Ignore any sub-8.5 rating, it only takes one eye and half a brain to see this game is a winner.
While Skyrim, the world, is a fully envisioned and implemented place, filled with interesting quests and entertaining personalities; Skyrim, the game, shows us how the developers at Bethesda truly listen to their audience.
First, while Skyrim does manage to have it's own, unique identity, it does so without abandoning the things which have made the series so remarkably identifiable and deep. The (pseudo) sandbox landscape, the attention to social detail, and the responsive combat system which are so irrevocably tied to the Elder Scrolls franchise are left intact - Oblivion enthusiasts will be overjoyed to see that this installment doesn't mess with the essentials.
Unlike Oblivion, players are not defined by a class structure which gives preference to a set of seven proficiencies. Rather, a player is define by the actions he performs - meaning that if you do something, you'll get better at doing this in the future. While the Skyrim racial system does serve as somewhat of a baseline for progression - breaking from the paradigm defined by this baseline is so much easier in Skyrim due to the fact that level progression is not bound to any subset of skill progression, as was the case in Oblivion.
Skyrim introduces a brand new, stimulating level-up system and interface which allows players to feel that they have a grand level of control over the progression of their character. When a character levels up, they're granted with a bonus to either HP, Mana, or Endurance; they're also given a specialization point which can be spent enhancing their proficiency in an area of their choosing.
Inventory systems, while still less-than-perfect in terms of organization and accessibility, are visually pleasing; every inventory object in the game is rendered when selected in inventory - something which surely required a reasonable time investment at the studio.
Graphics, sound and overall game feel are improvements over oblivion. Visual styles work very well to establish strong feelings in the gamer and to make the world seem very much alive. While textures tend to look strange when inspected up close - they look realistic and alive when viewed at any other distance.
Overall, I give this game a 10/10 because it is a masterfully crafted, environmentally gifted, addicting and ubiquitously amazing experience. Gamespot should be deleting accounts of users giving this game low scores.