[Carmien]

Oblivion is a role playing game that offers much to many. If you are a fan of the Elder Scrolls series many of you will be delighted for the elements that survived and thrilled at the aspects that were improved. If you are new to the series, then you are in for a great surprise.

That said, the game isn't without it's faults. In the end though, game design should be about bringing together playable gameplay, some lasting appeal, and solid production together in a meaningful manner. And in that regard, Bethesda Software has done very well.

The production values of this game shine. The developers have experience in the console world and have learned from many of their ways. On the PC front they have included the construction set. The modding feature gave Morrowind (the previous version) an unparalled lifespan (mods are still being developed 4 years after release). And already, Oblivion has seen it's first player built mods the day after release! However, if you are unfamiliar to using the modding tool you should be prepared to invest time in learning and a technical know-how is a desirable competancy.

Games released these days without multiplayer are doomed in many peoples minds. However, the conscious choice in this game's regards has paid dividends. The developer elected to focus on what it does well; to develop the best single player experience they could. The quests and storytelling are at levels that most games can only dream of encompassing. The main quest is introduced to the player through a well thought out character development tutorial. And throughout the quests there are pointers to help ensure you can always continue. Let's face it, who really enjoys getting stuck and unable to continue? The reality is that the majority of players want a sense of completion. Fortunately, the game sets another standard in that it also provides 4 key quest lines in the form of guild quests for the fighters, mages, thieves and dark brotherhood guilds. And if that is not enough, then you always have side and miscellaneous quests to ensure something new for everyone.

In the RPG world, the experience is shallow without non-player characters (or NPCs). NPCs provide dialogue and reaction to you as the player. Oblivion has introduced a innovative technology called Radiant AI. Simply put, Radiant uses the preset skills, goals, routines, and values of an NPC and then tells them to go about it. The old approach of reliance on scripting has been done with. For example, on one quest I was sent to find evidence in the guard captain's room. While hiding and waiting for an opening to sneak to the door and pick the lock, another NPC came sneaking in. They decided that the food on the table looked good and proceeded to eat. Of course, a few minutes later they got caught by the guards. However, because the theft of food is low on the scale of possible bounties the guards did not arrest the NPC, and the thief of course continued to eat. To mind this example shows the best and worst of Radiant AI. Without a doubt the new AI feature provides a way of turning NPCs into a more meaningful, sporadic and natural experience. But as a technology it is limited by the conditions placed upon it. All told, this new AI is without a doubt the best RPG AI out there to date.

Immersion in a game is greatly helped by an intuitive interface. In this regard Bethesda has come up with a mixed bag. PC RPGs are usually graced by the option to move menus around and resize text. However, Oblivion was designed for the 360 as well. Unfortunately for PC users menus and fonts are large. However, in the end there is a decent balance. Developing for multiple platforms is never a simple matter and the majority of players do need more caring and feeding than 1337 RPG players. From the perspective of the majority the menus are intuitive. Quests are made easy by a solid journal and marker system. Knowing where to go next is as simple as marking the quest you want to do next as active and following the red or green arrow on your compass.

With all the spells, equipment and loot to be had one thing does stifle plyability. The hotkey system is a not ideal. For the PC the player can use keys 1 through 8 as hotkeys and call up a spell or weapon and use it with a click. The 360 player has the D-pad. In the case of the PC one is left feeling that multiple hotkey sets would have been a simple thing to design. But with Bethesda going for a parallel platform experience, I like to believe they made a deliberate choice. The 360 D-pad is very dodgy when trying to use the diagonals. Sometimes setting up the hotkey can be frustrating as you can undo choices made on other settings. This is more of a hardware limitation. And given what there was to work with the hotkey system does very well on the whole. Once you become accustomed to this flaw the hotkeys become an invaluable friend to the 360 player. I would suggest though that you place your priority spells and equipment choices on the straight buttons.

On the topic of graphics, Oblvion is quite a treat. Owners of the 360 will likely come away feeling like they finally have a next gen game. You can see to the horizon and where you can see you can go (for the most part). This open endedness is refreshing and sets this game apart from other RPGs. That said, at a distance the developer opted for a heavy use of low textures graphics. On a large HDTV format this can blur the experience slightly along with the occasional popping in of buildings and grass. Ironically, this becomes a bigger problem when you buy the fastest horse (the black horse) and start charging along the roads to your next destination. But, overall the graphical experience on the 360 is spectacular. There is the use of HDR (high dynamic range) lighting that make for that true next-gen feel. There is something about the glow of the sun in your eyes that provides a rich visual experience, and HDR gives this to you. The 360 can also allow for HDR along with 4xAA (Anti-aliasing) to smooth out those jagged lines.

On the side of the PC the smell is not all roses. HDR with AA is not actually possible due to the coding choices made. However, Shader Model 2.0 Bloom is still available. The PC user not only has the option of slider options in configuration but the more technically inclined amongst you can deal into tweaking the ini file. There are already good resources on how to approach this out there. And if you have a powerful system you can even resolve the issue of low texture graphics in the distance. In fact, it is this feature alone that will future proof Oblivion through to DirectX 10 (due Q3 2006).

Ultimately, Oblivion shines in the graphical department. There is something magical about riding through Tamriel on a sunny day. The trees sway in the breeze, the canopies cast shadows on the grass and stony road, and the richness of the wilderness flowers and elven ruins is amazing. And of course, climbing a mountain to enjoy a panorama is rewarded with spectacular views.

The sound is stunning. For the most part 5.1 digital sound delivers a truly immersive audio experience. For those of you with 360's hooked up to your home theatre you are in for a treat. The sounds of combat are solid, all dialogue is voice recorded. Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, Terrance Stamp and Linda Carter act the key roles and provide great moments of NPC dialogue. And for those of you with dogs, beware when you kill a wolf and it's whines set your dog to whining! My one audio complaint would be with footsteps. It seems as though a limited set of sounds was opted for. The switch from grass to stone seems to be missing, and the sound of horses galloping feels rather shallow. However, overall sound is suitably impressive to support the immersion one would hope for.

On the topic of gameplay it has to be said that things are very good. If you want to do well, combat requires you to move out of the way, block, and dash in for counter attacks when the opening is there. Overall, the combat system might not be perfect, but it is very well done. It forces you to think through a melee and avoids repetition. Magic is also well done, and when used in combat it can be a very exciting experience. However, aiming those targeted spells requires practice. If you get hit and are staggered back, your aim will be knocked requiring you to re-aim. If you are in the middle of a spell this can be quite disconcerting. However, this is as realistic as casting spells can get, no?

That said, the gold standard for this writer is when using bows. The Havoc physics engine does a fabulous job of forcing you to allow for how far you draw the bowstring back and managing your trajectory over distance. Arrows stay stuck in armour and assuming it isn't broken, you can pluck your arrows from your fallen foe after the combat. This feature not only makes the path of the Marksman bearable but can turn enemies into rather amusing pincushions.

The physics engine does not stop with the bow and arrow. The ragdoll effects are great, as well as occasionally amusing. You will be surprised how funny you find it as you chase a wolf you just killed down a hill to get your arrows back. But using a paralyzing spell to knock someone down a hill is a great popcorn moment.

Sneaking around is nicely done. And for the less lawfully minded amongst you there is a well designed lockpicking mini-game. Using your lockpick you have to click at the right time to get tumblers to stick. Failure to do so breaks your pick. Another mini-game involves persuasion. This is less intuitive than the lockpicking mini-game. But certainly adds another aspect to gameplay.

Bethesda commented before release that the world of Tamriel is 16 square miles. Understanding what that means is difficult. But, spending hours to cross the country is not. This world is so big, so immersive, and so well crafted that you can get lost for hours at a time. Which is just as well, since the 200 hours+ of quests require your attention. And even if you are bored with the quests, there are some 200 dungeons to explore. If you add the modding capability for PC users, it is quite likely that Oblivion will be a popular game when the next in the series is released.


In conclusion, I believe that Oblivion has laid down the gauntlet to other RPG developers. It has introduced a new AI system that works very well. Graphically it is a treat. The volume and maturity of quest design is top notch. The realistic physics make for a rich experience. Is this game worth buying? The answer is an emphatic yes! We are talking about 60 bucks as a price to pay for many, many hours of entertainment. Bethesda has set the gold standard for next gen RPGs. When we look at RPGs that follow we will undoubtedly be comparing them to Oblivion.


9.5 Presentation
Lots of great quests, intuitive menu system, a slightly limited sized map, but a solid journal and marker system. Production value is high.
9.5 Graphics
XBox 360 owners are in for a mouth-watering treat. PC users will be limited only by their hardware for potentially a better treat. Add ini file tweaks and this game can truly shine on a hot PC rig.
9.5 Sound
Sound is close to perfect. Sure there are the occasional glitches, but 99.9% of the time this game delivers a great audio experience with solid sound engineering.
9.5 Gameplay
Ducking and weaving never had it so good. Combat adds to the immersion, and spellcasting is exciting. There are some cute mini games that add some spice as well.
9.5 Lasting Appeal
A MASSIVE world and the freedom to wander wherever make for a great exploration. PC owners get the construction set as a very, very meaningful bonus. This game will stilled be played years from now.

Overall 9.5/10