GameDome Blog

The Elder Scrolls series has captured the imagination of die-hard RPG videogame fans for years. The series started on the PC but the third installment of the series, called Morrowind, was also available on the Microsoft Xbox. It sold very well and represented one of the deepest RPG experiences ever available on a console. Morrowind was considered groundbreaking because the player did not have to follow a storyline. Instead you are allowed to make your own decisions and live a virtual second life in a huge fantasy world full of towns, cities, lost ruins, mythology, non-player-characters, side quests, and enemies to battle. The huge scope of Morrowind was, however, a little more than the technology could support. The graphics were somewhat bland with awkward character animations, annoyingly short draw distances, and very long loading times. Many gamers also complained that the quests required a lot of blind luck and endless searching. These problems have been fixed in Oblivion and RPG videogame fans now have an answer to their complaints and prayers.

Oblivion makes use of the Xbox 360 hardware to produce stunning graphics. Many games with the huge scope and draw distance of Oblivion have to suffer from less detail in exchange for the larger draw distance. With Oblivion you get extremely detailed graphics and 3D models, textures that remain gorgeous even up close, and still get a dramatically long draw distance that allows you to see lost ruins, ancient cities, and huge enemies far on the horizon. The lighting is also fantastic and helps set the mood for trips down into caves, dungeons, and hidden fortresses. To make quests more enjoyable there is a compass that points to the object or person you are trying to find. The compass is actually very intelligent and will not point you into a wall. If you need to go through a door to get closer to the quest item, the compass will point to that door. It works very well. Gamers that would rather not use the compass do not have to use it and can simply follow the directions given by characters in the game.

Morrowind had the equivalent of several novels worth of text but the NPCs did not speak. In Oblivion the NPCs speak to you, which is a welcome change because you no longer have to strain your eyes reading endless dialogue. The character models are well made and show a high level of emotion while conversing with you. However, many NPCs share the same voice actor so you will begin to grow tired of certain voices after playing for many hours. The music is very dramatic and appropriate for the game, but after playing for long hours it will start to get boring because there is very little variety in the score.

Oblivion is like the past Elder Scrolls games in that there is a main storyline that you can follow, but you can also ignore it completely and create your own story. Your character begins in a prison and is rescued by the King himself. He tells you that he knows that your fate is to save the kingdom from evil. After getting out of prison you can follow the King’s instructions, or just live a life of adventure. There are many guilds to join including a fighter’s guild, a thief’s guild, and a mage’s guild. They each have their own quests, levels of membership, items to earn, and storylines. There are also countless side quests to do. Even without starting the main storyline you can spend hundreds of hours completing quests and turning your character into a noble knight, a murderous assassin, a clever thief, or a powerful mage. You can also join multiple guilds, become a gladiator fighting the way up the ranks, or just be a mercenary for hire.

Because of the rich character creation system, anyone can create a character that looks and behaves how he or she wants it to. Oblivion allows you to live another live in a beautiful fantasy world full of interesting characters, fearsome monsters, clever storylines, and rich mythology. Oblivion is in many ways the quintessential RPG videogame and offers literally hundreds and thousands of hours of enjoyment. Oblivion is now available for the PC, Xbox 360, and the PS3, so any gamer with a modern system can enjoy it.

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Mary Murtha