Oblivion is great fun, packed with hours of gameplay.
Summary: Oblivion is a game to sure be remembered as the greatest FPSRPG of it's time, with 200+ hours of gameplay, endless caves, dungeons etc. to raid, hundreds upon hundreds of unique quests, it doesn't end. Seriously.
Overview: The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is an RPG (more specifically FPSRPG) developed by Bethesda Softworks. The Elder Scrolls franchise is known for having huge, open ended lands, being able to do whatever you wanted to do in the game, and never having to follow the game's storyline. I'm not much of an RPG fan, but this game really stood out to me. Maybe it's the fact I'm a sucker for FPS games.
Graphics: They're amazing, what can I say, really, although you'd need one helluva rig to run them on all high. I was simply...blown away by them, when this game first came out in 2004. The draw distance was absolutely incredible, being able to see the Alyeid Gold Tower from several miles away. If you're a graphics whore, you'd probably blow your load all over this game.
Audio: The soundtrack is awesome, it really reaches above my standards. One annoyance, though, when you're spotted by an enemy (engaged in combat) the soundtrack cuts to this more intensive music, to set the tone. This is annoying after a while, but, it's only a minor annoyance, really. The soundtrack also lacks variety. You'll be hearing a lot of the same songs, a lot of the time. It's not like I can complain, though, it's still an awesome soundtrack.
One thing that's annoying, the game has about, at the max, five different voice actors, for over a hundred NPCs in the game. This is very obviously shown when talking to a beggar, and asking about rumors. They probably blew the rest of their money on gameplay and graphics, but, c'mon, more voice actors would've been nice, I feel like I'm talking to five different people, rather than one hundred.
Gameplay: It never gets old. If it does, try doing something else for a while. If you get tired of raiding, go questing. Join a guild, or participate in the Arena. It's all great, unique stuff to do. You can roleplay yourself as different characters, be a thief, murderer, a champion of Cyrodill, it's all there. Imagination is also something you could implement into your games. But that's only for the hardcore RPG gamers.
Story: It's below par, I have to say..the questing to get to the end feels off par, but the story isn't really what we're here for, is it? It's the freedom...but anyway, the story goes like this, I'll keep spoilers to a minimum..ahem. Upon starting the game, you're found in a jail cell, with no reason as to why, how you got there, the only explanation..is fate. You're greeted by the Emperor, who is trying to escape with his life, and you follow him through the little secret passageway convientely placed in your jail cell. This little dungeon serves as the tutorial, you'll learn the basics here, while being introduced to the beginning of the story - you watch the Emperor die in front of your eyes, where he gives you the Amulet of Kings, and it goes from there..the good news is, from then on out, you can completely ignore the story and go your own way. Hooray!
Replayability: If you own this game on a console, shame on you. The only way to go with this game is on the PC. Why? The replayability is extended by mounds because of one thing: MODS. Yes, third party game mods made by fans of the game. Some of these are absolutely amazing, and completely change the game rules, which will make the game ten times funner if you're tired of the same old basic Oblivion. As for vanilla Oblivion, the game will die out after a while, especially if you're sitting on a pile of gold in your massive mansion, with ten butlers at your will, and a swordpile the size of your character's ego. You could, of course, then start a new character, maybe focus on a new way to play the game...but don't forget those mods, dear God, don't.
Judging: I give this game a 4.5/5, because of flaws with the audio in the game, and the story. A game this epic, should've had a more epic story. But the freedom and the immersion is really where this game shines. I highly recommend it, especially to RPG fans, and even FPS fans. If you're going to buy it, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get it on PC, I'm saddend by the fact that according to the average reviews on GiantBomb, most people think the console versions are superior. Don't forget, more bang for your buck if you get it on PC. Even if you aren't able to run the game, you can get mods to solve this, too. Specifically, Oldblivion.
Score: 4.5/5
Overview: The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is an RPG (more specifically FPSRPG) developed by Bethesda Softworks. The Elder Scrolls franchise is known for having huge, open ended lands, being able to do whatever you wanted to do in the game, and never having to follow the game's storyline. I'm not much of an RPG fan, but this game really stood out to me. Maybe it's the fact I'm a sucker for FPS games.
Graphics: They're amazing, what can I say, really, although you'd need one helluva rig to run them on all high. I was simply...blown away by them, when this game first came out in 2004. The draw distance was absolutely incredible, being able to see the Alyeid Gold Tower from several miles away. If you're a graphics whore, you'd probably blow your load all over this game.
Audio: The soundtrack is awesome, it really reaches above my standards. One annoyance, though, when you're spotted by an enemy (engaged in combat) the soundtrack cuts to this more intensive music, to set the tone. This is annoying after a while, but, it's only a minor annoyance, really. The soundtrack also lacks variety. You'll be hearing a lot of the same songs, a lot of the time. It's not like I can complain, though, it's still an awesome soundtrack.
One thing that's annoying, the game has about, at the max, five different voice actors, for over a hundred NPCs in the game. This is very obviously shown when talking to a beggar, and asking about rumors. They probably blew the rest of their money on gameplay and graphics, but, c'mon, more voice actors would've been nice, I feel like I'm talking to five different people, rather than one hundred.
Gameplay: It never gets old. If it does, try doing something else for a while. If you get tired of raiding, go questing. Join a guild, or participate in the Arena. It's all great, unique stuff to do. You can roleplay yourself as different characters, be a thief, murderer, a champion of Cyrodill, it's all there. Imagination is also something you could implement into your games. But that's only for the hardcore RPG gamers.
Story: It's below par, I have to say..the questing to get to the end feels off par, but the story isn't really what we're here for, is it? It's the freedom...but anyway, the story goes like this, I'll keep spoilers to a minimum..ahem. Upon starting the game, you're found in a jail cell, with no reason as to why, how you got there, the only explanation..is fate. You're greeted by the Emperor, who is trying to escape with his life, and you follow him through the little secret passageway convientely placed in your jail cell. This little dungeon serves as the tutorial, you'll learn the basics here, while being introduced to the beginning of the story - you watch the Emperor die in front of your eyes, where he gives you the Amulet of Kings, and it goes from there..the good news is, from then on out, you can completely ignore the story and go your own way. Hooray!
Replayability: If you own this game on a console, shame on you. The only way to go with this game is on the PC. Why? The replayability is extended by mounds because of one thing: MODS. Yes, third party game mods made by fans of the game. Some of these are absolutely amazing, and completely change the game rules, which will make the game ten times funner if you're tired of the same old basic Oblivion. As for vanilla Oblivion, the game will die out after a while, especially if you're sitting on a pile of gold in your massive mansion, with ten butlers at your will, and a swordpile the size of your character's ego. You could, of course, then start a new character, maybe focus on a new way to play the game...but don't forget those mods, dear God, don't.
Judging: I give this game a 4.5/5, because of flaws with the audio in the game, and the story. A game this epic, should've had a more epic story. But the freedom and the immersion is really where this game shines. I highly recommend it, especially to RPG fans, and even FPS fans. If you're going to buy it, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE get it on PC, I'm saddend by the fact that according to the average reviews on GiantBomb, most people think the console versions are superior. Don't forget, more bang for your buck if you get it on PC. Even if you aren't able to run the game, you can get mods to solve this, too. Specifically, Oldblivion.
Score: 4.5/5
