Oblivion may not be ground breaking but it sure is a huge step up from its' predecessor, Morrowind. Also this is an RPG that is very accessible to both fans and non fans of the genre. I think this is a success story in my books. I gave Morrowind such a bad score and yet here I am years later giving the sequel which is very similar to it a much better score. Is Wish full of it when it comes to RPGs? Did Wish make a mistake with his Morrowind review? Gentle reader, maybe I am guilty of both according to some but I assure you now that if there ever was an RPG that has won me over it is this one.
Quick Review in fifteen words or less: A more user friendly and less "glitchy" version of Morrowind.
Gameplay
I like to do things differently so I'm going to list my grievances first and then finish off with the good stuff. So let us not sit idly gentle reader. My first complaint would be that there are several glitches that make certain quests impossible to complete. Secondly, while the game looks great (see below) a lot of the caves, forts and ruins all look the same. After a while this monotonous look takes the thrill away from exploration which is one of my favorite things to do in a game. Lastly, having played Morrowind I can say that a lot of useful improvements have been made to the gameplay but in the end this game plays identical to it's' predecessor. So in that respect I don't feel that this game is really breaking any new ground when it comes to the gameplay. It is still an open ended RPG that has lots of customization features.
Now as promised, the good stuff, hmmmm good stuff. Would you like to go kill a Vampire warlord holed up in a forgotten fort in the middle of no where? Sure you do, now to get there you simply follow your trusty compass. I mention this compass because it is a new addition to an Elder Scroll game and it is about time. Now exploration and completing quests is far easier. Also you now have the option of "fast traveling" to any location you have already discovered. This cuts out all the needless time spent backtracking from the quest giver to the quest location. Again this is a new feature that is just a great addition. Lastly, your inventory and quest log have finally been organized. The controls and the layout for the menus are extremely well thought out. When you consider the size of the game, you inventory and the multitude of things required of the player to do you'll find the menus and your inventory a breeze to sift through.
Audio
Hmm let's see here, Jeremy Soule, Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean. Talk about bringing in top shelf quality. First off, Jeremy Soule has done great music for so many RPGs in the past that I would have been surprised if he didn't work on this game. As usual Soule uses a nice blend of ambient music to set the mood for exploration and story exposition. Then of course he likes to get carries away with strong brass instruments when the action starts and you're up your knees in fallen enemies. To put it simply, Soule provides great music to yet another RPG. The opening theme music alone is moving and sets the right mood for the game. You get this sense of wonder, fear and discovery topped off with an epic feel when you first hear that theme blasting through your speakers.
Now when it comes to Patrick Stewart I think he has a great voice for voice acting. Seriously this guy could do a documentary on dung beetles and you'd be interested. His voice acting comes across and clear and commanding but not over powering. Though his performance is brief I don't think Besthesda could have picked a better person for such a critical character. Patrick Stewart will introduce you to the world of Oblivion and just by hearing his voice you get this sense of credibility or believability to the game world just by hearing how Stewart delivers his lines.
Now onto Sean Bean who also plays a critical in the main story of Oblivion. Though most people may only know this actor as Boromir from the recent Lord of the Rings movie, he's been a well established British actor for some time now. Anyhoo, the point is like Stewart he delivers his lines very well. His character comes off as uncertain and then finally courageous.
Lastly I touch upon the other NPC voice acting and the sound effects. The NPCs all deliver their lines well and in some instances create a bit of humor. The only problem with them becomes the frequency in which you'll hear the same or similar voices. As for the sound effects they are decent with all the typical sounds you'd hear from swinging swords and casting magic.
As you can see I really enjoy the audio aspect of games and I can easily say that the audio for this game is definitely one of its' finest qualities.
Video
This game is definitely a looker. If you have an HDTV I'd say that it is the best looking game out at the moment for the 360. Despite the visual fidelity the game suffers from framerate issues, pop-in textures and clipping issues. I understand that this is a "ginormous" world and it is difficult to make everything work perfectly in said world, but this problems offer quite frequently. As you run along in the countryside entire buildings tend to pop-in, especially if you have a fast moving character. Also once you have more than a few characters on screen casting or fighting the framerate tends to drop down. The decrease in the framerate doesn't cripple the gameplay however there is a noticeable slowdown. Lastly, models and items tend to clip into all sorts of things: doors, walls, and other people. While this doesn't ruin things like collision detection it sure creates a lot of weird experience within the game.
Despite all my bashing on the graphics I would still say this game is very playable. I only mentioned what happens to me and keep in mind I'm special (see other reviews) so these problems may not occur as often for you. The ones you'd most likely see at some point are the pop-ins and the slight framerate dips. All in all though I tip my hat to Bethesda because it is a huge game and it looks great.
Replay
Thieves Guild, Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, The Dark Brotherhood, The Arena and the Main Quest are just some of the quest lines you can engage in. Add in Deadric Shrine quests, Oblivion gates to shut, side quests, a huge landmass to explore and lastly an open ended gaming experience where anything goes. This, gentle reader translates into hundreds of hour's worth of gameplay. I myself raked in over +200 hours with three different characters, one of which reach his peak potential. The back of the case doesn't lie when it tells you that there are hundreds of locations to explore or how many hours worth of content is crammed onto the one DVD.
You can shape your character into anything you can conceive when it comes to skills and stats. The game also offers a great system to help customize your characters physical appearance. Then of course there is the ability to make potions, spells and enchanted items. Of course if all that is too generic for you, you can choose to become a vampire and feed off of people in there sleep. Or perhaps a mass murderer, seriously the game can be played to fit your mood or personality. If you want to be good and just, go for it. Want to become the strongest jerk in all the lands, go for it.
Comments
Yes I crapped on this game a lot. Yes I gave Morrowind a crap score. This time around however, Bethesda fixed a lot of problems with the gameplay and glitches. Yes the gameplay really isn't that fresh and the glitches are still there (especially before they patched it) but overall this is the open ended RPG experience I was expecting when I first bought this game for the PC years ago.
Rent or Buy?
So far this is one of the few 360 games I can easily recommend a purchase. There is no need to rent this game. If you like open-ended games or RPGs you'll enjoy this game.
Score
Gameplay 8/10
Audio 9/10
Video 8/10
Replay 10/10
Overall (it is an average) 87.5 rounded up to a 9.
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