The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Preview

Boy, reading about the next Elder Scrolls game is like glancing through the proposed PlayStation 3 specs - it all feels so goddamn next-gen. And that is not a coincidence mind you, because as far as computer games go, this is the first announced project that truly can be labeled as next generation. There aren't many of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion's features that could run on today's PCs, let alone the current console systems. Everything, and I do mean everything, from the AI and the character models, down to the surroundings and the amazing-looking graphics clearly suggests that this game will be absolutely state of the art. For certain, players will only be able to play this one on whatever is high-end when it arrives, or on the Xbox 2 or PlayStation 3 consoles.

My mansion, it is haunted by realtors.

From the look of this guy, I'd say he's on the side of good.

The project sounds so incredibly overwhelming that I don't know where to begin. As far as the game is concerned, it all started back in 2002. The team at Bethesda began working on the next Elder Scrolls game as soon as Morrowind was completed. One part of the team, consisting mostly of programmers, was tasked with creating the game's backbone while the rest of the team, comprised of artists and level designers, focused on the subsequent expansions to Morrowind. At one point though, both the artists and programmers joined forces to dedicate their time solely to Oblivion. As it stands, no official release date has been given for the game, and until recently it looked as if the game was only going to come out on the PC. Today, the future is looking a little less bleak for the console gamers, as now it looks like the Xbox 2 release is imminent. Further corroborating this is the fact that the Bethesda programmers are already coding on what seem to be prototype Xbox 2 developers kits. This along with a few other details about the game led this previewer to believe that the Elder Scrolls 4 MIGHT even go down the path of the original Halo PC release. The way I see it, this project is too damn good not to have secured as one of the launch titles for a major next-gen console (I'm thinking Xbox 2 here for the obvious reasons.) That means that the PC version might get postponed indefinitely and Oblivion made into an Xbox 2 exclusive. Surely, these are dark thoughts for any PC gamer, but I should stress that I'm only speculating about this. The way that things are looking right now, it seems that the combat system is built from the ground up with consoles in mind and that many of the features that PC RPG fans are well accustomed to will be modified so that the title is more appealing for the console crowds. Again, I could be woefully wrong and at this time, I believe I am. Still, it doesn't hurt to use a little common sense every now and then in an attempt to draw up your own conclusions about certain things.

Anyway, getting back to the game itself, the fact that some features might be tweaked more for console play doesn't necessarily imply that the game will be any less sophisticated or complex; after all, we are talking about the next-generation of console systems here. Likely, the processing and poly-crunching power of these beasts will be exactly what the doctor ordered to power such a massive project as Oblivion.

Speaking of the game's title, Oblivion is Tamriel's version of Hell, and Tamriel of course is the world of The Elder Scrolls. The latest chapter of the Elder Scrolls saga takes place In Cyrodiil, the capital province of Tamriel, as well as parts of Oblivion itself. In other words, this pretty much implies that your character will get to travel to Hell itself to stop the demons from infesting the world of Tamriel.

The story in Oblivion is in no way connected to Morrowind's. There are several reasons why this is so: firstly, the designers are looking to further expand and deepen Tamriel's lore, and that would be rather hard to do if all the legends originated from the same source. Secondly, as Tod Howard, the game's producer explains, Bethesda wants newcomers to the series to be able to jump right in the game world without having to play Morrowind or read up on the previous events in the story in order to figure out what's going on. Incidentally, this might be further evidence that Bethesda is looking to attract even more console players to the series, but let's give that thought a rest for now.

At the beginning of the game, our main character finds himself in a dungeon (just as the very first game, Arena, started) without any recollection of how he got there or who he is. The idea with this is that players shouldn't be burdened by having the hero's past actions influence those in the present. The team wants to give players the freedom to mold their character in any way they see fit (morally speaking). The player can become an arch villain or a valiant hero that will travel the land doing good deeds and ultimately saving the world of Tamriel.

Unbeknownst to our hero, while he's rotting in his dungeon, an assassin has entered the Imperial city on a mission to kill the Emperor of Tamriel. In an effort to save the Emperor from the assassin, the royal guards decide to evacuate him through a secret passage that, as fate would have it, leads directly through your prison cell. One thing leads to another, and before you know it, you're out of your cell, outfitted with guard weapons and running alongside the Emperor with the assassin hot on your trail. Alas, the assassin succeeds in mortally wounding the Emperor. With his last few breaths, the Emperor in his utter desperation entrusts you with the Amulet of Kings and instructs you to "find him and close shut the marble jaws of Oblivion."

With the death of the Emperor the magic that guards the gates of Hell (Oblivion) weakens and the marble jaws of Oblivion begin to crack open and all kind of vile manifestations leak through, and begin to wreck havoc on the world. So you must find "him" who can use the Amulet of Kings to stop the infernal leakage. In our world, this would be done with a simple trip to an urologist and some antibiotics, but not in the magical world of Tamriel. Hence, your legendary quest begins, hero.

As many of you know, possibly the biggest weakness of the previous Elder Scrolls game was the insane vastness (I regret for using such idiotic phrasing, I really do) and complete open-endedness that made the game much less focused than it should've been. Many players would give up on the quests soon after realizing that they'd actually have to travel miles and miles (virtually) in order to get anywhere in game. Consequently they would lose focus, and then that sense of having too much freedom would actually limit their enjoyment of the game. This is something Tod and the rest of the team are definitely looking to change in Oblivion.

Tod explains, "One major assumption everyone makes when we do a new Elder Scrolls game is that it will be small. Everyone thought this about Daggerfall and Morrowind when we talked about them 'being more focused.' No Elder Scrolls game will ever be small. Ever. We make 'em big folks. We super-size them. Why? This is a question everyone asks us. Why make them so damn big? You could make it small and most people still wouldn't finish it. My answer is this -- For the time you did play it, it wouldn't be as fun. The Elder Scrolls is about choice -- player choice to do what you want in any way you want. You need a certain amount of size and choices so that experience is actually meaningful. Now, we do change scale in each game, because certain things you do cause the game to flow differently. Even though Morrowind is about 0.0001% the landmass of Daggerfall, the way you play it makes it feel even richer. Oblivion's landmass is larger than Morrowind's, but you can fast travel around much easier. It still has Morrowind's feel of open exploration, but Arena's feel of ease of travel and, well, it's more fun."