Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is truly an epic game as it is the forth installment in the Scrolls series.
Oblivion begins with very impressive character customization. Male or female you can customize your facial features to just about any look imaginable. The race you can choose plays a huge role in what skills you plan on focusing on later on in the game and can be easily passed up by a gamer new to the series. Choosing a race is one of the most difficult parts of starting out Oblivions, as you the figure you most appeal to and the skills that you will use the most throughout the game. The races consist of Argonian, Breton, Dark Elf, High Elf, Imperial, Khajiit, Nord, Orc, Redguard, and Wood Elf. All these races look very different along with different skills and advantages players start with.
Plot:
You start out as a prisoner in the Imperial City Prison in the Province of Cyrodiil. As you follow the current emperor, Emperor Uriel Septim VII, and his guards through the city sewers, he is murdered. You are the chosen one who's destiny is to restore peace to Tamriel. Uriel Septim grants the protagonist the Amulet of Kings. This is a special amulet that can only be worn by members of the Septim bloodline. After escaping the sewers, the protagonist begins his great journey. He is to deliver the amulet to the last member of the Septim family. As the game progresses, the lack of an Emperor in Cryodiil has allowed Daedric forms to reappear from Oblivion and begin to assault the realm. The only way to stop the Daedric onslaught is to reclaim the throne with a member of the Septim bloodline and re-light the Dragonfires in the Imperial City. The protagonist starts in search of Martin Septim, the last member of the bloodline, in Kvatch. Upon arrival, the Daedra have already held siege on the city and burned it. Martin is rescued and travels with you to the Cloud Ruler Temple. This temple is the stronghold of the Blades, the secret guards of the Septim's. But before he arrives at the Blades, the amulet of kings had been stolen by the Mythic Dawn Cult, who assassinated the Emperor. When Martin Septim is in safety at Cloud Ruler Temple, he journeys to find the Amulet of Kings stolen by the Mythic Dawn. After infiltrating the headquarters of the Mythic Dawn, the protagonist stumbles upon the Shrine of Mehrunes Dagon, the Daedric Prince who runs the Mythic Dawn and the Mythic Dawn Cult ruler. He escapes by using a book known as the Mysterium Xarxes series. These books hold a code and can be used to find the Amulet of Kings. This is the part of the plot where the protagonist must "collect the pieces" to solve the puzzle of opening the gate of Camoran's paradise. They are "The blood of a divine", the blood of a Daedra Lord, and a Great Welkynd Stone. Once the protagonist collects these items, Martin Septim says he needs one more item, a Great Sigil Stone. In order to recover one of these stones, a gate to Oblivion must be opened, much like the one that devastated Kvatch. A plan is devised to open such a gate, and the protagonist must venture into the gate and obtain the Great Sigil Stone. Once the portal to paradise is opened, the protagonist ventures through and must confront Camoran himself and slay him. Camoran is wearing the Amulet of Kings and it must be taken from him after his death. When the amulet is removed, the Paradise dissolves and the protagonist must return the Amulet to Martin. Martin and the blades intend to re-light the Draonfires in the Imperial City but notice that the Daedra have run one last final and desperate attempt to overrun the Imperial CIty itself. The protagonist, Martin, and the Blades must fight through the Timple of the One in the Temple District to leading to the center of the city. They find that a 200-ft tall beast is destroying the city from the inside out, and it is Mehrunes Dagon himself. Here, Martin runes into the center temple of the city where the Dragonfires lay. He shatters the Amulet of Kings and merges with the spirit of Akatosh, the Dragon-God of Time, becoming his avatar. He defeats Mehrunes Dagon in the last confrontation, and he turns to stone. Peace returns to Tamriel as all Oblivion gates are shut forever and the Mythic Dawn are dissolved. The throne of the Empire still remains empty. Martin describes optimistically, in a final monologue that the future of Tamriel is now in the fate of the protagonist's hands. Lord Chancellor Ocato of the Elder Council crowns the protagonist as the Champion of Cyrodiil.
Side Quests:
Besides the satisfying main plot of this brilliant game, the player can find himself distracted from the main quest for many hours in side-quests. These small quests offer, fame and great treasures that can help you along.
Environment:
This part of the game is the most awe-inspiring portion. Players can find themselves on a cliff or on a mountain during a mid-day pillage of a small camp and have a jaw-dropping reaction to the view looking down. According the an article in Microsofts press release, "Oblivion's game world is approximately 16 square miles in size, with everything to absolute scale.
The NPC interaction in this game is remarkable. Although they may be comical in their lack to respond to eachother's questions, NPC's can have full conversations discussing anything from where to buy things, where to sleep, recent news/rumors, and other people in the game. You too can have a conversation such as this with any NPC in this game. Oblivion's landscape is so immense that they broke a world record with the number of objects in their environment. While traveling through the 16 square mile area, you will stumble upon 35,544 shrubs, 67,730 plants and mushrooms, 94,013 trees and logs, and 395,696 rocks!!! Happy roaming!