| The Elder Scrolls - Oblivion (Plus Expansions) Graphics 5/5 The graphics are simply awesome and pleasant to look like. I have nothing negative to say here even though it is my policy to state at least a positive and negative point for each category. Play Control 9/10 The way you control your avatar is fluid and fun, although not being able to attack on horseback at all is absurd and dumb. Bethesda should have taken a look at the game called Mount and Blade to have a good example on how to make horseback combat possible. This is the reason why I give it a 9 instead of a perfect score. Other than that, the play control IS well made. Interface 8/10 The interface is understandable, but you need to take a couple of shots at it before you get used to it. Although, things are well positioned and its accessibility acceptable. There are some minor things that annoyed me, but nothing major enough to drop the score more than one point. Fun 11/15 The great different character possibilities that you can play makes this game very fun. Also, the story is immersive enough to keep you hooked. The huge amount of side quests, npcs, and secrets to find makes this rating skyrocket to 15 if it weren't for a few things. The fact that you cannot fight on horseback, even just shoot something or use magic sucks; the "per level" encounter is the dumbest encounter system I ever saw (Just imagine that because you are level 30 you come across a uber monster just beside the capital city of the area, but if that creature would have been inside the city, it would have torched it single handedly to the ground. lol). The fact that enemies raise in levels like you do, but allies do not is stupid (what? enemies gain expeirence and train but allies learn nothing and do nothing of their time? Lame!). The lack of a multiplayer mode makes the fun of the game drop by one too, it would have been fun to have a partner to fight with, especially with that dumb "per level" encounter system. Depth 8/10 Well, you can finish the main story line within 20 hours, or you can explore the world and take your time to finish the main story line with over 200 hours of stuff to do, find and explore. The multiple possibilities that you have to create characters, spells and magic items is simply wonderful. The only downside is that there is no alternate story line, it is always the same story that you play, you never have a different course of actions in the storyline. So whatever the character you do, you will always have the same story, whether you're an evil or good character, it does not matter. You cannot join the bad guys, you cannot ignore the storyline and things happens at set times, and you cannot change anything that happens in the story. Story 8/10 The game has a great story, but it is totally linear which makes it less interesting (-1). The "per level" encounter ruins many encounters and missions related to the main story because at some point, it is totally absurd... monsters are super strong monsters of your level while the npcs on your side are like level 5 wusses. Just for example, when you are to help in the siege of a fallen city and close your first oblivion gate, if you did zillions of side quests and trained your main skills and get there at level 20 at average difficulty level, you're going to get your ass kicked after the npcs that you are supposed to be far better trained than you fall to the ground without posing any threat to the monsters at all. That ruins a story thus why the story only has 8 out of 10 rather than a perfect score. Idea 3/5 A good idea, although not new, at an attempt at making a role playing game as a video game. The game is classed as a role playing game, but this is because the game industry does not know what a role playing game means. It means freedom of choice, action/reaction,/consequences, freedom of movement (full 3D movement/fighting), and multiple path storyline. In fact, Oblivion is an action-adventure game in a fantasy setting, not a role playing game since you have no freedom of choice in the story, not alternate paths to take in the story to get to alternate endings, little if none at all reations to your actions taken in the game or consequences. The idea is being there done that, but the Elder Scrolls world is good enough to be a decent idea to make a video game in that world, although it is filled with dumb stereotypes like elves, dwarves, humans, etc. Non-Linearity 5/15 The whole 5 goes to the way you can just go anywhere in the world at any time. The fact that you cannot alter the story line is bad, the fact that you do not have multiple endings is bad, the fact that you cannot change the story is bad, etc. It is a decent attempt at making a role playing game, but no cigar, oblivion is just an action-adventure game. Interpretation 12/15 Well, they interpreted the idea decently, although, since they claim that their game is a role-playing game, they have failed to make such a game and ended up with an action-adventure game... which does not necessarily mean that the game sucks. It is a great game, but simply not in the good category of games. There is more fighting than anything else in the game, without any consequences on the character's mental health, which is, like we all know, impossible. In fact, your character has no emotions, no personality, no intelligence whatsoever, he's just a robotic killing machine that sometimes has to choose some dialog options for the show only so that he does not seem to be just a killing machine. The voice acting is good, and the interpretation of the general idea of the world of the Elder Scrolls is good, you really get the feeling of being in it. Completion 3/5 A 0.5 loss due to needs of patching and 1.5 loss due to the fact that Bethesda neede to bring out an almost completly useless expansion pack (the kinght one) and problably another one coming up that hopefully will add more than just a little bit of this and that. A game with expansions is an incomplete game, thus why it has only an average 3 for score here. Total 73/100 A good game, you MUST borrow this game from someone, buy it if you like adventure games (or wannabe role playing games) genre where you fight monsters and raise your skills and/or levels in a nice environment. You MUST buy this game if you have its ancestors (Arena, morrowind, etc). I recommend that you do NOT download illegally this game as it is too good to be stealing from Bethesda to have it, get it used if you have to, but not copied. The game is worth every penny you spend, I think you could spend up to 50$ (canadian) to buy this game, it's really worth it, and that's rare on my part that I would say to spend more than 30$ on a game. |