The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition

"Immersion"

I never played Arena, and I found Daggerfall to be a such a buggy steaming pile of crap that I all but refused to play Morrowind. I then played Morrowind, and while the game was a huge leap forward, I still didn't much enjoy it after all of about 30 minutes (kind of wish I had those 30 minutes back... oh well). So when I approached Oblivion which had been touted about as some amazing game that should be required curriculum for US schools, I figured... "I haven't been disappointed in a while, I think I'm due."

I'll have to keep waiting for that disappointment.

Oblivion magnificently improves on the graphics and environment, as well as a dramatic improvement in music and voice acting (Patric Stewart! I mean, Captain Jean Luc Effing Picard!). Once more, it got rid of about a dozen or so things that were in the previous games that just annoyed me (thousands of lines of required text that may or may not have anything to do with the story, being able to kill major NPCs, insanely complex dungeons that are impossible to navigate and very unrealistic besides, overly complex spells that may or may not be useful, I mean really, the list goes on!).

Now, I'm not saying this is the second coming of Christ, but I must impress upon anyone who may read this that if you played the previous games and hated them, unless you hate RPG's in general, you'll love this game!

I'll iterate over why I gave it the review I did.

Gameplay (7/10)

Frustration - Some things about horseback riding leave a little to be desired. But overall you can move around without much difficulty. I did find one bug in being caught in a rock, and had to use fast travel to get out of it (defiantly a minus). But you really get a feeling of mortality, without feeling that Richard Garriott has it out for you personally (Re: Ultima VIII).

Difficulty - This game is challenging, but not impossible. It is possible to build a very bad character, so just treat it like you would a bioware rpg... and use some common sense when developing. Good news: no random luck in character rolls... you pretty much always reap what you sow.

Controls - I did not like the default layout, but I had no problem changing them (I prefer space to jump, and E to use things, and R to run all the time... go figure). No issue here.

Strategy - The game requires some planning, but not so much that you have to keep a spreadsheet open to guide your character. I was warned that the game was impossible without a strategy guide. I took the advice, read the intro about character design, then put it down and haven't looked back. That may not be true for everyone, but by no means is it a requirement.

Addiction - You can easily play this game for several hours straight, yet you can just as easily put it down if you have the will (I've played games where you would forget what you were doing if you left it alone). Unlike previous versions, the quest management system is vastly improved.

AI - The AI is adequate, but nothing to write home about. Enemies behave like enemies would, and occasionally people get stuck behind walls. Not good, but not terrible either.

Replay - It is possible (though I haven't tried it) to master the game with just one character. However, with a variety of classes, paths to take, you are not limited to the railroading, or even duality railroading (Re: KotOR) of other RPGs. There is a sense of freedom without the sense of no purpose (Re: Daggerfall or even GTA).

Graphics - 9/10

Readability - No real issue here... though the element of realism of not being able to see anything at dark... is as annoying as real life. No shortages of torches, but it can make things a drag at times.

Clarity - Virtually flawless, though that's to be expected with games of this generation I suppose.

Detail - Alarmingly so. The grass is vivid, and assuming your CPU has the horsepower, the textures are really well done. But is it just me, or are all the humans suffering from jaundice in this game?

Effects - Magic looks gorgeous and realistic. Weapons have blood, and walls dent, and the rag doll physics are well done.

Animation - It's a massive improvement over older games, but again... as well as expected in modern games.

Artistic Design - The game is visually stunning, no question.

Music (or They don't call me Loodwig for nothing. Really, they don't call me Loodwig at all). 8/10

Music insertion - Very well done, smooth transitions. Sometimes when the music stops, I get nervous, almost like walking through the woods alone... and you hear a twig snap.

Music quality - Wonderful score. I have nothing further to add.

Sound Orchestration - Wonderfully orchestrated, and very appropriate.

Voice Over - Patric Stewart is the Frakkin Emperor! The only thing that would make it better would be Avery Brooks, Neil Patrick Harris, Ted Nugent, and possibly Ronald Reagan as the ghost by the lake. I do agree with other critics that there could be MORE voices, and that would have been an improvement. Quality was excellent of the ones chosen.

Sound Effects - Swords and fire are one thing, but when books, plates, vegetables, slabs of meat, and even footsteps on different surfaces are done well, one notices.

Story - 10/10

Plot - Unlike previous bethesda titles (which I may be mistaken, but only includes the "TES" series), this one has a good story, one you can follow, and one you want to be involved in. I remember playing Morrowind and thinking after a time "Ok, so am I supposed to be doing something, or is the goal just to find the best armor, level up high enough to wear it, and kill random crap?" And that doesn't touch how Daggerfall made me feel. The side quests range from adequate to very interesting, and the main story line is actually really good.

Development - One complaint here, the main story arc ended too quickly. I've owned the game less that two weeks, and I managed to find time to finish the main quest, do several side quests, and still find time to work, clean my home, visit family, etc. It's a bit like Star Wars after Darth Vayder dies. Sure, there are loose ends to tie up, but the interesting stuff is basically done... and you're kind of left wondering if you should be doing something else. Enter the expansion, which I'm yet to get into. So all is not lost, I just wish such an impressive main story would have had... well... more to it.

Character Development - The Hero was the cliche silent protagonist, with the only distinguishing feature being what gender and race you picked... aside from that, other characters have an interesting back story. I guess it's like real life in that respect... we have a back story, but most of it is made up and no one really wants to hear it.

Dialogue - Clearly English, no Engrish. It manages to be believable, without being pretentious, one thing the previous games lacked (yeah, I may be harping on this detail a bit).

Predictability - About as predictable as a road trip to your grandparents. Yes, they'll be your grandparents when you get there, and there's really no surprise with that. But you can get a flat, blow a radiator, pick up a drifter, thwart a robbery, field dress a cat, or stay at an Econo Lodge on the way. Don't play this for the destination... take your time and enjoy the ride, because grandma will be waiting at the end and you'll still need to defeat her somehow.

Lame Factor - This game is very mature, and something you wouldn't be ashamed to admit to your extremely geeky but otherwise very sexy girlfriend that you enjoy playing. Indeed, the first time I heard about this game was from a cute nerd I met on the train, who never called me back after I gave her my number.

Engineering - (9/10)

Stability - Yes, I harp on it, but this game runs very well. I only harp on it, because I think I made this category because of Daggerfall. Nothing pisses me off faster when a game crashes, and encourages you to SAVE OFTEN for this detail. Of course, back in the DOS days, this usually meant rebooting your 66mhz Pentium with a boot disk that supported EMS.

Resource Hog - This game eats like a Republican. If you plan on enjoying it, either buy a very expensive PC, or a 360.

Hackable - Though not required to improve game quality (actually will substantially detract in my opinion), there are cheats and hacks and crap like that for this game. The good news is that there is down loadable content, so if you want to enhance the gaming experience... you can just do that, rather than cheat (unless you steal in game, which I'm okay with).

Limiting Factor - I purchased the PC version of this game to run on a Quadcore pentium with 2 gigs of ram at 1440x900 resolution (the lowest wide screen supports). This allows one to play the game well, without AS sharp of a picture. I'd be happier if it were a bit more cpu friendly, and I've heard a lot of people complain that they outright can't play the game. But if your computer is fairly new, you shouldn't have an issue. I think the designers had this in mind though, so... yeah :)

Easter Eggs - I haven't found any yet, short of subtle jokes inside of dialogue. I'd bet you a beer there are some though... but I'll find them once I've done everything without a guide.

Multiplayer Support - 0/10

Think of a MMORPG. Now take away the online aspects, and play with yourself. Take away most of the mindless grind. Make it prettier. There you go :)

Only thing I'll mention further on online support is that there is actually good supported downloadable content, and a myriad of tools available to build your own. Granted, since you're building your own for your own game... I kind of don't see the point (if you like making your own games, might I suggest picking up Java or C++ or even Flash with action script... and making a trip to Kongregate or Gamedev).



Overall Rating - 9/10
Not worth borrowing, not worth renting, not worth stealing... buy it. Bethesda deserves our pity for this good deed to wash away the abortions of their past.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 09/11/08

Game Release: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition (US, 09/10/07)