrong, Yuki Kajiura is good and I like Dark Souls 3 and Elden Ring OSTs, but I feel like they've gone a bit too much into "epic cinematic" type of feel. Motoi Sakuraba brought much more diversity to Dark Souls 1.

[@poethepenguin2438]

These would both be great places to start in Soulsborne. Good primers before getting to the heavy pieces from Bloodborne or the really bombastic stuff from Elden Ring.

[@welcometovalhalla2884]

I really love Aldia's theme from Dark Souls 2, and especially One Who Craves Souls from Demon's Souls (the original, not as much the remake). It'd be great to see reactions to those eventually. The main theme from Dark Souls 3 is IMO the best for a first Dark Souls video, though. It's the first song that comes to mind when I think Souls. Most of the music in the series is associated to specific characters or moments, but it feels like that theme was really made to say "this is Dark Souls".

[@steveeymann6374]

Bethesda created an entire dragon language for this game with translations into english. You are hearing that language in this song.

[@jusahneim]

oh.. my.. god.... he said he does not know a lot of Video Game Music yet... here we go!!!! (enough material for the next 5 years of youtube ;) )

[@SylviusTheMad]

The full Skyrim OST is well over 3 hours long, and it is of this quality throughout.

[@pathos7527]

For the 10th anniversary of the game’s release, they did a concert of the game’s OST, showing the full orchestra playing the songs. Available on Bethesda’s page on YT, if you loved hearing all the real instruments and like the music so far it’s very much worth a watch.

[@keithbk]

While you can play Skyrim on a console, most modding is PC-based and has extended the game's life to where it is still played to this day. Skyrim is the BEST game investment you can probably make, because it is open-world and you can play as long as you desire.

[@GrampsD63]

Until Todd decides to force another update and crash your 1000+ mods

[@WhoElseButJarjosa]

I agree, but for someone completely new to gaming, vanilla Skyrim is probably more than enough.

[@klizzard5166]

this is the perfect example of why skyrim is one of the weakest of the franchise. to those who really love to live in the world just as the game came out without any mods its incredibly dull. the very first time you experience the game its good/okay. it helps with special edition because of the improved visuals but without that its just an updated and worse experience than oblivion. i started elder scrolls with oblivion on ps3 and was hooked. once skyrim came out i prolly played to level 12 and thought the game was super boring and rushed the main quests and finished the game around lvl 15-20 and didnt touch it for years until i had played more oblivion and morrowind and daggerfall. and i still after playing a bunch more hours of skyrim think its definitely worse than the other 3 games mentioned

[@MIronLance]

One of the trailers for the game uses this music as a background to Max von Sydow's narration. Was very epic when it released... still brings goosebumps when watching it.

[@UnivegaSuperSport]

"Fields of Ard Skellig" from The Witcher 3 by Polish composer Marcin Przybylowicz might be fun to react to.

[@des5592]

Skyrim music is grand and while Witcher 3 is positively feral. I love both.

[@Arrow2theACL]

I recommended this one on Doug's Discord to pair with the opening theme. I am hoping eventually.

[@leandronc]

Jeremy Soule is also a master of atmospheric music. His calm pieces used for exploration in Oblivion (Skyrim too, to a lesser extent) are hauntingly beautiful. Thanks for doing more game music!

[@snarkyrogue118]

Apparently Soule knocked this out in a weekend too. The guy wrote a song that works in english, in their fictional "dovah", AND fit the melody of the main theme of the series. Absolutely badass

[@JakobStrand]

Jeremy Soule is an amazing composer... This OST is top tier!

[@derkackadu]

It‘s a shame he‘s a gigantic asshole

[@parallelpinkparakeet]

He is! He did an original album called The Northerner Diaries which is amazing! Uses a few chords from his Elder Scrolls works.

[@TheNosferatu666]

BEST is/ was "Skyrim - The Dragonborn Comes - Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra feat. Sabina Zweiacker! Next comes "malukah's version"!

[@0babul0]

Heck YES. And how the brass section is going HAM at one point, it just sounds fantastic. IMO even better than the original, although choir here is pretty freaking nice as well.

[@Ennello]

So many good soundtracks, so much good prog, so much good metal, so much good jazz... I don't even know what to recommend anymore, help!

[@Goodfood717]

Blue Flowers, Dr.Octogon. I don't know if he does older hiphop or not.

[@Malkavian83]

Glad you've arrived at gaming soundtracks! There are SO so many amazing soundtracks out there. For me always standing out will be Borislav Slavov. His compositions for Divinity: Original Sin 2 and lately Baldurs Gate 3 are just chefs kiss. He is SUCH an amazing composer. For a starter, try "Rivellon" " Divinity 2 OST - Main Theme" or "Mead, Gold and Blood".

[@MrExplosion449]

I think you’d love the work Murray Gold did on Doctor Who, if you’re not already familiar with it. By far some of the best music ever put to screen

[@des5592]

Yes! My favorites are 11’s theme and “I am the Doctor”.

[@lightlezs7048]

For gaming soundtracks Gwyn Lord of Cinder is a must, definitely get to it eventually (Soul of Cinder together with it is also a good idea, since it's kind of like a sequel and conclusion to Gwyn Lord of Cinder)

[@captain02rex]

Elden Ring, Dark Souls and God of War (2018/Ragnarök) too

[@krotchy79]

Love the reactions on the OSTs - WItcher 3: The WIld Hunt OST is one of my faves if that one ever hits your radar. I still have to stop and listen to "The Fields of Ard Skellig" any time I get there in a game.

[@MCTimemaster]

(translated) Lyrics for the curious: Dragonborn, Dragonborn, by his honor is sworn, To keep evil forever at bay! And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph's shout, Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray! Hearken now, sons of snow, to an age, long ago, And the tale, boldly told, of the one! Who was kin to both wyrm, and the races of man, With a power to rival the sun! And the voice, he did wield, on that glorious field, When great Tamriel shuddered with war! Mighty Thu'um, like a blade, cut through enemies all, As the Dragonborn issued his roar! (Chorus) Dragonborn, Dragonborn, by his honor is sworn, To keep evil forever at bay! And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph's shout, Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray! And the Scrolls have foretold, of black wings in the cold, That when brothers wage war come unfurled! Alduin, Bane of Kings, ancient shadow unbound, With a hunger to swallow the world! But a day, shall arise, when the dark dragon's lies, Will be silenced forever and then! Fair Skyrim will be free from foul Alduins maw, Dragonborn be the savior of men! (Chorus) Dragonborn, Dragonborn, by his honor is sworn, To keep evil forever at bay! And the fiercest foes rout when they hear triumph's shout, Dragonborn, for your blessing we pray!

[@gregsurles4199]

It brings so high and gingerly sets back down. I always listen to it in full before I play to really get in the feel of the game.

[@ActuallyEric]

Doug, if you wanna go down the video game music rabbit hole, then I would HIGHLY recommend you have a listen to "Gusty Garden Galaxy" from the Super Mario Galaxy OST. I think you are going to really, really love that one.

[@aguelch]

Kyne's Peace is another wonderful Skyrim track, and so is Secunda. There are many absolutely beautiful ones but those are what I recommend the most.

[@skloak]

I wish Secunda was longer, 2 minutes is nothing. I also wish the piano repeated, because that sequence is just magical. I’ve seen some youtube videos where they loop the track for several hours, but it just sounds terrible that way, there’s no life in it. I wish I knew somebody who could just write more of it!

[@ericwilson8034]

Man, this song from Skyrim still gives me goosebumps 13 years later. What a great game.

[@danakissmgrits2624]

Just hearing the OST makes me want to play it again. And I've played through Skyrim SEVERAL times.

[@Shadowkainine]

Oh, this one I'm hyped for

[@belvedue7892]

The Elder Y’alls

[@iamded.]

Always a joy to watch Doug react to video game music. There are countless tracks I've love to see Mr Helverig react to, and ones like this are a treat.

[@rasmuslernevall6938]

Doug, I'd be crazy happy to watch you play Skyrim. Even if you stumble on your way at times, we would be there right beside you cheering you on!

[@ben_spiller]

"Oh, look, a giant!"

[@andrewborges399]

Watch the trailer!!!

[@langadubazana]

Phenomenal soundtrack. Playing this game as a child is a core memory.

[@RustyNutsBruh]

This game changed open world gaming forever, I remember loading into skyrim and showing my brother "Look I can walk up that mountain" which would usually be some background thing you couldn't get to. This games atmosphere, Music, and all around creativity is one of the best out there.

[@sianpodmore4988]

Hi Doug, I don't game either, but I'm increasingly intrigued by them and see them as a possible step up from being strapped in front of daytime TV in a care home in a couple of decades time. KZbin threw a Skyrim ambience at me one day, and I told my son it looked and sounded cool, what was it about? He has an X-box which connects to a TV set and he's been hooked on the game ever since. I does seem to be pretty bloody as he plays it, but I think you can engage in a lot of different ways, creating different characters and lifestyles. More recently I've enjoyed watching run throughs of other games on KZbin (I'm a particular fan of someone calling themselves Lizz who has a lovely singing voice). Perhaps checking out some of those as your gateway drug might help. I've found Hogwarts Legacy, the Jedi games and Avatar to be within the limits of my delicate sensitivities. When I tried one myself briefly, taking down a few storm troopers did get to be quite therapeutic. The games teache you what to do as you go along and you can set the level of difficulty.

[@juandesalgado]

I'm 65; when I was a kid, the elders back then loved to sit in front of the TV and watch nature documentaries. I have the feeling that today's equivalent is to watch reaction videos in KZbin.

[@peppermintshamrock]

Scars of Time (Chrono Cross intro) would be a great one to react to when you want to do more video game music. There are so many great video game songs out there!

[@g-01]

Man, this video got me psyched to play Skyrim again. Great analysis as always Doug!! Would love to see you check out the main themes from the other Elder Scrolls games that Soule composed for: Nerevar Rising (TES 3 Morrowind) and Reign of the Septims (TES 4 Oblivion) - they all use the same motif! If you're looking to change it up as well I would HIGHLY recommend listening to some of the Shadow of the Colossus soundtrack. The game is available on Playstation 4 if you would like to experience the music in the game itself! In my opinion, it's among the greatest game soundtracks of all time!

[@decay79]

This is such an awesome soundtrack, this piece is just beautiful and powerful all at once, really is one of the greatest imo. One of those pieces that just always gives me chills 🥰

[@NikkiStikks]

This video is great! I love the idea of reacting to film scores, video game soundtracks etc.

[@BrownsFanSince2017]

If you wanna do another gaming video, I would recommend “Silver for Monsters…” and “Fields of Ard Skellig” from The Witcher 3: Wild Hunt soundtrack

[@rockjianrock]

may the LELELELELE intensify

[@Three_Claws]

I'd love to see you react to Opera: "Maria and Draco" by Nobuo Uematsu ftom the Distant Worlds album. 12 minutes of Nobuo's take on a Final Fantasy opera!

[@ryanseegers8968]

Could you imagine the feelings I had when I first heard this at 11 when it first came out. I was so stoked! Dragon born and Secunda still get me to this day.

[@Swaytekk]

I stumbled onto your reaction to one winged Angel and I couldn’t wait to see your reaction to this!!!

[@simontemplar3359]

I have really enjoyed the PS5. it's current Gen and has a massive library. Skyrim is still very worth playing. I'll leave the comments section to drop wisdom on which games are best!

[@AqueousMantra]

The first use of this theme was back in 2002 with Morrowind. Much more mysterious and ethereal

[@klizzard5166]

agreed. skyrim is a good game to be fair but barely above mediocre. the older elder scrolls games are better. music too.. more ethereal and fantasy. skyrim is like it took too much real life old viking nords music into the game and while being more accurate to what it prolly would be like real life if skyrim was real its way more dull/boring/bland than almost any older ES game. i started with Oblivion and then skyrim. skyrim was pretty trash to me after 30 hours of playtime compared to oblivion. years later i tried daggerfall and morrowind and put in more hours in skyrim again and still think daggerfall morrowind oblivion are much better games and much better fantasy stories than skyrim.

[@Sinknut]

I think i heard this song over a hundred times and it still gives me goosebumps. Great Work there

[@Manuel1112221]

Honestly, these are my favorite reactions of yours. It's so fun to see someone who doesn't know much (or anything!) about the games react to the OSTs. Would love to keep this ball going with more game OST reviews. Thanks for another great video Doug! :D

[@martinbeckdorf4565]

This one was one of the things that made me fall in love with Skyrim. The ammount of work they placed into it is great, not the least because they intertwined it to the prior lore as a little reward for returning players, this being the 5th intallment of the series. I believe the theme has been the basis for the OST since the 3rd. Although this one does include a lot of original melodies wrapped around the Elder Scrolls theme. One cool thing I find in this song is that the drums at the start and ending might be a reference to the Heart of Lorkhan, a McGuffin for the 3rd game and a recurring object/thing in the lore which is basically the heart of a god, torn appart and buried as punishment for creating the race of men (thus it sounds as if it was underground or otherwise covered). In a way, the drums are the instrument of men much like the voices are a thematic queue for humanity in The Matrix as opposed to metal sounds.

[@Slibber]

You should check out "A Beautiful Song" from NieR Automata, that game has one of my favorite soundtracks of all time.

[@peppermintshamrock]

Seconding this, NieR and NieR Automata have _amazing_ OSTs - it's hard to pick just one, but A Beautiful Song is a good choice if you had to pick just one to react to. (For original NieR, probably Snow in Summer or Shadowlord, but again, there are _so_ many good tracks to be found).

[@GrizzlyAt0ms]

This isn't gonna get enough recommendations. But those of us who know, know.

[@shaxplosion]

Hell yeah. All the NieR OSTs are amazing but "City Ruins - Rays of Light" is probably my favorite.

[@HotQahwe]

Jeremy Soule music is amazing, I think TES IV : Oblivion's OST is my favorite, he also works on Elder Scroll's 3 Morrowind as well. I think his music is very peaceful , glad you are checking his music out. I think this sound alot like his previous stuff in Morrowind, and I recognize this song as the "Main Menu" theme for this game.

[@fredeso7844]

I am going to second that. Doug, on the off chance you're reading this, the Oblivion soundtrack is special. Since you tend to read the backstory before listening, this won't be a spoiler. The composer had experienced a life-changing event, I believe he escaped a car crash, which left him in a serene and cotemplative mood. There is something special about the peaceful Oblivion town and landscape themes. It doesn't have the production value of the Skyrim track you listened to, but the melodies and arrangements are inspired.

[@derbudz]

"What console should I get?" And thus the ever glimmering flame of the great console wars was relit once again.

[@aVerySillyBilly]

Jeremy Soule has made some wonderful soundtracks

[@tehzerp]

I'm still haunted by Secret of Evermore's music to this day. I can be sitting somewhere quiet and various bits will pop into my head.

[@aVerySillyBilly]

@@tehzerp i have never played but the soundtrack seems pretty good.

[@tehzerp]

@@aVerySillyBilly it's this weird mixture of atmosphere and mystery and unease. But you listen to it and then you listen to Skyrim and all that perfect atmospheric music and you can see how he just got better over the years.

[@seajaytea9340]

I love how genuinely you ask your audience about gaming. Imagine if someone (an adult in their 30s) told you that they really never "listened" to music, and asked you where to start. That is the Everest.

[@iwantmyvanback]

Great reaction. I absolutely adore the music of Skyrim. It's fantastic

[@calbrown5355]

I've heard this song a thousand times and gives me chills and goosebumps every time.

[@bobbenson6825]

ah ha ha ha I can't believe you covered this! After putting 1500+ hours into Skyrim this is better than being whacked into the stratosphere by a giant. I used to be an adventurer but then I took an arrow to my knee. Anybody else hear some echoes of Basil Poledouris?

[@klizzard5166]

arrow to THE KNEE man with 1500 hours u should know

[@kurtv4946]

I'm not a gamer (probably because I'm 72 years old) but I love this music.

[@Goodfood717]

Would you please share some books or book series suggestions? I grew up on Edgar Rice Burrows, Tolkien, Zane Grey and the like.

[@matthewteague623]

Gaming is not everyone's cup of tea. But if you find you've got extra time, you might consider some games to fill it. Back when I was in my late 20's, I did a lot of multiplayer online games. One of the staples in our normal gaming group, was a retiree who lived on his ranch with his horses.

[@mattbrown5511]

Just a bit of game lore; The dragons battle by "shouting" at each other. It is how their magic works. Epic music for the theme of words being battle.

[@prometheanrebel3838]

Debating to the death.

[@AM-qb8zg]

Thank you for doing this, Doug. Wind Guide You is a beautiful piece of music.

[@jonathanryan9946]

Skyrim has sold over 60 million copies if you count all the versions/editions of it as one. Making it one of the best selling video games of all time.

[@klizzard5166]

true but making it the best selling doesnt neccesarily mean its the greatest. re release and special edition etc so its been sold as (new) again and again to make it there. unlike other games, thats great from the get go without mods selling below half of what skyrim did but sold 1 time no re release or remake or special edition

[@Kalarchis]

I would say go for a Switch. It's the cheaper, more accessible of the major consoles but still excellent quality games. Try Zelda or Mario, or one of a thousand great puzzle games. It caters heavily towards the "family friendly" nothing gory audience as well.

[@rogerriggii6733]

Seconded! I would love to hear his opinions on breath of the wild’s soundtrack and if the minimalism is really well done or not. As for the gore, there isn’t any. Enemies that die are poofs of smoke. No dismemberment that I can think of As for a song recommendation, breath of the wild, hyrule castle outside

[@Kalarchis]

Also music is an integral and defining part of many Nintendo games! Older Zelda games have instruments and songs you can play.

[@supershyguymkw2107]

I also think the same, plus Nintendo games are easy, accessible for people who have never played video games, he could start with non-complicated games: any Mario, although I would recommend: Mario kart 8, Mario Odyssey, Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door, Mario RPG remake, Kirby (any of the series) ,Zelda Link's Awakening since it seems to me to be the easiest Zelda to play for a beginner.

[@Goodfood717]

He would not want a sandbox rooted in nostalgia. Steamdeck offers greater variety, musical depth and gameplay options.

[@klizzard5166]

nah. if Doug is looking to play skyrim vanilla get it on PC. if he is looking to play multiple games on a single console thats not elder scrolls maybe switch yea for zelda or mario oddesey but besides those 2 games there is not really any reason to get a switch. dont think he is interested in mario kart and for that matter oddesey. playstation or xbox is the better choice IF you NEED a console. otherwise PC is the master race. you get skyrim on there and all other elder scrolls games which are mostly better than skyrim to be fair.

[@snyderson1828]

I still get goosebumps every time this song kicks in…

[@WooShell]

I've got about 4000 hours in Skyrim and I still can't get enough of the world and the amazing soundtrack that Jeremy Soule has created. Sometimes I just wander around without any goal and enjoy the view and music. There's an orchestral live play of the OST on KZbin that Bethesda Studio produced for the 10th anniversary - can highly recommend listening to that some day.

[@nicklauslee3283]

Xbox, there is really only one game, Skyrim, it is winner of hundreds of awards, even after all these years i still play it to thos day, it is even better if you mod it.

[@klizzard5166]

its barely good without mods. to make it really good you need 100s of mods. dont get me wrong skyrim vanilla good game ish 6/10 but very boring compared to older ones

[@Jonagold-music]

Why don't you just pick up a used Xbox360 and play Elder Scrolls V Skyrim on that ?. Should be dirt cheap and really simple to operate even for someone with no previous experience. And Elder Scrolls V Skyrim should also be a nice entry. Its concidered by many to be one of the best of its genre

[@klizzard5166]

he is literally using a computer which is a 1000 times better to play games on. get skyrim special edition on PC and Doug is golden. no need to literally waste money on a ps3 or xbox360

[@Man_The_Machines]

The rest of the soundtrack has some truly timeless melodies. The way the music flows through the game in context is worth the experience.

[@dallasmed65]

Oh please do more Skyrim soundtracks

[@HenriNioto]

Everything by Jeremy Soule is brilliant. Heroes of Might and Magic soundtracks (especially III and V) and Age of Conan soundtrack are also brilliant, if you want good video game orchestral-like music. For example : kzbin.info/www/bejne/m6PChGZqm9yel5o, kzbin.info/www/bejne/raPTYpt7qbpjr9U and kzbin.info/www/bejne/fn3ZZJylZdqDbKc&.

[@Silber7]

Ever since KotOR (with still quite limited technology at the time - and his themes needing not to shy away from John Williams' ones) he is a household name to me!

[@lethargictunes1289]

You should react to the WoW WOTLK cinematic trailer

[@ataricom]

Your facial expressions make me feel like I'm playing the game for the first time once again. Thank you so much, Doug, for doing this, it's like I'm sharing my favorite things with a friend.

[@ecthelion1735]

From Past to Present is my favorite ambient track from Skyrim.

[@Janokins]

This one takes me back (only about 12 years but still!) but it was the music of Skyrim that got me into music on KZbin, particularly Miracle of Sound who I've been listening to ever since. And since you asked for recommendations, maybe something like Ratchet & Clank would be a good one to get started, to get used to moving around in 3D, and the only violence in it is cartoony.

[@crashoverride8450]

So ... I have played Skyrim many times over years and years and ... damn, this Soundtrack hits me every time.

[@lisarees2703]

Skyrim remains my favorite video game of all time. The theme makes me want to cry, and it brings back all the memories of going through the quests and defeating Alduin. The music is amazing!!!!!!!

[@DuendeBoss]

The Elder Scrolls games have an awesome OST, me personally like the Oblivion one the most, ''Harvest Dawn'' is sooo iconic... the moment it starts playing when you first get out of the sewers; or ''Bloody Blades'' when you are in the last leg of the Dark Brotherhood questline (after Lucien Lachance death), or ''Wings of Kynareth'', that game OST is legendary, highly recommended.

[@thomasvanderplas3048]

what a game what a soundtrack. love it! great reaction sir.

[@redwarrior01]

I remember the first time the game loaded for the first time! Tje goosebumps where bigger the berries!

[@sethharris813]

Love the video! Came up randomly in my feed. I'm classically trained in music and a die hard Skyrim player. This song gets me so pumped every time I hear it. Time to kill a dragon. If you haven't done so then check out the translation of the Dovahzuul. It's even more epic when you understand the words. My favorite part is the breakdown towards the end. "And the Scrolls have foretold of black wings in the cold that when brothers wage war come unfurled. Alduin, Bane of Kings, ancient shadow unbound with a hunger to swallow the world!" Subscribed! Perhaps consider some music from Legend of Zelda, Colgera's Theme? Also if you're just planning on casual gaming I recommend the Nintendo Switch. It can be on your TV or handheld; the joycon controllers can be a lot of fun because they're detachable and easier on an old guy like me; Nintendo puts a polish on their software and hardware that PlayStation and XBox just don't, the latter two can be incredibly frustrating as far as accessibility and glitchiness. Here's a pretty decent rendition of the translated version kzbin.info/www/bejne/rYLOf5KGatGSnLMsi=63YWCgIGYIHFgKbe

[@phaseryo7471]

Great reaction my guy!

[@nickbedford5021]

Love the track where you come out of the mountains for the first time and the dragon flying over top reaching the river and everything just built up around you. If I ever go the mountains I always play this soundtrack haha

[@JasonfromEarth]

I have spent thousands of hours in Skyrim. This song still gives me chills.

[@AuronandSephirothmix]

Now, imagine you're walking down a lonely mountain road and then you her a distant roar. Then this music starts playing as a dragon flies into view. That is the feeling you get every day when playing this game.

[@kevgmei]

Dude, you're so fun to watch! I want to understand music better so I can follow along with your commentary on modes and intervals. If you're going to do more reactions to game soundtracks, then I think Ludwig's theme from Bloodborne would be a real treat for you!

[@mythofmar]

I love how you explain why the music we love sounds so good. Please consider reacting to Great Red Spirit from Dynasty Warriors 5 (Request #2)

[@Klapeful]

secunda from this OST is beautiful

[@KhaziirEverflight]

One thing I absolutely love is that this song, and the "Sovngarde" OST song in world are the same song. The Dragonborn song is "simply" the version that was verbally kept alive, but the original music forgotte through the ages, but Sovngarde is essentially the original as it was written initially, from what i remember.

[@edinguitar]

I love it that you took time to check some game soundtracks, I would like to see more Jesper Kyd, Bear McCreary, Jeremy Soule, and my favorite would be Howard Shore :D and his works on LotR. Thank you Mr Helvering