Oblivion hit stores around the world a week ago. The internet hype around this game has been phenomenal. Why? Well it's the new installment in the popular single player RPG series Elder Scrolls. On top of that it is the first major RPG-title for the Xbox 360, which obviously contributed to the hype buildup. The question is, does the game deliver?
Gameplay: Oblivion is a sandbox game. This means that you basically choose what game it will be. Think Grand Theft Auto in a Fantasy World. After a good "tutorial-dungeon", which enables you to familiarise with the controls and on top of that the main story line starts there. At the end of this stage you get to pick your birthsign and class. You can create all kind of hybrid characters, which is actually fun.
When you get out of the tutorial your adventure begins. At this point you are free to go and do whatever you want. By completing quests or simply kill creatures you gain experience and at a certain point you are able to level up and increase your skills. The story however is really great. I liked it so much that my first 10 gameplay hours have been very slowpaced. When you get into a city and talk with citizens or merchants, you often get side quests, which mostly are pretty cool and not always your typical "fed-ex"-quest. After 10 hours I barely scratched the surface of the game. I didn't see much of the world yet, and the main story line is still in it's beginning stages. This game promises some massive ammounts of gameplay hours.
The fighting system comes together pretty well. To damage your oponent you can use all kind of swords, bows, magic and so on. The blocking system is manual and not calculated on the basis of stats. By simply using abilities you will gain skillpoints which allows you to use better spells.
Gameplay: 8.5 / 10
Graphics: Stunning! Depending on your system the graphics are true eye-candy. However the game scales pretty good, so somewhat older systems will still be able to run it, however with a cost to be paid in the graphics department. This game uses all the latest technoligies, like HDR. The Havok physics engine really adds to the visual enjoyment of the game. When your system is powerfull enough you can tweak the .ini file to replace the low ress textures in the background with higher resolution versions. Also the pop-in of grass, buildings, trees etc can be highly modified. With everything maxed out this is one stunning title. If you want next-gen, there u have it!
Graphics: 9.5/10
Audio: The soundfx and soundtracks are really phenomenal to say the least, they really create a nice atmosphere in the game. Certainly worth mentioning is that every NPC (non-player-character) communicates with you in spoken words, complimented with subtitles. This adds alot to the realism of the game, and also makes it more appealing to get into the story. After all you're playing a game, and not reading a book, so that helps alot.
Audio: 9/10
Wrap-Up: This game really raises the bar. All aspects of the game are topnotch. The gameplay and story are fun, the graphics are stunning and the audio is phenomenal. 'nuff said.
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