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Developer/Distributor – Bethesda / Take 2
Homepage
Genre – Role Playing
Platforms - PC and Xbox 360
Screenshots are from the games homepage
Introduction
For me to write a role playing game review is a rare thing. Although I love the fantasy setting of most RPG’s, to me most titles are very limited and frustratingly linear. I think it was because one the very first RPG’s way back when I first got a PC was very open-ended, so therefore I expected every other title afterwards to follow that path. Sadly, this isn’t the case as for years we have been subjected to what’s considered ‘mainstream role playing’. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion shatters that mould entirely and finally redefines what a true RPG should be; immersive and open ended.
Background
For those who missed the previous Elder Scrolls games before Oblivion let me do a quick history lesson. Oblivion is the fourth game in the Elder Scrolls series and is set on the fictional island of Tamriel. Tamriel overall is ruled by the Empire and represents many different species within it. Oblivion is set in the heart of Tamriel, in the capital province called Cryodiil. I won’t go into the story here, as that becomes apparent within half an hour or so of playing so I wouldn’t want to spoil it, but the most essential thing to note is that don’t have to have any prior knowledge of the previous titles. All you need to know is that once the main quest becomes clear to you how and when you tackle that is pretty much up to you to decide.
Gameplay
After creating your character the first thing that strikes you about the game when you load up, and will continue to strike you throughout the game, are the graphics. Bethesda have done a bang up job and really surpassed themselves here. Everything from character models through to the gorgeous locations you visit, you won’t grow tired of these visuals for a long while.
The most amazing thing about any Elder Scrolls title though is the scope of the game, and Oblivion is no exception. Unlike traditional RPGs you can go almost wherever you like, do whatever you like, and be whoever you want. Want to be a mage, warrior, assassin, marksman, thief, or psychopath? Fine, you can be! You can be as good or as bad as you like, as noble or as savage as you want. If you feel like going on a murderous rampage in a town for no reason then so be it (You just may not live very long in that case, but the option is there for you). Whether you’re following the main quest, doing one of Oblivions hundreds of optional side quests, or just exploring the map and its many locations, there is so much to do its mind blowing. This is truly a game that can claim to be “Open-Ended”.
Perhaps the biggest change from the last Elder Scrolls game (Morrowind) is the combat system. In Morrowind combat was governed totally by your skill level. If you were rubbish at marksmen, yet fired an arrow at point blank range into someone’s head and actually witness the arrow hit the target it could still could be considered a ‘miss’ because of some background stats calculation! Thankfully in Oblivion this isn’t the case. If you see an animation of you hitting someone with a sword, then you do hit them. Skill in this case governs how much damage you cause, not the percentage chance of you hitting your target.
Combat is generally good and very fast paced. Its still simple like Morrowind was, but given a slight edge now by having a few special moves that you can trigger given you skill in certain fields. In some ways I would have like to have seen far more advanced combos brought in, like in Severence: Blade of Darkness, where you can do a key combination to trigger a special attack. In some ways though having a more advanced combat system may have spoilt the game by making things feel more like a console beat-em-up. Something for Bethesda to think about when they start thinking about creating Elder Scrolls V perhaps?
For those who like to talk to people and explore towns and cities, rather than purely combat, then you are in for a treat. Towns are gorgeously designed and fairly well populated. Every character in the game speaks, so no need for any text reading here! There a few issues with the voice acting (see below), but for the most part the quality is outstanding. This is also boosted by having the actors Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean lending their voices to the game.
The game also has two mini-games thrown in to deal with Lockpicking and Persuasion. In Morrowind picking locks was determined purely by your characters skill and luck. To me the new lock picking mini-game is a fairly good way of dealing with the security aspect of the game.
Persuading people to like you also involves a mini-game. This I don’t enjoy, as do many others, as it makes little or no sense. Why would I Joke, Boast, Coerce, and Admire all in the same conversation? Why would I do one of those things if I knew someone didn’t like it? To me this mini-game is worthless and ill-thought, but luckily (as with most things in Oblivion) indulging in this side feature is optional and not necessary to progress.
Technical Issues
If the graphics are the most striking thing you’ll notice when you first play the game, the very next thing your likely to see in turn is how demanding those graphics are on your system performance. Unless you have a top of the range PC you are soon going to have to sacrifice a few of Oblivions lovely features in order to get decent frame rates. For me this isn’t necessarily a bad point, as after tweaking with the settings I get the frame rates that are comfortable and acceptable to me with the least amount of visual degradation.
Nevertheless because of the high specs people will have problems. Many average and below average machines will struggle with this to get the most visual pleasure out of playing Oblivion, and some people should bear in mind that they may be required to make some pretty unforgiving and difficult setting options in order to get it in a playable state.
In addition to this the game itself is reported to be fairly unstable, which to be honest is to be expected given a game of this scope. I consider myself one of the lucky ones, as during my many hours of gaming I have only encountered three back-to-desktop crashes. Others on the Elder Scrolls Forum are reporting far worse stability issues, ranging from crashes to desktop every 10 minutes, to crashes as soon as the opening menu arrives! I’ve noted that since the recent Beta Patch the traffic of complaints has reduced, so it appears Bethesda are making some headway.
Faults?
Putting aside the technical issues, the game is hard to seriously fault. Die-hard Elder Scroll fan boys who loved the previous titles will undoubtedly be able to pick faults from every conceivable angle. One nerdy example that made me laugh was “Oblivion sucks. The Dark Elves in this are too blue in my opinion”. This guy needs to get out more... But for your regular gamer not at this stage in fandom I have failed to encounter any faults that infuriate me to the point of not playing. It’s actually quite amazing for a game of this size and scope!
However, if I’m forced to pick some faults then here are a few irritants to note:
Voice Acting is generally good, but for the beggars you’ll see around Cyrodiil they are far from ok. All of them have spilt personalities because when you speak to them (or give them a gold coin) they have one actors voice, then when you say something else they suddenly talk in another voice. Lip sync for the beggars is also buggy, with their mouths not moving despite the fact your hearing them speak. It appears as though Bethesda left one incompetent temp guy in charge of the creating the beggars and he cocked up royally, because every other NPC in the game is fine! Unless you’re a member of the Thieves guild though you’ll hardly want to have contact with beggars anyway, so it may be a non-issue.
Other minor issues involve NPCs getting stuck on walls and staircases when they are moving somewhere, dead enemies spawning back to life if they die near a town, the waste of time persuasion mini-game, the limited range of voices for characters, things of that nature. However some issues are to be expected in game this size, and there is certainly nothing in my eyes that detracts me from enjoying the game.
Conclusion
Good
- Superb Visuals
- Fabulously designed locations
- Improved combat system
- Vast and hugely open ended
- Interesting missions
- Many styles of playing
- Generally good quality voice acting
- Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean's voices!
- A lot of your life will be absorbed with the game.
Bad
- Demanding title
- Unstable for some
- Worthless persuasion mini-game
- Minor gameplay issues
- Beggar NPCs are buggered
- A lot of your life will be absorbed with the game.
Summing Up
Oblivion has its faults, but with a game of this size and scope its hardly surprising. Luckily, unless you have stability issues with your machine, the game is an absolute joy to play that it makes the minor issues with the game irrelevant. Other review sites have given Oblivion glowing reports, I’m pleased to say I agree with them. This is the best game I’ve played in ages, and perhaps the best RPG I’ve ever had the privilege to play.
Rating – Classic 
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