Elder Scrolls Oblivion is an extremely addictive RPG, and, with only one or two minor flaws, it's possibly the best
The Bad: Load times can be tedious, and can, sometimes, appear constantly depending on how fast your 360 runs; playing online with tons of other people would've been awesome (though it would've been loading every 2 seconds).
Role playing elements have been slipping into games over the past couple of years. Some of them are good, and some are pathetic: giving RPGs a, somewhat, bad reputation. Enter The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion; possibly the greatest RPG of all time.
The story isn't really fleshed out a lot in the beginning. Immediately, your able to create a character by choosing its race, hair, facial design ,ect. After that, you realize that you're in a dungeon for unknown crimes. You're soon called over by another prisoner across the hallway. He taunts you for whatever you did, then tells you of your death which is supposedly, fast approaching. However, you're soon swept into a wondrous adventure when you meet up with the king of Tamriel (voice of Patrick Stewart! You know...from Star Trek....Captain Picard!), who's evidently seen his own death on this day. He entrusts you with the Amulet of Kings before his last breath. You are to take it to the last heir of the throne: Martin Septim. What follows is a forty hour (or so) quest to close the gates of Oblivion (which is pretty much hell). However, hundreds of hours of guild quests, side quests, and exploring are also available. Over 200 hours of gameplay is possible in this one disk.
You can join guilds such as the fighters guild, mages guild, the Dark Brotherhood, and much more. Each of these guilds takes you through hours upon hours of various quests. These quests aren't just your, "Go here and kill this guy" type of missions. They're well thought out, and have been given the same care that the main story has been given. Every quest, every mission, and every job you're given is extremely unique, with tons of different situations that scream for your to innovate with the game's various weapons and spells.
There's so many stories packed into this game. Some come from exploring various lands and temples, and others come straight from the main story. These aren't just your average stories either. They're stories of betrayal, love, and determination. It's rare that a game can craft hundreds of stories...but still keep each one interesting and involving by using unique story telling techniques and face-to-face conversations.
Okay, so you know there's a ton of stuff on this disk, but how does it play? Let's just say, Oblivion plays like a legendary RPG. You can be whatever you want to be. Want to be a powerful mage who has a command over a powerful, enchanted double-handed, sword? You can make him. You can make anything you want throughout the game by choosing classes and some abilities at the beginning. When you begin your quest, you'll be asked to choose what kind of person you are. Are you a barbarian who has a command over blunt objects and heavy armor. Are you a mage who has total command over all magical abilities? You choose. There are tons of different classes to major in. You can even make your own. Anyway, at the beginning, when you choose who you want to be, you'll be given classes that you want to major in and classes that you want to minor in. All of these classes (like destruction, mysticism, conjuration, blunt, acrobatics, ect.) can be upgraded if you use them enough. If you use your sword enough, your blade skill will go up. When you upgrade classes, you gain access to new skills and are able to use more powerful techniques and spells. When you upgrade your major classes enough, you can find a bed and fall asleep to upgrade your character overall. Your character's level will go up, and a major attribute of your choice (like overall speed or strength) will go up as well.
Battles are also set up nicely. The right trigger swings or shoots your weapon, while the left trigger is used to block. Holding the right trigger while holding the control stick up, down, left or right enables a powerful attack that can sometimes harm the enemy even if their shield is up. These simple, yet satisfying battle mechanics can be further customized using spells, enchanted weapons and clothing, and different tactics. It all feels very satisfying, and adds a bit of surprise to each fight. You basically go in knowing what race your opponent is, and that's about it. His/her weapons and abilities are a complete mystery, so you must use everything at your disposal if you want to win.
Oblivion is all about the items. If you've got a ton of swords in your inventory, odds are you'll have plenty of back-ups if one of them breaks. At the same time, though, there is a tint of realism to your inventory. The more you have, the slower you go, and there is a point where you can't carry any more, making your character a sitting duck. This makes you take what you really need. Your weight limit can also be upgraded, allowing you to carry a lot more over time. Also, spells can increase your carrying capacity for a short time.
As you may have guessed, the overworld is just huge. There's a lot of towns and villages that are displayed on your map once you find them, and you don't have to run or ride all the way to a destination. You can warp there using the map, which really helps to avoid those long journeys. There are so many secret temples, villages, houses, and ruins, however, that many will be compelled to run around to try to find caves or temples with useful weapons and items stashed away inside.
The quests you are given can be easy, or complicated; requiring several different tasks to be completed. These quests are perfectly managed, though, by the quest log. If you've been away from the game for a few weeks or months, a quick look at the quest log can get you back up to speed in no time flat.
Tamriel (the overworld) feels, almost, completely realistic. Nobody just stands around all day waiting for someone to talk to. They have jobs. They go to work. They sleep at night. They can even go up to different people and have a conversation that can be listened to if you're standing next to them. Everything feels realistic. It feels as if each of these people have lives to live. The bad part about this is that when you're taken out of this world by long load times, it starts to lose its magnificence. Load times pop up constantly when traversing the land on horseback or running at high speeds. Also, whenever you go into a town or even a house, the loading screen will pop up. This can get very irritating at times, but can be forgiven by most people.
The graphics look incredible in Oblivion. Each character is animated beautifully, and facial animations don't look too bad either. Environments are lush and detailed as well. The water looks eerily realistic, and even the otherworldly, hellish plains of Oblivion look stunning. However, since this is a fantasy game (with elves, nords and the like), some of the realism is taken away from the character design. Don't get me wrong, they look amazing, but some could look a lot better with proper lighting and small adjustments.
The orchestrated music hits every right note. It's very epic and retains an adventurous feel to it. Battles also have an upbeat, orchestrated mix going for them. Some say the music makes the game. In the case of Oblivion, it doesn't truly make the game, it simply bolsters the experience to the point where everything just seems a lot better.
The voice acting must've taken forever. Tons of voices and thousands of scripts had to be made, but in the end...you have some movie-style voice acting in Oblivion. Each character is very convincing in their voices. They can sound scared, or happy, or even crazy. The voices are extremely well done, and I commend Oblivion for having put so much effort into it.
You've read this review (hopefully), I haven't even begun to tell you all of the other details of Oblivion. With an adventure like this, some will clock in at around 200 hours with Oblivion. It's that addicting! There are limitless quests (some being sold online as downloadable content) and you'll definitely enjoy each one of them. Upgrading your character is also an addicting experience that doesn't lose its sheen until your character is completely perfect. All of these addicting elements will keep Oblivion in your 360 for weeks...even months!
Bottom Line: Oblivion is near perfection. If it wasn't for the load times, and lack of online play, this would be a perfect package that I would gladly pay double for. Here's a tip for all of those people who don't like it. Don't tackle the main quest. Go join a guild. Buy some weapons. Get a house. Keep upgrading your character until you're ready to take on the main story. Listen...I implore you...go get The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion right now. You will not be disappointed.