Add to this the fact that their lives will change depending on your actions and exploits and it becomes incredible to note that the audio never reverts to being generic. Every character speaks (and unlike Morrowind, everyone actually has something different to say), and every character has his own life to attend to, which also includes dialog. The audio presentation in Oblivion is not only fantastic, but staggering in scope. And while the quest/map screen seems to hold the user's hand a little, it also makes fast-traveling between towns so much quicker. You'll be overjoyed by how easy all the information is presented and how easy navigating around the interface is. As a fan of many RPGs, I know this is a make or break issue with many games, but Oblivion handles the complexity of its interface with style and ease. Oblivion feels alive in every way and even after 180 hour of playing it, I am still surprised by what I see and hear.Īt its core, Oblivion is an RPG and as such must have the obligatory inventory/quest/map/hero interface. While Morrowind seemed immersive at first, there seemed to be something missing from it. There is also the simple pleasure of walking from one town to another and seeing what happens. There is always something to do, many quests to complete and guilds to join. After almost 180 hours of Oblivion, it's become quite clear to me that I will never see everything there is to see, but I will go back to it again and again regardless. While there is a story-line to Oblivion, which can last you up to 40 hours to finish, there are also a million other things to keep you from it. It should be noted that all characters/monsters in the game level up accordingly to your character's level, so there is never an area that remains off limits until later and the main quest can be completed at any time. And, as with Morrowind, the magic, combat and leveling up can be abused early on which, like in the previous title, adds even more incentive to experiment. The addition of hotkeys (on the D-pad) which can be mapped out and assigned to anything in your inventory also helps changing spells easy on the fly. Magic, which is sometimes even more fun than a sword, not only looks amazing, but seems less clunky than in Morrowind. The controls are perfectly mapped and responsive, and combat when it must be done, feels like an extension of itself rather than a chore. All the combat is now physics based and so much better. You hit what you hit and block what you block. After the prison tutorial, and the jaw-dropping awe of leaving the underground tunnels, you'll begin to realize how different Oblivion is from its predecessor.Ĭombat, which felt like a dice roll in the previous game, has been changed to behave more like a true hack 'n slash title. You'll also choose your birth-sign, attributes and specialization. All previous races and classes return along with a character editor not unlike Tiger Woods' PGA Tour. You live Oblivion.Īs with Morrowind, your first step is creating a hero for your adventure. From its level of interactivity, pacing, detail and depth, you never just play Oblivion. Oblivion is a videogame, but make no mistake about it, it is also an experience like none before it. Before it is all over, we will have entered and closed Oblivion Gates, joined Factions and Guilds, fought in the arena, spied on people, killed others, trained, journeyed, escaped vampires and disease, bought houses, become a hero, stolen a few things here and there, and even spent a night or two in jail. And this is, quite simply, how our quest begins.
Soon, the King shall be dead and you will be tasked with not only finding his heir, but saving the Tamrielic Empire from the grips of Oblivion. As he flees his own castle through the underground prisons, fate also binds him with our hero. Oblivion begins, as expected, with a powerful monologue delivered by a King very much disillusioned by his fate. As a fan of the series, I have a lot more to gush over. As a reviewer, I can't recommend a game more. And yes, Oblivion is more than reason enough to buy a Xbox 360 for. Everything you knew about Morrowind has been bettered and perfected. Everything that you may have heard about it is true. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is, simply put, the most complete and most amazing experience to be had in videogame form, bar none, and everyone should be playing it rather than reading about it. While it is quite possible as a reviewer to write paragraphs, if not books, on the merits, improvements and details of Oblivion, it would simply be a disservice to anyone reading it.