| This is a rare and remarkable achievement--a | | | | unmistakably by Patrick Stewart (Star Trek: |
| huge, open-ended, complex, detailed | | | | The Next Generation, X-Men), recognizes you |
| role-playing game that's fun to play and a | | | | from a portentous dream and entrusts you with |
| pleasure to behold. Oblivion not only | | | | the search for his illegitimate heir. But |
| delivers everything that earned the Elder | | | | first, you'll need to escape from the |
| Scrolls series the devoted loyalty of a huge | | | | Imperial City's sewers. As you make your way |
| following of fans, but also significantly | | | | through this basic dungeon crawl, you happen |
| improves on the weaknesses of its 2002 | | | | upon ill-fated adventurers, their stuff, and |
| predecessor, Morrowind. Morrowind earned | | | | some ornery goblins, so you immediately get |
| recognition for being one of the best | | | | to play around with close combat, ranged |
| role-playing games in years, but the | | | | attacks, magic, sneaking, lock picking, |
| immersive and long-lasting experience it | | | | equipment repairing, and more. How you |
| provided wasn't for everyone. Oblivion is | | | | survive is up to you--it's just as viable to |
| hands-down better, so much so that even those | | | | kill your enemies with destructive magic, |
| who'd normally have no interest in a | | | | weapons, or bare hands as it is to sneak or |
| role-playing game should find it hard to | | | | run right past them. And even though the |
| resist getting swept up in this big, | | | | sewer setting might sound unimaginative, the |
| beautiful, meticulously crafted world. | | | | quality of the game's visuals, the |
| | | | exceptionally good atmospheric sound effects, |
| The Elder Scrolls series is known for its | | | | and the realistic physics all serve to |
| sheer size and depth. These are games that | | | | quickly draw you in. |
| you could lose yourself in, spending hours | | | | |
| exploring a fantasy world, traveling for | | | | Not only is there a huge amount of great |
| miles, or just looking for minutiae, such as | | | | content in the game, but you can also |
| rare plants or hidden treasure. Oblivion | | | | experience it in all kinds of different ways |
| lives up to this pedigree, putting you into a | | | | depending on the type of character you |
| massive, cohesive, highly immersive world. | | | | create. |
| You get to create your own character--the | | | | |
| possibilities for customization seem | | | | Toward the end of this sequence, the game |
| limitless--and then explore the world as you | | | | does a clever job of recommending a character |
| will. There's a compelling main quest for you | | | | class to you based on how you've been |
| to follow, which takes about 40 hours to | | | | playing. For example, if you've gone toe to |
| finish the first time through, but the | | | | toe with every goblin you've seen, hacking |
| majority of the game's content is peripheral | | | | them up with an axe, you might make a good |
| to that main quest. You can root out evil in | | | | barbarian. But the game's numerous premade |
| hidden dungeons, join and climb the ranks in | | | | character classes aren't nearly as |
| a number of different guilds, visit all the | | | | interesting as the ability to create your own |
| different towns and try to solve everybody's | | | | custom class. The choices are numerous but |
| problems, compete in a long series of | | | | clearly presented, and while you could go out |
| gladiatorial battles to the death, break into | | | | of your way to create a fairly useless |
| someone's home and rob them in their sleep, | | | | character, your intuition will easily guide |
| get caught and face the consequences, | | | | you through what's a complex process. You |
| contract a disease that leads to vampirism | | | | choose an underlying specialization--combat, |
| and then try to find a cure, buy a house, | | | | magic, or stealth--then you choose a couple |
| steal a horse, invest in your favorite shop, | | | | of primary attributes, seven major skills, |
| and, if you can believe it, there's much | | | | and even a birth sign. Basically, you're |
| more. | | | | choosing your character's talents. Every |
| | | | character can use every skill; it's just a |
| So the breadth of content is as remarkable as | | | | question of how well. Ultimately, this |
| ever, but the most important thing is this: | | | | character-creation process is much like |
| The many types of gameplay in Oblivion are | | | | Morrowind's, and it shares the same ingenious |
| well-designed and deeply satisfying, even | | | | design: You get stronger in this game by |
| when taken on their own. That's the main | | | | practicing and improving your primary skills, |
| difference between this game and Morrowind. | | | | not by killing stuff and earning generic |
| This may be a role-playing game, but you | | | | experience points. |
| could play it like a pure action game, or | | | | |
| like a stealth game, or like an adventure | | | | What's overwhelming about Oblivion is how |
| game, and it'd still be at least as good as, | | | | good it is and how much there is to it. |
| if not better than, games that are | | | | Literally almost everything that's ever been |
| specialized in these regards. | | | | done well before in past role-playing games |
| | | | is in here--done at least as well, if not |
| Oblivion does a great job of quickly | | | | better. From the quality of the story and |
| introducing you to all these different | | | | character interaction to the pure thrill of |
| aspects of play, successfully engaging you | | | | the combat to all the pleasure to be found in |
| rather than overwhelming you. You see the | | | | the game's little details--the lock-picking |
| world through your character's eyes, but a | | | | minigame, the alchemy system, the way arrows |
| behind-the-back perspective is also | | | | stay stuck in their victims, the ability to |
| available. Initially you just pick a name, | | | | eventually create your own spells, the |
| race, and gender for your character, and the | | | | informative full-color manual, all the |
| game opens with you stuck in a dungeon cell, | | | | different books you can stop to read in the |
| being taunted by a fellow inmate. Somehow, | | | | game--these things combine to make Oblivion |
| though, you get swept up in a desperate | | | | one of the single best, longest-lasting |
| escape attempt by the emperor and his loyal | | | | gaming experiences to be had in a long time. |
| retinue of protectors. The emperor, voiced | | | | It's just too bad there's no multiplayer. |