The Eldar Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Are you interested into opening a gate to another world? In living there and experiencing a whole different culture in a whole different universe? And are you willing to say goodbye to the boring real-life world you are so used to living in---perhaps for a period of weeks or even months? If you answer "yes!" to any of the above questions, you should definitely consider obtaining your copy of Oblivion: The Elders Scrolls IV from Betheda Softworks. This next-generation RPG, for both the Xbox 360 and the PC, promises a mind-blowing experience with infinite possibilities! We are talking about a whole different world where you can do virtually anything you want and become anyone you wish to be---a warrior, an assassin, a thief, an elf, even a sorcerer. In fact, even if given an unlimited amount of time, I don’t think I could completely mention all of the possible character combinations! Oblivion: The Elders Scrolls IV is that impressively expansive!

Of course, even though the game offers an outstanding amount of free will, there is still a main storyline that needs to be followed. The game begins with the standard effort of character creation which involves a complex tool that allows you to design every aspect of your avatar’s appearance, including facial shape, race, hair, eyes, and more! Once done with that, you can then decide upon a profession from a large list of possibilities which include the standard RPG trades such as mage, warrior, and thief (or even a little bit of each!). Don’t worry, if you pick a profession that you later come to dislike, you can changes paths and do whatever your valiant or cowardly heart tells you to do!

Once completed with your character, you will quickly find yourself in a jail cell with neither weapons nor clothes. Eventually, you will get an unexpected visit from the Emperor of Cyrodiil who is seeking a secret passage to the sewers…a passage that happens to be located in your cell. You are quickly recognized by the Emperor as "the one from my dreams" and are allowed to follow him and his retinue as they fight strange, robed assassins. A tutorial quickly follows which teaches you the basics of survival and the art of looting corpses for some much needed clothing! Eventually, the Emperor will give you pendant and entrust you with the quest of finding a priest who happens to be the very last heir to the throne and Cyrodiil’s only hope to stop the mysterious menace threatening the world. Having been charged with your royal task, you soon escape the sewers and into the gigantic virtual world that is Cyrodiil.

It quickly becomes apparent how unique Cyrodiil is---there are many side quests and thousands of people to interact with! Every denizen of Cyrodiil has a unique life, with most of them having unique problems as well. You can be of service to these people by offering a helping hand in whatever tasks they have for you---in exchange for gold, information, or other worthwhile booty, of course. Speaking to everyone you meet in Oblivion: Elders Scrolls IV can be extremely rewarding (remember, this world is yours to explore and what better way is there to do so than by interacting with its citizens?).

In order to survive, you will need to gain levels, get better weapons, armors and skills. How you do so completely up to you. You can do it as a famous hero or a criminal…whatever makes you happy. You can also join various guilds and groups advance in rank over a period of time as well. Want to be the Guildmaster of the Thieves Guild? The Mater of the Fighter’s Guild? The Great Listener of the infamous Dark Brotherhood? The Arch-Mage of the Mage’s Guild, or the Grand Champion of the great Arena of Gladiators? Any of them are open to you (providing you are willing to earn the right of those titles by going through hellish tests!) Eventually, through your choice of career, you will gain the gold, experience, and fame you seek.

Moving around the world of Cyrodiil can take hours…and yes, I am serious. That is why Betheda Softworks implemented a "fast-traveling system." Simply, it consists of a clickable map which allows you to move from city to city in instantaneously, albeit the game calculates the appropriate amount of time it will take for you to get there (i.e., no instant teleportation…at least without a spell!). However, while the map will show all the major cities and places of interests, most of the places that you need to visit will have to be found by old-fashioned, real-time exploration. Therefore, traveling by foot or horseback down the roads of Cyrodiil is a requirement---and one that requires skill and bravery! Bandits, creatures, and even wild animals can be a threat if you are not careful. In a similar fashion, if you steal or murder on the journey, be prepared to be hunted with a bounty placed upon your head.

The game’s graphics are extremely well done, offering amazing details such as various weather conditions, wildlife, even active cities with many people going about their daily tasks. Stores will close at night, hotels will stay open, guards will take breaks, and people turn in for the night. All of this combines to transport the player into a very realistic alter-world instead of providing the oft-circumscribed realms of other RPG games. However, although the Xbox 360 is able to run this beauty of an RPG handily, the few noticeable flaws found in Elder Scrolls IV are from these spectacular graphical details. There can be occasional glitches, such as invisible enemies, as well as unusually long loading screens when moving from one area to another. These flaws can be frequent, but most of them are not bad enough to ruin the fun.

The sound can be described as average to good. The voice-overs are excellent, although the music used to frame combat can be a little bit too repetitive at times (regrettably, there is no rousing music of Lord of the Rings caliber). Still, all in all, the music and sound is more than decent and adequately serves its purpose.

The controls are basic and easy to learn. Elder Scrolls IV can switch from first-person to third person. Imagine a first-person shooter, but instead of guns you have a sword, staff, or crossbow! That’s what the combat system is all about. Using a shield can be of great help against your enemies who utilize a big arsenal of offensive weapons. Of course, there are the requisite magical armor and spells available as well.