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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
| Genre | RPG |
| Developer | Bethesda |
| Publisher | 2K Games |
| Modes | Singleplayer |
| Rating | BBFC 15 |
| Released | 24.03.2006 |
The realm of Cyrodil was a peaceful and tranquil world. But all is not well, the death of the Emperor has seen the gates of Oblivion open, allowing an evil force to destroy this, once, peaceful haven. A hero must emerge to close shut the jaws of Oblivion, once, and for all. Well, that’s what it says on the box anyway.
The Elder Scrolls Oblivion is a gaming innovation and players will find themselves engulfed by the story and general gameplay. There are still some people who are still playing Morrowind, the previous Elder Scrolls title. This gives you an idea of the sheer depth of the gameplay.
You start the game in a cell, locked up for a crime that is unknown, you will have to build a basic character by picking from a list of mythical races and choosing your basic skills and powers. Luckily, your cell happens to be the only one in the prison that comes equipped with a secret underground tunnel. The Emperor needs to go on his final journey through these tunnels and so he bumps into you. Through his wierd mystical foresight powers, he recognises you, and you are allowed to follow him through his last steps.
It is here that you can gain a familiarity with the controls, it’s simple really, right trigger to control the right hand and left trigger for your left hand. The concept of a first person sword fighter might seem a little odd but it plays a lot like many FPS titles. You have the ability to choose first or third person views which come in handy depending on the situation. The inventory, map and quest log are easy to bring up and navigate at any point in the game. The interface is very well designed and presented.
Without giving too much away, the emperor dies and you are given the amulet of kings to transfer to his heir. The transition doesn’t go all that well and all hell sort of breaks loose as portals to the underworld, oblivion, are opened up all over Cyrodil. It is your job to clear up and restore order to this, once peaceful, land through a series of main quests. If you want to play the game properly you will want to explore and complete literally hundreds of side quests that are dotted around.
You really appreciate the beauty and scale of this game when you first step out of the sewers. You walk out to a beautiful lakeside bank. The water ripples as a leaf drops from the tree into the lake. As you look up at the oak tree, you see, each individual group of leaves sway in the breeze, and then you look up to massive Imperial City at the top of the hill towering over you. I feel like some kind of poet, but you will have to try the game to realise what I am talking about. You can then go about the quests and exploring the map at your own pace.
The voice acting and music fit in perfectly with the tone of the game. Decisions and dialogue are a big part of the game as you will have the opportunity to barter with shop keepers and persuade potential leads to give you the information that you need.
With the small matter of closing the 100 oblivion gates dotted around the massive world and all the quests as mentioned earlier, you will not get bored of this game for a very very long time. The sheer scale of the game in every aspect should be enough to justify the purchase of this game. If you run out of things, you can just go onto the marketplace, or internet, and download the massive quest packs, and game content.
Oblivion is one truly, amazing game. It is right up there with some of the great roll playing games. The graphics and sound are fantastic, but above all the gameplay is amazing, with one of the biggest lasting appeal that is available, you will be playing for hours.