A step in the right direction, but still a step
Quick Review
If you think Oblivion is the next generation of gaming, a game with total freedoom, and a game you can play however you want, you'll be dissapointed. But don't get me wrong: I wholeheartedly urge all decent RPG fans to buy this game right now. It is a deep, nearly endless RPG. But Oblivion ends up being only a minor piece of what a truly open world rpg is. If you want to be the best mage in the world, you can do it in Oblivion. You can be a good person as well, doing quests for the betterment of NPCkind. And you can be simpily a dungeon grinder. But the thing is, whoever you are, you'll always be limited by what the game wants you to be. Quests don't care wether you're good or evil. If you kill someone in town, as long as you go to jail or pay your dues, the town doesn't care. The world doesn't truly react to you as it should. There's a sameness to everything, no matter how you play. In addition, the sytem limits a lot of things you can do. Wanna be a thief and a murderer? Well have fun not being able to do any quests for the rest of the game. Wanna be a sweet talker who can get around anything with words? Well, try talking to that bandit who'll charge at you no matter who you are. Wanna align with the evil daedra? No. Oblivion is very open in some parts, but try anything else and your down a whole. If you want to play the game as it wants you to play it, it's a near perfect RPG. Go buy it. But if you want a true open world and a game to make your own, Oblivion is a great try... but not as good as everyone makes it out to be.
Pros:
- Deep gameplay
- Lots of possibilities to drain your time away
- Tons of content
- Great skill system
- Decent story
- If this is a fortelling of what a truly open RPG could be, the future is awesome
Cons:
- Boring combat
- Not truly open
- Skill system has its flaws: you can jump for hour in one spot and become a master acrobat
- Being evil is not supported by "evil quests"
- World doesn't truly react to you
Verdict: For RPG fans, if you can live with its flaws, it's a must buy. Otherwise, wait for Fallout 3.
Three word review: Semi- Deep Imperfect RPG
