The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

While Morrowind was indeed an incredible game, Oblivion clearly cleans up much of the crap from the previous title. For one, the combat system is incredible (I found myself playing Morrowind for the story, not the action; here I'm playing it almost more for the action). Two, the fact that everyone actually talks to you makes the game more of a game, rather than a book with controls. Three, the physics system ensures quite a lot of mischievous fun.

Sure, there are drawbacks, but I think what people might be whining about when they say Morrowind was better is that Oblivion might perhaps be too familiar. In Oblivion, there are oak trees and deer and bears and pretty common looking flowers and weather patterns. In Morrowind it was all so exotic and foreign, with the towering mushrooms and strange cities and everyone calling you "muthsera" and the strange creatures no one's ever seen before. Morrowind was more original. Oblivion's just plain good.

Sure, the main quest might be a little shorter, but I can say that I'm definitely tempted to play this game all over again just to play around and get all the stuff I didn't before. Morrowind was a little too empty feeling. Oblivion is a more living world, with wind in the trees, creatures fighting one another ...

But while many may complain about lack of content, look what happened with Morrowind! The original game was long as it was, but two different expansions were released for it! Who knows how much extra material, extra armour, extra adventures, extra lands will be added to the Oblivion experience before the next Elder Scrolls is released (assuming it is, which I certainly hope is so). 10/10, so I say.

My husband got Elder Scrolls: Oblivion because he was a big fan of Morrowind. I myself, not so big a fan, but only because I never really got into the game. He carefully researched and got a new video card recommended by the game requirements, an Invidia 7800GS. I wouldn't play this game unless you had a video card & processor capable of handling it. Otherwise it's move the cursor, wait a minute, move the cursor, etc.

Now that being said, it is positively one of the most fun games I've played in a long time. I never really got into Morrowind or any of the other elder scrolls games. I recognized that they were fantastic games, but I never really enjoyed them. I have taken the computer away from my husband. From the minutiae of detail you can infuse into your character, to the AI response to your actions, the scope of the landscape.. the weather changes, the leaves moving.. the deer prancing in the distance that you can actually hunt.. It's amazing.

I've only done one or two of the quests.. and just started roaming into one of the many little dungeons. I thought it would just be bandits, but got farther down and started finding secret caverns.. light play is amazing. I stumbled into an underground chamber and was amazed by the lighting and the details.. until the bones started walking towards me. It was eerily creepy and wonderfully immersive.

I definitely would recommend this game for the PC for the module creations as well. I look forward to getting player made modules off the internet and seeing what other people are enjoying about this game.

10/10

I can only but agree with what have been said by others; This is one of the greatest games ever conceived, truly!

However if you are wondering weather to buy Oblivion for PC or Xbox 360, i would recommend you buying for PC. Although you might not get the exact same graphical performance, the Construction Set that follows the PC version is reason enough in itself.

For those who don't know: The Elder Scrolls Construction Set is a program that holds resources that lets you create, tweak and mod all, and that means *all*, aspects within the game. This opens up a whole new aspect of gameplay. Files produced by people who use this set is uploaded to the internet and usually free to download, for PC. As far as i know, this is not an alternative for Xbox 360. Consider this when debating on what platform to buy for. Take into account all the new aspects of gameplay it opens up.

But bottom line is, anyway: *But this game!*

This game is the reason gamers like me don't get much sleep. It's basically your everyday fantasy RPG (Role Playing Game) set in a world full of demons, monsters, knights, bandits, goblins, and more. That's where the similarity ends. The game is based in a mythical world that's just plain massive. It's basically a country with several cities and towns. The mapping is spectacular, with no two areas alike (swamps, mountains, gaping forests, snow covered lands, lakes, rivers), the towns have unique architecture, and not to mention the developers show how the 360's graphics engine can make for some very realistic water effects. Everything in this game is superb, right down to the sound (not to mention Sean Bean and Patrick Stewart lend their voices). It wasn't enough to knock it down a point, but I did find the character creation a bit of a challenge, along with some of the people in the game, too many of them look old and worn out. Other than that, this game hit every mark in my book... it allows for complete control of your character, you can be a mage (magic) or a warrior, or both. You can actually choose your path. Follow the main quest first and beat the main story line, or follow some side quests and get your character to a more respectable level (which I recommend)? I truly believe out of any non-MMORPG out there this has one of the biggest replay value factors ever, not to mention hours upon hours of gameplay and entertainment (some quests require you to travel great distances to complete). The gameplay is fantastic, the selection of tools, weapons, and other items is magnificent, and the graphics are, for lack of a better word, gorgeous. This game, so far, is the only RPG that comes very close to real life. I think the only thing that makes it different from real life is that the real world has no reset button. This is a must have, must play, must get addicted game. Like great literature, this you cannot put down until it's done!

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, truly, an amazing and beautiful game. No, game, this isn't a game, this is digital art. Few games, *ahem*, digital pieces of art have total thrown me into an entire world of myth, and realism. The people have actual lives, the world evolves, and you grow and live in a different place. The computers, wait, the artificial beings are so smart its scary, like when the Ferbes came out. The people talk to you and each other, and have 100's of hours of spoken dialog. The each have names and personalities and respond differently to all situations. Same with the vast wildlife, like deer, wolfs, and big-ass spider people. The world is so huge, you'd get even more lost just going to the nearest Fighters Guild than walking to the Governor of Rhode Islands dentist office. The total obsession of the digital work of artistic master piece does come at a price. Though loading isn't killing long, its not very fast. The pop up does suffer at times as well. Other issues like jumping could have been tweaked but nothing serious. Overall the realistic values of this is beyond belief, from books, to the ingredients of a meal, potion making and all the quests truly support a gigantic step for all of digital artwork, um... kind. *9.5 out of 10*