The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Xbox 360 Review by Pure Ego

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Xbox 360 Review Since their conception, role playing games have always been a huge success in the video game industry. They generally offer the largest amount of play time and content to be found in a game. One of their most attractive features is the amount of freedom available in these titles. Players always have a choice of what they want to do and how they want to do it. They are free to explore the digital world at their own pace and determine how the story will unfold.

Bethesda Software’s newest addition to the RPG genre promises to give players more freedom than ever before. It is the fourth title in a long running and highly successful series. It is also the first next generation RPG available for gamers to sink their teeth into. So the big question is does it live up to the developer’s hype and promise? Read on and see for yourself in my review of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Game Play

Like any good RPG, the first thing you do in this title is create your character. There are several different species and classes you can choose from. Choose wisely as you build your character though. Some of the species have special talents that would be useful to one class but not as helpful to another. The creation process itself is a simple process that offers a large variety of ways to customize the appearance of your character.

After players have created their character, they are launched into the game. This isn’t the last chance you will have to modify your character though. There is a brief episode of gameplay that serves two purposes. First it starts off the story of the game and is a type of training mission. Once this segment is completed, you will have one last chance to make any changes before it is finalized.

The game starts off with you being locked up in jail. However, after a minute or two some guards approach your cell. Much to their consternation they realize they have placed you in the wrong cell. The one you are in also has a secret tunnel built into for the King to use to escape if the palace in case of emergencies. Due to the hurry they are in, they have no choice but to escape with you tagging along. During these events you are introduced to the King of Tamriel.

As you talk the king, he implores you undertake a very important mission for him. He needs you to take the Dragon Fire Amulet and give it to his last remaining son whose identity has been kept secret. The king feels that he is going to die soon and his son will need the amulet to become the new king and stop the gates to the realm of Oblivion from opening. Oblivion is the equivalent of hell in this game and if the gates to it are left open the creatures that inhabit it will be able to invade Tamriel.

Once you have started the actual game itself, you can either pursue the goals of the main quest or explore the world and all of its possibilities. There hundreds of side quests in this title that you can choose to undertake. The secondary quests are fun and allow you gain useful experience and new weapons or magic powers. They are also the best way to earn gold to buy equipment or spells with.

In your typical RPG whenever you level up your character, you can choose what abilities or powers you want to increase. This not the case in this title though. The only way to gain experience for any of your abilities is by actually using that ability. For example, the more you use your melee weapons, the more experience your character gains with those weapons. This applies to all of your characters talents whether its magic or your ability to move undetected.

That isn’t the only feature that is different about Oblivion’s leveling system. Every time your character levels up all of the creatures and NPCs in the game will level up as well. The developers created this system with an eye toward making sure the experience is always fun and challenging to the player. This also means that you cannot go back and find an enemy that beat the stuffing out of you at the beginning of the game and show him who is boss now.

The combat system for Oblivion is very well done and fairly easy to get used to. Players can choose to attack their foes with either melee weapons such as swords or axes or with more exotic magic attacks. The melee system is pretty straight forward in terms of attacking and blocking. As players get more experienced with their weapons of choice, you can pull off some very devastating moves against your enemies. It’s very easy to combine magic attacks with your more physical attacks as well. Thanks to control layout that makes full use of the 360’s controller.

One final thing that really sets this one apart from others of its kind is for the majority of the game you are on your own. There are missions where you can team up with other characters in the game, but after that mission is done, you will go your separate way.

Control / Playability

For the most part the controls are fairly standard and very easy to get used to. Everything is very easy to access when you need it and I never found myself getting confused on what buttons to push in order to do something. I would rate the learning curve at about 15 minutes before most gamers will be entirely comfortable with the layout.

There is one aspect of the control scheme that is likely to give anyone who plays this title a little bit of trouble. You can â€œhot keyâ€ some of your magic spells to the D-pad and access them but pushing in the appropriate direction. This was a great idea and it works most of the time. However, there are points during a fight with someone that you will find your fingers scrambling franticly all around the D-pad trying to find the magic power that you want.

Graphics / Presentation

To put it simply, the graphics on this one are amazing. Oblivion has some of the most detailed environments you will find in a video game. Players have the choice to play this game from either the first or third person. Both modes serve to show off both the graphics and superb character models, but I think the experience is the most enjoyable from the first person view. However, there are some short comings that you will notice as you play the game. While everything looks spectacular up close, objects and buildings in the distance are a bit hazy. This is due to a compromise the developing staff made with themselves. Everything you see in the game is rendered in real time.

This means that any object you see in the distance you can walk straight to it without having to go through any load screens whatsoever. The trade off for this feature is that things you look at in the distance lose a considerable amount of detail. As you approach it, the details will then load up and look fantastic. This dynamic loading process does cause a few hiccups in the gameplay if you are moving through an area very quickly. It’s not too noticeable most of the time, but it does get annoying if you prefer to roam through the landscape rather than use the quick travel feature.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Xbox 360 Screenshot

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Xbox 360 Screenshots

Audio

The sound effects and music for the game are very well done. It does not matter if it’s the clang of steal from two swords clashing or the night time noise of a forest. All of the effects help to immerse players into this title. The voice acting for all of the characters is superb as well. There was never a point where I felt like it was too over the top or under achieved for a video game.

Replay Value

With all of the different character classes to choose from, there is plenty of reason for someone to want to play this game again. If you were an assassin the first time through, you game you might want to experience from the eyes of a mage or warrior. Some players might even want to experience the more nocturnal elements of the game and become a vampire the second time through.

Overall Score

Overall Score: 9.5/10 [not an average]

Additional Comments

No matter if you are a fan of RPG’s or not, I would have to say that Oblivion is a must have title for any 360 owner. There is so much you can do on this game that will keep any player coming back for more even after you have completed the main quest. While it doesn’t do everything perfectly, it does what it is supposed to do very well. The few minor problems you might experience with it do nothing to subtract from the overall enjoyable experience it provides.