The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. What is Oblivion? I tell you now, Oblivion is more than a just a video game. It is a Revolution of gaming as we know it. Fun, open-ended game-play like none ever before experienced. A grand, deep plot, more expansive and in-depth than Lord of the Rings. A masterful voice cast, featuring wonderful, famous talents. Miraculous graphics- trees that look real and grow just as normal trees do with accurate geology, corpses and other objects that roll down hills and move with real-world physics as you grab them. A wonderful character creation system, allowing you do customize your character from the tone of his skin to the point of his nose to the puffs of his lips to the length of his hair. Fabulous creatures, from the wolf, to the horse, to the Minotaur, to the Daedra, all of them giving the feeling which they are intended. Grand cities, with stores, houses, churches, hotels... everything a real city would have. Revolutionary Radiant AI allowing all of the 2,000 NPC characters to think on their feet, and complete their own goals. Dozens of thousands of quests to complete: So many that the side-quests of side-quests have side-quests! This is a game like never before. A game which sets a new standard for all gaming, and truly gains dominion over all games previously released. I'd like to welcome all who desire to buy this game to the wonderful world of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the greatest video game of all time.

I picked up this game "Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion" and I was immediately hooked in its advanced graphics and its vast and varied options. When I first heard of this game, I was hoping for an original and inspired RPG with a slew of classes, races, and other options, with some insight on its very own geologic time scale, and with its own human cultures. This title didn't meet my hopes and expectations, it surpassed them. Oblivion delivers far better graphics than my 1.4 GHz processor can work with, a cast that could not have been better-assembled, a history that I could never have pulled entirely from my brain, and a series of race options that I would never have thought possible. The humans are not only culturally divided, they are geologically divided as well. In other words, two of the races look very human but are not human at all according to the lore that this is apparently the third sequel (fourth original) in. The game-play is very well-thought out, you have different skills that you can advance in, and all of the characters' and creatures' effectiveness are quite realistic. There are also many paths to choose, from warrior to sorcerer to hit-man; and more. I could easily see why this game got a 9.5 and "Computer Game Of The Month" award from Game Informer. I can't see anyone with even half a brain hating this game. If you are aged 13 to elderly and are a fan of fantasy, Bethesda, or just of anything that makes any sense in the world of its story, then Oblivion is for you.

This game is the reason gamers like me don't get much sleep. It's basically your everyday fantasy RPG (Role Playing Game) set in a world full of demons, monsters, knights, bandits, goblins, and more. That's where the similarity ends. The game is based in a mythical world that's just plain massive. It's basically a country with several cities and towns. The mapping is spectacular, with no two areas alike (swamps, mountains, gaping forests, snow covered lands, lakes, rivers), the towns have unique architecture, and not to mention the developers show how the 360's graphics engine can make for some very realistic water effects. Everything in this game is superb, right down to the sound (not to mention Sean Bean and Patrick Stewart lend their voices). It wasn't enough to knock it down a point, but I did find the character creation a bit of a challenge, along with some of the people in the game, too many of them look old and worn out. Other than that, this game hit every mark in my book... it allows for complete control of your character, you can be a mage (magic) or a warrior, or both. You can actually choose your path. Follow the main quest first and beat the main story line, or follow some side quests and get your character to a more respectable level (which I recommend)? I truly believe out of any non-MMORPG out there this has one of the biggest replay value factors ever, not to mention hours upon hours of gameplay and entertainment (some quests require you to travel great distances to complete). The gameplay is fantastic, the selection of tools, weapons, and other items is magnificent, and the graphics are, for lack of a better word, gorgeous. This game, so far, is the only RPG that comes very close to real life. I think the only thing that makes it different from real life is that the real world has no reset button. This is a must have, must play, must get addicted game. Like great literature, this you cannot put down until it's done!

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, truly, an amazing and beautiful game. No, game, this isn't a game, this is digital art. Few games, *ahem*, digital pieces of art have total thrown me into an entire world of myth, and realism. The people have actual lives, the world evolves, and you grow and live in a different place. The computers, wait, the artificial beings are so smart its scary, like when the Ferbes came out. The people talk to you and each other, and have 100's of hours of spoken dialog. The each have names and personalities and respond differently to all situations. Same with the vast wildlife, like deer, wolfs, and big-ass spider people. The world is so huge, you'd get even more lost just going to the nearest Fighters Guild than walking to the Governor of Rhode Islands dentist office. The total obsession of the digital work of artistic master piece does come at a price. Though loading isn't killing long, its not very fast. The pop up does suffer at times as well. Other issues like jumping could have been tweaked but nothing serious. Overall the realistic values of this is beyond belief, from books, to the ingredients of a meal, potion making and all the quests truly support a gigantic step for all of digital artwork, um... kind. *9.5 out of 10*

I can only but agree with what have been said by others; This is one of the greatest games ever conceived, truly!

However if you are wondering weather to buy Oblivion for PC or Xbox 360, i would recommend you buying for PC. Although you might not get the exact same graphical performance, the Construction Set that follows the PC version is reason enough in itself.

For those who don't know: The Elder Scrolls Construction Set is a program that holds resources that lets you create, tweak and mod all, and that means *all*, aspects within the game. This opens up a whole new aspect of gameplay. Files produced by people who use this set is uploaded to the internet and usually free to download, for PC. As far as i know, this is not an alternative for Xbox 360. Consider this when debating on what platform to buy for. Take into account all the new aspects of gameplay it opens up.

But bottom line is, anyway: *But this game!*