Simply a stunning Role-Playing Game in just about every aspect.
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is the sequel to the free roaming, do anything you want game, Morrowind, which was also critically aclaimed. Although Morrowind was a great game, it had many problems that took away from the experience. Oblivion on the other hand has very few problems....actually I haven't found anything not to like about Oblivion in the time I've played it.
Oblivion's story is a very simple one and yet I feel it is by far better than Morrowind's. I'm not going to talk about any of it because I don't want to spoil it for everybody. Although it is very simple, it is also very amusing and exciting, and gives the player even more of an incentive to play the game.
A notable improvement is that Oblivion improves the poor hit detection that plagued Morrowind. You now will hit your enemy if it looks like you did instead of it being random based upon your skill levels.
Oblivion also makes traveling a lot faster and safer. Instead of walking from town to town like in Morrowind, you are now able to bring up your map and travel to any location. Of course, not every location is on your map from the start and Oblivion forces you to find them. The fact that major cities are on the map is very helpful to people new to the game so they can travel without being ambushed by a higher level creature.
One of the biggest additions to Oblivion is the amazing A.I. The A.I. makes the game come to life with NPC's going about their own business and even talking to each other in unscripted conversations. For an example, I accidentally hit and inn keeper and he yelled for help. A man from upstairs came down and saw him hitting me and proceeded to attack the inn keeper. Apparently a guard heard all this and came in to attack the inn keeper as well. The inn keeper then went running out of the inn and through town with other guards joining the chase. They eventually caught up to him and killed him. This is just one example of the great A.I. that is in this game.
Of course, the graphics have been updated as well. This game is beautiful and is one of the best looking games I have ever witnessed. Everything has shadows and the world in indescribably detailed. The water looks great, the trees look great, the characters look great, basically everything looks great. If you don't take my word for it, read some of the other reviews and I'm sure they'll tell you the same thing.
As for the gameplay, the controls are very tight and combat is easy to master. Magic spells can be hotkeyed to the d-pad for easy access and switching between spells. My only complaint about the controls is that the in game menu with your stats and spells is a little hard to navigate at first, but you eventually get used to it.
The sound is also very good. The weapons sound just like you think they would and the spells also sound good. Beautiful music plays while you roam the world and really helps to set the mood and theme of the game.
Overall, this game is one that will be remembered as one of the greatest of all time. It is an amazing experience that should not be missed, even if you're not into RPG's, I'd suggest at least a rent.