The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review

Being a Morrowind veteran, I had very little trouble adjusting to the interface or the character progression system. Most of it is the same as in Morrowind, which is definitely a good thing. I played a Battle Mage with Mage talents, and the way I leveled my character was somewhat similar to how I leveled my Dark Elf in Morrowind. I'm a huge sucker for Destruction, Alteration, Mysticism, and Conjuration skills.

Note the intricate detail on my silver sword.

Who lit all these torches? It's daylight for crying out loud!

One thing I should note here also is that Bethesda has greatly improved on the "speechcrafting" by replacing the old random system with a more appropriate logics-based mini game. The lockpicking mini game has also received an overhaul. It's a lot more fun and intuitive on the PC.

Oh yeah, and did I mention you have a mount now, so actually exploring the terrain will be that much easier?

In regards to the itemization, I was rather dishearten by the fact that in Morrowind you would get some uber-epix-powerful items by raiding somewhat attainable dungeons, making the main story a lot easier to complete. Sadly, Bethesda has gone a bit overboard this time around, but in the opposite direction. So you'll have to spend a lot of time and go through a lot of trouble to get some uber gear early in the game. The problem with this is that even well into the game the situation doesn't improve too much. Well, until you've come to some of the key points in the campaign.

In summary, even though Oblivion might hurt your PC in ways it hasn't been hurt or overheated before, and barring certain technical drawbacks, (one of which would be an occasional AI quirk from the friendly NPCs or a rough-around-the-edges side quest line), Bethesda just pushes the bar in every possible way. Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a game well worth your money. It is a unique experience that doesn't come by very often in this industry of ours. Be sure to cherish it and enjoy it for all its worth.