04-27-2008, 12:55 PM
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Xbox 360
A Note from the Reviewer-Now before I actually begin the review I just want to say that I realize this game is old but if you haven’t noticed I haven’t exactly released a review in quite some time. So I decided I’d review a game I really love to try and get myself back into the habit of writing reviews. Now on with the review.
Get ready gamers, it’s time to immerse yourself within a world of mages, warriors, and thieves. What world are you asking? Why none other then the world of Cyrodiil! Get ready to embark on an epic quest, and you get to choose your path, good, evil, whatever your heart desires!
You start the game out as a prisoner in a jail for an unknown crime. While in the jail suddenly a group of soldiers escorting the Emperor come running into your cell. The Emperor is being attacked by a group of assassins and there is a secret passage out of the castle through your cell. Here begins your story as you fight your way through the underground of the castle and escape to carry out a special mission tasked upon you by the Emperor.
For a free roaming RPG the story in Oblivion is actually pretty cool. That is the main quest storyline, you’ll do a lot of interesting things and meet many dynamic characters. But the main quest storyline isn’t the only storyline, there are tons of quests that you can partake in and each one of them has there own little story to go with it. Almost every character in the game has a story behind them and with a little effort you can find out what it is.
Oblivion truly has some of the best stories I’ve heard or played in a game. With every single person true dialogue it also adds to the reality of the stories. I’d say if you want some good, fun, quick, and entertaining stories then look no farther.
Visually the game is breathtaking. All of the NPC’s look wonderful and the backgrounds are simply outstanding. Oblivion was a game slightly ahead of it’s time, truly one of the first games to really push the next generation’s consoles powers to the max. As now we are seeing games that really stand alongside Oblivion.
One thing I truly find incredible are the weapons; they look outstanding. Every small little detail has been taken into consideration; the same goes for the armor. But it’s not just the fact that they look great, it’s also the variety of weapon looks. There are tons of weapons and armor in the game and they all have different looks. I could go on for longer but I’m sure you get the gist of what I’m saying.
As I was saying earlier the background and scenery in the game is gorgeous. It goes from dungeons to the giant forests; it’s simply wonderful. If you simply take a moment to look around you’ll notice how much detail really goes into the scenery and you’ll be amazed. There are tons of flowers, trees, even animals sometimes.
The NPC’s in this game are some of the very best character models I’ve ever seen in a game. They look perfectly human, everything is in context; not to mention the facial expressions. The facial expressions are great, it really adds personality to the characters. It makes them seem more real. All in all Oblivion really sets a standard for how games should look, and a good one at that.
Gameplay, wow, where do I begin? This game has so much things for you to do that it’s mind boggling. There are a bountiful amount of quests and a crazy amount of places to explore.
First, let’s start by talking about the simple adventure aspect. In Oblivion you can just go and roam around the countryside, going into dungeons, or exploring ruined fortresses along the way. This is a fulfilling experience and you’ll find tons of cool things. Which is another point, as you level up in the game, so do your enemies. Now, when they level up they also get better equipment, which means that the more you level up the better your chances are of finding very valuable equipment in chests and stuff.
Now if you get bored with just simply roaming around then you can go to one of the many cities and try to find some quests. The easiest way to do this is to go and join some guilds. Unfortunately not ALL of the guilds can be simply joined by talking to someone; some of them, like the Dark Brotherhood, involve doing a special task to join (like murdering someone). But there are some guilds like the Fighters Guild that can be joined quite easily. So go ahead and join one of those and you’ll be rewarded with tons of quests and a lot to do.
So if with all that you can’t find something to do then I don’t know what you’d like. Maybe you’d enjoy running around the countryside killing animals? Who knows. But no matter what there is probably something for you to do. But now, here’s another question: Is all of this fun? Yes.
I should also elaborate on the fighting mechanics. You can use swords, maces, clubs, axes, staffs, daggers, and more to fight as well as spells. The mechanics work very well as you simply use the R button to swing your sword and L to block either with your shield or your sword. It works and it’s fun, it may sound like button mashing but there’s actually a deep level a strategy put in with most battles.
Other then melee combat there are spells and bows. Spells are easy to use and quite effective; there are a huge amount of spells to be used and each one are as rewarding as the next. Being a sorcerer can have great benefits as the combat will be really varied and intriguing. As for the bow it’s well done, suffice to say it it’s perfect. The physics tie in well and it seems like a real bow. I have to say it’s the best bow gameplay I’ve ever experienced.
The music in Oblivion can be summed up in one word: Epic. It’s wonderful, orchestrated, amazing and all around fantastic. You’ll really notice it, as sometimes when you’re walking through a dungeon the music will be all calm when suddenly it picks up pace and you get attacked and the music continues to play as a heart pounding battle theme. Once the battles over and there are no more enemies it goes back to a calm sound which can sometimes be rather eerie.
I think by that you should realize that the music in this game is definitely top par. You’d be crazy if you didn’t like the music and I know for a fact that you will notice it while you play. It’s just that good and intense.
So, is this game worth your money? Of course it is! You can find it for roughly $20-25 now a days or you can get it for about 60$ with both of the expansions. It’s a very good deal.
Also, you will play this game for ages, there is so much replay value that it’s ridiculous. There is at least 50+ hours packed into this game if not more. Plus, you can replay this game countless times as a different sort of character and get a whole different yet just as rewarding experience out of it! So, you should definitely pick this up.
So here we are, the end of the review. It’s been quite awhile sense I’ve written one and I have to say it feels good to put another review under my belt. I’d been meaning to review a game but I had never been able to get to it. I managed to write this out in one sitting amazingly. It’s nice to get lost in your writing and I’d have to say this is what I did with this piece.
Well, enough of me rambling; time to post the scores. I hope you all liked this review and I hope to write another review, and then maybe another. Maybe I’ll actually start writing them again? Who knows? Thanks for reading.
-Alex51011
Story-9/10
-Great stories, really had me interested
Visuals-9.5/10
-Simply stunning
Gameplay-9.9/10
-Practically perfect, only a few things the matter, but nearly spot on
Music-9.5/10
-Ingenious, really great
Replay/Value-10/10
-This will last you ages
Overall-9.8/10
(Not an Average)