Oblivion takes place in a huge world, and if you had the time and inclination
you could walk the entire land from end to end. I can’t say that I have tried
walking the entire length of the land and timed the journey, but from my
experience walking between some of the cities I can imagine that it would take
you quite a while. You can ride horses to speed your travel time or make use of
the game map which will allow you to instantly travel to any location on the
map. There are two catches with this, though: outside of the main cities you
have to discover a location for it to appear on the map and the game will
advance the clock as appropriate for the length of your journey. Because of that
first point you’ll want to spend some time exploring the world with the
additional reward of being treated to some of the best scenery ever to appear in
a video game. The landscapes are jaw-dropping gorgeous and really bring the game
to life. Clouds drift through the skies and sometimes gather to form rain, trees
and even individual leaves sway with the breeze, and there is a botanical
cornucopia of plant life and flowers. Day gives way to night which in turn
yields to the rosy colors of dawn. The game’s attention to detail will
constantly amaze you. I can remember traipsing through the woods for the first
time and stopping to notice the variety of fungi growing on a fallen log which
spooked a deer that bounded off into the undergrowth. It was almost magical.
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| That game's world is detailed and gorgeous. |
Populating this world is an amazing number of NPCs that each lead their own
life within the game. An NPC may work in a shop by day, relax at the local
tavern in the evening, and then go home to sleep in his own bed at night. NPCs
will greet each other as they pass and often stop to converse. Every NPC in the
game is voiced and the acting is top-notch, which really breathes life into
every character in the game.
Probably just as amazing as the size of Oblivion’s world is the amount of
gameplay it holds. It’s a telling sign that the game’s main quest is as deep and
compelling as you’ll find in any RPG and yet you can pursue its missions at your
leisure without ever finding yourself without anything to do. There are quests
offered by NPCs, caverns and dungeons to discover and explore, fighter, thief,
and mage guilds that each offer their own missions, and more. You can even
pursue your own goals such as amassing gold by selling goods between the cities,
embarking on a life of crime robbing stores and homes, or exploring life as a
vampire.
The game runs very smoothly and quite well for such a large and complex game.
You will run into quirks now and then, but they stand out more for their rarity
than for their impact on the game. I had the game lose my horse once, which was
odd and somewhat annoying but my no means did it make the game unplayable. I
arrived at a town riding m brand new horse, carefully stabled it, closed the
gate, and then went about my business in town. When I left town the horse was
nowhere to be seen. I searched all over the place thinking that it must have let
itself out of the corral, but alas my horse was no where to be found. When I
went back into town, the game informed me that my horse was stabled outside of
the town. I ran back out but the horse was not there after all. Now whenever I
enter that town I am told that my horse is stabled outside even though he’s
never there.
Oblivion is a game that will appeal to both action gamers and RPG fans, and
make both groups quite happy to spend a lot of time with the game. It’s one of
those rare games that is more of an experience than just a game and you’ll love
being long for the ride.
In The End, This Game Hath Been Rated:
98%. Roleplaying, thy name is Oblivion.
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