My Game Review: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360)

[CthulhuKefka]

I will preface this by saying that I have been an Elder Scrolls fan ever since my grandfather lent me a copy of Elder Scrolls I: Arena a long, long time ago. With each subsequent installment, Bethesda has genuinely and dramatically improved the game play and graphics, leading to a more in-depth world of sword and sorcery. Now on to the review of TES IV: Oblivion. This review will be divided into five segments.

Part I: Game play

The game play of Oblivion is quite simple when used in conjunction with the extremely versatile Xbox controller. Movement is smooth and easy to control. The monsters in the game scale to your level, so you can finish the game at level 1 fighting nothing but level 1 enemies, or for more of a challenge, finish it at a higher level. Character creation is interesting, letting you pick 10 major skills, which are the major skills you must increase in order to level. Raise 10 of your major skills to gain one level. Also, each skill has different tiers of achievement, the higher tier you reach, the more abilities are unlocked for that skill.


Story/Quest Lines

Oblivion's story is simple. The boundaries keeping the forces of the Daedra (Elder Scroll's demon gods) Lord Mehrunes Dagon (who has played a part in almost every single Elder Scrolls game to date) have weakened to the point where he can launch an assault on the world to destroy it. Your character is thrust in the middle of this when the Emperor just so happens to be fleeing the castle from an assault on the royal family, and his path just so happens to lead through your prison cell. After escaping the sewers, the game becomes extremely non-linear, allowing you to follow many different paths. There are numerous factions to join, each allowing you to advance in their ranks to unlock additional perks and benefits.


Graphics

The graphics for Oblivion are quite beautiful. While not up to par with the PC version, the Xbox version pushes the graphics engine to deliver a breathtaking game. Not too much can be said on this topic. Character models can get a little repetitive, but in a world where each NPC (non player character) has its own schedule, it is to be expected.

Music

Music, much like the graphics, is strikingly memorable. The main theme in particular stands out in my mind. If I had to equate it to anything, it resembled the music from the Lord of the Rings movies (at least, in terms of its epic scale).


Re playability

Re playability is very high with this game. There are a lot of different classes to choose, and each archetype (be it fighter, rogue or mage) can bring challenges and difficulties in regard to the players preferred style. Two expansions have been released for the game; the first being semi-short but mildly fulfilling, and the second being a lot longer and more fleshed out.


Rating the game, I would give it (on a 1-5 scale) the following points:

Gameplay: 4
Story: 5
Graphics: 5
Music: 4
Re playability: 5

Final score: 4.6

Oblivion is a massive improvement over the series's previous title Morrowind. It takes sword & sorcery and infuses it with an epic storyline, incredible content, amazing graphics and a re playability that allows the game to be enjoyed countless times.

(This was my first review of anything ever, so be gentle!  )

[Reaves]

interesting. I've been looking at this game for a while, but never really been intrigued.  The graphics and first person view have always turned me off, and the story seems only "good" from your review. Thanks so much for another opinion on this game, I really appreciate the review!

[CthulhuKefka]

Thanks!  I should have fleshed out my review a little more, but it was getting late and drowsiness was interfering with my ability to think. 

You don't actually have to play in first person, there is a third-person perspective in which you can play (however, for me anyways, first person is easier to use for some reason).

It's true that the storyline is pretty cliched for a fantasy game (evil demons trying to destroy the world), but the amount of side stories and lore for the game more than make up for it. The world map is huge, and you have the ability to "fast travel" to an area you've been to before. However, if you're like me and enjoy traveling, you can set out on a cross-continent trek, discovering many ruins/dungeons/monsters along the way.

Interaction with NPC's gives you an opportunity to work on the personality skill which lets you tweak with a person's hatred/liking towards you and is incredibly fun.

[Silenced Parrot]

Personally, I absolutely loved playing through the Dark Brotherhood story-line and to a lesser extent I enjoyed the Thieves Guild. Getting missions to steal or kill someone, gave such a sense of excitement that I didn't realize I'd played for nearly a day straight without stops. It was my first next gen console experience, so exploring Cyrodiil was breath-taking for me, creeping through dungeons, not knowing what's around the corner, was exciting. While the game-play was clunky at times, and I personally found the dialogue system monotonous after fifteen hours, there was a lot stuffed onto that disc; well worth the money for me. So I completely agree with this review of Oblivion.

Now they're (Bethesda) is about to release Fallout 3, which looks like it's going to be even more beautiful than Oblivion, with game play that looks less clunky! Not to mention it's set into an apocalyptic wasteland, where radiation is an enemy you counterbalance as you make your way through the land.