This new RPG from Bethesda Softworks is highly addictive experience that you'll spend months playing.
Luckily, this time around the action is immediate and involving. You'll find your self blocking and trying to bombard your opponents with speed attacks and the occasional power attack. This may sound complicated, yet is incredibly intuitive. The magic in combat is also much improved over Morrowind.Those of you who playe Morrowind know how frustrating it was to use spells in the midst of combat. Now however, you can change weapons and spells on the fly. The method of casting spells is also much more sreamlined as you only have to press the right bumper as opposed to Morrowind where you had to first put away your weapons.
The skills system is also much more streamlined this time around as tedious skills such as Medium Armor and Short Blade have been removed as has Spear. The armor types that would have fallen into the Medium Armor skill have been divided equally between Heavy Armor and Light Armor. The Enchant skill has also been removed. That along with Spear being removed has gotten rid of two rather useless skills. Axe and Blunt Weapon skills have also been merged and are now also one and the same.
Alright, now that all you Morrowind fanboys have been brought back up to speed let's get on to bigger and better things.
The quest system is now much more comprehensible and easier to keep track of. Almost none of the sidequests are the same and all are interesting and compelling and you'll get everything you can expect is there in the main quest as you'll find yourself once again saving Tamriel from certain doom.
One of the largest interests of fanboys when the game was announced was the ground-breaking AI. Itis everything you could want it to be as all the characters actually seem to be on a schedule. If you go into a tavern at night you'll see shopkeepers relaxing with a nice mug of ale. Go into the guard barracks at night and you're bound to see the day shift dozing.
The familiar guilds are back, but you'll notice they are fewer in number. A new guild has evn been added, but you'll have to listen for rumors to hear about this one... The Great Houses are, of course, gone(What do you think this is Vvardenfell?). The Fighters Guild and Mages Guild are back and are easy to gain entry to. The thieves Guild also returns, but won't be quite as easy to join this time around...
Now on to the technical aspects of the game. The graphics are nothing short of incredible. The character modles are extremely realistic. The environments breathtaking( just look at those forests!!!). The sound is also very nicely done. Swords clang and shields clatter. The magic effects are also impreesive. The voicovers are great, with talents such as Sean Bean and Patrick Stewart, but you'll notice that regular NPCs sound alike, but it's barely noticeable next to the rest of the games acheivements.
Speaking of achievments the unlockable ones in Oblibon will compell you to advance ranks in the guilds, yet aren't crammed down your throat like in other 360 titles. While on the subject of guilds and the like you can find yourself lost in this game for hours or in some cases days. if you haven't already been able to tell I highly recommend this game. So if you only get one game this year do yourself a favor and pick up The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.