I finally have an Xbox 360 of my own! It's kind of defective, but hey, if it works most of the time I'm a happy man. I'm finally next-gen (well, sort of)! But that's another story for another time. Onward with Oblivion!
And no, I'm not making reference to the end of the world (hard to believe, I know, considering all the rapture talk). No, I'm talking about Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (and what better time to talk about it now that Skyrim is on the way?). I do not have extensive knowledge of The Elder Scrolls series, nor did I consider myself a fan - that is - until I played Oblivion.
I remember playing Morrowind, and did spend a lot of time on it, but never did finish it. I guess I must not have hated it having put in the amount of time that I did, but it was kind of a love-and-hate relationship. At the advent of MMORPG's, I had started playing games like Dark Age of Camelot, which I tended to enjoy more, if for no other reason than the multiplayer element. Morrowind was cool, but also dark, and for lack of a better way of putting it, jarring.
In essence, though, Oblivion is the same game as Morrowind. The class system is familiar, the races are familiar, the combat is familiar, some of the names are familiar, even a lot of the items are - you guessed it - familiar. Then why do I like this game more than Morrowind? Is Oblivion just Morrwind with a few more coats of paint on it?
The simple answer is 'No'. Certainly the graphics have come a long way, and a lot of the unbecoming behavior of the NPCs and clipping glitches are gone. Oblivion is a little more likeable, if for no other reason, than the aforementioned. I thought I would hate having to use a console controller to play a game of this complexity, but surprisingly I like it more. Perhaps there is something about being able to sink into one's couch with a wireless controller in hand that is more conducive to playing an epic like this than sitting at a computer screen.
Certainly not to dish on PC gaming though. I've been a fan for years, and as far as FPS's are concerned, it is still my preferred way of gaming.
But I digress. Oblivion is hands-down an addictive game. It's a treat on the eyes, and an engrossing experience. I went in thinking I would hate it, and found out that I love it. That's about all I can say about this game right now, but I would recommend it to casual gamers and hardcore gamers alike.
