Isaac Newton, Leonardo Da Vinci... Bethesda.
No, not me of course, but Draylas, my Battlemage Assassin in the joy-to-play that is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. So what makes this game so special?
Well, first and foremost it's the gameplay. With a learning curve of little over twenty minutes for the average player, it's incredibly easy to forget about early level slog found in most games and immeditaly become immersed in one of the most epic and detailed worlds ever to be crammed onto a disc. Every NPC has their own life where they eat, sleep, work and socialise. They have friends and enemies, rivals and lovers, all of which can be learned about ffrom eavesdropping, coersion and bribery. Your actions also influence the world around you, such as an affair exposed to an unwitting wife, finding someones lost brother, or simply telling someone what you think of them via the use of Oblivions intuitive multiple choice response system. Combat is fluid, whatever weapon or style of combat you choose to train in, which you can learn a variety of interesting moves. Magic effects are are impressive and relative to your power level, helping along that real sense of progression.
You can choose to be muscle-for-hire, a scholarly mage, an SAS-esque special forces fighter, an arena gladiator, an assassin, a theif, a treasure hunter, a vampire slayer and many more. There truly seems to be no end to the action.
Another reason for it's noticable success is the music score which offers a variety of uplifting, atmospheric and even creepy music rivalling that of even Hans Zimmer.
Also, since the game move to PS3 and 360, the resolution has been sharpened up and shows. A lot. Sprawling lanscapes, whether it be in luscios green forests or the barren plains of Oblivion (basically the games version of Hell) fails to dissapoint meaning there is a great feeling of depth throughout. However, that is where it ends. Upon closer inspection, some details do seem somewhat plain and there are some occasional frame rate and texture popping issues. There is also a problem with the lack of voice actors covering the many NPCs (even if there is Parick Stewart and Sean Bean on the roster).
Overall, Oblivion is an experience that should not be missed by anyone and the few minor problems are to be overlooked. You. Need. This. Game.