The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

 PC
User Score
8.3

Generally favorable reviews- based on 3846 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 3,010 out of 3846
  2. Mixed: 542 out of 3846
  3. Negative: 294 out of 3846
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  1. BasS.
    Jun 6, 2006
    4
    This game dont deserve all marks,it s so boring and his predecessor is really better than this.
  2. AdamC
    Sep 6, 2009
    4
    I wanted really, really badly to like this game. It's absolutely beautiful (if you can run it that way, of course), and it's got some nice IDEAS as far as leveling goes. It's great that the NPCs have conversations with each other, it's great that there are theoretically consequences to your actions, it's wonderful that there are so many places to explore and I wanted really, really badly to like this game. It's absolutely beautiful (if you can run it that way, of course), and it's got some nice IDEAS as far as leveling goes. It's great that the NPCs have conversations with each other, it's great that there are theoretically consequences to your actions, it's wonderful that there are so many places to explore and quest, and the twitch combat is a breath of fresh air for those of us who really don't like watching our characters swing once every five seconds based on a dice roll. Unfortunately, none of these things are well-executed. Leveling based on the skills you use is intuitive and engaging and even if it's not a brand new idea, should have been a really wonderful way to feel like your character was getting stronger. Yet Oblivion has probably the worst leveling system I've ever experienced. Each skill is connected to an attribute. When you level up a skill, you gain a bonus to its connected attribute when you level. That means that to get the max (or close to) bonus for each level, you're going to have to grind away at minor skills (otherwise you'll level too quickly and won't receive a bonus). And if you choose just to play your character without trying to achieve bonuses, then monsters -- which level at the same time as you -- will ultimately surpass you in power. It also means a level one character is potentially the strongest character you can ever create. There's not much incentive to level. Of course if you don't level at all, you won't be able to use any new weapons or armor, because those begin dropping based on your level. And yeah, the highwaymen uses the same kind of armor as that bandit warlord at the end of the dungeon. The storyline begins with wonderful urgency, but as soon as the tutorial is over, you can basically ignore it completely. There are Oblivion Gates opening everywhere, but you could just leave them for like 2 years if you want, go do other things. The invasion will wait until you're good and ready to confront it. I'm all for open-ended and ambiguous, but removing structure entirely means that I really never felt engaged with the world I was playing in. One more problem is with the game's "Radiant AI." It's awesome that they leave their houses and go about town and do various things, but if they're going to have conversations...well...the voice acting for the most part is bad, but most of the conversations sound like Public Service Announcements anywa. "How are things with you?" "The [armor shop] in town makes great armor." "Bye." Spellmaking is a great idea, but there are only about four different spell animations, and although there are an IMMENSE number of spells (because you can make your own), there really aren't very many effects, which means you're basically casting the same four or five spells the entire game long. This isn't so different from other games, but it seems like the system here was setup to be so much more interesting than it turned out to be. Making up your own class is great, especially because if you want to play a warrior, you can't pick any of the preset ones due to the aforementioned leveling system. So essentially there's only one class I'll ever pick: custom. The game is absolutely huge and tried to do so much, but, at least for me, failed to really engage me in any meaningful way. This was a really great engine for an Role-playing game, I just wish there'd been a roleplaying game to play.… Expand
  3. erichopmann
    Dec 15, 2006
    4
    Although it´s a good game it gets boring after a while. I´ve played it until lvl 16 and i think it´s always the same. play gothic or dark messiah
  4. Tobias
    Aug 31, 2007
    4
    As a game, Oblivion did allright. It's a good game for a person who has never played a RPG before. I was entertained for the first two weeks. After that, everything changed. I realised that I had just completed everything in the game. I was dissapointed, there's very little to do in oblivion, and everything there is is repetive, sure many of the quest are actually quite nice, As a game, Oblivion did allright. It's a good game for a person who has never played a RPG before. I was entertained for the first two weeks. After that, everything changed. I realised that I had just completed everything in the game. I was dissapointed, there's very little to do in oblivion, and everything there is is repetive, sure many of the quest are actually quite nice, but there's no many bad saides about it. The level scaling ruins everything, the design is very boring, there are very few guilds. You can actually completel the Mages guild without casting a single spell and the final boss is a character much loved my the Elder Scrolls community, and lore-wise extremely powerfull. just stap him with your spear and be done with it, oh wait, you can't since spears arn't in either. The lack of weapons dissapoint me. As a game, it's acceptable. As an elder scrolls game, it's a total disaster. If you're looking for an elder scrolls rpg, A real elder scrolls game, buy Morrowind witch delivers much much more. The game sucks, hopefully Bethesda will use the money to hire a better crew so they can make a better TES: V. 4/10… Expand
  5. Pantheon
    Sep 16, 2007
    4
    If you have played Morrowind - this is a huge disappointment - plays like a first person shooter not an RPG. There is no need to engage your brain playing thsi game - Beth took all intellectual challenge out and left only combat.
  6. Xslsn
    Feb 16, 2009
    4
    I really wanted to like this game, so it's a shame that it is so flawed that I found it unbearable to finish it. - The level system is widely been criticized and rightfully so. Not only does it kill the fun to have the bad guys level up with you, but it completely destroys the feeling of immersion that is so vital to all adventure games and RPGs. - The voice acting is nothing short I really wanted to like this game, so it's a shame that it is so flawed that I found it unbearable to finish it. - The level system is widely been criticized and rightfully so. Not only does it kill the fun to have the bad guys level up with you, but it completely destroys the feeling of immersion that is so vital to all adventure games and RPGs. - The voice acting is nothing short of a farce. The laughable decision to have 5 people record all the lines is only the start, but these 5 people doesn't even remotely try to resemble different people and you feel like you are talking to the same person over and over and over again. Absolutely horrible. - The game feel so repetitive that it feels more like work than a game. Not my idea of a good time… Expand
  7. JustinS.
    Nov 8, 2007
    4
    Dull, dull, dull. The game starts out as beautiful and immersive, but then you realize how cardboard everyone is, even with the so-called "radiant AI." AI can't give them personalities. Only a good writer could do that, and there are no good writers here, as evidenced by the extremely linear fetch-quests, including the main storyline. Not an RPG game for true role-players. Skip this Dull, dull, dull. The game starts out as beautiful and immersive, but then you realize how cardboard everyone is, even with the so-called "radiant AI." AI can't give them personalities. Only a good writer could do that, and there are no good writers here, as evidenced by the extremely linear fetch-quests, including the main storyline. Not an RPG game for true role-players. Skip this snore-a-thon.… Expand
  8. AnonymousMC
    Sep 15, 2007
    4
    Mediocre graphics for such a new game. Boring and predictable story line. Repetitive gameplay. Uninspired quests, mostly of the "fetch" and "kill" sort. Bad script writing, except for a very few risquee (but irrelevant) line. Fundamentally flawed character leveling mechanics. The background music wasn't so bad. The main thing I liked about this game was its world size, but evenMediocre graphics for such a new game. Boring and predictable story line. Repetitive gameplay. Uninspired quests, mostly of the "fetch" and "kill" sort. Bad script writing, except for a very few risquee (but irrelevant) line. Fundamentally flawed character leveling mechanics. The background music wasn't so bad. The main thing I liked about this game was its world size, but even that didn't hold my interest. Once I owned a couple of houses, not even the main quest was enough to keep me playing.… Expand
  9. JonathanR
    Jun 18, 2009
    4
    I'm confused again and again as to why this game is held to such vaulted heights. The biggest flaw are the economics of leveling. It's nearly impossible to raise a skill (or it's ridiculously simple, take your pick), which means you are either underdeveloped on stats or overdeveloped on an uncompetitive basis with the mobs that level alongside you. Magic is my favorite I'm confused again and again as to why this game is held to such vaulted heights. The biggest flaw are the economics of leveling. It's nearly impossible to raise a skill (or it's ridiculously simple, take your pick), which means you are either underdeveloped on stats or overdeveloped on an uncompetitive basis with the mobs that level alongside you. Magic is my favorite class, and without mods the magic system is so unrealistic as to be unusable.… Expand
  10. TimE
    Jul 22, 2009
    4
    The game is huge, but it does not give the proper avenues for allowing you to explore it completely, such as dull quests and the tedious searching for these quests. The game felt very clunky; like when trying to pick up something, I was constantly slowed down from carrying too much. Auto-loot even picks up your enemies 10-ton rusty iron breastplates. Combat was decent and simple, but was The game is huge, but it does not give the proper avenues for allowing you to explore it completely, such as dull quests and the tedious searching for these quests. The game felt very clunky; like when trying to pick up something, I was constantly slowed down from carrying too much. Auto-loot even picks up your enemies 10-ton rusty iron breastplates. Combat was decent and simple, but was also clunky, it felt just like an FPS with a knife. The story was linear, and all the side quests were very "unimportant" and time consuming. With all the hype that this game has got, I believe even with outdated games such as Fallout 2 and Baldur's Gate had a much better 'soul" than this game because I was not able to immerse myself into this world. I was not able to bring myself to finish this game completely, after 8 hours, I was too bored to continue.… Expand
  11. Conscience
    Mar 9, 2011
    4
    This game looks great, the world is vast and the world is open-ended and interactive. Lots of great potential, with a complex and technically impressive interactive world. The only problem is that there are no appealing characters to interact with and no emotional connection with the game. They made something awesome, but without much of a soul.

    I was soon bored with the game. Find a    This game looks great, the world is vast and the world is open-ended and interactive. Lots of great potential, with a complex and technically impressive interactive world. The only problem is that there are no appealing characters to interact with and no emotional connection with the game. They made something awesome, but without much of a soul.

    I was soon bored with the game. Find a new place off in the wilderness? Defeat the evil that lurks within? Nobody cares.

    Summary: a game with a lot of potential, but not much substance.    … Expand
  12. Mad_Diplomat
    Apr 16, 2011
    4
    This is one of those games that seem great at first. But the more you play it, the less you like it. Once the flash wears away, you start to realize that at it's core the game is broken. Without an engaging story and good gameplay mechanics there can be no lasting appeal for me.
  13. zupergozer
    Aug 24, 2011
    4
    the game seems to thing that quantity is better then quality, it has few really fun things to do and a LOT of repeating boring quests and the game has only 13 voice actors. the storytelling is terrible, the story could have been good but the story stopped being interesting after i murdered every member of the mythic dawn. the map is huge but all the space is wasted, you have a few dungeonsthe game seems to thing that quantity is better then quality, it has few really fun things to do and a LOT of repeating boring quests and the game has only 13 voice actors. the storytelling is terrible, the story could have been good but the story stopped being interesting after i murdered every member of the mythic dawn. the map is huge but all the space is wasted, you have a few dungeons around but they are boring and there is no point to go in there except for a couple of quests. in summary this game is wasted potential… Expand
  14. DAOuser
    Sep 24, 2013
    4
    Resulta aburrido, y el sistema de combate es una pesadez. Lo jugué hasta la mitad más o menos (por lo que pude saber) y luego lo borré para siempre de mi sistema. No lo considero bueno como rpg.
  15. GreenMenace
    Oct 13, 2022
    4
    In hindsight, Oblivion suffers from being sandwiched between two great games. On one hand, you have the newer, flashier Skyrim. On the other, you have its predecessor, Morrowind, which is a masterpiece. I did not make it far in Oblivion because it introduced a few mechanics I wasn’t fond of (namely, introducing how everyone knows whether something is stolen or not). Characters level likeIn hindsight, Oblivion suffers from being sandwiched between two great games. On one hand, you have the newer, flashier Skyrim. On the other, you have its predecessor, Morrowind, which is a masterpiece. I did not make it far in Oblivion because it introduced a few mechanics I wasn’t fond of (namely, introducing how everyone knows whether something is stolen or not). Characters level like they do in Morrowind, and the game looks a lot like Morrowind. But when you hear people talking about the Elder Scrolls, this entry gets glazed over.… Expand
  16. JakubTyszko
    Feb 14, 2021
    4
    The game looks very interesting but as soon as you play you get disappointed over and over until you die inside.
  17. Skevinger
    Mar 23, 2021
    4
    Why is this the all-time-reference for a RPG? I like the setting, the world and the soundtrack, but the level-scaling ruins it for me. So if I'm to week to fight a wolf and want to get better, I level up. But suddenly the wolves are now "Timberwolves" and are stronger. That happens with every enemy-type. But if choose alchemy and some other stuff I never use as my main skills, I canWhy is this the all-time-reference for a RPG? I like the setting, the world and the soundtrack, but the level-scaling ruins it for me. So if I'm to week to fight a wolf and want to get better, I level up. But suddenly the wolves are now "Timberwolves" and are stronger. That happens with every enemy-type. But if choose alchemy and some other stuff I never use as my main skills, I can improve my fighting skills without leveling up. So if I stay level 1 the game gets easier and easier.

    Also: The faces. Aside from the argonian and khajiit faces everyone looks ugly because of the weird game engine. And when the camera zooms in at the beginnig of a dialogue and the NPC smiles at me, I suddenly want to punch his face. Even Morrowind or other older games have better faces.

    If those factors don't matter to you, you get a world with a lot to do.    … Expand
  18. Gazownik
    Jun 8, 2022
    4
    As much as I love Elder Scroll games, this one was a terrible experience for me - played for around 10 hours > got pissed > uninstalled it.
  19. BakaD.
    Jun 22, 2007
    3
    Oblivion is Morrowind with hundreds of bugs fixed. The game also graphically declines, it has loads of the 'good stuff' but it doesn't use it properly leaving environments lackluster and dull. There are a few parts that have an epic 'appeal' but thats only due to the use of lighting. Now I played Morrowind and although the 'level by usage' idea is Oblivion is Morrowind with hundreds of bugs fixed. The game also graphically declines, it has loads of the 'good stuff' but it doesn't use it properly leaving environments lackluster and dull. There are a few parts that have an epic 'appeal' but thats only due to the use of lighting. Now I played Morrowind and although the 'level by usage' idea is innovative... it is very broken. Removing the skill leveling part fixes many problems (Either 5 5 5 level or get screwed. Then there's the problem with spells/magical things in the game. Not only do all things magical share the same animations, but all magical abilities transpher down to alchemy and enchanting... essentally making "gear farming" worthless, or even being a mage since alchemy effects are often more powerful than what you can cast. The game has a very limited selection of voices... most annoying is when I hear barius' voice. Now I don't care if a few civies share the same voice... but don't EVER use the same voice as a main story thingy. There are a few other problems (voices not matching with characters for one) with voices, but there are more pressing issues... like the limited interaction with the environment. use of physics without any USE of them. (Like dropping crates on enemies) infact, physics serves no use except to be there. Vampirism is one of the best things, but I really dislike the way it's done. Having to drink blood just to keep from 'changing' when wandering about, not beingable to sulk in dark corners durring daytime (infact, shade has no effect on health loss) The end result is Oblivion is what Morrowind 'should' have been... but not fully fixed. It's fun... for a while... till you realize that there's nothing else compelling you besides the nagging aspect of the storyline.… Expand
  20. AnonymousMC
    Jul 2, 2007
    3
    Truly a bad joke of a game. I don't think I can stand another "So, yeah - the current plot hook is [X], so you have to go to the next completely generic [cave/ruin/oblivion gate] [Y], [kill the foozles/retrieve the item [Z]/both]" quest - an this little template has basically described 75% of the quest content of Oblivion. If only the combat system was any good... Well, it's notTruly a bad joke of a game. I don't think I can stand another "So, yeah - the current plot hook is [X], so you have to go to the next completely generic [cave/ruin/oblivion gate] [Y], [kill the foozles/retrieve the item [Z]/both]" quest - an this little template has basically described 75% of the quest content of Oblivion. If only the combat system was any good... Well, it's not - think about your typical FPS, and remove all the fun and the challenge (even if, for some strange reason, you are losing you can always gulp on an unlimited number of healing potions - six every time you open your inventory, with closing and opening of it taking less than a second of game time, since the game pauses on inventory screen). Also, don't kid yourself that it's a good RPG, 'cause it has stats. They don't matter. In fact, the best thing you can do if you want to munchkinize your character is give him the exact opposite of the skills you want to use - that way you will still advance fairly quickly, but not in level. Why is this good? Well, thanks to the oh so brilliant level scaling, the world's monsters will stay in "noob mode", while you are getting more and more powerful. The downside of this is that the scaled random loot will be pretty pathetic, but given how easy it is to outclass the scaled monsters in damage dealt/damage received even with steel equipment, this doesn't matter very much.

    The game has LOTS of issues, like uninspired writing and soul destroying blandness and genericness of the towns (and ignoring previous TES lore to boot - wasn't Cyrodill supposed to be tropical jungle?), terrain and monsters, the supposedly great AI that makes the NPCs emergently admire walls (and it's pretty much all it does), the inconsistent voices of NPCs, the linearity (true, you can do a quest for most of the factions (except for those for which it was deemed you cannot - the Blackwood Company comes to mind as the most illogical of those) at any moment, the quest sequences of those factions are completely linear), the "become the head of the guild and be done with it" factor, the lack of conflict between joinable factions (it goes as far as allowing you to be the guildmaster of all) even though the death of the emperor with no known heir would be THE opportunity for power grabs, the "oh so there are Oblivion gates popping all over the place, but since they're not quest related we all ignore them", the inconsistent [Rumors]/"You are the hero of [town name]!"/[Other option]/"Who are you noob?" dialog, and the dumb minigames (I would nominate the persuasion minigame as a winner here)... I was going to finish this comment with "but I think the boring and repetitive are what killed it for me", but really, all those issues did their part in it - and there's STILL more that I don't care to describe. I'd say - avoid this game.    … Expand
  21. SK
    Jul 20, 2007
    3
    Household of four RPG gamers, who had played Morrowind for years. Eagerly snagged Oblivion copies the first week. But....After two months, no one cared to continue. Put aside, with only one person (the stubborn one) finishing the Main Quest. A game that looks great for awhile (hence all the great previews by the magazines) but really doesn't have much depth, just lots of repetition. Household of four RPG gamers, who had played Morrowind for years. Eagerly snagged Oblivion copies the first week. But....After two months, no one cared to continue. Put aside, with only one person (the stubborn one) finishing the Main Quest. A game that looks great for awhile (hence all the great previews by the magazines) but really doesn't have much depth, just lots of repetition. A vapid, showy failure. Perhaps player mods will make something of this. Or the expansion packs. But no one here has loaded the game again.… Expand
  22. EliasO.
    May 19, 2006
    3
    I gave it a 3, it's a good game, but I'm not only intrested in the visuals.. The conversations are very scripted, and in order to make someone happy it's a wierd gambling process, and the main story line was not intresting enough for me to keep playing the game... I recommend buying Arcanum instead, it's probloby left in SOME stores pretty cheap, or you can buy it from I gave it a 3, it's a good game, but I'm not only intrested in the visuals.. The conversations are very scripted, and in order to make someone happy it's a wierd gambling process, and the main story line was not intresting enough for me to keep playing the game... I recommend buying Arcanum instead, it's probloby left in SOME stores pretty cheap, or you can buy it from a internet shop.… Expand
  23. NateS.
    Jun 6, 2007
    3
    Awkward Textures, Boring Gameplay, and Unimaginative Quests make this game terrible (and i'm running on an AW m9700).
  24. Nugget
    Feb 27, 2009
    3
    Anyone who claims this is the best game they ever played is a console only gamer, under 14 years old, or most likely both. Even modded to the maximum its only 'good'. Vanilla its awful and I don't give scores for non-paid modders fixing bethesdas mistakes.
  25. JacobF
    Jul 26, 2009
    3
    Talk about overhyped, by a long shot. Graphically, it's pretty incredible. But all graphics do is sell a game and keep one from poking their eyes out. Anything to with the actual game content is severely lacking. The story is very bland, and honestly, just isn't very good, (which is funny, because it was praised for that). It feels more like a wild goose chase, whether you have Talk about overhyped, by a long shot. Graphically, it's pretty incredible. But all graphics do is sell a game and keep one from poking their eyes out. Anything to with the actual game content is severely lacking. The story is very bland, and honestly, just isn't very good, (which is funny, because it was praised for that). It feels more like a wild goose chase, whether you have to go find someone, or an item. Granted, there are tons of side quests, ruins, and a vast world to explore, which might redeem the problem with the issue, but it does not redeem the gameplay. The gameplay becomes severely repetitive. After you close the fifty-trillionth Oblivion gate, the game becomes very tedious, and is more like a chore than a fun game. In order to expect to go anywhere with success, you must be a spell caster. The incentive to level up is gone, because they scale the enemies to match your level. Yes, this means when you're level 35, with the best sword the game has to offer, you're still going to die trying to fight off a bandit. Also, you're stuck, for the most part, fighting the same lot of enemies the entire game. A couple bandits or wolves here... A few Mystic Dawn cult members there... A heck of a lot of Daedra everywhere... There is very little diversity in what you fight, unless you specifically go looking for something different to fight. The game partially fails in the sound department. Not to say the sounds were bad, by any means, but they were repetitive, and had a few inconsistencies. They used the same actors, over and over. Heck, the one actor they didn't repeat was killed off in the first half-hour of gameplay, and was the best one in the game (Patrick Stewart)! I mentioned some inconsistencies earlier. The conversations and voices often go against the nature of the character. If you talk to a beggar, and she sounds like an uneducated beggar (as she should) at first, wait. Ask her some stuff, and she'll suddenly sound like a well-educated noble. There wasn't a lot of music, but that doesn't bother me as much, since in games like Oblivion and Morrowind, I prefer something a little quiet, just ambience, if at all. Conclusion Overall, Oblivion is a major disappointment, and fails to live up to the hype and praise it's constantly given. The graphics are nice, so I won't deduct points there. The story is crummy, although there are lots of sidequests and things to explore and do. I'll deduct a point for the story anyway, because it can't fully redeem the poorly executed goose chase that Bethesda tried to pass off as a storyline. The gameplay is incredibly repetitive, and is incredibly difficult unless you're a spellcaster. Deduction of two points here. The leveling system is stupid, and has no incentive because of the scaling, so deduction of three points here. The sounds need a little bit of work, due to the inconsistency between conversations, and the overuse of certain actors, and under usage of others (Patrick Stewart, again). They weren't bad, but definitely not perfect. Point deducted here. The lack of tons of music didn't really bother me, so no points were deducted. In short, don't waste your money on this game. It is a blemish to the entire RPG genre, and a proof to the nearsightedness of the entire game critic industry.… Expand
  26. NeilB
    Aug 29, 2009
    3
    I've never voted on anything, but feel strongly that this game is not worth a grade higher than a three for the simple reason that it feels more like a chore than a game. You spend a tremendous amount of time juggling inventory, repairing weapons, opening locks creating potions and cleaning out bland fortresses and ruins. The monsters/enemies are all the same...fighting a skeleton is I've never voted on anything, but feel strongly that this game is not worth a grade higher than a three for the simple reason that it feels more like a chore than a game. You spend a tremendous amount of time juggling inventory, repairing weapons, opening locks creating potions and cleaning out bland fortresses and ruins. The monsters/enemies are all the same...fighting a skeleton is no different than fighting a bandit or a ghost...and the weapons and spells are also incredibly boring, especially compared with the Baldur's Gate series. Pick a weapon (e.g. sword, axe) add some kind of cold/fire/shock damage to it and that's all. Same for the spells...fire a projectile of heat/cold/shock and that's all (other than heal, which you will use constantly). The game offers an enormous number of spells, weapons, armor and potions, but there is nothing to get you excited or make you feel that the quest was worth it. It's an impressive game for the freedoms it offers, but it is extremely boring, repetitive and worst of all, NOT FUN.… Expand
  27. FranckD
    Jul 21, 2009
    3
    Mediocre. Beautifull but ordinary. Loosy combat system based on finger skill. You jaust have to press forward slash backward, sometime sidestep and bingo you ve gone trought all the game. The main quest is lousy and can be completed at lvl 2. Noone offer challenge due to the stupid system that let any of your ennemies ever your level. At least 50% of the classes are unplayable even going Mediocre. Beautifull but ordinary. Loosy combat system based on finger skill. You jaust have to press forward slash backward, sometime sidestep and bingo you ve gone trought all the game. The main quest is lousy and can be completed at lvl 2. Noone offer challenge due to the stupid system that let any of your ennemies ever your level. At least 50% of the classes are unplayable even going very slowly on combat since 90% of quests require bashing. Hail for the king Morrowind.… Expand
  28. AnonymousMC
    Nov 28, 2007
    3
    Do not believe the hype - Oblivion is an action game, NOT an RPG, and a rather poor one at that. The combat and the quests are boring, the writing is abysmal and the Radiant AI is completely retarded. The main quest will have you going from one corner to another of the world over and over again - you may enjoy the traveling for a while, but I'm sure you'll soon get bored andDo not believe the hype - Oblivion is an action game, NOT an RPG, and a rather poor one at that. The combat and the quests are boring, the writing is abysmal and the Radiant AI is completely retarded. The main quest will have you going from one corner to another of the world over and over again - you may enjoy the traveling for a while, but I'm sure you'll soon get bored and start using the fast travel option (which is also stupid - if the world were interesting enough, there would be no need for it). The side quests are mostly variants of Kill 10 Rats or Stalk a Boring NPC For Hours. I'm giving it a 3 for the pretty forests and modability (which, don't understand me wrong, can't save the game). You may enjoy this for a couple of days if you liked Diablo or Dark Messiah; if you're more of a Fallout/Torment or even Morrowind lover, stay the hell away from Oblivion.… Expand
  29. Malkiel
    Jun 23, 2011
    3
    Having Played Morrowind first and enjoying it a lot, I expected better from Oblivion. The game's killing flaws where 1) enemy scaling with the player making gaining levels pointless, because you do not see any increase in power and 2) lack of levitate (some storyline missions took a half hour longer to reach because I couldn't get up the bloody hill) When a particular bit of storylineHaving Played Morrowind first and enjoying it a lot, I expected better from Oblivion. The game's killing flaws where 1) enemy scaling with the player making gaining levels pointless, because you do not see any increase in power and 2) lack of levitate (some storyline missions took a half hour longer to reach because I couldn't get up the bloody hill) When a particular bit of storyline right by the end got repetitive, I said enough of this and decided I wasn't going back. (buddy playing on xbox at same time said I was ~2 hours from the end)
    Regarding the design choices about leveling: I read a number of things that suggest the true powergamer approach to this game is to stay _at level 1 or 2_ by never sleeping to avoid leveling up... this is not an ideal solution frankly.    … Expand
  30. Cauthon
    Dec 18, 2011
    3
    Oblivion offers a lot of good things on the surface; on the plus side theres a really big world to explore, the story is not linear, all the things we know and love from Morrowind or Fallout.

    Very unfortunately theres a lot of really big bummers especially for people who have been around the genre for a long time. At first glance the levelling system looks great, major skills leading to    Oblivion offers a lot of good things on the surface; on the plus side theres a really big world to explore, the story is not linear, all the things we know and love from Morrowind or Fallout.

    Very unfortunately theres a lot of really big bummers especially for people who have been around the genre for a long time. At first glance the levelling system looks great, major skills leading to increase of levelling in your chosen class? Damnit that´s awesome -> unfortunately they made the system broken in a way that attributes increase way slower for people who actually stick to their class and mainly use their major skills / chose their major skills and attributes according to their class and thusly giving advantages to people who deliberatly make their most important skills minor skills -> yeah way to go game designers: give the power gamers all the cookies and to hell with people who like to chose a character and actually "roleplay" it.
    This could have been easily avoided by just limiting everyones attribute increase while levelling to the same amount. (for people who haven´t played many RPGs so far: it means by chosing a warrior you should definetly not label any of your combat-oriented as major skills...otherwise you will level very quickly and your attributes increase way slower) This already hit me quite hard...but not hard enough to just deinstall ...

    well yeah...it´s not linear...all the very "creative" side-Quests and dungeons are just totally similar and offer no variation.

    Very disappointing. Could have been a really good one.
    Save your money if you liked the depth of Fallout and older games...go buy it if you like to show of really well-designed boosted chars and pretty shiny items achieved by bizarre and boring game-rape.    … Expand
  31. Belus
    Nov 13, 2013
    3
    Morrowind was very good, so I had great hopes for Oblivion.

    Unfortunately I was very disappointed. It is a dumbed down game, with less customization options and more an "action" feel than an "RPG" feel. It is very repetitive and there is very little atmosphere too. I enjoyed the game only until I understood that leveling up serves no purpose whatsoever. Level-scaling makes all the    Morrowind was very good, so I had great hopes for Oblivion.

    Unfortunately I was very disappointed. It is a dumbed down game, with less customization options and more an "action" feel than an "RPG" feel. It is very repetitive and there is very little atmosphere too.

    I enjoyed the game only until I understood that leveling up serves no purpose whatsoever. Level-scaling makes all the creatures in the game level up along with you. This is absolutely idiotic. It makes no sense whatsoever. Still trying to like it, I played more, and more, and more, but finally gave up trying to like it.

    After a wholehearted attempt to like this I have to say I didn't. This game is bad, and seems to be made not our of passion and love for RPGs, but out of love for money. Buy Morrowind instead.

    I am not even going to try Skyrim.    … Expand
  32. Stefan24601
    Sep 10, 2013
    3
    A big step down from Morrowind, its predecessor. Customization is limited--there is only one "best" armor, one "best" weapon, etc, so you ccan't choose yr character's look. Many doors can't be opened, many characters can't be killed, limiting the actual role-playing aspect of the game. The worst part is that everything in the game levels with you, enemies getting stronger and moreA big step down from Morrowind, its predecessor. Customization is limited--there is only one "best" armor, one "best" weapon, etc, so you ccan't choose yr character's look. Many doors can't be opened, many characters can't be killed, limiting the actual role-playing aspect of the game. The worst part is that everything in the game levels with you, enemies getting stronger and more numerous, and weapons getting better, so there is no sense of mystery in any of the dungeons, no hope of finding that powerful sword or item as there was in Morrowind. There is no incentive to level up at all. The plots are predictable (HINT: someone is going to betray and attack you at the end), and the characters ugly. There is little good to say except that the stealth/assassination aspect of the game is somewhat entertaining and the spell-making is fun.… Expand
  33. Anonymous_1
    Sep 12, 2014
    3
    Pros: N/A

    Cons: Hideously ugly faces on the people in the game; mediocre graphics by modern standards; terrible leveling system where all the enemies level with you; horrible and boring combat system. Score Breakdown: Game Stability 9/10, Background Story 5/10, Loading Screens and Frame Rate 5/10, Sound Effects and Music 4/10, Voice Acting 3/10, Graphics 3/10, Plot Development 2/10,    Pros: N/A

    Cons: Hideously ugly faces on the people in the game; mediocre graphics by modern standards; terrible leveling system where all the enemies level with you; horrible and boring combat system.

    Score Breakdown: Game Stability 9/10, Background Story 5/10, Loading Screens and Frame Rate 5/10, Sound Effects and Music 4/10, Voice Acting 3/10, Graphics 3/10, Plot Development 2/10, Realism 1/10, Gameplay 1/10, Replay Value 0/10, Total Score 3.3/10

    Conclusion: Skip Oblivion and play The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim instead.    … Expand
  34. Voyou
    Jan 14, 2016
    3
    For a lively RPG world, play Gothic instead (the 2nd being my favourite). Or keep playing Morrowind if you like Morrowind: the exploration of the scenery was way cooler and surprising in Elder Scrolls 3.

    I'm not kidding. Oblivion continues the trend of quantity over quality. Of big is beautiful, when it so obviously is not. Just look at the ugliness of the massive imperial city, clearly    For a lively RPG world, play Gothic instead (the 2nd being my favourite). Or keep playing Morrowind if you like Morrowind: the exploration of the scenery was way cooler and surprising in Elder Scrolls 3.

    I'm not kidding. Oblivion continues the trend of quantity over quality. Of big is beautiful, when it so obviously is not. Just look at the ugliness of the massive imperial city, clearly designed by people who didn't grow up surrounded by ancient ruins and monuments. Nothing looks real about these walls. Nothing.

    There is some good in Oblivion, but largely outweighed by the bad, the worse and the pathetic. The excellent covers 2 things:
    - Character creation is well open; you can create and name your own class, based on the skills of your choice, which incidentally is exactly what I needed.
    - NPCs have their own conversations. It's basic but very effective.

    The good section isn't more crowded:
    - Pickpocketing is pleasant (despite the randomness and the save/load routine.)
    - NPCs give geographical indications. Again, it's basic but agreeable. It makes for a promising future.

    Let's adequately put the average in the middle section:
    - The world is vast, but pretty much empty and lifeless.Travelling is not dangerous like in other games. Villages have no charm and no soul. Ruins are nice the first time, until you realise it's all about cut n' paste. And then... there are loading screens between zones.
    - Automatic travel. I can't put it in the bad section since I'm not forced to use it, but it does remove the thrill of being lost and alone in the wilderness. Every other game does the teleportation thing much better by requiring an activation.
    - Touch 1 apple and every other object around will jump and roll. This would be in the bad section if the physics engine had any impact on the game.

    The bad section is by far the most populated:
    - The interface is ludicrous. As the top offender, the Escape key doesn't close windows. It doesn't affect the GUI and instead brings forth the game menu.
    - Quick Load isn't directly accessible when the game is paused. Oh, you do have the possibility to load... by calling the menu, but the quick key doesn't function and is specifically programmed to tell you that you can't quick load. Now rate that level of ridiculous on a scale of 0 to 10.
    - You can improve your skills in game by keeping a key pressed. Just wow.
    - There is no AI. What. So. E. Ver.
    - The map is tiny and virtually useless. No enlargement, no zoom, no markers, no common sense...
    - The bartering system is inane. It is also advantageous to sell your 250 arrows 1 by 1. I'm not kidding.
    - You have to play a childish mini-game before each NPC interaction to make sure you'll get all dialogue options and the best bargains. I'm still not kidding.
    - Everybody is the same. No, not kidding. Apart from their race, everybody has a similar ugly face, has a similar boring long name that won't stick, and speaks with 1 out of 3 or 4 voices. I can't identify anyone. Absolutely nobody is memorable.
    - Everything is randomised. Therefore, every action calls for a save/try/reload routine.
    - Seriously, even picking up a plant or a mushroom is randomised and can fail, who knows why. As a bonus if you will, a picked up plant doesn't disappear. That's how good the visual clues are.

    Don't think I'm done yet. Now comes the section of the truly pathetic:
    - Behold the worst lock-picking system of all times. Here, playing a thief is an ordeal. Or a deal-breaker.
    - There are no fences to sell your stolen goods to, therefore there is no point in thieving. I'm slightly exaggerating, since you'll have access to fences if you go to the one place in the so-called immense world to do the one thing that will connect you with the so ever-present, so American, and so absurd concept of a thieves guild, but I would argue that this forced path makes it even worse.
    - Level scaling. I think that's what it's called. It's the retarded notion that the world improves every time you improve, so as to remove any sense of immersion, emotion, strategy, accomplishment, fun, motivation, and whatnot.
    - Somehow in the same vein, here is yet another example of how dreadfully the game is designed: Improving your alchemy adds negative effects to your ingredients. As a corollary, a poisonous plant will kill you when ingested, but only if you know it's poisonous, otherwise it is harmless. For the last time, I am not kidding.    … Expand
  35. DanielO.
    Jul 6, 2006
    2
    Atrociously bad game. i was real disappointed.
  36. g
    Sep 10, 2008
    2
    I can't understand all the 10/10 ratings here. Quests and caves are more interesting than that of Morrowind, but that's where the good parts end. Boring samey world, boring characters, boring story, boring combat and utterly terrible levelling system. Graphics are ok but I suspect they were toned down for actual release to run better on lower end PCs - it takes a while to edit I can't understand all the 10/10 ratings here. Quests and caves are more interesting than that of Morrowind, but that's where the good parts end. Boring samey world, boring characters, boring story, boring combat and utterly terrible levelling system. Graphics are ok but I suspect they were toned down for actual release to run better on lower end PCs - it takes a while to edit the various files and install mods to get it looking great again. Radiant AI is hilariously broken and basically offers the only entertainment this game has to offer, apart from maybe the Dark Brotherhood missions. It's bizarre that they hired Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean to do voices (although both are underused and mostly uninteresting) then hired about three more to do every other voice in the game. Despite all the assurances I'm pretty sure Fallout 3 is gonna end up a massive disappointment for pretty much the same reasons - Bethesda just haven't a clue on how to make a truly engaging and interesting RPG.… Expand
  37. SHODAN
    Nov 10, 2007
    2
    Big, blunt vapid world inhabited by simple and shallow characters. Cliche, repetitive plot with no deep or subtle meaning. The game is shiny, but the actual design is poor. Once the bloom fades it can be seen for what it really is: totally uninspiring fast food for the masses.
  38. EdS,
    Jun 29, 2007
    2
    This game is boring and clunky. The movement is slow and bouncy/floaty. You can't sell things without a stupid mercantile skill. Everything is tedious. I can't believe an online mmorpg loads and runs faster than this bloated boring game. Oblivion is terrible.
  39. JG
    Apr 2, 2008
    2
    This game is very boring and very repetitive. Reasons below. Side Quests: Type 1) Fetch an item from dungeons. Type 2) Follow someone and watch what they're doing. Again, and again, and again. Main Quest: Must enter "Oblivion World" and fetch 'sigil stone'. Again and again and again... Levelling: Unintuitive and tedious. Bad combo. Combat: Like a first-person shooter, using This game is very boring and very repetitive. Reasons below. Side Quests: Type 1) Fetch an item from dungeons. Type 2) Follow someone and watch what they're doing. Again, and again, and again. Main Quest: Must enter "Oblivion World" and fetch 'sigil stone'. Again and again and again... Levelling: Unintuitive and tedious. Bad combo. Combat: Like a first-person shooter, using sword or spells instead of a gun. I wanted an RPG, not a shooter.… Expand
  40. KelL.
    Jun 22, 2006
    2
    falls short on expectation extremley repetetive and nothin new. Good graphics doesnt mean good gameplay. very disappointed when it comes to the other series.
  41. GLCarpinter
    Apr 7, 2007
    2
    I can't believe all the fellatio for this game. I played this game for some time, and yes, I had fun. There were a few good points such as: some inspired side-quests, graphics, combat and horses. However, the lack of gameplay started to set in and I'm not going to touch this game again, ever. The things that ruined it for me were: the voice acting (Patrick Stewart being theI can't believe all the fellatio for this game. I played this game for some time, and yes, I had fun. There were a few good points such as: some inspired side-quests, graphics, combat and horses. However, the lack of gameplay started to set in and I'm not going to touch this game again, ever. The things that ruined it for me were: the voice acting (Patrick Stewart being the exception here), a crappy main plot, levelled loot, levelled enemies and a lack of books. It doesn't matter how pants-creamingly awesome your graphics are if the actual game sucks moose dick. If you want to play an awesome RPG, play Baldur's Gate 2 or Planescape: Torment.… Expand
  42. KeithB
    Mar 3, 2009
    2
    Am I crazy? Or is this game 10 years behind a game like Ultima 7? Horrible, broken character leveling system with all monsters and loot leveling up with you? Lame, discount-fantasy-novel story and unmemorable characters and dialogue? This game is even a huge step down from Morrowind and even farther step down from Daggerfall! What is going on here?
  43. BobC
    Jul 24, 2009
    2
    Just thinking of the sheer artistic talent and work that went into designing this game makes me very sad to see how lackluster the story, combat, and well, the entire game are. I have reinstalled Oblivion about 6 times now and tried to force myself to play it. Each time I do the Dark Brotherhood and Thieve's Guild quests and then quickly lose interest. I have never been able to stay Just thinking of the sheer artistic talent and work that went into designing this game makes me very sad to see how lackluster the story, combat, and well, the entire game are. I have reinstalled Oblivion about 6 times now and tried to force myself to play it. Each time I do the Dark Brotherhood and Thieve's Guild quests and then quickly lose interest. I have never been able to stay interested long enough to even finish the main story line but I hear it's about as long as some side quests in the game are. And when you're done you're left with a vast world of copy-pasted tunnels and villages and the same fields of grass over and over again occasionally interrupted by some ruins which rapidly become repetitive as well. Overall, I am giving this game a 2 merely out of how pretty it is. The combat is atrocious (mouse button 1 swing, mouse button 2 block - AMAZING FUN!), the voice acting is mediocre at best, and the UI is utter garbage and it is cumbersome to do anything with it. Oh, yeah - the NPCs are supposed to be extremely interesting with daily needs and things like that. They're still dry and boring, just like Morrowind! Only in this game, they have random impossible-to-believe conversations witih eachother such as follows: NPC 1: Did you hear about that Gray Fox thief? NPC 2: Yes NPC 3: Bye now Wow! Cool!… Expand
  44. AnonymousMC
    Aug 21, 2008
    2
    The ridiculous level system means that things will always be an even match with you... so whats the point of even leveling up? The voices are horrible! The beggars have about 4 different voices which keep changing every sentence. Theres probably about 5 voice actors in the whole game. ALL male nords and orcs sound the same! I cant believe this game has a higher score than proper RPG'sThe ridiculous level system means that things will always be an even match with you... so whats the point of even leveling up? The voices are horrible! The beggars have about 4 different voices which keep changing every sentence. Theres probably about 5 voice actors in the whole game. ALL male nords and orcs sound the same! I cant believe this game has a higher score than proper RPG's like KOTOR. The only thing good about this game is the graphics of the countryside when you travel from town to town... oh wait! theres no point! you can just 'fast travel' which instantly takes you from one part of the world to the other. wtf is the point of buying a horse then? In conclusion, bad AI, no immersion, bad combat, bad physics and bland quests.… Expand
  45. aisu
    Apr 5, 2011
    2
    One of most overrated games in history. It had nice graphics when it lasted (i bought and played it on release) but honestly... nothing else. Terrible gameplay, fighting, same 2 or 3 voice actors for every character. linearity, terrible character development and world leveling systems, very mediocre plot. Playing as melee classes is boring clicking of one button, well mages do not differOne of most overrated games in history. It had nice graphics when it lasted (i bought and played it on release) but honestly... nothing else. Terrible gameplay, fighting, same 2 or 3 voice actors for every character. linearity, terrible character development and world leveling systems, very mediocre plot. Playing as melee classes is boring clicking of one button, well mages do not differ much from this. I cant understand that unfounded cult surrounding this title. I do not recommend this game to anyone, its boring, anticlimactic and rly overrated..… Expand
  46. JohnnyG500
    Jul 3, 2018
    2
    oh how i wanted to like this game ! now i'll go into detail as to why one of the "Best" games according to metacritic is a flaming pile of **** ,

    -now as my first experience in the elder scrolls series (and i can assure you it will be the last) it was a bit "epic" for a start, you are introduced to a character creation system that is severely lacking in interesting stuff, and i dare you    oh how i wanted to like this game ! now i'll go into detail as to why one of the "Best" games according to metacritic is a flaming pile of **** ,

    -now as my first experience in the elder scrolls series (and i can assure you it will be the last) it was a bit "epic" for a start, you are introduced to a character creation system that is severely lacking in interesting stuff, and i dare you to try to make the character look like a normal human being and not just a blob pretending to be a human, the character is ugly no matter how long a time you spend creating it so if you hate yourself and decide to buy this game just make yourself into a troll or a lion or something.

    -now for the "epic" part, which to be honest could've been a start for a great story immediately goes to **** you are a prisoner but then suddenly you are the chosen one that the king saw in a prophecy/dream (which is already painfully cliche'd) and then the king is killed because reasons, then you escape through a dull dungeon that would make superman 64 jealous.

    now the moment you step out into the world you feel like this will be a great game, which is an illusion that immediately fades away.

    -The world at first feels expansive and huge as in "encouraging exploration" but then once you are about to explore a menu pops up telling you that you can just teleport wherever you want from the map... which boils the game down to a basic collection of locations each one more dull than the other.

    -did i mention that everything in the world F*cking hates you ? Wolfs , Rats , trolls , random npcs you name it they all just want you dead for some adequately unexplored reason.

    -now to describe the story would be a waste of time so i'll just liken it to something, imagine a ten year old watched every cliche'd movie/TV series about medieval times with fantasy elements and then decided to write his best impression of all of them combined making an incoherent, done to death, by the numbers story that will leave you counting the seconds of your life being wasted, yes its that bad!

    -now for the big one, now all of the terrible things i've mentioned could be forgiven or even compromised for enjoyment sake, but one thing, yes, one thing breaks this game even more than the astronomical number of bugs and glitches, even more than the unorganized interface and inconsistent budget, and that is the graphics. what can i say about this that wouldnt be noticed at first sight ? the npcs look (and i'm not even exaggerating here) absolutely terrifying, just trying seeing a nice looking lady with great clothes and well done hair then look at her face and die, just die forever, i cant tell if the graphic designers were underpaid or on drugs, apart from the horrifying visage just try to admire the awfulness of how npcs attempt to convey emotions, they're either the face of a guy that won the lottery i.e grinning till their jaws are ripped apart or the face of one that is burying their relative as in frowning like its their job and then there is the neutral face which as previously mentioned is as comforting to look at as a man that is eating his own liver.

    now for the positives because even **** is used as a fertilizer sometimes, hence why i gave it 210 and not just a blatant shallow 0 because that would simply be unfair.

    +first of all : i would give props to bethesda for trying really hard to make this work, it doesnt feel like a dead seed by any means, its just a plethora of squandered potential or an impression of a way way better game that could've been but sadly was not.

    +second, this game has a very impressive class system which again could've been done better but it served as an influence to better future games.

    +versatility of items, as in : potions , weapons , armor , materials , random bollocks. which you would argue that all these things exist in other RPG games as well, to which i respond ; Well at least it has those!

    all in all i cant stress more just how you shouldnt waste a Cent on this game, dont take it, not even if for free, it doesnt deserve your time not even just for curiosity's sake, this game is so very bad i cant say enough about how cheated i felt by spending a mere 10 dollars on this absolute piece of garbage.

    Have a Great Day!    … Expand
  47. SteephenD.
    Jul 6, 2006
    1
    Developers need to remember gameplay is the most important thing in a game. The graphics are only cool if they improve an already fun game. They don't make a game fun by themselves. No one will care about the graphics if they are too bored to ever star the game. Get it?
  48. GordonP
    Jun 18, 2009
    1
    Worst RPG I ever played. Nice scenery, but....: 1) Huge motivation killer: All enemies are leveling up with you. So you dont have a motivation to level up and improve your character, in order to be able to travel to more diffiult regions, to fight more difficult enemies. => Even the opposite happens: In reality you you are relatively leveling DOWN with each level-"up" you gain, because Worst RPG I ever played. Nice scenery, but....: 1) Huge motivation killer: All enemies are leveling up with you. So you dont have a motivation to level up and improve your character, in order to be able to travel to more diffiult regions, to fight more difficult enemies. => Even the opposite happens: In reality you you are relatively leveling DOWN with each level-"up" you gain, because the monsters are better leveling-up than you (unless you are very very carefull, that you are leveling up only very very slowly). This is the most stupid motivation killing concept you could ever image. To be successfull in this game, you have to think extensive about the leveling-system and rouls. And thats definitely not what I want. If I like such stuff, then I go buying a strategy game. Because of this game mechanic I can not give more than two stars. 2) Small motivation killer for me:: A allways accessible difficulty slider in the game. Instead that improving your character is the only possibility to have a chance against very strong enemies, with that slider you can kill from the first second on the strongest enemies. Of course, I dont have to use this slider - but anyway, I dont like its presence. I like the old games, which were hard and with only one difficult-setting. So you know exactly what you have to do, if you want to succeed. No pain, no gain :-) For this difficulty-slider 1 point discount. Thats why I give a 1 .… Expand
  49. GregB.
    Jul 20, 2006
    1
    Boring, feeble control of the character. All you have to do is h the make the character jump into the air to watch him float upwards although he still appears to be standing up in the same exact position, but his body is now above the ground, and then "slowly descend back to the earth". Oh, uh oh, did you fall a bit too far without investing enough "spell points" into your JUmp attribute? Boring, feeble control of the character. All you have to do is h the make the character jump into the air to watch him float upwards although he still appears to be standing up in the same exact position, but his body is now above the ground, and then "slowly descend back to the earth". Oh, uh oh, did you fall a bit too far without investing enough "spell points" into your JUmp attribute? Oh no, did yu take damage? This has to be the most feeble game I have ever played. Completely unrealistic. Perform the same stupid looking sword swing. Lame physics. The same stupid looking enemies to defeat, few and far between. Is this thing in slow motion? Everything is so S...L....O...W. Laughable storyline about, uh-oh, don't say it.. CULTS. A completely dorky game from obviously completely dorky writers. Thank you Jim Henson for the lesson in making every NPC look like a a movie as they tell you the next boring, predictable part of the stoyline. I would have been fine reading it w/o a close up. Am I gay now? where I need to see every person up close, and why does everyone look like an old geezer? Dear lord, learn how to make a game that is not irritating. This game is nothing more than irritating.… Expand
  50. WTF
    Jul 11, 2008
    1
    Maybe I kill slef. I didn't really give this game that much of a chance, I admit this, but I just could not get into it. I tried so hard to enjoy it, mainly because a friend of mine said it was good, but this was to no avail. The only moment I enjoyed was creating my character, but even that seemed lacking. I apologize to the people who like this type of game, but I think I'dMaybe I kill slef. I didn't really give this game that much of a chance, I admit this, but I just could not get into it. I tried so hard to enjoy it, mainly because a friend of mine said it was good, but this was to no avail. The only moment I enjoyed was creating my character, but even that seemed lacking. I apologize to the people who like this type of game, but I think I'd rather go play in traffic.… Expand
  51. MarcD
    Sep 17, 2009
    1
    The only department this game is a winner is the make up department. This game is really poor compared to previous TES titles. The terrain althought claimed wider than Morrowind give a shrinked feeling. You can cross it in 20 real time minutes jog on its wider part, talk about a country, 6KM long 4 Km wide if much If you take ingame time just multiply by 10 at a 12km jog, patetic. In this The only department this game is a winner is the make up department. This game is really poor compared to previous TES titles. The terrain althought claimed wider than Morrowind give a shrinked feeling. You can cross it in 20 real time minutes jog on its wider part, talk about a country, 6KM long 4 Km wide if much If you take ingame time just multiply by 10 at a 12km jog, patetic. In this game the player (you) is treated like a complete moron, or the developer where too lazy to write directions. A compass lead you straight to all missions. Talking about missions the main mission could be good is many bad game design weren t choosen. Like the auto leveling system that let your ennemies exactly the same lvl you are. Like the ability to not lvl. Like the possibility to finish the game at LVL 2. Like many immortal NPC, rendering your personnal choices irrelevant. Like combat not being tied to your stats anymore, its 100% finger related without the need of any skill: Forward, slash, backward or sidestep, slash rince and repeat. No matter who is your ennemy this will work every time, always 100% guaranteed or your money back. Combat lead to quest 90% of the quests are combat related, so any class non, or having poor vocation to combat related is a no go, So in the end your personal choices are irrelevant. In Oblivion the less relevant parts are the player choice. Did i speak about how irrelevent the side missions are, very few fun but absolutely none interesting to the main plot. And why would they be since the ennemies LVL with you what is be the relevance of getting stronger faster richer and even lvl up ? You should be in a the capital state of an empire, But there s absolutely nothing that give you this feeling, you could very well be in alska summer or whatever. Oblivion is at least 50% of all the TESS Lore. No wonder the previous game design team where fired or quited in middle project. You really feel it. The game sweat shallowness, misconcepts, and faulty to lazy design. I could go on pages. But to go to the point this game is an insult to the RPG gaming and its player. Thinkin bettter this game doesnt deserve a 2.… Expand
  52. SlobodanO
    Mar 24, 2010
    1
    This game is just an empty shell. Even the lauded graphics fail when it comes to the look of characters. Writing is abysmal. Horrible minigames instead of stat influenced outcomes. Horrible hack and slash combat. Bad engine. This game is not a RPG and what's worse, it's utterly boring.
  53. Sotamarsu
    Dec 1, 2006
    1
    This game doesn't differ from Morrowind very much. Ok, graphics are nice and it's long and large game, but if you want to make "the best" or even great character you have to for example start as magical hero to be strong fighter or thief or vice versa. And if you level yourself fast by wandering around you can hardly beat the game later if you made bad training decision. What I This game doesn't differ from Morrowind very much. Ok, graphics are nice and it's long and large game, but if you want to make "the best" or even great character you have to for example start as magical hero to be strong fighter or thief or vice versa. And if you level yourself fast by wandering around you can hardly beat the game later if you made bad training decision. What I mean is that the leveling and skill system aren't what I want from a RPG. So I give +2 for graphics, +2 for large gamearea +1 for idea, -1 for mimicing Morrowind, -3 for horrible leveling and skill system… Expand
  54. Dakimaz
    Sep 10, 2010
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. How Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion got 94 score, I simply do not understand. When I read the reviews and saw the score, I thought "hey this might be kinda like Dragon age: Origins, just much cheaper", but no.
    As stated by other reviews, I too really wanted to like this game, but unfortunately those little super frustrating events like "lock picking" and various other annoying factors just ruined the feeling of a good game entirely.
    To elaborate: In the Lock picking sequences you have to continuously move your mouse upwards and then click with the left mouse button in order to make the pin "stay in it's slot", however, you have to click the pin when it is at the top, and stays there for half a second - otherwise your lock pick will break. This happens completely random and there's no way what so ever to predict whether it stays in the top or not, there's no pattern, no little noise that goes off, nothing. That in it self is not an issue (annoying, but you can just walk away... or?) the thing is, you can't cancel the sequence, so if you have 100 lock picks, you'll just have to stay there, breaking them all, before the game let's you go. Oh sure fine, there are options in the bottom that says "auto try" and "close".. but you go ahead a try click those buttons with a none existent mouse (and you can't use the arrow keys... not anything to hit them). So last in total frustration i hit escape on the keyboard, causing the game to freeze. *sigh*
    Now that we're talking about the key bindings. In comparison to most other games, where you for example have a key for you map, menu, inventory, quests, reputation, spells, abilities etc. - in oblivion you have 1 - yup, EVERYTHING is wrapped up in one damn tap, that in it self wouldn't be a problem if it had tool tips when you moused over the different items - but it doesn't, you'll have to figure it out yourself.
    Weight is apparently symbolized with a feather, money with the head of a random guy - and after 8 hours of playtime, i still do not know, where to see the quests. And the map is too small (in comparison to the actual size of the game world), and you can't zoom out to locate where you have to go. The worst part is, the feeling of "a big game" disappears with the "fast travel" system - and you already have all the locations from the beginning.
    But the worst part of the entire game is the story telling, it's done so poorly, that you really have to drink 8 cans of redbull to stay awake while the NPC's talk, because the story just isn't compelling at all. You start out in a cell (in jail presumably - though you're never told why), some guy rushes into you cell claiming he's the emperor, (if it's legoland or china - you're never told either) - about 5 mins later he's dead. The voice acting is terrible and the animation is so stiff (sure they have, mad or happy faces, but this is split up in either EXTREME ANGER or SUPER HAPPY, that you can't help but thinking either the guy is a psychopath or a rapist), you can't connect with any characters in the game, 95% of the time I was playing I just went "hmm I wonder what happens if I kill this guy", and finally got bored with it and stopped playing the game.
    The AI is also somewhat ridiculous, they all seemed to have this "Leeroy Jenkins" syndrome in them, charging forward to slay enemies even though they are greatly outnumbered and go down after 2 blows.
    Was hilarious at first, but when the peeps you have to protect from getting killed does the same thing, it just gets annoying.

    So to put it short
    The game play is repetitive, The story telling is **** The AI is suicidal (this only tends to work for the enemy, not so much your allies.)
    Here's a tip, if you liked Dragon Age: Origins, or just good storytelling - go play that instead, there's nothing to be seen here.
    However, if you like Fallout 3, this is probably the game for you, this game pretty much has the same issues. Just replace laser rifle with a bow, aliens with demons, and nuclear bomb with magic.    … Expand
  55. jakefabo
    Nov 27, 2011
    1
    Like another reviewer said, I really tried to like this game. I came to it late however, and was never a fan of the Elder Scrolls series. My RPG experience comes from Baldur's Gate 1/2 and Neverwinter Nights 1/2. I love having free reign to do what I want, but I also need to care about the environment in order to immerse myself in it. In Oblivion I had no idea what to do, so I wandered...Like another reviewer said, I really tried to like this game. I came to it late however, and was never a fan of the Elder Scrolls series. My RPG experience comes from Baldur's Gate 1/2 and Neverwinter Nights 1/2. I love having free reign to do what I want, but I also need to care about the environment in order to immerse myself in it. In Oblivion I had no idea what to do, so I wandered... and nothing was intriguing about the land AT ALL. I was only able to play this game for about 30mins at a time because it just didn't hold my interest. Neverwinter Nights 2 probably has about 5% of the content but I have played it through about 20 times. Others have spent many hours on Oblivion though so I would suggest RPG fans at least try it... the game is quite cheap on steam now.… Expand
  56. slick_trick
    Dec 29, 2012
    1
    The absolute worst and most overhyped game I can remember. This game is like a punishment that was secretly made by the religious fanatics who were trying to ban Dungeons and Dragons in the 80's. And everyone giving it a 10 is like one of those people who are now playing online roleplaying games. Massive, massive expanses that are COMPLETELY empty.. void of any life whatsoever.The absolute worst and most overhyped game I can remember. This game is like a punishment that was secretly made by the religious fanatics who were trying to ban Dungeons and Dragons in the 80's. And everyone giving it a 10 is like one of those people who are now playing online roleplaying games. Massive, massive expanses that are COMPLETELY empty.. void of any life whatsoever. Apparently this is considered 'exploration'. I have never seen such a barren and lifeless game environment in my entire life. The 'facial expressions' made me cringe... the 'story' was so cliche.. it also made me cringe. I think this game is more like an instructional video for making facial expressions for people who live in caves.… Expand
  57. Kovasz
    Aug 7, 2016
    1
    I'm sure it's a GREAT game, but unfortunatelly, I'll never experience it, as it always crashes. I've tried running the game on different configs, different OSes, still, I can't really play it as it's crashes. I can't think of any other game having this serious quit-to-desktop issue.
  58. EptaEpt
    Sep 13, 2022
    1
    Sorry, but positive feedback is not available in your region. At least until your leadership changes the two-faced policy in their actions and statements.
  59. toeknee
    Jul 6, 2006
    0
    Not fun, simpley a terrible game. Repetitive, leveling system is terrible, the weapons repair thing is terrible, everything looks the same, compass is terrible. Couldn't even play after like 10 minutes because the game is so bad. Do not buy this game. Do not play this game.
  60. Marko
    Jun 20, 2006
    0
    The greatest dissapointment of all times and Iam not overreacting. I played all Elder Scroll games and as a great fan I could not wait for this game to come out. Great graphic is great but the whole world is repetitive, Oblivion is 50% bigger than Morrowind but all u have is forrests and hills in Morrowind u had swamps, deserts, islands and many more, dungeons and caves are every 100m and The greatest dissapointment of all times and Iam not overreacting. I played all Elder Scroll games and as a great fan I could not wait for this game to come out. Great graphic is great but the whole world is repetitive, Oblivion is 50% bigger than Morrowind but all u have is forrests and hills in Morrowind u had swamps, deserts, islands and many more, dungeons and caves are every 100m and they all look the same, physics are just for decoration, and level scaling is worst part of the game, why level when the enemy is always same strenght as you and its easier to finish game as level 1 than 30, a game that needs to have 2GB of mods installed to be playable does not deserve anyones attention. Dont play this better wait for Gothic 3 until than play Gothic 2, Arx Fatalis, Morrowind or anything.… Expand
  61. Bruno
    Jul 14, 2007
    0
    No matter how good is everything in Oblivion. The leveling system makes this game unplayable for me. I uninstalled it 2 days after i bought it, because this is the first RPG I ever played that actually wants to stay level 1 to be strongest (setting up major skills those you never use and improve abilities only that can't level your character up -- so you basically stay lvl 1 with No matter how good is everything in Oblivion. The leveling system makes this game unplayable for me. I uninstalled it 2 days after i bought it, because this is the first RPG I ever played that actually wants to stay level 1 to be strongest (setting up major skills those you never use and improve abilities only that can't level your character up -- so you basically stay lvl 1 with maxed out abilities you use) This is extremly broken and it's a reason why there are so many 0% and 100% user scores.… Expand
  62. Mareus
    Jul 10, 2008
    0
    I would never give any game 0/10, unless it was really completely unplayable, but Oblivion deserves it just because it is overhyped and those 10/10 scores are also very unrealistic. The game has so many flaws it cannot possibly be 10/10. Even with 16 gb of mods it is still just an average game and the success of this average game due to it's shiny graphic and hype from Bethseda can I would never give any game 0/10, unless it was really completely unplayable, but Oblivion deserves it just because it is overhyped and those 10/10 scores are also very unrealistic. The game has so many flaws it cannot possibly be 10/10. Even with 16 gb of mods it is still just an average game and the success of this average game due to it's shiny graphic and hype from Bethseda can only mean RIP for Fallout 3.… Expand
  63. JohnyB.Good
    Jul 10, 2008
    0
    This 10/10 crap must be corrected for the sake of future gaming. Fallout 3.. rest in peace. *cries*
  64. Hrco
    Jul 10, 2008
    0
    It really is incredible how games have degraded in the last 10 years.
  65. Vjeran
    Jul 10, 2008
    0
    How can people give this game 10/10. It would mean the game is perfect. Oblivion is far from perfect. From all the bugs, problems with AI where your companions kill eachother, generic world that cannot possibly be compared to the diversity of Morrowind, etc it still gets 10/10 by some people?? And those sites that gave it 100/100?? Just shows what little money can do and how people can How can people give this game 10/10. It would mean the game is perfect. Oblivion is far from perfect. From all the bugs, problems with AI where your companions kill eachother, generic world that cannot possibly be compared to the diversity of Morrowind, etc it still gets 10/10 by some people?? And those sites that gave it 100/100?? Just shows what little money can do and how people can easily be swayed. 0/0 to rectify injustice.… Expand
  66. Josieboy
    Jul 10, 2008
    0
    I hope people have learned a lesson from Oblivion. Fallout 3 will pay the price. RIP.
  67. AnonymousMC
    Jun 17, 2009
    0
    Boring, unintuitive. This game was hailed as a masterpiece, I'm glad I tested it before buying - it's like a really poorly done version of a King's Field console game, and I LOVE first-person sword/magic fighting games. Why this received such rave reviews, I will never understand. You would have to pay ME to play this game, and again, I love RPGs, I love first personBoring, unintuitive. This game was hailed as a masterpiece, I'm glad I tested it before buying - it's like a really poorly done version of a King's Field console game, and I LOVE first-person sword/magic fighting games. Why this received such rave reviews, I will never understand. You would have to pay ME to play this game, and again, I love RPGs, I love first person swords/bows/magic type games. This game suffers horribly from repetition, lack of meat to the story beyond the initial jailbreak, and awful AI. How every guard on earth knows I stole a dinner plate from a house at 3 AM is beyond me. Travel is tedious aside from admiring the pretty countryside, which is suffering from a lack of variance in types of vegetation as well. Leveling is pointless. It actually gets harder to kill things as you gain levels.… Expand
  68. UweP.
    Mar 22, 2006
    0
    Tomorrow was pretty cool, but this is way more cool because you get to ride a horse and kidnap young maidens in the woods!
  69. SteveH.
    May 13, 2006
    0
    Way to boring to play for an extended time.
  70. AamirM.
    Jul 29, 2006
    0
    theres 2 bad things about one is that its boring, complicated and very depressimg and the second is nobody will stop saying its the best game ever and the hype makes me want it even if its crap.
  71. MarioKucan
    Oct 27, 2007
    0
    I am giving the game a 0 just because Bethseda bought great scores from the review sites!! I mean who would ever give a game that is far worse than Morrowind in every regard except graphic and combat a score 100????? The game has lots of bugs so it cannot be 100, and the fact so many sites gave it 100 proves they been bought!!
  72. EffjayO.
    May 12, 2008
    0
    I don't honestly believe any game can be a 0 or a 10. Yet I still would rate this game a 0, out of disgust for how it has affected the gaming industry as a whole and to cancel out the many 10 scores it receives. One last point before I begin: To those who rate it 10, I respect your opinion, but this is an role playing game. If it had been classified as an Action game, I surely I don't honestly believe any game can be a 0 or a 10. Yet I still would rate this game a 0, out of disgust for how it has affected the gaming industry as a whole and to cancel out the many 10 scores it receives. One last point before I begin: To those who rate it 10, I respect your opinion, but this is an role playing game. If it had been classified as an Action game, I surely wouldn't have wasted 50$ on it (*groan*), but might have had fun renting it on a console. To quote one 10 rating "If you get the expansions and download a few nice mods, the possibilities are almost endless! When you have learned to use the "TES 4 Mod Maker", you can modify the game in any way you like"; You can't modify bad design, no matter how hard you try. I tried the mods, and while they made the game more RPG-like, no combination was comprehensive enough to make this game interesting. I played this game at least 20 hours, with 2 different characters. I admit I totally bought into the hype after playing Morrowind once and finding it somewhat interesting (I never played 1 or 2, just didn't encounter them; they look like some old school fun). The more I played it, the more I was surprised by the way the game changed...yet stayed the same. This game is just repeated quest after repeated dungeon. It's all a blur of sameness, and everything can be done without any consequences whatsoever. You can be a criminal leader of every group, and it's always kill or hide as your only 2 options for encounters. Talking is dominated by a boring minigame. The dialogue trees are the same as they were in RPGs of the 1980s. The humor value of this game's badness is immense, which almost leads me to give it 1...but no. The amount of money Bethesda spends on hype and pr is insane, but it is not abnormal for the gaming industry. I learned my mistake, and have no plans on giving them *more* of my money to buy hype and shiny graphics: i.e. Fallout 3. As an action game, I would rate Oblivion as a 5: the combat is boring but not awful, and the graphics are beautiful. The only enjoyment I got out of this game was exploring the well rendered world, and I could just surf deviantart to see that.… Expand
  73. James
    Sep 5, 2009
    0
    Dull, repetitive, unfinished, not original and MASSIVELY over-hyped! Oblivion is a prime example of the deterioration of quality in the PC gaming industry. Everything about this game is flawed and dislikable. Sure, you have a huge world to roam around and explore but why bother, the landscape design has just been repeated over and over again. Its utterly uninteresting. The dialogue is Dull, repetitive, unfinished, not original and MASSIVELY over-hyped! Oblivion is a prime example of the deterioration of quality in the PC gaming industry. Everything about this game is flawed and dislikable. Sure, you have a huge world to roam around and explore but why bother, the landscape design has just been repeated over and over again. Its utterly uninteresting. The dialogue is laughable. Whos brilliant idea was it to have the same actors (about 5) doing the the voice for the entire game population. And they are rubbish at it. They sound so flat and borring. None of the NPC characters feel like they have any depth. None what so ever! But its not just the voice quality which is poor, its the script as a whole. Its not gripping in the slightest, it feels lifeless. The game art and design is horrible. The characters for instance are for the ugliest Ive ever witnessed in a game. And their movements are all static and robotic, just another element that breaks your immersion from the game. Gameplay is awfull. Combat is a matter of frantic mouse clicking. Attack, block attack block, or as it becomes soon enough, attack, attack, attack, attack... win or run away. There is nothing about it to make you want more. And the leveling system... I mean come on. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING! As you advance level so do your enemies??? So you have no real character development. Its pointless. Theres no reward for gaining skill and no motivation to continue. When you get to the highest skill level you want to be kicking ass. Not to be equal with your opponment like you were when you first started the game. The menus, this is appalling. It forces you into flicking back and forth between each section. No shortcuts. Irriatating in the least. The games story... yawn... nothing compelling in the slightest. Infact I never did complete Oblivion as I lost all interest. Now, I've rated this game a ZERO. It deserves it. I cannot understand why people are rating this game 10/10. My guess is they are kids who still have the fortunate ability to use their imaginations to over come all the short commings this game has. I have however no guess as to why the major industry critics have awarded Oblivion so much. Whatever happened to great game design with new innovative concepts??? Oblivion is a huge dissapointment that was a complete waste of my hard earn money. My advice is dont buy it, and dont be duped by all the 10/10 ratings!… Expand
  74. bosochargedhercegovan
    Nov 4, 2006
    0
    the graphics are drab, unbearable shit. i just want to tear the screen apart when I see them. its almost as if the developers mixed up their own spit and vomit and used that as inspiration. second, the artists are hired from some shitty mental insitution where they have daily art lessons. there is absolutely NOTHING inspiring or captivating about them at all. Decade old games like Mariothe graphics are drab, unbearable shit. i just want to tear the screen apart when I see them. its almost as if the developers mixed up their own spit and vomit and used that as inspiration. second, the artists are hired from some shitty mental insitution where they have daily art lessons. there is absolutely NOTHING inspiring or captivating about them at all. Decade old games like Mario or Zelda have more interesting and for the most part better graphics than oblivion. oblivion makes use of innovations like antialiasing and ASF and thats it.

    second the engine used is shit. gamebryo?? lol are you kidding. the programmers are shit. ever1 that worked on this game were the bottom scrapers of the industry. That is because Bethesda is a cheap-arse company that spends all its money on promotion and making crappy movie tie-ins.

    NWN2 is out now!! its not as good as i thought but kicks Obliviooons arse anyday.    … Expand
  75. CH
    Nov 10, 2007
    0
    I keep it short. This game is a piece of bugridden filth. Do not expect to even be able to finish the main quest because of game/plot braking bugs. Stay away from this game.
  76. JuliusB.
    Jul 26, 2007
    0
    An affront to the Elder Scrolls lore. I absolutely loved Morrowind, but Oblivion was a nightmare. Never have I seen a more sterile and apathic world with no personality in a game. The worst part was that it sold so well... I would bet too many people got disappointed.
  77. excessivekitty
    Jan 7, 2011
    0
    A pretty ragdoll. This game is one of the biggest waste of good potential I have seen in a long while. The lush graphics are wasted on an empty shell, on a dull, stiff, rigid, lifeless world where there is little to no compulsion to explore or do anything.

    The same can be said about the settings: the background and settings, very promising and incredibly rich, are completely wasted in    A pretty ragdoll. This game is one of the biggest waste of good potential I have seen in a long while. The lush graphics are wasted on an empty shell, on a dull, stiff, rigid, lifeless world where there is little to no compulsion to explore or do anything.

    The same can be said about the settings: the background and settings, very promising and incredibly rich, are completely wasted in this carapace devoided of any kind of a soul.

    On top of this, the hefty system requirements.

    Stay clear of this.    … Expand
  78. TiesTorN
    Nov 11, 2011
    0
    This game's level-scaling system is ruining everything... There no point in doing anything to raise your level because as you level up, creatures also level up with you simultaneously with all the benefits it brings (even the rats). And the funny part is you can finish the game easier at level 1. There is also an item problem where you fight your way and clean all the badass dungeons toThis game's level-scaling system is ruining everything... There no point in doing anything to raise your level because as you level up, creatures also level up with you simultaneously with all the benefits it brings (even the rats). And the funny part is you can finish the game easier at level 1. There is also an item problem where you fight your way and clean all the badass dungeons to the last level only to find a rusty sword... The game doesn't reward you for anything. Total ****… Expand
  79. Qis
    Oct 2, 2012
    0
    This game is broken
    1. leveling system is broken - you level up, you become weaker, not stronger while enemies become stronger and stronger. The game give you major skills that give you experience to level up but less attributes when used, minor skill give attributes but no experience to level up, so figure out how bad that is. It means to level up is by using major skills but the more    This game is broken
    1. leveling system is broken - you level up, you become weaker, not stronger while enemies become stronger and stronger. The game give you major skills that give you experience to level up but less attributes when used, minor skill give attributes but no experience to level up, so figure out how bad that is. It means to level up is by using major skills but the more you use minor skills the more attributes you get at level ups.
    2. AI is bad - NPC have no AI actually, they are programmed like robots, they just do what they are programmed to do and it is repetitive. Your ally NPC will attack enemies without AI, meaning they will chase the enemy into lava, river and they will likely be in front of you when you attack, in front of each other making friendly fire. And worse they will kill each other if there are too many friendly fire among them and turn on you in the middle of combat
    3. Anti-climax lame story - because of bad AI, big event in the game is like nothing happen to NPCs, right after the big event happen, they continue their program as usual. the story is also not worth to mention, no story to tell actually, just missions to do and these missions is not important as the whole. You can play without doing it anyway, so why bother?
    4. boring maps- The maps of caves, ruins and oblivion plane are repetitive, after few times playing you will see the very same thing over and over
    5. game breaking items and skill- Although the leveling system is broken you may carefully create a character that is in "god-mode" as soon as you have certain items and make your own spells. 120% invisibility, go figure out what is that?
    6. boring quests- all quests are boring and lost, A told you to go to B, b told to go to C, doing D or get E then return. Almost all quests are like this. These quests are lame and stupid. You become an errant boy/girl for someone. The background story of quests are also lame and not important.
    7. user interface is bad - everything are in tabs, tabs within tabs
    8. you can eat anything as long as you don't know the second effect could kill you, that is chemistry.
    9. you will end up using spells in the end even you planned to play as warrior or stealth
    10. too many to comment, just saying this game is BROKEN    … Expand
  80. Sirik_Matak
    Feb 6, 2015
    0
    The prime example why the next-gen was the biggest mistake in human entertainment history by lowering video games to lower and lower masses.
    Technically it was and especially still is a catastrophe (good luck running it on 64 bit), it really looked bad when it came out in 2006. It was mostly the lie, promising features that were not implemented (the bump mapping was only in the starting    The prime example why the next-gen was the biggest mistake in human entertainment history by lowering video games to lower and lower masses.
    Technically it was and especially still is a catastrophe (good luck running it on 64 bit), it really looked bad when it came out in 2006. It was mostly the lie, promising features that were not implemented (the bump mapping was only in the starting cell, now run the hype machine!).
    Level scalling basically ruined this game gameplay wise.
    The writing and world design was non existant. It's was just some **** put randomely in the world without any thought of reason. It was designed as a marketing product to promote Xbox and sell to masses expecting an easy, dumbed down ride in a disney land they can "enjoy".    … Expand
  81. koval321
    Dec 6, 2014
    0
    Enemies progression is broken, this is not right for RPG game because you may get feeling that you are punished for leveling rather feel like have benefits from it. And worst is that you can level pretty fast, am explored nearby locations around starting point and after make one circle I was already boss with super armor and weapon. After that all enemies around become pretty nasty and amEnemies progression is broken, this is not right for RPG game because you may get feeling that you are punished for leveling rather feel like have benefits from it. And worst is that you can level pretty fast, am explored nearby locations around starting point and after make one circle I was already boss with super armor and weapon. After that all enemies around become pretty nasty and am feel like nobody again, some weak looking monster kills me LOL Am made epic battle with some rat !!! And treasures probably don't match to your level so it look epic and ridiculous at one time. Also my problem was with locations where at beginning I though they are stunning beautiful after while they become repetitive, in this parts Skyrim is much better game. Play Gothic 3 its much better game in many parts in long distance. At very beginning am love Oblivion but now am at point where don't even want to complete it and am realized that Gothic 3 have all what is missing in it. So in fact am would rather complete G3 than continue this game. Its basically good game and may be enjoyable for few days but for long play its very bad it going downhill all the time to point where become unplayable. Its pretty ridiculous that I want to play it again and try to avoid leveling to have better chances complete it on level 1 LOL as RPG its terrible how they test it? Was its tested anyway? And on what are based scores on first hour play? In my opinion this game is broken to point of unplayable because you will never get advance, you never change anything for better all you do work against you LOL Am already have epic equipment and don't see any whatsoever advance from it. Only one good point is sneak + bow but after monster see you it may be pretty frustrating battle because boss are everywhere even some stupid road thief with full glass armor etc it look crazy! More you play then more you see that stuff. My initial score was really 10/10 but it drop to zero and that is final score. Its just bad game for long play.… Expand
  82. ViperITB
    Jul 23, 2020
    0
    Unbelievable disappointment after brilliant Morrowind. Plot written by guys who created last two seasons of GoT, animations and graphics ugly and unrealistic, gameplay boring as hell. You know where is the escape route from your prison? Under your bed, in the cell you had spent months in. And this is just the beginning of the game, it gets worse over time. If you never played Oblivion -Unbelievable disappointment after brilliant Morrowind. Plot written by guys who created last two seasons of GoT, animations and graphics ugly and unrealistic, gameplay boring as hell. You know where is the escape route from your prison? Under your bed, in the cell you had spent months in. And this is just the beginning of the game, it gets worse over time. If you never played Oblivion - skip it and go straight to Skyrim, you'll save yourself lot of time and frustration.… Expand
  83. canceRnya
    Oct 30, 2018
    0
    Тупа ноль. Наверное худшее творение худшей студий. Плохо все: от генератора персонажа в начале, до пещерки, в которой я это недоразумение бросил.
  84. GameExpert777
    May 30, 2018
    0
    The game is a complete disaster, not intuitive, non-friendly.
    It's obvious that the game was made only for hardcore fans and not for regular people/ gamers.
  85. EevieRoseAmalee
    Jun 24, 2023
    0
    The elder scrolls games spits in the face of most good elder scrolls games by destroying so much established lore and also it's open world is just a blank canvas with not much to do inbetween which says a lot as elder scrolls games have so much to do in their games.
  86. Carlton156
    Apr 11, 2022
    0
    THis game sucks ass... The only reason people like it must be nostalgia because the levelling system, a major part of any RPG. is utter garbage and makes you become weaker relatively speaking. The combat sucks and the only saving grace is some funny dialogues between NPCs.

    Aged horribly..
  87. CasualReviewer
    Oct 8, 2021
    0
    This game is so damn awful. The combat is terrible, enemies are overpowered even if playing on super easy, the quests are so blank or straight up impossible. When you get past the tutorial, THE WHOLE map is open to you meaning you can fast travel anywhere with no exploration at all. The buildings are massive compared to the actual entrance. i spent 15 minutes figuring out how to get intoThis game is so damn awful. The combat is terrible, enemies are overpowered even if playing on super easy, the quests are so blank or straight up impossible. When you get past the tutorial, THE WHOLE map is open to you meaning you can fast travel anywhere with no exploration at all. The buildings are massive compared to the actual entrance. i spent 15 minutes figuring out how to get into the arena.
    Best for last, THE LOCKPICKING. Its so **** tedious, causing you to loose everytime because theres no indication wherever you are doing it right or not. We have got to a point where lockpicking virtually is harder than in real life and im NOT kidding here.    … Expand
  88. Simonyan4ik
    Mar 7, 2022
    0
    Old and disgusting game. the pinnacle of absurdity. and terrible game design. main quest for children with down syndrome
  89. Antohadance
    Jun 22, 2022
    0
    Скучный душный кал, кому нибудь может и понравится, но для меня это неиграбельно
  90. sezzce
    Jul 3, 2023
    0
    The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a timeless masterpiece that has captivated the hearts of gamers since its release. Developed by Bethesda Game Studios, this epic open-world role-playing game takes players on a breathtaking journey through the fantastical realm of Cyrodiil. As a passionate fan, I cannot help but pen this review to celebrate the boundless wonders and immersive experiencesThe Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a timeless masterpiece that has captivated the hearts of gamers since its release. Developed by Bethesda Game Studios, this epic open-world role-playing game takes players on a breathtaking journey through the fantastical realm of Cyrodiil. As a passionate fan, I cannot help but pen this review to celebrate the boundless wonders and immersive experiences that Oblivion offers.

    From the moment you step foot in the lush and meticulously crafted world, you are greeted by a level of depth and attention to detail that is truly awe-inspiring. The expansive landscapes, brimming with vibrant flora and fauna, breathe life into the game's environment. Whether you're wandering through dense forests, exploring ancient ruins, or traversing serene countryside, the visual splendor is simply breathtaking.

    The heart and soul of Oblivion, however, lies in its engaging gameplay and enthralling storyline. The game offers players unprecedented freedom to shape their own destiny. You have the ability to create a unique character, choosing from a wide array of races, classes, and skills, each with its own distinct advantages and abilities. This customization adds a personal touch, ensuring that every playthrough is a truly individual experience.

    The quest system in Oblivion is nothing short of a triumph. The main storyline, centered around the Emperor's assassination and the rise of the Oblivion Gates, is gripping and full of surprises at every turn. The intricate web of side quests, guild quests, and miscellaneous tasks provides countless hours of gameplay. Each quest feels purposeful and rewards players with compelling narratives, memorable characters, and valuable loot.

    Combat in Oblivion strikes a perfect balance between strategy and action. Whether you prefer wielding a sword, casting powerful spells, or relying on stealth, the game accommodates various playstyles. The leveling system is intricate yet accessible, allowing you to develop your character's skills and attributes as you see fit. The sense of progression and growth is immensely satisfying, as you become a force to be reckoned with in the realm of Cyrodiil.

    Furthermore, the enchanting musical score composed by Jeremy Soule elevates the game to new heights. The sweeping orchestral melodies effortlessly transport you into the game's world, enhancing the emotional impact of every moment. Combined with the superb voice acting and ambient sound effects, Oblivion's audio design is truly a work of art.

    It's worth mentioning that the modding community for Oblivion is vibrant and active. Countless fan-made modifications enhance and expand the game, offering players even more content, quests, and visual enhancements. This dedication from the community further solidifies Oblivion's enduring appeal and longevity.

    In conclusion, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a testament to the power of immersive storytelling and meticulous world-building. With its captivating gameplay, stunning visuals, unforgettable characters, and an unparalleled sense of exploration, it has rightly earned its place as a classic in the RPG genre. Whether you're a seasoned adventurer or new to the world of Tamriel, Oblivion promises an unforgettable journey that will leave you yearning for more. Step through the gates and lose yourself in this gaming masterpiece.    … Expand

Awards & Rankings

1
#1 Best PC Game of 2006
2
#2 Most Discussed PC Game of 2006
2
#2 Most Shared PC Game of 2006

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 54 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 54 out of 54
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 54
  3. Negative: 0 out of 54
  1. Entertainment Weekly
    100
    It’s just so damned big. That’s what you’ll say after playing Oblivion for more than an hour. Or, for that matter, 50 hours.
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  2. Game Over Online
    96
    Oblivion is by far the closest I have come to playing D&D Sunday afternoons with my friends (yes, I did that, though I’m on medication now), all wrapped up in a stunning package with tens of thousands of lines of spoken dialog and good music.
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  3. Quandary
    100
    I honestly have to say that I am in favour of most of the changes and I think Oblivion is an awesome achievement from Bethesda.
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