9 / 10
27 Nov 2006 at 16:28
Review by: MikeyBoy365
I had my doubts when I got Oblivion as one of the 'free' games when I bought my Xbox 360. I hadn't played an RPG for a while, not since Final Fantasy 8 on the PS2!. Well, I need not have worried!
From the start Oblivion is, in my opinion, superb. the graphics, the sound, the way you can design your own character completely. Having to carefully choose what star sign you were born under, what race you want to be, what your major assets will be. If you don't like the combination of assets available, you can just design your own! My combination led me to calling my race 'Gangster'! I decided to play it safe and just be a normal human although I did toy with being a Dark Elf!
The game starts with you being in prison (which is nice!) but quickly the plot develops when the King suddenly enters your cell with the guards telling you that your cell has a secret way out of the prison block! What a result! You stand back while they open the 'secret' door and you just follow them out! What follows is a gentle escape from the prison, occasionally catching up with the guards to keep the story moving along. This is a good time to get some decent armour and a good weapon. One of the guards will die in battle, so just walk up to him and take his gear! Gets you off to a good start!
The sewers give you a nice start to the game and by the time you reach the exit (where you will get a chance to change your characters looks, race etc) you should be fairly confident in simple fighting moves.
Once you exit the sewer, you realise how beautiful this game looks. The world of Cyrodill is stunningly put together with amazing attention to detail. From the grass blowing in the breeze as you walk past to the mountains high in the distance, everything about the scenery fully shows off the Xbox 360's power. Walking around outside means no loading time (a slight drag as you move to a new area, but no black screen) and the only time you will stop play is entering a building or one of the many cities dotted around.
The world is so vast, you do get the option to fast travel to various locations, but by doing this you miss the opportunity to 'find' new locations such as the numerous abandoned forts, villages, random buildings that all need investigating!
Another of the good things about Oblivion is the fact that you are not stuck on one particular route through the game. By exploring the world, you can pickup mini missions from people scattered about. For example finding a group of people who need you to stop a goblin war so they can move back to their village.
The range of weapons is really good from huge two handed swords, massive war hammers and axes to small enchanted daggers, bow and arrows and clubs. Equipment can range from enchanted rings, pendants and bracelets to warrior armour, mages outfits and thief robes! As you progress, obviously the items you can collect become stronger and more powerful but the game recognises when you are progressing and upgrades enemies accordingly. Whereas at the start you may be fighting wild dogs along the path you soon progress to bears as your level increases.
I'm about halfway through this game at the minute and know that there a hell of lot more to do, but I would recommend this game to anyone who is a fan of RPG's and even if you have never played one before Oblivion is a great first-timer game!
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