I may have found a new gaming obsession with Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

The game has been on my wish list for some time. It had caught my eye in terms of presentation, but has always taken a back to seat to other titles like inFAMOUS or Metal Gear Solid 4. Which is a crazy notion, because I've enjoyed open world games in the past. Talk about being late to the party, eh? :)

Yesterday, I finally bought the platinum edition, and have so far cleared the tutorial level. Already, I know this is going to eat away at my free time. The scale of it is unlike anything I've played before. During game play, I was picking up any old crap; from dusty bones and rats to cloaks and vases. There was fun to be had with battling goblins and assassins too. (And, a sick kind of pleasure in nicking clothing. :D)

Not even Fable had me filled with sword waving glee. Thoughts of Dead Space and GRAW 2 (which I'd originally planned on buying that day but couldn't) have been firmly pushed to one side. This is a meaty, fun alternative in my book.

Okay, so I haven't even started the main quest, :) and I probably shouldn't be making judgements so fast out the gate. However, it's not hard to be blown away by the depth and scale so early in the game. It's a really promising start, and I'm impressed with the amount of options available. Preferably the customisation.

That's the one thing I've invested most of my time in; the making of a custom hero. Or, a heroine to be more exact. I spent a lot of time in perfecting the face alone. Stick me in front of a title with a custom mode, or any sort of design aspect, and I tend to get carried away.

The ol' creative side was in its element. Although, I started to annoy my ownself, because it needed to look just right, and there were several different races on offer! Thankfully, there was an edit option at the tutorial's end, for extra tweakage. Greyish purple hair wasn't a good look. :) There's freedom to create, and I hope that it carries over into other aspects of the adventure.

For curiosity's sake, my character's class is 'heroine', her birth sign is 'the shadow' and she's a 'Nord.' Think of a chubby Gillian Anderson, and your halfway there. :) Overall, she's a warrior type, with invisibility powers and Jedi mind tricks at her disposal. :)

This game has really caught my imagination, and I can't wait to get stuck into the main story.