The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Rated M for Mature (Originally rated T for Teen)
Systems: Playstation 3 and Xbox 360
Genre: First and Third Person RPG
Created and Developed by: Bethesda Softworks

Rating: 8/10

Gameplay:

Let's cut right into it. Oblivion is the fourth installment to The Elder Scrolls series, and it is obviously the best in graphics and detail. The gameplay of Oblivion is much like Morrowind (The third installment). When the game begins, you have an extremely vast amount of ways to customize your character, from facial size to skin color and much more. Some of the other things that you can customize are hair color, hair style, height, jaw structure, nose structure, (basically you can size everything you want that is on the face), eye color, race, and name. Upon completing the first "level" in the game, you are then asked to choose your astrological sign. There are many choices, and each one benefits you differently. There are many attributes that you can specialize in as well. There are 21 attributes and they each lean to a certain main attribute. The three main attributes are "Strength", "Magic", and "Stealth". Each attribute is great, so it gets tricky when picking them.

Now onto the game itself. This is like a medieval, fantasy Grand Theft Auto because, well...Obviously it's set way back when there were castles and no televisions and you have almost many things to do that will keep you occupied for a long time. There are many cities, towns, villages, and inns scattered across Cyrodiil (the land that you play in), along with sacred shrines that offer fun quests that give valuable rewards. The fighting in Oblivion is very realistic because when you engage in combat you can actually shield yourself from their attacks and your screen will knock back when the blow lands. Also you can continue to gore their body once your opponent has fallen, and you can drag them around as you please. Arrows stick into your enemies bodies and when they die, you can take some of the arrows back when you loot them. When using magic, their body will usually have a reaction to the spell. For example, if you cast a fireball on someone, they will catch fire (unfortunately they wont run around and scream then finally die, they will attack back). I can tell they really put a lot of effort into this part of the game because there is great voice effects during fights that sync in with their attacks (When they are about to do a lunge with their sword they will say "YaaaaUGH!- *Clang*) perfectly, and the fighting is just very realistic.

There are tons of things that you can do in Oblivion besides slashin' n' gashin. You can work on your attributes, do guild quests to gain prestige amongst your fellow mages, fighters, thieves, or vampire friends, can purchase horses for faster transport, or if you want to be a rebel, heck you can jump right over that wooden fence and ride off with the thing. Unfortunately though you will have a bounty so you would have to part with you horse sooner or later if you want to get anywhere within a mile of a city. The list goes on and on, but one thing that I really think is cool is that (brace yourself folks) you can make your own spells as you please, yes, that's right. You can make your own spells. Take a standard fireball for example. Once you get to the spellmaking table you can customize that fireball to have an increased radius, magnitude, and damage. If you want, you can fuse fireball with icebolt and lightning, and have a cool ass spell effect. The choices are unlimited, so there are tons of possibilities that you can fool around with. My only complaint on spellmaking is that once you create or acquire a spell you cannot unlearn it so in the end you usually have a long list of unnecessary spells.

The arena is another option in the game. You can sign up for the arena in the Imperial City at certain hours and take on enemies to the death. There are quite a few rounds, and it is topped off with a battle against the Grand champion, who is sadly a very gentle and kind Orc that you befriend if you do his quest. At the end of every match you gain gold, which is essential in Oblivion. Oblivion is really tight about money. It's hard to get and items cost alot. Which brings me to the next part about this game. If you are tired of doing quests and earning minimum wage cash, you can raise your attributes and gain gold by a few simple tricks. Of course, i'm not going to spoil the game for you, so do that on your own time.

If you hit the jackpot and you have a lot of cash, then you can always purchase a home and a servant. Yes, this is another remarkable thing I like about Oblivion. You can buy decor for your mansion or home, and you can also use it as a cache drop-off. Homes are pretty useful because more often then once you will become over-encumbered (meaning you have too many items in your bag and you can't move), so this would be a load off your back (literally).

This review would go on for pages on the gameplay of Oblivion, so just take my word for it. This game is a very realistic RPG that will keep you chugging down that *Place energy drink name here* throughout the night.

Gameplay Rating: 10/10

Graphics and Sound:

Ok, so the gameplay is a success, but what about the Graphics and Sound? In a word? Epic. I was quite amazed the first time I started this game. The character detail is abnormally realistic, and the voice acting fits the NPC's facial expressions and feelings perfectly. When I first stepped into the sunlight of Cyrodiil, my breath was taken away as I looked at a glimmering lake accompanied with trees dotting the countryside, topped off with the sun lighting up the entire land so perfectly I would have mistaken it for reality for a moment or two (or three!)

There is not one part of Oblivion that is lacking in detail, besides perhaps the cliffs that have stretched terrain patterns. But it really is nothing to complain about. The lighting in this game is the best I have seen in any game so far. At dawn, the sun will peek out of the sky and the clouds will cast a deep orange. You can even see the sun move across the sky as the day progresses, and the lighting changes with it. Ok, I think you get the picture. Lighting = stunning. The environmental graphics are top-notch as well. There are tons of details that make this game realistic, from the swaying of the trees to the stepping on the waving grass till it flattens out. Architectural design is pretty intense. The castles that you come across have stunning historically correct exterior architecture and "style", and as for the interior design, well you feel like you are in a warm, safe cozy den thanks to the fireplaces, subtle dark lighting, and the people you come across as you walk by and they greet you. The cities correspond with the environment as well. If you take Bruma for example. It is very snowy and cold there, so the design of the city was made so the houses would be closely packed together and below ground level to preserve heat. If you visit a city close to a swamp, you will notice that it seems danker, and the wood is not as beautiful as other cities or towns.
I could go on and on about all the things, but I would hate to bore you where you could just go ahead and buy the game and see for yourself.

Graphics and Sound: 10/10

Replay Value:

Much like any other RPG game that doesn't follow a "strict" storyline like Final fantasy or Kingdom Hearts, you can play it over and over again, max out your attributes, or murder entire cities. It's pretty addicting, so for those days that you want to just fool around, be sure to have a backup save file. Anyways, I have beat the game once, and have since then been exploring the vast land in search for cool quests, items, and treasures. Monsters will always respawn after a certain time so fighting should always be an option for you. *Beware though: NPC's DO NOT respawn.* Not much more to say about replay value besides one bad part. Also like many other RPG games, you will inevitably get bored of this if you play for too long.

Replay Value: 8/10

I hope you enjoyed this guide. If you have any other questions about Oblivion just post your questions or look them up if i'm not around to reply fast enough.