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Once in a while greatness is bestowed upon gamers and there are those games that you will remember years from now as having left their mark.
The 4th incarnation of the Elder Scrolls Saga known as "Oblivion" is one of those games.
It doesn't take long to figure out that the 3.5 years it has taken to develop this game is paying off. 3.5 years sounds like a long time and typically by the time the game is finished the technology used is already dated. Oblivion is different in that the development team intelligently chose to use technologies that only existed on paper and thereby made the game future proof and the result is absolutely stunning. At time of writing this article Oblivion has been around for a year now, yes it was March 2006 when the game was released.
So why write this article a year after the game was released, the reason is simple, even one year later there simply isn't any other RPG game out there that comes close to Oblivion in any shape or form.
even one year later there simply isn't any other RPG game out there that comes close to Oblivion in any shape or form. 
If you were to obtain a copy of the game today it would still be equally up to date. From a graphical point of view I don't think we will see a better looking game overall until DX10 games start appearing.
What makes Oblivion such a great experience is that it's an RPG in the true sense of the word, I wouldn't say it's a "hardcore" RPG when it comes to skills and talents and character development possibilities. Don't get me wrong there certainly is plenty of that but the game shines in it's ability to actually allow you to play a role in a wonderful mythical world.
Undoubtedly the graphics are stunning but overall it's probably the least of it's qualities compared to the sheer brilliance found in all other aspects of the game.
Undoubtedly the graphics are stunning but overall it's probably the least of it's qualities compared to the sheer brilliance found in all other aspects of the game.
So are there any bad parts to the game? As the game is so realistic there are certain things that you can start picking on, like you can't see outside through the windows when inside a building, and the light falling into the windows is equally bright regardless of day and night. But this is due to the fact that everything is so close to perfection that you tend to go "what do you mean, do I have to use my imagination here?"
You start the game by choosing a character race and customise its appearance. The game starts you off in a prison cell, which has a hidden passageway through which the emperor is fleeing, you will quickly find yourself alongside the emperor fighting of a series of foes until you finally manage to escape the sewers.
At this point the game will suggest you a character class that is based on how you dealt with your foes, there are quite a few preset classes to choose from but ideally you want to spend some time learning the characteristics of each class and create your own. You can specialise in combat, stealth, magic and any combination of these. You need to choose your primary and secondary attributes and finally a birth sign which will also have quite an impact on your character's abilities. The great thing about Oblivion though is that in no way does it place limits on your ability to use a skill depending on your choices. It purely influences how well you exercise these skills.
The skills themselves also subdivide into types of magic and types of handheld weaponry you want to use, necromancy or mysticism, blunt weapons or swords, the choice is yours and you can improve in each of them.
Combat itself is very straightforward and is controlled by a combination of mouse and keyboard commands, some people claim there isn't enough focus on a D&D ruleset type of combat but I personally don't see any shortcomings in the combat system.
For me an RPG is more about the atmosphere, storyline and accessible gameplay without having to really worry about excessive character statistics. Oblivion strikes this balance very nicely, your character does certainly level up and your skills will increase and the rewards of levelling are very clear while playing but levelling is not what Oblivion is about, quite frankly most of the time I didn't have a clue what level I was at.
The game has still plenty of complexity to ensure the learning curve is progressive and interesting for hardcore RPG players while remaining simple enough for casual players to enjoy, there is always a sense of achievement.
The gameplay has the typical elements that you would expect from an RPG, there is the main plot that makes you the hero of the battle between good and evil which can easily take up to 40 hours to complete. But you can multiply this time maybe even tenfold if you want to take every sidequest and you would be crazy not too as even they are probably amongst the best ever seen in an RPG. Sidequests aren't standard fare fetch and kill type quests, you truly get involved in the tribulations of each town's citizens and quests can force you to make some hard choices, for example who do you want to believe in a plot of betrayal? Do you choose to murder or not murder a person, do you risk getting thrown in jail at expense of your reputation to help out a pour soul? Even after you would have finished the main plot you will find yourself returning to the game to do all other quests, yes that's how good they generally are!
You can climb up the ranks of the Fighters guild, the Mages guild, the Thieves guild. Each of those ones alone have got quite a few hours of enjoyment in them. Not a single one of these small quests ever becomes boring.
Not a single one of these small quests ever becomes boring.
The people in this world also feel extremely alive as they go about their daily tasks of running their shops, to eating, drinking and sleeping. There are tons of dungeons to explore as part of these quests, catching vampirism also puts you on the path of trying to find a cure, you can buy and furnish houses in every town. The list is almost endless. On top of that there are some small add-ons you can purchase via direct download through the Oblivion site, from horse armour to another 10 hour quest called Knights of the nine which in itself is another fantastic adventure to embark upon.
All the above gives you the feeling that this isn't just a game where you follow a laid out path from start to finish and then never come back, quite the contrary as every time you start playing Oblivion you enter a vast world which manages to create a more living and real world then any MMO out there.
The main plot itself is quite involved and certainly draws you into the lore eand history of Cyrodill. And as a player you can draw yourself into this world as deep as you want too. Everything has a history to it, a statue in the streets of one of the towns isn't just there for show. Take the time to read one of the hundreds of books that describe the history of Cyrodill and you are certain to find out the history of every piece of architecture that you see.
The literature available to you in game is superb, stories of violence, betrayal, love and hunger for power makes the history of this world feel extremely real, and clearly even the beloved emperors were no stranger to oppression and acts of violence to get to where they are. I just love picking up a book in this game and those of you who enjoy reading fantasy novels this is a real treat.
Everyone has seen the Oblivion screenshots and has gone "wow, this looks good" and it certainly does. The lighting effects are beautiful, the trees are simply fantastic there no flat sheets of branches on trees but actual leaves that sway in the wind, weather effects are fantastic too, being in a storm in the middle of the forest carrying a torch is a sight to behold, the reflection of light on your armour makes you stare at your avatar in awe.
And there have also been a ton of mods released that even improves the graphical effects of the game with illuminated city windows at night, additional weather effects, high res textures for distant mountains, etc.
The musical score is again simply beautiful and perfectly matches your travels through this medieval landscape. Sound effects are excellent, all conversations and yes I mean ALL conversations are completely voiced over and are very well done.
The voice overs is also one of the only shortcomings of the game where the same actors are used to do voiceovers for multiple NPC's in the game but given the hundreds of characters you will be conversing with it's quite understandable.
And although the voiceovers themselves are without fault it does feel sort of strange to hear "American" accents in the game, the English accents of the main characters somehow match the medieval setting better but it's a minor gripe which in no way lessens the appreciation for the massive effort that went into these voiceovers.
And there are some big names in the voiceovers too, Sean Bean, Lynda Carter, Terrence Stamp and Patrick Stewart (the perfect voice!)
Final Thoughts:
Oblivion is without a doubt a pinnacle in the RPG genre, evidence that the RPG genre is certainly not dead when it comes to single player games. It’s very refreshing that the gaming industry still has companies like Bethesda where there clearly is a strong passion to make an RPG game that delivers an immersive experience to the player.
It’s very refreshing that the gaming industry still has companies like Bethesda where there clearly is a strong passion to make an RPG game that delivers an immersive experience to the player.
You can clearly see all the evidence of the willingness of the developers to put as much detail into the game as humanly possible within the time given, sure there is always room to do more but at some stage you have to release the game.
Oblivion is an impressive game that I can recommend to any gamer out there that even has the slightest bit of interest in the RPG genre. You can always return to your favourite multiplayer game at a later date but Oblivion is not a game you can afford to miss! Even a year after it’s release it is still the RPG to play!
And a few days ago it's first full blown expansion “Shivering Isles” hit the shelves which I will review after spending some time with it.
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