Got my copy of Skyrim 3 minutes after midnight. Was somewhere around the 100th or so person in line with 6 other of my friends waiting to get the stamp on our receipts. Once you get your stamp, you go in the next line which is the wait to get your copy once midnight hits. It was about 10 minutes before midnight when all my buds and I got the stamp, and we instantly just cut to the front of the next line. Was literally one of the first 10 -15 persons to attain a copy of the game in the mall. Was just an overall great feeling and experience(never have been to a midnight release before).
So Chris, so you don't worry as much - I've never played any of the rest of the series. Scratch that, I've never owned or rented one of them. I have played Oblivion for like 10 minutes at a friend's house and that's it. I'm not well acquainted with RPG styled games either(I only started immersing myself in them this year with Fallout 3 and Dragon Age: Origins, fallout not even being close to a perfect example).
Bethesda developed Fallout 3 too so yeah you'll see similarities, but it goes without saying it will be a totally different gaming experience(besides visually - playing Skyrim is giving me the same euphoric effect running around enjoying the scenery like Fallout 3 did).
As far as the story goes, you're fine with no previous game storyline's - you'll enjoy the game regardless. It's set(I want to say)200 years after the story of Oblivion and is not a direct sequel - game history is relevant but it's a completely new game. Knowledge of gameplay in predecessor's of Skyrim would come in hand just to have general experience, but Skyrim's take on races/abilities/combat/leveling are different(and so goddamn amazing).
As far as pc vs console goes - if you enjoy the feel of a pc more and can handle Skyrim then I say go for it. Mods for Elder Scrolls are a big part of the game when it comes to the pc community and you can potentially run the game a lot better frame rate/draw distance/graphics wise.
This game has so much damn hours of playtime it's not even funny. I was aware it would be over 300+ hours of gameplay, but now Todd Howard has confirmed infinite quests. http://www.inentertainment.co.uk/20111109/skyrim-release-date-brings-unlimited-quests/ Get the game Chris.