Oblivion is a real time consumer, and a bit buggy, but this doesn't stop it from being one of the best games of the year
The character creation system within Oblivion is truly robust, with a selection of 9 races to choose from, and not all of them look like humans, it really gives you a wild variety to choose from. Not only can you choose the race, but how your character looks, creating some rather unique looking individuals.
What strikes you when you open up oblivion is the first person perspective, a rarity in RPG's, let alone in rpg's that use classic weapons such as swords and bows. It makes combat more exciting and gives you a real feel for combat instead of making you just feel like you are button mashing.
The vast world of Cyrodil truly is a sight to see, expansive, full of characters and imperial city really feels like its full of life, it's large districts though feel slightly empty due to it being such a large city and so few inhabitants in some areas. However you can see the underlying classes within the city, from the rich imperials to the poor beggars, the corrupt officials and the unfair taxing.
The gameplay within Oblivion is stellar, with so much to do, it's hard to fault, the conversations with npc's offer a wide variety of choices, and the amount of side quests ensure that you will be playing this game for hours at a time. The navigation through Oblivion is very well thought out, you can fast travel, travel by horse, and the navigation system itself is faultless, every objective is clearly marked on the map and the compass itself ensures you are never lost or have to endure hours of wandering around looking for one clue.
The graphics however, don't seem to accomplish all that they could, while indeed the enviroments themselves are top notch, the character models, although wide and varying, seem a little rubber faced, and look dead in the eyes. Although it's hard to create characters that seem real within games and are convincing, with oblivion when compared to how good the rest of the game is, it's hard not to feel a little let down by the game.
The places you visit within cyrodil and beyond are fascinating, from the planes of oblivion, which remind you of a gothic version of hell, to the small towns you also see which have their own charm about them.
The factions that you find within Oblivion are also fun and different, there is the fighter guild, mages guild, dark brotherhood, thieves guild, and the arena, where you participate in fights to the death. Each faction offers different and challenging quests, sometimes requiring you to do more than fight your way to the finish.
The greatest idea behind oblivion is the levelling system, levels are hard to attain but worthwhile, when you do finally level up, you must rest and you'll gain new strengths. Your character can also level up individual skills which can lead to new items being unlocked and also new skills such as the abliity to disarm opponents etc.
However bethseda missed a few glitches when testing the game, and it's these glitches that stop oblivion from attaining perfection. Sometimes the characters faces dissapear for no reason, leaving just the eyes and the skull during a conversation. Sometimes you can get bounty for no reason, and sometimes people are hostile towards you for no reason. some characters voices change completely for no reason at all, which is odd to say the least.
Oblivion truly sets the bar for RPG's everywhere, its huge expansive and believeable world and vast array of characters and enemies make this one of the best rpg's out there. However a few glitches and dodgy graphics in some areas prevent it from reaching its full potential. Yet Oblivion makes up for this by giving you a lot for your money, weapons, armour and a variety of quests, and now being priced so cheaply everywhere. makes this a must have for anyone, as it can be enjoyed by all.