PC | DS | Wii | PlayStation 2 | PlayStation 3 | PSP | Xbox 360 | Retired: GBA | GameCube | Xbox

News | Reviews | Previews | Features | Classics | Goodies | Anime | Forums

So, we finally made a Twitter thingy.  You can follow it here.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Score: 9.0 out of 10

By now you’ve probably heard that this game is amazing and has won many awards last year. It’s finally made its way onto the Playstation 3 and although it’s late, it’s definitely worth the wait.

If you are already familiar with this game, there are not a whole lot of reasons to own the PS3 versions over the others. It’s technically slightly better, with bigger draw distances and faster load times. The textures are a bit sharper and it’s brighter overall, but the lack of downloadable content (at present anyways) is a turn off. Not that you’ll need it right away – you’re talking about a minimum of 100 hours of game play out of the box.

If you’re not familiar with this game, you basically create a character and pick their class. It’s a traditional RPG in the sense that your characters have certain abilities depending on who you pick and you can customize their look completely. Head shape, hair and more are easily changeable and you can spend a lot of time getting your character just right.

 

- XBox Game Reviews - Role Playing Game Reviews - Reviews of Games Developed/Published by Bethesda

The game takes place mostly in Cyrodill, the largest province of a larger land known as Tamriel. There are well over 200 points of interest in Cyrodill, and no shortage of quests and things for you to do. One of the greatest things about Oblivion is that you get to choose what you wish to do. There is a main quest to keep you on track but it’s very easy (and I do 

Advertisement

mean very) to get off track and become busy doing this or that. Most of the sub quests are interesting and fun and will keep you busy for hours and hours.

One thing that is different from a traditional RPG is the way you level up. Your abilities increase as you use things – whether it is your athletic ability from walking or using a certain weapon. In order to increase other abilities, you must use them. You might think that it would be easy to then kill enemies as you get better with a blade, but their abilities will grow right along with yours, making it not as easy as you might think. There is an ever present option of increasing or decreasing the difficulty level until it’s just right for you.

As is often the case, you’ll find yourself balancing what you can carry and what abilities you want to focus on. Depending on the character you have chosen, this can vary greatly. You may find, as I did, that there is as much to the game in trying to figure that out is there is to the quests. There are so many character classes and ways that you can play this game that I can virtually guarantee that the game you play will be different from anyone else’s.

On the downside, there are quite a few glitches in this game. Clipping problems occur with the graphics, and one time I found myself caught behind a rock with my ability to jump gone. Fortunately, when I saved the game and reloaded, I was able to jump again which allowed me to escape. It was at this time that I learned to appreciate the ability to switch between first and third person perspectives. When I couldn’t see why I could not walk away from the rocks, I was able to switch to third person and realize what was going on. It didn’t help me per se, but at least I had a better understanding of my surroundings.

With a game this deep and complex, I can forgive a few glitches. It would be nearly impossible to create a 100% bug free game with this much content, but here’s to hoping that the next versions of this game have some of those addressed.

While it’s not perfect, this game is pretty close and I dare you to find better value for your money. Even if RPG’s have traditionally not been your thing, give this game a try. You might just find yourself immersed in an incredible world that unfolds before you.

Syd Bolton

July 27, 2007

Digg this Article!  | del.icio.us

Advertise | Site Map | Staff | RSS Feed

Affiliates:

- BDGamers -   - CnC Den -   - CivFanatics-   - Creative Uncut -   - Darkstation -   - DarkZero -   Devil May Cry   - Dreamstation.cc -   

- Fable 2 -    - GameZone -   - Mario-Kart.net -   - PS2 Fantasy -  - PS3 -   -TalkXbox -   - Zelda Dungeon -

All articles ©2000 - 2008 The Armchair Empire.

All game and anime imagery is the property of their respective owners.

Privacy Statement - Disclaimer