Oblivion was one game that I was really looking forward too. I had played Morrowind on the Xbox and PC, and enjoyed the free flowing RPG style that basically let you do what ever you want all the time. I knew that Bethesda would create an amazing game, utilizing the still mostly un-harnessed power of the Xbox 360 to their advantage. I came into this game expecting a lot, and I have been extremely impressed with my game time.

Gameplay
Oblivion starts you off in a Prison, the beginning of the story in this massive game. You learn the ropes as you begin the game, I won’t give any spoilers here for those who haven’t played it yet. You find yourself scrounging around for whatever you can pick up and using them to your advantage. From the start, one thing I noticed about Oblivion is that the game is massive. When you take a look around, you see mountains, hills, water, just a massive sprawling landscape full of places to explore. You may think, whoa, that is impressive, what an expansive area, but there is more, this landscape is filled with NPC’s, creatures, forts, buildings items and even wild animals. The environment allows you to explore for hours at a time, finding new locations you never even knew existed as you go along. I found myself just straying away from quests looking for new areas, or rare items.

The story of the game is quite in depth, but being an Elder Scrolls title, you do not have to follow it if you don’t want too. The main story line is very involving and takes you all over the land of Cryodiil. The story includes many twists and turns, and takes you quite a long time to complete, making this a worth title. Apart from the main quest though, there is a massive amount of side-quests. These quests could be performing a task for a certain guild such as the mages or thieves’ guild, or even quests given to you by NPCs in a city. These quests are just as fun and involving as the main quest, and add a massive amount of gameplay to the title.

I found myself often straying away from any quest whatsoever, just to explore, find new towns, areas and Oblivion gates. This is quite fun in itself as there are a ton of areas to find, and as you find them you can find new items, add them to your map as found locations so you can fast travel, and just search around for something new. I have played the game for quite awhile, but am still finding new places around this vast land. The storyline and side quests are excellent, and the depth of the NPCS is excellent, drawing into the different tasks you complete. For example, if you say murder someone important for example, when you talk to people, they might mention it. The dialogue in the game is a very important part of the game, as talking to people about items, especially rumors, brings you new quests to complete.

Being a game this big, there have to be a lot of items to use. Of course there are hundreds of different items ranging from weapon related items, general items and even magic items. Each has its own unique attributes and price. You will often find great items in different caves or caverns that would be worth a lot more than say an item you would find in a home in a city. There are your general assortment of different swords, daggers, axes, war hammers, staffs and even bows. Some have magic bound into them, which you can actually do yourself using weapon enchantment stations, and can increase the attributes and add new attributes to the weapon such as fire or lightning. There is a massive amount of clothes and armor to use in the game ranging from simple clothes which you can wear, to light and heavy armor including pieces like helmets shields and even grieves. There are different foods, pieces of jewelry, magic stones, keys and even books which you can read. The amount of items is staggering, and you will find yourself searching for new items, or trying to sell your own. If you start becoming over encumbered, you can even buy various houses around the land ranging in price. These homes can then be furnished and you can store items there along with being able to have a place to sleep.

This review could go on forever explaining everything that is in Oblivion. The game is just outstanding, and there are a massive amount of things to do, so gameplay wise, you should expect to see a massive amount of game time, even without completing the main quest. I have played this game quite a bit and am always changing what I want to do. This game, with the addition of the different guilds you can join keep, it fresh and fun throughout.

 
Graphics and Sound
The visuals in this game are stunning. The draw distance is massive, and the effects you see are great. I didn’t know how they would pull it off with this game, but the game just looks like an Xbox 360 game should. There are so many objects to see and even pick up, and these are all highly detailed. I was just so amazed that Bethesda managed to fit this game on a single DVD. The amount of terrain in the game is amazing, and great example of what the Xbox 360 can currently do in its infancy. The visual effects in the game are excellent ranging from effects like magical spells or even fire. The lighting is great, and you will really appreciate how well it works when you are stuck in a cave with only a torch to light your way.

The character models in the game are very well done, and the sheer number of characters with individual styles is massive. You are even able to create your own distinct character at the beginning of the game choosing from a large number of aspects including items like hair, torso dimensions and facial features. The ability to create your own character is a great feature in this game as you will be seeing plenty of your character because this game has a ton of gameplay.

There are a large number of objects in the game, whether they are pieces in a building, or items you can buy or even steal. The objects are very detailed, and the amount of different items in the game is outstanding, and with downloadable content, that number will increase with new downloads. All of the buildings and areas in the game are also loaded with various items including weapons, or general items like a paint brush. It ranges from place to place, but what is there, constantly remains there.

The sound in Oblivion is another highpoint. There are a huge amount of voice overs from the game that allow every NPC to communicate. This is an outstanding feature as it has come from games with just a ton of items to read, all the way to these detailed voice overs. Though there is repetition between characters, if there were unique ones for each character, I doubt if this game would fit on a single DVD. The sound effects in the game are well done with items like the swinging of a sword or the sounds from the rain. I was impressed with the in game music also. You will find yourself watching carefully when the music changes to the more intense music notifying you that there are enemies around. The sound in Oblivion is outstanding, just like the visuals that show the kind of work that Bethesda has put into this title.

 
Overall
I came into Oblivion already knowing I would enjoy it as I have always enjoyed the Elder Scrolls series. This game is nothing short of amazing. The massive environments, the huge amount of quests, and of course, just being able to mess around in this massive land. The graphics are outstanding along with the audio in the game creating one massive RPG experience. The gameplay is outstanding with a ton of quests to complete, easy character setup and customization, tons of items to equip and use and the vast amount of terrain to cover with unique elements in each area. I was extremely impressed with the landmass in this game. It is huge and there are still the interiors of the buildings and other areas like caves which are still highly detailed and filled with items. It boggles the mind how Bethesda fit this package onto a single disc for the Xbox 360. While this game was tentatively titled to come out in 2005, it was well worth the wait, and Bethesda’s outstanding game creation has shone again. I was extremely impressed with this game, and it is definitely a must have for the Xbox 360.