"This game is the crown jewel of this generation. No other word for it."

The famed Elder Scrolls series has always been known for its expansive environments and its sandbox "do-what-you-want" gameplay structure. Although many gamers have already owned or played this game for either the PC or the Xbox 360, this was my first time playing Oblivion (or any other Elder Scrolls game, for that manner). I decided to shell out seventy of my Canadian dollars for my copy of Oblivion.

Best. Seventy. Dollars. I. Ever. Spent. On. A. Video. Game. EVER.

Not. Even. Joking.

The first thing I realized about this game was how free-form and huge it was going to be. After a cramped and boring tutorial, I was thrust out from the sewers and into Cyrodiil, which covers about sixteen square miles. I decided to explore a little, and I ended up walking to a mountain range in the east. Then I walked the length of the country to the sea. Then I decided to enter a town, where I broke into a guy's house under cover of darkness and proceeded to rob him blind. The main quest isn't something that the game forces you do to, hell; it's not even something the game ADVISES you to do, instead telling you right from the outset to go off into the world and do your own thing. Speaking of which, the main storyline is not all that compelling anyways, so no biggie there. You can do virtually anything you like in this game, with only the long arm of the law there to stop you from committing crimes. But that's only if they catch you, so sneak away, cat burglars. The gameplay consists of doing damn near anything you like, from joining a band of assassins who kill for a living or fighting the hordes of Daedra to close the Oblivion Gates that mar the landscape. Whatever you do, it'll probably involve a lot of fighting, and maybe a little bit of problem solving or critical thinking. The real beauty of this game, in my mind, still lies within the endless possibilities for fun that exist in the fictional world of Cyrodiil.

Speaking of the world of Cyrodiil, it is breathtaking to behold. From the hellish dystopia found in the Planes of Oblivion to the lush green fields and forests which abound in the heartlands to the harsh and unforgiving mountain ranges which lie in the extremities of Cyrodiil, each landscape will have a new treasure to be found. Never before in a video game have I sat at the summit of a mountain range for many minutes simply to watch the sun come up, but I did that in Oblivion. The only complaint I have with the graphics is that the detailed draw distance is somewhat short, but that's to be expected in a landscape of this size and sprawl.

Oblivion is the one game that is so epic and complete that nobody should have an excuse not to have a copy of this game.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/16/07