Oblivion: RPG, Open World, Leveling System, No Online features.
This review contains no spoilers.
Please note that I have not tried all available downloadable content (DLC).
Oblivion is a medieval fantasy world, including things such as swords and goblins.
Bethesda's Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has earned itself a Platinum Hit award, has received a perfect score of 10 in GameInformer (video game magazine) and I'm sure there are tons and tons of other reviews on this game talking about how pefect it is. All of that is true.
In the beginning of the game, you can, of course, customize your character. However, Oblivion has the most intricate character-customizing system I've yet to encounter. You can set the jaw bone, eye color, hair style and color, skin color, wrinkles, face width and many, many more options. You can practically make the character look like the real you in this game (with the exception of possible acne, possible facial hair and height, though the height varies between different races of characters).
Pros:
Open World As described in some of my other reviews, many players prefer not to have an open world to explore and would rather just complete designated missions. There are always others, however, who prefer open world leveling up games to explore. So far out of all the open world games I've played, which are about 6 or so, Oblivion has the largest world I've yet seen, next to Rockstar's Red Dead Redemption. I have a character of my own on Oblivion, and so far I've discovered somewhere between 100 and 300 areas, and still I haven't discovered them all. Even players who have several huge world games should not be disappointed in Oblivion's world.
Gorgeous Graphics Close attention to details in buildings, rolling hills, lush forests, snowy mountains, and burning wastelands make Oblivion one of the best-looking games out there. As Bethesda does in many of its games, the facial expressions in the characters, such as smiles and grimaces, as well as facial structures and eye color, are very lucid.
Varying Missions Don't worry about constantly having to participate in the main story, you can always, at any point, stop whatever mission you're currently playing and do whatever you want in Oblivion's massive world. Missions can vary from closing portals to demonic realms to cleaning a town of vampires. It's going to take you a long, long time to complete half the quests in the game.
Leveling system For those who haven't played a game with a leveling system, it's where you kill a certain amount of enemies and complete several missions to increase your level, making you stronger and more durable. Oblivion's level system is fairly simple, but is always exciting when you do manage to level up. You automatically gain more health and deal more damage, and can choose to increase specific attributes to enhance your character, such as running faster or being more persuasive.
Several Fighting Styles Oblivion has a fighting style to suit everyone's preferance (besides guns, Oblivion does not contain modern weaponry). You can be a swordsman, a stealthy assassin, or a (rather overpowered) wizard. You can toss lightning at enemies, shoot them with a bow and arrows, take them out quickly and silently from the shadows, even summon undead creatures and demons to help you fight.
Cons:
No Online Features or MultiplayerYou may not want to play online against or with other players, but it's always nice when a game offers it. Oblivion does not offer online play, nor does it offer multiplayer. It is solely a single-player game.
Maturity Rating Oblivion has little to no gore, if anything it's some drops of blood coming out of your enemy when they die. Not much sexuality, but when you loot enemies you are allowed to take their armor, which can reduce them to their underwear. There's some alchohol in it, but it isn't monotonous. No smoking, and practically no swearing, besides maybe 3 or 4 occasions of someone saying "damn" (which, in a game this size, isn't very notable). I usually add the maturity rating as a con if a game has earned one.
Well that's pretty much all the cons I can think of off the top of my head. Numerous pros, surprisingly few glitches, considering how big the game is, tons of missions and ways to fight, leveling system, and very little maturity in the game make Oblivion an obvious choice if you're considering buying a role playing game.
I hope this review has been helpful to you.
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I'm giving this a single star just so people will find this review and make note of the fact that this is the Platinum Hits Edition, not the Game of the Year Edition the product description implies.There are no expansion packs included with the version. No Shivering Isles, no Knights of the Nine.
The game is still the great Oblivion, but it is just Oblivion.
This applies to the Xbox 360 version only, I don't know what's included with the PC version.
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I've been playing this game for a while now and it's hand down my favorite game. I was a huge fan of Morrowind as well. It's so awesome and there are so many possibilities in this game, I just wish I had more time to play it. I'm always trying to talk people into buying this game and for $20 you'd be crazy not to just try it. I'm hoping they come out with a new one soon. :)Honest reviews on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
I've spent more game time on Oblivion than any other game I've owned. I've played the game on the PC platform as well as on this XBox360 platform. Between the two, in terms of being able to lose oneself in the gaming experience, my preference is XBox360. If you value being able to use cheats or mods then you'll want to give this a pass and go to the PC version.Oblivion feature open game play, meaning you can, with few exceptions, choose the order in which you complete missions throughout the game. There is a primary game mission to follow which is probably a good choice when you first start, until you get used to the rest of the game and then you'll probably find you quickly develop some favorite missions and quests which you'll choose to follow before you return to the main method.
Interesting as well is the leveling system which progressively increases the challenges (and the rewards) of missions as well as the available loot and items you can obtain throughout the game. If you wish the options available to finish all the missions and explore all the available caves, mines, forts, etc. can easily lead to up to 200 hours of game play.
Add to this graphics that all immaculate, scrolling that leaves you feeling like you're in the midst of an animated movie which you're directing and you have all the ingredients for a classic gaming experience.
All that's missing is a multi-player option, which, when you think about it, is probably more the result of the use of the available resources to make the stand-alone option as good as it is.
When you're finished with your character, you're not finished. You'll find it an easy thing to return to the game and change your character and characteristics and then go through the game as a thief, a warrior, a mage and despite the familiar missions the challenge morphs enough in it's new approach that you'll not mind that and will want to play the game again.
Be aware that there are add-ons available through XBox that you will want to look at, in particular the Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine. The cost of adding these on are high enough (despite the time that has passed) that you'd be wise to buy an edition with those additions on, as you'll save money.
All in all, it's hard to imagine a much better RPG. If you like the genre at all you'll have to have this game. If you're not necessarily and enthusiast, this game may just make you one.
5 stars.
bart breen
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I've been a fan of the Elder Scrolls games ever since I got sucked into Morrowind and spent endless hours on my XBox doing everything there was to do in that game. Oblivion is so much more of what made Morrowind great. And it is ENORMOUS. You can spend hours just wandering around this new world fighting, collecting and improving your character to your heart's content. Unfortunately, unless you put great effort into following and understanding the story and then working to progress through it, you will fall into the repetitive boredom that such a freeform game can become. If you just follow the storyline you miss out on all the other things there are to do, collect, discover and create. But if you get lost in all the extra stuff, it can be easy to lose track of the storyline and get bored doing the same old things over and over again. You also have to discover and destroy so many Oblivion Gates that this can be repetitive as well.Simply put, this is a beautiful game with a lot to do...maybe too much...and you might get bored long before you come close to finishing the game.
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