The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a stunning acheivement that ranks among the greatest videogames ever created.
Oblivion might not grab you the second you pick up the controller. No, when you first start walking around in that dark cave, you may wonder just what the big deal is all about. I spent a good hour wondering around in that dark, boring place. But eventually you exit the cave, greeted by a splash of sunlight and a breathtaking view of what could possibly be the most impressive-looking game world I've ever seen. And once you realize how incredibly huge it is, your awe is immersurable.
The sense of sheer amazement from just looking at this game is without compare. The outstanding lighting and weather effects, the way the trees and foliage sway in real time (if there is stormy weather, the trees rock violently, and if there is calm weather they sway gently, if at all), how everything, and I mean everything, is able to be picked up by you (you can go into someone's house and pick up a fork) and is acted upon by an excellent physics engine, all creates a visual odysee like no game before it. Characters look eerily realistic, and the lip-synching is flawless. Every crevice on a sword, every nook and cranny on EVERYTHING in the game is meticuosly detailed to perfection. Well, almost everything. There are a few quibbles with the graphics as far as backround textures (there are some framerate stutters, but they did not bother me in the least). This applies in the mountain areas, as well as whenever you look upon distant scenery. Most of the time you won't notice this, but it looks really ugly when you do and mars the otherwise perfect visuals.
Once you stop staring at the game and start playing it, you'll realize why I consider this one of the best videogames of all time. The massive world might seem intimidating at first, but Oblivion's ingenious interface prevents it from becoming more complicated than it has to be and makes for a ridiculously fun, challenging experience. There are some really smart ideas implemented here, such as the fast travel system. Instead of traveling for minutes or even hours to get to a location in the game world (yes, it could take you multiple hours to walk across the game world), you simply go to the map, select a location you've already been to, and you instantly travel there, saving you massive amounts of frustration. Another fantastic feature in the interface is the user-friendly quest log. You have three sections: Current quests (ones that aren't active but are still available should you want to do one), Active quest (the one you are working on), and Completed quests, which obviously show which quests you have already completed. There are paragraphs explaining what you must do under every quest, plus every time there is a new paragraph the game lets you know via a little noteification on the top left of the screen. There is also a hotkey system, which lets you put weapons, spells, or other items on different directions on the d-pad. This works really well once you get the hang of it. Though these things are nice, the best feature of the interface is just the sheer cleanliness and organization of it. In an instant you can go and find out how much money you have, how much weight you can carry, your stats and how close you are to leveling up, you can select a different weapon or spell and assign it a hotkey, and other things like that with absolutely no trouble or frustration whatsoever. Another ingenious feature is the unique leveling up system. You gain skills by acting them out. You gain blade skill by using your blade, and the same with blocking. You gain skill at sneaking by slipping past creatures undetected or preforming sneak attacks. Acrobatics comes naturally, as you'll be doing alot of running and jumping in this game. This system makes alot of sense and is so much more fun than micromanaging your characters abilities.
It doesn't matter how awesome the interface is, if the core gameplay isn't fun, the game fails. Fortunately, the actual gameplay is very fun. Extremely fun as a matter of fact, and just as addicting as cocaine. The control scheme may seem simplistic at first, but there is a ton of hidden strategy hidden behind the apparent. Of course, the game is entirely in first person (the optional third person veiw is not meant for actually playing the game with; just a way to check out your new armor and whatnot). Basically, you use the right trigger to attack with your weapon, the left trigger to block, and RB to use your equipped magic spell (it shows you which spell you have uquipped at the bottom of the screen; gotta love that interface). Going in a little deeper, if you quickly tap the RT the you do a quick attack, which is, well, quick, but it does less damage. If you hold down the RT, you do a slower but more damaging power attack, which can even do things like disarm your opponent or knock them down if you are skilled enough. Now, bocking your opponents attack won't stop the damage completely (you will have less damage done to you depending on how skilled you are in blocking), but it staggers them for half a second, maybe longer, giving you a chance to score some hits. Of course, this is the same for you, so you can't just go in there swinging like a madman and expect to win a battle. Many have complained that battles that are in confined areas have you hitting your friendlies resulting in them turning on you. Bethesda combats this with an appeal system. Many don't know about this, but it can be infinitely helpful if you should get into a fight with a friend. All you have to do is hold the block button and press A to talk. Friendlies pretty much always accept surrenders as well as police officers, but of course you can't do this to everybody. Casting spells is very straightforward; you just aim and press RB to let fly. Of course, there are spells on yourself and spells that summon creatures to fight for you, but they all use the same button.
The quests themselves are all very compelling, ranging from catching grave robbers to rallying an army, but the best thing about them is that most of the side quests come up randomly as you talk to people. If you hear anyone say they need help with something, it most like leads to a complitcated, compelling story. The stories are of suprising diversity and quality considering just how many there are. Even if there were just a handful, they would still be impressive. In fact, some of them are so good they could make individual games or even novels. Many of them require you to make desicions and make you think about the consequences of your actions. Some past quests that you thought were over tie into new quests and you find out that you are just at the beginning. You never know what kind of quest you'll be doing next or how it will affect your gameplay experience. The Oblivion gates themselves may not be quite as addicting as the other quests, but most of the gates are easy to get through, and plus you can pretty much avoid most of them.
This game sounds absolutely incredible. Weapon clashes, spell explosions, footsteps, forest ambience, hellish roars of the Oblivion planes, battle cries, and so many more effects this game has sound outstandingly clear. And lets not forget Oblivion's beautiful score. The music always matches what you are doing. If you're fighting, the music is an intense battle song. If you are witnessing the sunrise from the forest, then triumphant, inspiring music greets your ears. If you are in a dark cave or sneaking past people, the music turns eerie enough to actually, genuinely frighten you. There is even a seperate score for stormy weather!
In case you didn't gather this already, Obivion is endless (in a good way). Oblivion has the most lasting value of any game ever created. Period. The sheer number of things you can do is awe-inspiring. To put this in preportion, this is easily a game that could last well over 200 hours. And you'll enjoy every millesecond.
Oblivion really is a joy to behold. Playing this game is a privelage. No, beyond a privelage. A Godsend. This is one of my favorite games of all time. Keep in mind that used to hate RPG's until playing this game. This is a reason to buy a 360. No, THE reason, to buy an Xbox 360. The Halo of RPG's, as one might put it.