Oblivion has kidnapped me and demands 1.2 million dollars to ensure my safe return.  Until that time, I will be forced to remain in the world of Cyradiil.

So, I bought The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is by far one of the most incredible and ultimately amazing games I have ever played.  I place this in the ranks of The Warriors, Deus Ex: Invisible War, Freedom Fighters and Dark Cloud.  Coming from me, (I'm picky when it comes to rating games) saying ANY game is near those 4 games status, means it is freakiing awesome.  And no, I am not over exaggerating.

Oblivion in itself does have things that could have used some slight tweeking but they are so small that they are hardly noticable.  What most amazes me is the fact that it manages to have incredible graphics and it didn't even need to sacrifice any of the game play mechanics to do so.  In fact, The game moves very smoothly.  The way they managed it was to make it so the environment loads as you move into it.  You never hit load times out in the wild that totally pause the game for 10 seconds to bring up a new area.  It does every now and then get choppy for a second or two, but that is understandable.

This in mind, what about game play?  Well, game play holds in between 200 to 300 hours.  Ya, I thought the same thing.  The Main Quest holds about 50 hours (from what I have heard) but I've only played about 8 of those hours.  In total I have played about 60 hours.  What have I been doing in those 52 hours?  Adventuring though the wild and doing Side Quests.  There are enough side quests that it boggels the mind.  I have done about 24 (about, remember?) side quests so far.  And all the side quests are unique.  You never see any repeats. Each one has a story behind them and a reason.  It is ultimately up to you to choose how to execute each one.  They all lead to fame and fortune.

There are also the guilds.  Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood, Arena (I'm the Grand Champion of the Arena) and I may be missing a few.  These all have their own missions and their own purposes.  They all challenge your skills and your willingness to survive.

Ever person you meet and talk to has a name and a personality.  Each one you can change forever.  Even the lowliest preist could be a king... It is amazing. Even the people of Hackdirt, that serve no purpose but to exist, are there.

I paid $60 something dollars so I could buy the massive amounts of downloadable stuff availible for it over Xbox Live.  This game will keep me playing for months and even years to come.

This is one of the most amazing games ever.  This is a must buy.  This is Oblivion.