The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion – PC – Review

Tangled in a web
of his own making, the bandit had run out of arrows at the most crucial of times
and worst yet he backed up into a dead end and was surrounded by massive
boulders. With no choice, this genius of highway robbery whipped out a knife
hoping that would scare away the lanky Wood Elf holding the long sword and iron
shield. Oh, it was almost comical to see the bandit try to take a quick swipe
with his puny blade but if it wasn’t for the horrifying use of the Flame Spell,
lighting up the thief like a human candle, his death was certainly no laughing
matter. Well, perhaps the lonely shepherd by the road found it funny. Ah,
welcome to the living, breathing world you’ll encounter in The Elder
Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the PC.

Having been a
fan of The Elder Scrolls saga since Daggerfall and the more recent
Morrowind, Oblivion is an altogether different and far better
experience than both games put together. We’re talking about a story of epic
proportions and a world that is free to be explored. Here you create a
character, choosing from a number of options such as race (human, elf, lizard or
ogre), sex, hairstyle and other small facial features. And then suddenly you
start the adventure locked in a prison in Tamriel when the kind King Septim and
his most trusted armed guards enter your cell to activate a secret passage to
make their escape. As fate would have it, you are asked to come along since the
King seems to have recognized you from a dream he had. Yet during the escape
Mythic Dawn assassins appear and the King is slain right before your very eyes.
Yet before he dies the King gives you the rare Amulet of Kings and implores that
you take it to a man named Jauffre. From there you become involved in a quest
that involves secret societies and the opening of the Gates of Oblivion
(basically hell).

It is after you
escape the sewer dungeons with the Amulet and picking a character class (you can
pick to be a thief, warrior, mage or make up your own class) that you will come
to see that the massive world that lays before you is open for you to explore
freely. There is no area that is closed off to you and you can very well forget
the main task to, say, go wandering into the woods or head into the various
towns scattered throughout the map. Explore the woods and you will discover
hidden dungeons or hidden villages not on the map. Remember that highway bandit
I just mentioned? The world is alive with all kinds of dangers be it roadside
bandits, vicious wolves and the occasional wandering monster. You will come
across fellow wanderers, civilians going about their business whether they’re
chopping wood or hunting deer. At any point you can also just drop what you’re
doing and go bow hunting, shooting down deer for its meat or for it pelt you can
sell in towns.

Speaking of
towns, there are a number of them, each with their own variety of stores, houses
and quirky citizens that go about their business like clockwork. It is in these
towns that you can sell items you might have found or, if you killed a bandit,
sell loot you dug out of their pockets. You will also discover that townsfolk
have problems of their own and welcome your help, so aside from the main quest
there are literally hundreds of side quests ranging from the simple to the more
complex. For example, one town member will ask you to investigate why her
precious cellar rats are being slaughtered while another quest has you
conducting an investigation in a castle to see who stole a rare painting. There
are also interesting side quests you’ll get for joining a guild whether you join
the fighter’s guild or the mages guild. There are also other more secretive
guilds like the thieves’ guild and the Dark Brotherhood that acts as an
assassin’s guild. Best yet is the fact that each guild has their own set of
rules and rewards.

You’ll quickly
find that this world is much too massive to explore on foot or on horseback (you
can purchase horses from various stables) so there’s a map screen you can pull
up and fast travel to a town or place you might have visited before. So if, for
example, the town drunk in one town wants to find out who is impersonating him
in another town all you have to do is pick your destination and click on it and
you’ll be able to travel to said location quickly.

Whether you’re a
fighter or a mage, you will see a lot of combat in this game. While you can
switch from first-person to third-person, the combat system can be a bit tricky
at first. The keyboard makes for some awkward sword thrusts but thankfully it’s
responsive enough that you’ll be able to hit your target. Even if you’re not a
magic user you will have a few spells that the game allows you to instantly
bring up and use thanks to a hotkey. So if you need to paralyze an oncoming
attacker all you have to do is bring up the spell and press the button while
facing your attacker. Fighters can also use shields to block arrow attacks or
sword swipes and all of this is handled beautifully enough. You’ll also get a
chance to purchase a variety of different weapons from battle axes, katanas,
pikes and bows. There are even different armor classes.

There are a few
glitches worth mentioning but they, in no way, really take you out of the game
nor become a source of frustration. For starters, the load times are lengthy but
it’s reasonable considering the size and features of the area it’s loading.
Occasionally you will come across bugs that make character speech stutter or the
framerate stutter at certain points. There are also the same unrealistic
elements that made Morrowind a bit annoying, like the fact that most
guards are psychic. Steal a silver jug in the town of Bravil unnoticed and
somehow the guards in that other town of Chorrol know you stole the jug and
threaten to arrest you. Still, these things are small compared to the fact that
this games gives you a lot to do and see. 

As for the
game’s graphics, Oblivion is a gorgeous-looking game with lush
environments that look amazingly lifelike. Depending on your graphics card the
game’s beautifully rendered backgrounds and character models will not fail to
impress. When you speak to characters you’ll be treated to a close up of their
faces so you’ll get to see every wrinkle and see their lips move in synch with
their lines of dialogue. My only real complain in the visual department is that
the majority of the women have manly faces, a fact that becomes evident if
you’re creating a female character. Still, the game shows off a number of
beautiful effects that are more pronounced if you’re a magic user.

The game’s sound
is another major highlight since the voice acting, sound effects and the score
are beautifully handled. The majority of the voices are somewhat recycled
throughout the game but the delivery of the lines is done right. Just about the
only voice you’ll recognize is Patrick Stewart (Professor Xavier in the X-Men
movies as well as Captain Picard from Star Trek), who voices King
Septim. The score that plays throughout the game is cinematic and changes
whether you’re just trekking across the woods or locked in battle. Even the
sound effects are nicely detailed.

There’s no doubt
about it, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is this year’s best role-playing
game and a true gaming masterpiece that you will not want to miss. With an
impressive world filled with an abundance of secrets and side quests you will
not be zipping through this game like other role-playing games so be prepared to
get lost in this surprisingly enjoyable world. So do yourself a favor and buy
this one right away.

Gameplay: 9.2
The game’s
many side quests are actually very inventive – like the time you have to jump
into a magically enhanced painting to save the artist or when you’re tasked with
stealing a diary in order to gain entrance to the thieves guild. Combat takes
some time to get used to but becomes natural depending on the variety of
different weapons you can pick up and use. Forgetting the main quest to go boar
hunting or mushroom picking is perfectly Ok.

Graphics: 9.0

Despite a few
mannish facial features on some of Tamriel’s women, the game is just drop-dead
gorgeous. Armor reflects sunlight and enemies go limp when you slay them.
There’s even perfect lip-synching during conversations and watching townsfolk go
about their daily business is a real treat. Spells are flashy and look amazing.
As for the character models, it’s a blast going up against walking skeleton
warriors and other freakish monsters like ogres.

Sound: 9.0
Patrick
Stewart leads a cast of unknown voice talent that does a magnificent job of
bringing each character to life. The real star of the show is the incredibly
detailed sound effects that will make you spin your character around to see if
that hiss was a monster or an echo and you’ll know a magic user is around
because you’ll hear him or her start a spell. On top of that there’s a great
soundtrack that makes the game seem all the more epic.

Difficulty:
Medium/Hard
The variety of
quests you’ll come across range from the simple to the more complex. Some
missions have you completing multiple objectives so you’ll be glad you can save
the game at any point. There are some enemies you will want to avoid if you’re a
low-level warrior.

Concept: 9.5

The beauty of
this game is that there is no shortage of things to do and see so you will be
completely absorbed in its massive environment. You have the freedom to take on
any task and explore new possibilities like becoming a famous battle-arena
fighter or becoming a vampire. There are secrets aplenty scattered throughout
the world and the main story is wonderfully crafted.

Overall: 9.5
The Elder
Scrolls IV: Oblivion
is one of those truly satisfying gems that show up every now and then, and one
of the most brilliantly conceived role-playing games you will play this year.
It’s a true epic in every sense and while it does have its few minor bugs, this
is still one of those games you will not want to be without. PC gamers, do
yourself a favor and pick this one up.