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. fateappointed
    Feb 3, 2014
    8
    Story: 7 out of 10, Graphics: 10 out of 10, Fun: 8 out of 10, Controls: 6 out of 10, Difficulty: 8 out of 10, Length: 10 out of 10, Re-play: 6 out of 10, Value: 8 out of 10
  2. Richardvennberg
    Jan 25, 2014
    10
    The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion is the best game i have ever played in my entire life. Skyrim does not even come close. Every character in this game has their own personality and every quest feels worthwhile to do. All the guilds has interesting stories that keeps you playing for way longer then you planned. It does not matter if you are inside a dark dungeon or in the deep forests, the gameThe Elder Scrolls: Oblivion is the best game i have ever played in my entire life. Skyrim does not even come close. Every character in this game has their own personality and every quest feels worthwhile to do. All the guilds has interesting stories that keeps you playing for way longer then you planned. It does not matter if you are inside a dark dungeon or in the deep forests, the game is still colourful and epic, compared to Skyrims 10 shades of gray and no other colors in the game.

    If you have not played this game and you like games with strong stories and RPG, buy it... NOW. You can get it for as cheap as 5 bucks these days.    … Expand
  3. sagesource
    Dec 22, 2013
    9
    Newcomers to the Elder Scrolls world should be warned of the existence of a menace that should not be allowed to influence their opinion of the series or its individual game. This is the sub-variety of fanboy I have dubbed the "Morrowindbag." The attitude of a Morrowindbag is that Morrowind was a great game (I agree with that) and that every other Elder Scrolls game after it was garbage.Newcomers to the Elder Scrolls world should be warned of the existence of a menace that should not be allowed to influence their opinion of the series or its individual game. This is the sub-variety of fanboy I have dubbed the "Morrowindbag." The attitude of a Morrowindbag is that Morrowind was a great game (I agree with that) and that every other Elder Scrolls game after it was garbage. 95% of the time, this is pure fanboy snobbery. Morrowind was an outstanding game for its time and is well worth playing today. But its complexities merely reflect the complex society in which it was set, the Dark Elves of Morrowind. The idea that the urbane Imperials of Cyrodiil, much less the "hearty" (or stupid) Nords of Skyrim should behave like Dark Elves is ludicrous. But that's your fanboy for you. He learns one game, and instead of taking a flexible approach, he sits in his little fortress and spends the rest of his days sneering at everyone else. OK, dude, it's a free country. But outsiders trying to get some idea of what the ES series is all about are well advised to ignore him.

    Not that some good ideas from Morrowind, and Oblivion, haven't been mistakenly set aside. I much prefer Morrowind's drag and drop approach to equipping your character to Skyrim's dress-in-the-dark, which sometimes leads you to wandering around outside in your underwear. I don't think that Skyrim should have thrown out custom spellmaking, either it was ridiculously overpowered in Oblivion, but the answer to that is to tone it down, not to throw it out. But many of the Morrowindbag's criticisms are on the level of "the armor in Skyrim is too simple!" If you can get so attached to one game that you can't accept the next one unless it has pauldrons, then you damn well need professional help.    … Expand
  4. TomR
    Dec 13, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. One of my favorite games as a kid.
    I loved this masterpiece and it introduced me to the Elder Scrolls, like it was godlike.
    The thing I loved the most was the grand arena as it was fun and a little challenging.
    And The thing that made me laugh and a little annoyed was "the annoying fan" who followed you everywhere you went.
    But I also loved being a vampire, and the mods.
    If you want to try the Elder Scrolls, I would strongly recommend trying this masterpiece as an introduction.    … Expand
  5. 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
  6. DominikCZE
    Nov 9, 2013
    10
    I must say that this is another one of my all time favorites, the lore sucked me right in and I've been an Elder Scrolls fan/nerd ever since, reading every bit of information available anywhere about Tamriel. The graphics were outstanding for the time and Cyrodill was beautiful with its diverse cities and fantasy landscapes.
    There are a couple of things that need to be scrutinized though.    I must say that this is another one of my all time favorites, the lore sucked me right in and I've been an Elder Scrolls fan/nerd ever since, reading every bit of information available anywhere about Tamriel. The graphics were outstanding for the time and Cyrodill was beautiful with its diverse cities and fantasy landscapes.
    There are a couple of things that need to be scrutinized though. For one, the main quest wasn't that entertaining and constantly closing Oblivion gates got old fast, it was also quite invasive, you were basically forced into the main quest right from the start. Another thing that needs to be mentioned is the auto-scaling system. Oh damn, those bandits are too strong for me, I'll just come back later after I level up a bit. What's this? How did they all get glass armor and higher level? And I'm dead again. Terrible game mechanic. Otherwise fantastic game everyone should atleast give a shot.    … Expand
  7. keefbaker
    Nov 3, 2013
    8
    Sadly, while bethesda sorted out the control system and and voice acting for this installment of the elder scrolls, they removed the heart and character from it. It's still a good game with a lot of content but compared to other installments this is the ugly step-child.
  8. QuitBeingStupid
    Oct 30, 2013
    10
    Loved it.
    Tons to do. Lots of side quests of all shapes and sizes.
    Good main story, and climatic ending that has an epic look and feel to it. Virtually a total open world. So much to do, especially for the Easily 100+ hours of playtime. You can even finish the main quest first and still have 2/3 of the game left to play. And the Shimmering Isle questline/expansion really feels like    Loved it.
    Tons to do. Lots of side quests of all shapes and sizes.
    Good main story, and climatic ending that has an epic look and feel to it.
    Virtually a total open world. So much to do, especially for the Easily 100+ hours of playtime. You can even finish the main quest first and still have 2/3 of the game left to play.
    And the Shimmering Isle questline/expansion really feels like another game in itself. Since it comes with the gamer on Steam it is another reason to buy, especially when it's on sale.
    Easy to start/stop for casual gamers too.

    *There was the occasional graphical bug glitch, and one of my weapons copied itself twice.    … Expand
  9. makeswell
    Oct 26, 2013
    8
    I love the setting of this game. You can be a vampire and enter people's homes and feast on their flesh. You also have to choose whether to be a vampire or not and if you do there are both advantages and disadvantages, like being stronger at night but weaker during the day. That is awesome. There is also a bunch else that's cool with the setting, like assassinating people and fiery worldsI love the setting of this game. You can be a vampire and enter people's homes and feast on their flesh. You also have to choose whether to be a vampire or not and if you do there are both advantages and disadvantages, like being stronger at night but weaker during the day. That is awesome. There is also a bunch else that's cool with the setting, like assassinating people and fiery worlds with goblins and stuff. It's really neat in that sense.

    The combat in this game is just lame. There is no combat. I would rather play a shooter, or Bioshock, or anything. Maybe I'm just a complainer, and yes I do tend to lean towards strategy anyways, but the combat is too much click too little think for me, but that's just my take on it.    … Expand
  10. TheGamer31
    Oct 11, 2013
    9
    This game is simply amazing in many aspects. Amazing scenery, great graphics, excellent gameplay, one of the best stories in games, the list goes on and on. This is a very different experience than it is on console. I actually recommend this version over the console version because of two things: mods and better graphics. The only thing holding this back from being a perfect title is theThis game is simply amazing in many aspects. Amazing scenery, great graphics, excellent gameplay, one of the best stories in games, the list goes on and on. This is a very different experience than it is on console. I actually recommend this version over the console version because of two things: mods and better graphics. The only thing holding this back from being a perfect title is the insanely annoying UI in the inventory screen.… Expand
  11. Andrevv14
    Oct 9, 2013
    10
    This is my favourite game of all time, it covers all aspects a game should. The combat, world design, level design, character design, controls, and soundtrack all work together to make what in my opinion is a flawless game. For those who hate on Oblivion, because they are veterans of the series and prefer Morrowind or because they joined the bandwagon when Skyrim came out, at least give itThis is my favourite game of all time, it covers all aspects a game should. The combat, world design, level design, character design, controls, and soundtrack all work together to make what in my opinion is a flawless game. For those who hate on Oblivion, because they are veterans of the series and prefer Morrowind or because they joined the bandwagon when Skyrim came out, at least give it a try. Fantastic game… Expand
  12. 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.
  13. 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
  14. CaptainThom
    Sep 9, 2013
    9
    Its beyond me how anybody can give this game 0 out of 10, as this would imply that Oblivion is one of the worst games ever created, this is far from true. However this doesn't mean that Oblivion is perfect a lot of the characters repeat the same lines and the facial animations are nothing to write home about on top of that the system with which you persuade people to like you more is wayIts beyond me how anybody can give this game 0 out of 10, as this would imply that Oblivion is one of the worst games ever created, this is far from true. However this doesn't mean that Oblivion is perfect a lot of the characters repeat the same lines and the facial animations are nothing to write home about on top of that the system with which you persuade people to like you more is way to easy.

    Now that's over with let me tell you that Oblivion is one of my all time favorite games that i have logged countless hours onto. The world really drags you and i even found myself reading up on the lore just to understand the game more (You really don't need to). The combat isn't amazing but there are many ways to fight depending on your class offering a different experience with every play through. The story itself is engaging and draws you in making you actually care about the fate of Tamerial. The game itself is huge there are thousands of quests to complete and dungeons to explore on a huge map, the quests themselves differ massively from simply clearing dungeons to going into a warped painting world (Yes really) and that's ignoring the portals to Oblivion (Different plane of existence for Deadra) that take you to a completely different world more reminiscent of hell.

    For me Oblivion is a benchmark for all future RPG's to compare themselves. Truly a great game and one of the ultimate gaming experiences.    … Expand
  15. BountyCritic
    Sep 8, 2013
    10
    My absolute favourite Elder Scrolls game of all time, for the fact that it has the best atmosphere and quests, a veried envoirment and an astounding soundtrack.
  16. gerbils99
    Sep 7, 2013
    6
    Almost every single mechanic in this game was done better partly in Morrowind and then later partly in Skyrim making it seem very dated and irrelevant. They took a step back from Morrowind.
  17. UntoldAv3nGer
    Aug 31, 2013
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. I think it's time for me to give this game the 10 that it deserves. Although I did not like the main quest (such a chore imo) which I did only to get rid of the extremely annoying oblivion gates, I still thought that the main characters (Baurus, Jauffre, and Martin) were somewhat lovable. When every one of them died at the end, Cloud Ruler Temple died. More bad: the wolves will chase you forever, which is annoying as well. HOWEVER, those are pretty much the only bad things about the game, other than it crashes whenever I exit. The world is so amazing. I love every single village, town, and city. The map is incredibly easy to memorize. The soundtrack is one of the best soundtracks in games because you'll find that whenever an enemy sees you, the intense music plays and you'll want the peaceful music back again. The leveling system isn't very good compared to Skyrim's, but it will do. There are so many adventures to be had, like being kidnapped while sleeping and find yourself in the middle of the ocean on a boat, or you see a soldier charging into a fort and follow him, to find yourself in the midst of a bandit bust. There are so many locations, not to mention many more added by mods. Nexus Mods have anything from graphics mods to being a pirate. And Deserts of Anequina brings Elsweyr to Oblivion. Get this game! Why not, it's not like its $60 anymore.… Expand
  18. Lowpayne911
    Aug 17, 2013
    10
    This game always loomed around the video store unnoticed, until I picked it up one day by chance. I never looked back since then, it is one of my all time favorites, and I will always treasure the memories and experiences this game gave me. Absolute 10/10.
  19. OmnipotentGamer
    Aug 5, 2013
    9
    This game was my introduction to the elder scrolls series.
    Story-
    7/10 as far as story goes I'd give oblivion a 7/10 monarch X has been killed the hero must now find his heir and stop event Y from happening. The story has a couple memorable characters such as Baruas, Mankar Cameron, Lucius and Jauffre, but outside of that none really seem that unique or different. Gameplay 9/10 The    This game was my introduction to the elder scrolls series.
    Story-
    7/10
    as far as story goes I'd give oblivion a 7/10 monarch X has been killed the hero must now find his heir and stop event Y from happening. The story has a couple memorable characters such as Baruas, Mankar Cameron, Lucius and Jauffre, but outside of that none really seem that unique or different.

    Gameplay
    9/10
    The gate mechanic is fun and original, I never thought closing gates got old. Another great mechanic is the radiant AI, they make you feel like you are actually in a living, breathing world.

    Quests
    8/10
    Some quests in the game are better than others for example, in my opinion, the fighter.s guild, thieve's guild (until the last couple of quests) and mage's guild are fairly lack luster; while The Dark Brotherhood, The main quest line, various NPC quests, and the Deadric quests are very fun.

    The Sound
    10/10
    Amazing OST, simply epic

    Dungeon Design
    9/10
    non-linear dungeons with traps and lots of loot keep these very entertaining at first, but start to feel repetitive by the end of the game.

    Graphics
    at its time 10/10, but even with aging I can't give it below a 8/10

    Challenge
    8/10
    The difficulty slider is there for experienced RPG players, but once you get to the late game where you have money out your ears the game becomes fairly easy once more.

    Verdict
    8.6/10    … Expand
  20. Osmium
    Jul 29, 2013
    8
    A great RPG with a huge world to explore. Soundtrack, atmosphere, the freedom to roam freely around Tamriel, hundreds of quests to fulfill, Oblivion is full of content. On the downside, the world feels a bit lifeless and generic after some hours of playtime, which is why personally I found the addon "Shivering Isles" with its weird surroundings to be the best part of the game. Not as goodA great RPG with a huge world to explore. Soundtrack, atmosphere, the freedom to roam freely around Tamriel, hundreds of quests to fulfill, Oblivion is full of content. On the downside, the world feels a bit lifeless and generic after some hours of playtime, which is why personally I found the addon "Shivering Isles" with its weird surroundings to be the best part of the game. Not as good as Skyrim or Morrowind, but still definitely recommandable for anyone interested in RPGs.… Expand
  21. dwaynejones
    Jul 26, 2013
    10
    I have played many RPG in my life and this one always remains a classic. This is leaps and bonds over the final fantasy, fables and even Morrowind. Morrowind in terms of combat and atmosphere was alot less enaging than in oblivion. Combat is much more engaging, as it should be for this style of game. Quests are entertaining and tough enemies are very challenging.
  22. Ndi
    Jun 12, 2013
    10
    The game is great, superb graphics, well optimized, stable. But that gives it an 8.

    The 9 is because of immersion. No only is the game absolutely immersive, more so than any other TES games (Skyrim included) but it's so impressive that sometimes I just stop and look around, soaking the atmosphere. Sunset by the sea, with the sun making its reflection on water orange-red, storm in the    The game is great, superb graphics, well optimized, stable. But that gives it an 8.

    The 9 is because of immersion. No only is the game absolutely immersive, more so than any other TES games (Skyrim included) but it's so impressive that sometimes I just stop and look around, soaking the atmosphere. Sunset by the sea, with the sun making its reflection on water orange-red, storm in the woods, with an amazing sound and the trees swaying in the wind, grass shaking and animals running for cover. This makes the game more than a walk-talk-fight game if you take the time.

    And the 10 is because Oblivion is one of the most expanded and modified game ever made. Thousands of skins, bodies, armors, weapons, locations, adventure, missions, even the books have content that can be added, effects, magic, textures, SFX, sound, music, everything.

    If you have the computing power, a high resolution pack makes this game a marvel even in 2013, 7 years after its release and the community keeps it fresh every day.

    This game deserves its place among the titans.    … Expand
  23. unclefester91
    Jun 2, 2013
    10
    i owned it on the Xbox on release, followed by the PC upon getting a gaming rig, i have completed each faction and the main quest countless times and still discover new things with each playthrough. you have my recommendation.
  24. BlackWidow
    Jun 2, 2013
    8
    I am a HUGE fan of the TES games. I have played them all and even modded the tar out of III and IV. TES IV: Oblivion is a fantastic game. The only reason I gave it a score of 8 is because although I love the game, there are a few things I wish Bethesda would have done better or differently.

    Let me start with the BAD: There's a lot here. The leveling system I don't care for, because    I am a HUGE fan of the TES games. I have played them all and even modded the tar out of III and IV. TES IV: Oblivion is a fantastic game. The only reason I gave it a score of 8 is because although I love the game, there are a few things I wish Bethesda would have done better or differently.

    Let me start with the BAD: There's a lot here.

    The leveling system I don't care for, because the way the creatures level with you, I never felt like my player got any stronger. I also thought the storyline was a little weak. I felt very unsatisfied when it ended. The Oblivion gates were very tedious. It seems like someone just got lazy and copy/pasted. Not much fun. Furthermore, the NPC races share voices instead of each having a unique voice as in TES III: Morrowind. This was a let down. Furthermore, it doesn't seem like Bethesda put very much effort into NPC realism with this title. For instance, if you get caught stealing or trespassing, the guards will try to arrest you, however, if you get busted in let's say the Imperial City, resist arrest, head to let's say, Bruma and then talk to a guard, they will try to arrest you for that crime you committed in the Imperial City. I guess the guards are all psychic. Weird. I mean, how could the guards know your character was a wanted criminal in another village? Same thing when you steal an Imperial Legion horse. Even though the guard is lying there dead and you take the horse, you can still get busted. Those legion horses are the same as other horses in the game. Are they tagged or branded or something? NPC reactions are pretty bad. As with Morrowind, people had many things to say to your character regarding nudity, the weather, disease, and many other things. You don't see this in Oblivion. Rather dull if you ask me and very unrealistic. Thanks to mods, many of these bad points I've noted have been fixed, but it's something Bethesda should have done. Oblivion seems to have focused mainly on graphics and eye candy rather than realism. Sad but true.

    Now for the GOOD:

    The journal/quest system is awesome. In Morrowind, you could break quests if you weren't careful. This has been very much improved in Oblivion. Great. The graphics are incredible. The combat system I found very fun and enjoyable. The alchemy is a blast to play with as you can make very powerful potions. I especially liked the powerful weather effects. Very good! The guild quests were all good and the side quests were fun as well. I really liked the ability to buy houses and ride horses. The forts and caves all seemed a little repetitive, but were still fun in ways. All in all, although I feel the game has more bad points than good, I still have to rank it as the 3rd best in the TES series. The game is awesome despite its many flaws. 8/10.    … Expand
  25. chandler1178
    May 23, 2013
    10
    Considering the required technology, oblivion is the most technically brilliant game ever created. Not only upon release did no other game match its graphics, but no other game matched its size. The levelling system which is the most heavily criticized characteristic, is completely brilliant. The game rewards the creation of the character in a way that is planned to succeed. For example,Considering the required technology, oblivion is the most technically brilliant game ever created. Not only upon release did no other game match its graphics, but no other game matched its size. The levelling system which is the most heavily criticized characteristic, is completely brilliant. The game rewards the creation of the character in a way that is planned to succeed. For example, an orc that tries to be a pure mage will inevitably fail by level 20 for lack of magicka and levels, but a high elf will succeed. Oblivion makes the decisions while creating and levelling your character determine their ability after to succeed after levelling. Someone very good can make their character improve after levelling up compared to their surroundings if they do everything correctly. Otherwise, they have to compensate with skill in battle. I have spent hundreds of hours perfecting characters and maximizing efficiency and moving through the game at a normal pace allows this to still be achieved by the smart.… Expand
  26. timmybus
    May 20, 2013
    10
    My favorite RPG of all time, I wish it would have been as in depth rpg wise as morrowind, and have as many weapon types but it makes up for it with tonnes of quests, really fun combat and a massive map that I'm still finding new things in after years of playing. This game will never be forgotten.
  27. PStakhiv
    May 16, 2013
    8
    The best game of 2006 when fully patched! Huge and beautiful world of Syrodyl can give you an adventure you won't forget! Sure it has it's downside lack of memorable characters(except maybe Martin voiced by Sean Bean), and most missions are boring (go bring me...).
  28. Pepelinojosefo
    Apr 13, 2013
    9
    Uno de mis juegos favoritos! Aunque, tengo que aceptar que tiene varias cosas malas, por ejemplo, la cara de los NPCs (sobretodo los orcos) dan miedo, pero eso es lo de menos. Los gráficos para la época eran cosas de otro mundo, la historia al principio tal vez sea aburrida, pero poco a poco va mejorando y haciéndose mejor, algunos voice actors capaz estaban dormido mientras se grababan laUno de mis juegos favoritos! Aunque, tengo que aceptar que tiene varias cosas malas, por ejemplo, la cara de los NPCs (sobretodo los orcos) dan miedo, pero eso es lo de menos. Los gráficos para la época eran cosas de otro mundo, la historia al principio tal vez sea aburrida, pero poco a poco va mejorando y haciéndose mejor, algunos voice actors capaz estaban dormido mientras se grababan la voz, pero otros poseen un buen voice acting, los efectos de sonido son muy realistas, el sneaking system esta muy bien hecho, la libertad que posee es muy bueno, las misiones opcionales (para mi) son mejores que la historia principal (sobretodo la arena). La inteligencia artificial esta muy bien desarrollada y el juego es muuuuuuuy adictivo. Cyrodill tiene mucho para ofrecer, tiene una gran variedad de monstruos que se adaptan a tu nivel cada vez que progresas en el juego y la cantidad de misiones opcionales es impresionante. Altamente recomendable!… Expand
  29. The_Bear
    Apr 3, 2013
    10
    The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion has its flaws, but what it does right, dear God, it does SO right. This game is one of a kind, and don't let anyone tell you otherwise. A must play.
  30. Aralvar
    Mar 30, 2013
    9
    If you haven't played this game before, please don't let the negative reviews prevent you from trying it. Many of them are from whiny Morrowind fanboys that have nostalgia goggles glued to their face, whether they admit it or not. I know this because I first played Morrowind before I played Oblivion and then Skyrim. For starters, the AI is a vast improvement in Oblivion. You won't see soIf you haven't played this game before, please don't let the negative reviews prevent you from trying it. Many of them are from whiny Morrowind fanboys that have nostalgia goggles glued to their face, whether they admit it or not. I know this because I first played Morrowind before I played Oblivion and then Skyrim. For starters, the AI is a vast improvement in Oblivion. You won't see so many NPCs that are just robots that have nothing better to do than stand in their shop or wander around town all day and night. You won't see so many enemies getting stuck on objects or jogging in place. The combat system is HUGE, and I mean HUGE improvement over Morrowind. The world is a million times more fun to explore. You're no longer limited to "Wooden door in side of mountain, Copy and Pasted Dwarven ruin, and occasional Daedric ruin." There are the usual caves and tombs, but they're more varied and the Dwarven Ruins have been replaced with Ayleid ones, and you'll find more daedric lord quests to get unique artifacts, for a refreshing change of pace. And in place of Daedric ruins, you'll now find abandoned military forts that have since been reclaimed by bandits. Plus you'll be finding more bandit camps that are just out in the wilderness. I myself found the world of Morrowind to be dull and lifeless. I'm sorry, but huge mushrooms and crazy looking animals do not cut it for me. The environment in Oblivion feels so much more alive! You'll find deer, wolves, and other such animals you would expect to be wandering the wilderness that will interact with each other; instead of just a billion Nix Hounds and Cliff Racers that stand around much like the NPCs. The graphics are a given, and I won't go into that too much. The physics have been greatly improved, the NPCs have more personality. When you meet someone, there's a better chance they're not "Fargoth, Commoner" as you would so commonly find in Morrowind. When you go into a Tavern, it feels like a Tavern. You can even sit down in a chair and roleplay a bit, unlike Morrowind where you simply go to sell some junk while the NPCs stand there lifelessly. I compare Oblivion to Morrowind because I know most of the bad reviews come from the fanboys that are completely blind to the HUGE improvements that were made in Oblivion. Trust me, as a fair reviewer who tries to be objective about the series (I rate Oblivion the highest, Morrowind second, and Skyrim third), I would recommend this game to anyone who likes RPGs. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the fun new quest types they have available. Like the Dark Brotherhood, where you can act as a hitman and sneakily assassinate your targets. Or the Thieves Guild quest, which now seem to actually require you to be a sneak thief. Unlike in Morrowind, where you could essentially be a good thief with nothing but a good lockpick skill. Walk past extremely dumb NPC, close door, pick lock on chest, take item, report back to quest giver. Just another case where Oblivion is far superior to Morrowind, I think. Oh, and then there's the new Arena quest, where you can fight kind of like a gladiator against numerous opponents in a Colosseum-esque arena. Now, to be fair, there are some flaws. At higher levels, you'll find many bandits who spawn with expensive armor, which kind of makes them seem less like bandits. They added a quest marker system, which some people feel is a terrible change from Morrowind. Instead of having to follow directions from someone, you'll have a quest marker telling you where to go. This is debatable if this is even a flaw though. The map is much larger and not nearly as easy to memorize as Morrowind, who's map seemed to consist mostly of easy to remember paths and easy to find locations. So this is a flaw for some, a positive for others, or just a "who cares" thing (that's how I feel about it). There's less weapon types, which hardly feel like a difference in most cases. Sorry Morrowind fans, but I never felt the need to use all the different random short blades and throwing knives they had in there. Though some weapons were left out that definitely should have been included, like spears and crossbows. Though that doesn't mean you'll be lacking in weaponry, you still have quite a few weapon types to select from. There is a shortage of voice actors, which doesn't seem to be a very valid complaint seeing as voice acting in Morrowind seemed almost non-existent. Even if they used two voice actors to voice every character, it would have been a step up. And even though there is a shortage of voice actors, the ones they did use sound great. The whole "Stop! You violated the law!" thing just wouldn't be the same if it weren't for that one Imperial voice saying it. I want to go on, but I'm running out of room to finish this review. All I can say is that this is my favorite Elder Scrolls game, and one of my most favorite video games of all time.… Expand
  31. CaptainCupboard
    Mar 22, 2013
    9
    I loved Oblivion, not as long and dragging as Morrowind and not as short and simple as Skyrim, love the plot, characters are so interesting, combats fun. I loved it, still like it I suppose. There are many quests and very few of them are like the errand running quests thrown at you in Morrowind and Skyrim. While I admit the scenery is a bit boring and same-old same-old its still moreI loved Oblivion, not as long and dragging as Morrowind and not as short and simple as Skyrim, love the plot, characters are so interesting, combats fun. I loved it, still like it I suppose. There are many quests and very few of them are like the errand running quests thrown at you in Morrowind and Skyrim. While I admit the scenery is a bit boring and same-old same-old its still more attractive and there is a variety of areas to explore. While Morrowind is better at depth I found it a bit too much, Oblivion has just the right amount for it to feel like a game, not a story.

    Character creations funny, you could make your nose MASSIVE and have long turquoise hair. Combat is entertaining and deaths can be made funny when you drag bodies around and make them spaz out. Leveling was OK, don't know if I like it as much as Skyrim's but its cool. Side quests are great and fun, especially Shivering Isles, I like the arena and I like all the guilds you can join and they really make the game interesting. Mods REALLY open up the game to be even more fun. I'd strongly recommend it.    … Expand
  32. Skals
    Feb 2, 2013
    10
    An amazing game, fun to play, could spend 100+ hours in it and still be playing. It's even better if you bought it for PC, as there are tons of community mods for it, adding loads of new content, bug fixes, and more!
  33. mrpeip
    Jan 26, 2013
    9
    TES IV: Oblivion opened the door of a new kind of RPG playing, it's visuals and it's gameplay are wonderful but still, and as many Bethesda games, t's a bit buggy. Even though, I believe this is one of the best games Bethesda ever made.
  34. Budget_Security
    Jan 16, 2013
    6
    A good game if not for the bugs, crashes, mod setup difficulties, and many mediocre quests. Flaws aside, this is a big immersive game. Its the first fantasy/magic RPG I have played, and not a bad introduction to fantasy RPGs. I liked the music and little things like the ingame books and collecting alchemy ingredients. Get it to play Nehrim, a german super-mod, better than Oblivion, and oneA good game if not for the bugs, crashes, mod setup difficulties, and many mediocre quests. Flaws aside, this is a big immersive game. Its the first fantasy/magic RPG I have played, and not a bad introduction to fantasy RPGs. I liked the music and little things like the ingame books and collecting alchemy ingredients. Get it to play Nehrim, a german super-mod, better than Oblivion, and one of the best mods ever made.
    5/10 for Oblivion
    8/10 for Nehrim    … Expand
  35. xZippy
    Jan 5, 2013
    8
    Oblivion is no doubt an excellent game. My review might be a bit judgement-clouded because I've played Skyrim and waited too long to do a review on this game. On one hand, the storytelling, character development, spells and variety of weapons/skills/potions are all done with brilliance. On the other hand, some parts of the game seem insanely rushed and unpolished. The caves are copy andOblivion is no doubt an excellent game. My review might be a bit judgement-clouded because I've played Skyrim and waited too long to do a review on this game. On one hand, the storytelling, character development, spells and variety of weapons/skills/potions are all done with brilliance. On the other hand, some parts of the game seem insanely rushed and unpolished. The caves are copy and pastes. The time-freezing when talking to NPC's is very stupid and sucks away the atmosphere. The level up system is pretty bad, but tolerable... Somewhat. Some NPC's will change the pitch of their voice out of nowhere. The sneaking is done well, but can be very unpredictable and frustrating because you can still be detected no matter how quiet or far away you were. No diagonal running, ugh. The dialogue between NPC's is as bad as a Tommy Wiseau movie. Some potions found in the game have hardly any reason to exist, because potions like "Restore 1 Luck Point" is beyond trivial. Overall, the game is great, but the many glitches and laziness of the game is there too.… Expand
  36. 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
  37. HenryCase
    Dec 25, 2012
    5
    The worst of all Elder Scrolls games. Badly designed boring world compared to morrowind or skyrim and an absolute broken level scale system made this game almost uplayable to me. I spent weeks to get a propper mod to get rid of the level scaling, but the mods crippled the game even more. It's unbelievable how Bethesda could release such a mess. For all fans of Skyrim who search anotherThe worst of all Elder Scrolls games. Badly designed boring world compared to morrowind or skyrim and an absolute broken level scale system made this game almost uplayable to me. I spent weeks to get a propper mod to get rid of the level scaling, but the mods crippled the game even more. It's unbelievable how Bethesda could release such a mess. For all fans of Skyrim who search another great elder scrolls expirience: simpyl grab the Morrowind Game Of The Year edition. It's Astronomic Units ahead of this broken moneymaker release called oblivion. Still a better game than most modern titles though.… Expand
  38. Z30-pro
    Dec 17, 2012
    10
    The game is action packed, has an amazing storyline with more than enough different paths you can pick to walk, all by yourself. Oblivion has has been pulled down by many because the environment levels as you level, as in the monsters in the world become stronger as you do. I can't say that shouldn't have been different, but it didn't pull the game rating down for me, because it did notThe game is action packed, has an amazing storyline with more than enough different paths you can pick to walk, all by yourself. Oblivion has has been pulled down by many because the environment levels as you level, as in the monsters in the world become stronger as you do. I can't say that shouldn't have been different, but it didn't pull the game rating down for me, because it did not decrease the ammount of fun I had with the game. For its' time, Oblivion ruled the gaming world.… Expand
  39. Necrotaur
    Nov 11, 2012
    7
    When Oblivion first came out, I, and pretty much every other gamer out there, was blown away by the improvements in TES graphics and physics. I must have spent hours watching the guy shoot that bucket with an arrow. Oblivion was THE game to test your PCs capability on. Apart from that, though, the only thing it really improved on over Morrowind was the combat - you could now activelyWhen Oblivion first came out, I, and pretty much every other gamer out there, was blown away by the improvements in TES graphics and physics. I must have spent hours watching the guy shoot that bucket with an arrow. Oblivion was THE game to test your PCs capability on. Apart from that, though, the only thing it really improved on over Morrowind was the combat - you could now actively swing and block instead of having to wait for the stars to align. Questing more or less remained the same, but the setting and certain aspects of the leveling process were huge steps backward. For one, the unique, jungle environment that Cyrodiil originally had was traded in for Generic European Fantasy World #64. Levelled loot and enemies were also a huge problem. The higher level you got, the tougher (read: bullet sponge-y) your enemies got - a case could be made that the game is easier to complete the lower level you are. Radiant AI was also not what it was cracked up to be. Still, Oblivion is a decent RPG and worth a look if you enjoy TES series or RPGs in general.… Expand
  40. ws5ev
    Oct 18, 2012
    8
    The game is nice to play, but you don't really feel that you have progressed when you level up, because enemies level up as well. Loot and rewards are leveled as well, so you may have to wait till you're at a greater level before starting some quests in order to better equipment. The leveling system ruins this otherwise beautiful game.
  41. Little_Tails
    Oct 6, 2012
    10
    TES IV Oblivion is one of the best game that i played ever. This game should be on the same shelf with Mass Effect, Fallout 2, Max Payne and Vice City.
  42. Orctownorc
    Oct 5, 2012
    10
    The advantage of Oblivion over Skyrim is that game takes itself less seriously and has a MUCH better character devlopment system. Strangely enough, the best way to build the character is to place all the most useless skills as your major talents and then deliberately level up as slowly as possible. By doing so you character gains powers acoss all skill areas, and will not be troubled withThe advantage of Oblivion over Skyrim is that game takes itself less seriously and has a MUCH better character devlopment system. Strangely enough, the best way to build the character is to place all the most useless skills as your major talents and then deliberately level up as slowly as possible. By doing so you character gains powers acoss all skill areas, and will not be troubled with difficulty spikes at all. Rather you will need to bump up the game difficulty as you progress to a demi-god mastering all skill areas. Except for superficial graphics, EVERYTHING in Oblivion is better and more fun than Skyrim. Especially the guild quests, but also such things as the NPC's despite the ridculous encounter interface and the use of only 5 voice actors. Yet the core reason it is MUCH better, is that the player can build their character as they like and can master all fields with no penalty. Crafting and magic in this game is far more potent, interesting and worthwhile than in Skyrim. The Elven Ruins have a far better mood than the Dwarven ones. When you consider how perfect the keybingings and the UI are in this game to how poor they are in Skyrim its clear that it is Oblivion, not Morrowind that marks the highpoint of Bethesda fantasy RPG design. Before they start anything else the team owes it to their fans to spend 12 months making a massive patch to bring all that fails so bad in Skyrim back up to the level they had yet lost with Oblivion.… Expand
  43. HCTristesse
    Oct 4, 2012
    6
    In comparison to Morrowind, the only things that became better are those that HAD to for the next generation: graphics and gameplay. Combat is much more interesting. However, the story is dull, especially when compared to Morrowind, there are close to no hidden special quests and the like, and it doesn't feel as "free" as in Morrowind. The enemies become stronger along with you, soIn comparison to Morrowind, the only things that became better are those that HAD to for the next generation: graphics and gameplay. Combat is much more interesting. However, the story is dull, especially when compared to Morrowind, there are close to no hidden special quests and the like, and it doesn't feel as "free" as in Morrowind. The enemies become stronger along with you, so leveling up doesn't really serve a purpose. Quests are boring and repetitive. Lots of skills were abandoned, the whole game is more straightforward. Exploring caves, ruins etc. is no more fun because they are filled just with generic enemies and treasures - there is no hope you'll find anything special if you're not there for a quest. Still, it's an Elder Scrolls game and therefore worth playing, even with these downsides.… Expand
  44. 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
  45. Lead
    Sep 11, 2012
    10
    This İs Not a Game.This İs Another World.
  46. Biokiipper
    Sep 9, 2012
    10
    Amazing game. The plot is nice, nothing we didn't see before, but the freedom of gameplay is something inredible. Your actions really matter and the consequences of yours actions cannot go away. A failed quest iss a failed quest and got its repercussions. Somethings you just can't do, because of class limits. Graphics are outdated, but still very beautiful, and they can be upgraded withAmazing game. The plot is nice, nothing we didn't see before, but the freedom of gameplay is something inredible. Your actions really matter and the consequences of yours actions cannot go away. A failed quest iss a failed quest and got its repercussions. Somethings you just can't do, because of class limits. Graphics are outdated, but still very beautiful, and they can be upgraded with mods. Talking about mods, find some you like from the tons available and that will make you play it for an entire year without repetition. Good deal indeed.… Expand
  47. chronoT
    Sep 2, 2012
    9
    I remember when I played this game when it first came out on pc, on a new system I had just built. This game at that time blew my mind. This was the first "open world" game I played, and the sheer magnitude was astonishing. The graphics and gameplay opened a whole new world for me. It does take some time to get going, but once you are moving you can't stop. The world map is huge and theirI remember when I played this game when it first came out on pc, on a new system I had just built. This game at that time blew my mind. This was the first "open world" game I played, and the sheer magnitude was astonishing. The graphics and gameplay opened a whole new world for me. It does take some time to get going, but once you are moving you can't stop. The world map is huge and their are TONS of locations. I do believe some of the cities and dungeons can be a bit repetitive and the fighting mechanics aren't the best, but for its time this was a truly great open world. I would like to see a bigger variety of armor and weapons, but there's still a lot here. It was also cool going through portals to oblivion to fight off evil, and this was just one piece to a giant puzzle. Overall I think the game could have been perfected, a lot of mods out now are interesting and worth trying, but it is still an very good adventure!… Expand
  48. Karnos
    Sep 2, 2012
    10
    Even though i am a huge fan of all rpgs and especially the elder scrolls, oblivion is the game that stands out for me. The gameplay is amazing with hundreds of different game styles to adopt which make the game a completely different experience. Some people might like to snipe their targets from afar, some might like to hack their way through the game while you can even be a powerful mageEven though i am a huge fan of all rpgs and especially the elder scrolls, oblivion is the game that stands out for me. The gameplay is amazing with hundreds of different game styles to adopt which make the game a completely different experience. Some people might like to snipe their targets from afar, some might like to hack their way through the game while you can even be a powerful mage and summon ferocious monsters to do the work for you! The map is gigantic and very detailed and when you first enter the game you feel lost in its vastness. Furthermore, there are hundreds of quests that you can do besides the main quest which will earn you large amounts of gold and hidden treasures which will in their turn aid you in your travels. The dialogues are very nice, the graphics very good considering the immersity of the environment the lack of frame drops even in average computers. The music will stick in your ears for days and you will generally find the game to be very entertaining. Personally, even after having spents hundreds of hours on skyrim, i still prefer this game to it, since it has an epic feel to it and it's one of few fantasy games which really create a believable world! It's an even better experience if you enjoy the game with expansions and many mods that have improved it in so many ways and taken care of some little bugs and glitches. I URGE you to try it!… Expand
  49. andrew77
    Aug 16, 2012
    10
    I have never played a game that I didn't finish but enjoyed soo much. I played over 200 hours with the different modules and only quit because my computer died. Thank goodness it died because I fear that I would still be playing. The world was so vast, so easy to enter and so easy to loose all my free time. I loved every minute.
  50. Dremord
    Aug 16, 2012
    7
    The main storyline wasn't the best for me, but the side quests had me playing until I've finished them all. Great graphics (if you ignore the humanoid characters). Not as great as Morrowind or Skyrim, though for obvious reasons.
  51. hollowfication
    Jul 30, 2012
    10
    this was best game i loved xbox version ps3 version & pc version i love this game so much no glitches no nothing perfect only thing is if they re did this game i hope they make it with compatible with xbox controller
  52. FFStudios
    Jul 25, 2012
    8
    Having now seen what Morrowind was like, I think I'm ready to finalise my score for Oblivion. Let's get the worst parts of Oblivion out of the way first. Compared to both Morrowind and Skyrim; Oblivion feels much more generic and lacking in any distinct theme. I'd say this is because those games both had distinctive cultural themes; being incredibly surreal and Viking-like respectively.Having now seen what Morrowind was like, I think I'm ready to finalise my score for Oblivion. Let's get the worst parts of Oblivion out of the way first. Compared to both Morrowind and Skyrim; Oblivion feels much more generic and lacking in any distinct theme. I'd say this is because those games both had distinctive cultural themes; being incredibly surreal and Viking-like respectively. The quests themselves still have an interesting variety to them, from simple fetch-this quests to more complex place-to-place quests which I think Bethesda should starts focusing on more rather than pad out games with grind missions. The graphics are adequate, but the environments lack any real distinction from one another and characters have a strange uncanny valley look to them during conversation. Voice acting is also uneven, but Bethesda should no longer lose points for that. The combat would indeed be accurate of real-life swordplay if the combatants both fought by slapping each other with pieces of cardboard. Anyway, enough negatively, let's talk positive. As I said, the quests have a nice variety to them and the main story is alright, if uneven. The environments are nicely designed and the scoring is typically excellent. Of course, above all else remains that sense of true, organic open-ended game-play that Bethesda is renowned for. As a whole though, Oblivion is still an excellent game that is let down by a lack of identity among other Beth games. By the way Bethesda, you don't need to pad out the game with radiant quests, you should focus more on making more of though long-winding quests like they had in Morrowind. Skyrim was a step in the right direction, but man up Bethesda! You have nothing to lose if you make another game as unique as Morrowind!… Expand
  53. Hadrian
    Jul 13, 2012
    10
    This is the best game I have EVER played. It has hours upon hours of game play and an enriching story. There is so many side quests that you will probably not even play them all. You will find yourself always wanting to replay it and find more quests. The amount of weapons, quests, stories, lore, and good times to had to be on Oblivion. Buy it, it is the best game ever.
  54. Loler13gr
    Jul 9, 2012
    10
    My personal favourite... The best game I've ever played and I still play... Amazing felling and great gameplay despite the few bugs and glitches in it. After having played more than 100 houres of the game I still have things to do... A great advantage is also the MODING community which adds new cool stuf even now!! Simply AMAZING!!
  55. tangency
    Jun 11, 2012
    7
    Oblivion is a great place to start in Elder Scrolls if you are newer to RPGs or if you want a more laid-back approach. I only gave it a seven because of how much potential it threw away. If you are a fan to the Elder Scrolls series, you know what I am talking about. The graphical changes also kind of annoyed me. I am not one of the people who thinks graphics is the most important in gamingOblivion is a great place to start in Elder Scrolls if you are newer to RPGs or if you want a more laid-back approach. I only gave it a seven because of how much potential it threw away. If you are a fan to the Elder Scrolls series, you know what I am talking about. The graphical changes also kind of annoyed me. I am not one of the people who thinks graphics is the most important in gaming (I still play Mario for the NES) but I think when you go through a drastic change from what they used to be, it kind of ruins a lot. It's like when you change an actor for the same character in a movie. The graphics became cartoony, which made it harder for me to immerse myself into the game. It's a pretty good game in the beginning, and the questline isn't too short. It is annoying to level, however, because of the Major Skill restriction. There aren't minor and miscellaneous skills that you can pull a little bit of level experience off of, like in Morrowind, and you can't pull level experience from every skill, like in Skyrim. The questing system isn't very rounded, either, and some of the questlines can really piss you off because of their restrictions. Like others before me, I would say that it had great bones but started going the wrong way. It lacks relative long term value unless you try every race and every class (but then you are just repeating everything). There are also a lot fewer side-quests to Oblivion than the other Elder Scrolls games.
    Another CON that I have is the fact that they ripped out a lot of good stuff, like Dwemer. Ayleid ruins are nowhere near the same as Dwemer ruins, and there aren't any artifacts based around them.
    Onto the PROS:
    The game is good to be immersed in or just to play as long as you can get by the cons.
    There is actually fast traveling.
    It isn't too easy or too hard to beat and creatures are all leveled with you to some extent (they will replace rats with wolves, and wolves with hogs and bears and trolls and such).
    There is quite a few things to go through and explore even though there aren't as many as the other games.

    All in all, Oblivion is a more laid-back RPG system that is great to play if you haven't played the other Elder Scrolls installments (kinda the same with Skyrim players who are new to the Elder Scrolls universe, I hate them with the burning passion of a thousand lemmings!, although it would help if you played Morrowind before Skyrim and possibly even Oblivion).
    And if you haven't played the other games you won't get the suckerpunch to the kidneys showing that Oblivion is a hell of a difference.    … Expand
  56. Nostalgium
    Jun 9, 2012
    10
    Played this game for like 50 hours and unfortunately I have to say the gameplay is broken. Why? Because investing in the illusion & invisibility can make any quest too easy. Going through the main campaign was a breeze (even on hardest difficulty) simply because I could turn invisible, turn enemies against each other and do the entire game without having to fight an enemy.

    When you're    Played this game for like 50 hours and unfortunately I have to say the gameplay is broken. Why? Because investing in the illusion & invisibility can make any quest too easy. Going through the main campaign was a breeze (even on hardest difficulty) simply because I could turn invisible, turn enemies against each other and do the entire game without having to fight an enemy.

    When you're able to do that, and there's no way for the enemy to stop you, how will this game be challenging? I'm not gonna pretend I don't have these powers just to enjoy the game, it's broken gameplay. On top of that, I didn't even have to level up at all, which is done by sleeping. They should've done it so you automatically level up as soon as you get the experience. Now you can just avoid leveling up. Why would you want to do that? Because your enemies and creatures become better and stronger the more you level up. You can stop this process by not going to bed.

    Anyways, it was fun while it lasted. Now it's just boring.    … Expand
  57. wrongpassword
    May 19, 2012
    8
    This was my first Elder Scrolls game and it did not disappoint for one reason: it had a massive library of mods. I can think of no other game that compares to the scale of modding scene of Oblivion. Even other Beth games pale in the face of it. Vanilla Oblivion however has more than its fair share of bugs and flaws. Repetitive gameplay, an inventory system inferior to its predecessorThis was my first Elder Scrolls game and it did not disappoint for one reason: it had a massive library of mods. I can think of no other game that compares to the scale of modding scene of Oblivion. Even other Beth games pale in the face of it. Vanilla Oblivion however has more than its fair share of bugs and flaws. Repetitive gameplay, an inventory system inferior to its predecessor and horrible voice acting bring this game down. Despite this, the various storylines, in game lore and in game customization warrants at least an 8/10. Modded Oblivion however is a solid ten if not eleven out of ten. I have seen no other game that is better than a personalized Oblivion.… Expand
  58. Knukkohead
    May 18, 2012
    10
    I'm really too lazy to explain the reason i rate it 10/10 but it's well worth, the fact that you can do almost anything is already enough, all the negative emotions i got only from characters visualisation the faces were really ugly but hell, there's like thousands of mods for that. Good job!
  59. Riddlefang
    Mar 20, 2012
    9
    The story in this game is good, but presented in a boring way where you see everything from one perspective. I've never been a fan of this kind of storytelling, but then again it's not why I play Bethesda games. It is the giant open world packed with quests that draw me in. The skills are nicely done, but some are unnecessary and the leveling system don't work properly. Combat is ok, butThe story in this game is good, but presented in a boring way where you see everything from one perspective. I've never been a fan of this kind of storytelling, but then again it's not why I play Bethesda games. It is the giant open world packed with quests that draw me in. The skills are nicely done, but some are unnecessary and the leveling system don't work properly. Combat is ok, but when you take all things in consideration Oblivion is a very good game. Small problems like the combat and leveling system is overshadowed by the size of the world and all the stuff you can do within the game!… Expand
  60. PrimalHunter70
    Mar 13, 2012
    6
    I honestly couldn't get into this game after I had played Skyrim. Its dialogue is weird and irritating, the inventory is annoying, the map is also very annoying. The graphics are poor, and I have to say that Doom 3 (a game from 2004) had far better visuals. The combat is fun, but very clunky as it is in the Elder Scrolls games. An okay game, and I admit I would have enjoyed it much more ifI honestly couldn't get into this game after I had played Skyrim. Its dialogue is weird and irritating, the inventory is annoying, the map is also very annoying. The graphics are poor, and I have to say that Doom 3 (a game from 2004) had far better visuals. The combat is fun, but very clunky as it is in the Elder Scrolls games. An okay game, and I admit I would have enjoyed it much more if I hadn't played Skyrim first.… Expand
  61. SlickRick
    Mar 6, 2012
    8
    Oblivion was my first TES game, so I enjoyed it greatly. But it DOES have very many flaws... But if you enjoy RPGs and haven't played Oblivion, you definitely need to give it a go.

    It's better than Skyrim (AKA Babys first RPG)
  62. whitespider999
    Feb 17, 2012
    9
    From when it was released to the release of skyrim, modded oblivion was a 10/10. However a lot of people don't play this game with mods. Which leaves a far more bare journey. It's still a great game, with an incredible amount of quality content in it's vanilla state. It's just not comparable to the masterpiece that is the modded version (For reference, check out the all time tesnexusFrom when it was released to the release of skyrim, modded oblivion was a 10/10. However a lot of people don't play this game with mods. Which leaves a far more bare journey. It's still a great game, with an incredible amount of quality content in it's vanilla state. It's just not comparable to the masterpiece that is the modded version (For reference, check out the all time tesnexus oblivion mods). As an unmodded game it's a 8/10 in the current climate. As a modded game. It's a 10/10. This score reflects the modded version.… Expand
  63. Loffruin
    Feb 10, 2012
    10
    This game is one of the best RPG games I have ever played. Although it's age may seem a bit of a put down, don't let it turn you away from one of the best games on steam. At a average price of $25 you can get your hands on the original game plus all of the DLC including, The Shivering Isles. With hundreds of hours of entertaining gameplay you can go anywhere, do almost anything, and evenThis game is one of the best RPG games I have ever played. Although it's age may seem a bit of a put down, don't let it turn you away from one of the best games on steam. At a average price of $25 you can get your hands on the original game plus all of the DLC including, The Shivering Isles. With hundreds of hours of entertaining gameplay you can go anywhere, do almost anything, and even get the advantage of using the console to use some hacks. I don't recommend this unless you are just doing it for fun, as it takes away from the rich story line. Even if you don't do the main story line, you can still level up fairly often and have fun doing fun side quests. You could join the Dark Brotherhood, join a fighter's or mage's guild or just explore this vast land that Bethesda has made for us to enjoy. Every game has a downside though although this one doesn't have many. There aren't many glitches, but sometimes the NPCs will have a strange reaction to something you do, and say something that isn't even relevant or the music might awkwardly change to a fight song. These are very excusable and don't take too much from the game. Another pet peve of mine is the zoom on the face. When you engage in a conversation, the camera zooms in just so you can see the person's face, none of the surronding items which I don't like. Overall, this game should get a 99/100. That one point is from the face zoom. Other than that, this game could easily compete with Skyrim or any other popular RPG game. Buy this game today and enjoy it. NOTE: The only reason this game is rated M for mature is because of some user-made mods. This game should be rated T for teen in my opinion. : )… Expand
  64. Sasori261
    Jan 21, 2012
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Loved the game. Simple as that. Although Skyrim is better, as it should be, Oblivion was an awesome game. I loved the environment and meeting the people in it. I especially loved the quests in the game as it was fun to be the Grand Champion of the Arena, the Gray Fox of the Thieves Guild, Master of the Fighter's Guild, Arch-Mage of the Mages Guild, and the Listener of the Dark Brotherhood. I also loved the expansive DLCs like Shivering Isles and the Knights of the Nine. Of all the characters in the game, I just LOVED Sheogorath's personality. It made my day everytime I saw him, especially when he was included in Skyrim. The Knights of the Nine was boring at first collecting all the gear. But the sky battle with Umaril was completely epic! So overall, I loved the game and I hope to see the series continued on for years.… Expand
  65. DarkEnergon
    Jan 19, 2012
    10
    The sheer scope of Oblivion is nearly incomprehensible, both in the size of the world itself (Cyrodil or Tamriel? Never quite found out) and in the number of side quests and detailed characters on offer everywhere you go, it's the type of game where you can just march off into the sunset and simply stumble upon adventure, of course your successful free-lance adventuring depends upon you'reThe sheer scope of Oblivion is nearly incomprehensible, both in the size of the world itself (Cyrodil or Tamriel? Never quite found out) and in the number of side quests and detailed characters on offer everywhere you go, it's the type of game where you can just march off into the sunset and simply stumble upon adventure, of course your successful free-lance adventuring depends upon you're character being strong enough to deal with the foes you encounter, but that's the same with every RPG, only, they have the sense to fence off areas you aren't ready for, nonetheless I appreciate the unencumbered freedom Oblivion provides. Two flaws to address: 1) The ratio of becoming stronger : main story progression is nowhere near 1:1, and once I reached the point of going around and closing every oblivion gate in the game, I found I had to save before every armoured enemy because I was obliterated at almost every encounter without fail, and this is even including the vast amount of side quests i'd achieved, you'd think that much grinding would give me at least some advantage over my average foe. I'm not saying challenge is a bad thing, you just need to look at games like Pokemon where you can raise six pokemon through the entire game keeping them at equal levels the entire time and still not loose a single match, but coming from that to dying every time I so much as make eye contact with a fireman was too much of a jump. 2) The six different voice actors Bethesda hired to distribute amongst hundreds of npcs really destroy any sense of immersion, oh, and the speech-craft mini-game? I'd rather eat my own dick.
    Regardless, this is an incredible, one-of-a-kind game, and were it not for the fact that I'm a busy guy with a lot of **** to do, i'm sure that I would've reached the end of the main quest, but considering the point where I quit was 68 hours in, this game has to be doing something...in fact, several things right    … Expand
  66. goldenaxe
    Jan 14, 2012
    8
    This game is more open then the usual games out there, and does a great job. It's not perfect, but was worth playing casually. It's not that visually striking for the kids with disorders and can be boring at times, but the experience is unique.
  67. spadenx
    Jan 13, 2012
    6
    The story for the main quest was pathetic at best, Though the side missions had a lot better stories but none were truely great. A ton of bugs and glitches as well as lag, It doesnt help that the game has only 4 patches that dont even fix a majority of the problems the game suffers from.

    What saves the game is that it can be modded to add a ton of user created, Which is suprisingly    The story for the main quest was pathetic at best, Though the side missions had a lot better stories but none were truely great. A ton of bugs and glitches as well as lag, It doesnt help that the game has only 4 patches that dont even fix a majority of the problems the game suffers from.

    What saves the game is that it can be modded to add a ton of user created, Which is suprisingly better then most of the content in the game.    … Expand
  68. gonorrheahd
    Jan 11, 2012
    10
    This game is a revolution to the RPG community, yeah it had some glitches an bugs but most of those were funny and didnt stop you from playing. This game took 500+ hours away from my life because I love this game, it immerses you and makes you feel like your in your characters shoes, yes oblivion was dumbed down a bit from morrowind but morrowind doesnt grasp you the same way, the uniqeThis game is a revolution to the RPG community, yeah it had some glitches an bugs but most of those were funny and didnt stop you from playing. This game took 500+ hours away from my life because I love this game, it immerses you and makes you feel like your in your characters shoes, yes oblivion was dumbed down a bit from morrowind but morrowind doesnt grasp you the same way, the uniqe land design and just the way the world has such history it is great. I thought I was done playing this game after 500+ hours, but I found myself going back to it today, I bought it again for PC and I started a new account and I still haven't lost the lore that this game provided me the day I discovered it, and yes I still remember my first time playing it was AMAZING. This game is an oldy but a goody if you haven't tried it I would recommend you give it a shot its worth throwing 25 bucks out on steam for all the expansions because this game will keep you sated for months to come, now back to Cyrodiil!… Expand
  69. Turd_Furgeson
    Dec 30, 2011
    10
    Amazing. Modding is amazing. Story and game play is amazing. I have spent hundreds of hours in this game. The biggest drawbacks are the lack of voices in the game, as there are too few voice actors, but overall this is one of the best games you can buy.
  70. LordSeferoth
    Dec 30, 2011
    10
    One of the best games ever created. Massive world,massive amount of customization,amazing graphics, beautiful soundtrack and touching story makes Oblivion an experience of lifetime. Oblivion improves everything from Morrowind. Get ready to lose your social life!
  71. EtaYorius
    Dec 21, 2011
    9
    This was my first Elder Scrolls game and when i first played i was totally amazed by the freedom the game gives you... the modding support if still strong which brings lots of replayability value.
  72. Ztride
    Dec 21, 2011
    8
    Today (2011) this is essentially a lesser version of Skyrim, altough the story of certain questlines are much more interesting and far longer in terms of content. When it came 2006 is was a huge step from Morrowind, and while Oblivion has a lot of content, as with any bethesda game, the general gameplay (combat) is quite dull.
  73. 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
  74. mez
    Dec 17, 2011
    5
    This is a bland and soulless game. The world is huge, but there's little variation throughout and it all feels oddly empty (contrast with the fantastic weirdness and variety of Morrowind). The level scaling takes away any sense of danger. The badly animated characters are ugly beyond reason. The voice acting is truly, truly miserable (think Aribeth in Neverwinter Nights levels of bad). TheThis is a bland and soulless game. The world is huge, but there's little variation throughout and it all feels oddly empty (contrast with the fantastic weirdness and variety of Morrowind). The level scaling takes away any sense of danger. The badly animated characters are ugly beyond reason. The voice acting is truly, truly miserable (think Aribeth in Neverwinter Nights levels of bad). The developers clearly used their whole budget hiring Sean Bean and Patrick Stewart and then had to resort to getting random people in off the street. There's no emotional engagement at all because not one of characters has any personality - they're all just generic, interchangeable quest dispensers. The setting has potential though. I understand the modding community has done some great things, but for me the days of spending a whole weekend auditioning mods are long gone. I don't recommend the vanilla game.… Expand
  75. Tarkin
    Dec 16, 2011
    9
    A bit overhyped, but actually quite good in my opinion. Yes it has its flaws - level scaling, UI, animations are silly, main story is quite cheap, atmosphere still not as good as Morrowind etc. Yet still the world is unbelievably huge and very well made. It requires a special approach to this game to fully enjoy it, but it is worth it.
  76. hacko
    Dec 15, 2011
    10
    This is a rare and remarkable achievement--a huge, open-ended, complex, detailed role-playing game that's fun to play and a pleasure to behold. Oblivion not only delivers everything that earned the Elder Scrolls series the devoted loyalty of a huge following of fans, but also significantly improves on the weaknesses of its 2002 predecessor, Morrowind. Morrowind earned recognition for beingThis is a rare and remarkable achievement--a huge, open-ended, complex, detailed role-playing game that's fun to play and a pleasure to behold. Oblivion not only delivers everything that earned the Elder Scrolls series the devoted loyalty of a huge following of fans, but also significantly improves on the weaknesses of its 2002 predecessor, Morrowind. Morrowind earned recognition for being one of the best role-playing games in years, but the immersive and long-lasting experience it provided wasn't for everyone. Oblivion is hands-down better, so much so that even those who'd normally have no interest in a role-playing game should find it hard to resist getting swept up in this big, beautiful, meticulously crafted world.… Expand
  77. FROZERCATAPILER
    Dec 9, 2011
    10
    A FREEEEKEN AWESOME GAME! I still play it now and it still brings fun...................................................................................................................................................................................................
  78. TexasGamer
    Nov 30, 2011
    9
    Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is what an RPG should be - compelling story plot, tons of side quest and a large open world to explore. The automatic leveling system leaves something to be desired. But then again, the more you use certain skills, the better you should get at those skills. The graphics leave something to be desired, but eye candy does not make a game great.
  79. 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
  80. B1C_BO1
    Nov 23, 2011
    10
    I am serious gamer, and for me to have spent 7200+ hours on one game, it must mean that this game is completely perfect. The voice acting is spot on, with all 12 voice actors for the entire game performing perfectly. The animations like combat, speaking and running are all so lifleike, it felt like i was actually in the world of Cyrodill. I recommend this game for casual gamers, seriousI am serious gamer, and for me to have spent 7200+ hours on one game, it must mean that this game is completely perfect. The voice acting is spot on, with all 12 voice actors for the entire game performing perfectly. The animations like combat, speaking and running are all so lifleike, it felt like i was actually in the world of Cyrodill. I recommend this game for casual gamers, serious gamers, posers, people posing to be a poser, kids and beginners, 10/10… Expand
  81. Athandel
    Nov 21, 2011
    9
    The world of Oblivion is a seemingly live one. Mountains, caves, and a copious amount of missions would keep anyone busy for hours on end. The sheer beauty of this game is sometimes overshadowed by repetitive voice acting and boring level design; there is no denying the brilliance that comes from looking at the night sky while Jeremy Soule's soundtrack plays in your headphones.
  82. cdr_virus
    Nov 20, 2011
    8
    Oblivion is game like no game in its genre.. The story has complexity and yet is displayed in an understanding theatrical way. With monstrosity of number of things to do or kill, it appears almost infinite. The design of upgrading your character with so many options is thrilling. Most of glitch hiccups are completely gone, which is sigh of relief from the launch problems.. The graphicOblivion is game like no game in its genre.. The story has complexity and yet is displayed in an understanding theatrical way. With monstrosity of number of things to do or kill, it appears almost infinite. The design of upgrading your character with so many options is thrilling. Most of glitch hiccups are completely gone, which is sigh of relief from the launch problems.. The graphic engine seems to be slightly improved, than its launched texture look. Yet even with so many things to do, their are some more utterly boring quests and repetitive dungeons or caves. More creativity is needed with the cave system. Some weird instances of a tiresome traveling, "Do I continue to trot on this slow horse or is walking faster", "What do I do here, do I go there, wait no its back there". A simple system of helping you more, can sometimes be relief to some amateur gamer's. Though I find completely fine, I like a challenge, of a hide and seek sort of thing. Some gamer's do feel different, with a game this huge. There are many instances to get lost in multiple quest, that take literally days till you get back to your main one. For the criticism of a this game, it is really minor thread. Awesome presentation, improved graphics, less hiccups, mid-creativity yet very beautiful. Oblivion gets 8.75 out 10........… Expand
  83. syrik
    Nov 20, 2011
    7
    Picked this up on a recent Steam sale. I had Morrowind on xbox when it came out but I never got into it. It seemed extremely boring and long to get into. Well, years later Oblivion is also extremely long to get into and boring at the beginning, but it sure is worth it. This game is detail on a scale that no other game even approaches much less achieves. From random books scatteredPicked this up on a recent Steam sale. I had Morrowind on xbox when it came out but I never got into it. It seemed extremely boring and long to get into. Well, years later Oblivion is also extremely long to get into and boring at the beginning, but it sure is worth it. This game is detail on a scale that no other game even approaches much less achieves. From random books scattered around the world (that are actually written and can all be read) to thousands of things, just things, strewn all over the place. Each one realized on a scale that makes it almost impossible not to get lost in this game. Imagine taking about a 50 mile square of land in the real world with all the trees, houses, roads, people, animals, water, weather, everything and sticking all of that into a game. That's Oblivion. Houses fully detailed inside and out, random junk that is actually relevant and non-repetitive like people really have. If you want to know what this place you're standing looks like from that mountain top over yonder, hike up the mountain and take a look. You can. In fact, you can basically do anything you want any way you want. It's the most freedom in a game, ever. Period. (notwithstanding other Elder Scrolls games of course) Want to be a spell casting rogue that pick pockets and hides in the shadows? OK. Wanna be a ranger that also swings a gigantic mace? OK. Wanna be a warrior but in leather armor and summoning undead? OK. Whatever you want, there's a way to do it. The game is huge, I'm talking HUGE. Think WoW without the subscription and they probably have about the same content (except this is one release with some xpac content and WoW is constantly updated for the last 7 years). There is a good enjoyable story packed in between all the other side quests and random places to explore also. It's the whole package. This game would easily warrant a perfect 10, except it's not perfect. Unfortunately Bethesda, in all their creative genius, weren't very good at squashing bugs. This game came out in 2006 and despite multiple official patches and DLC content for sale there are literally thousands of bugs in the game they never bothered to fix. The game is so popular that its very talented and committed fan base has created their own mods that patch the game for you correcting many of these bugs, but they shouldn't have to. Bethesda made the money off the game, not the fans, they should be the ones fixing it. So, 7/10 because buggy games deserve ZEROES, but this game really is awesome.… Expand
  84. DrCola
    Nov 19, 2011
    8
    So long as you dont know about the level scaling system untill youve poured your life into this thing you will be fine. Its true. The elder scrolls provide a universe that makes you forget the bugs, forget the level scaling issues, forget what small problems persist, its all an amazing expierience, but oblivion is probablly the worst elder scrolls game by far.
  85. 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
  86. Ion1c
    Nov 8, 2011
    9
    Great game, it is rpg and is more or less a decide your own path kind of game, only a few things i didn't like about it which didn't make me give a 10/10 is: It is a bit unrealistic how fast you level up in things and how when your sword is almost broken it looks perfectly fine, another is the graphics and graphical problems like how all water looked pink to me.
  87. ianriker
    Oct 26, 2011
    10
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. As soon as you spawn in the first dungeon in Oblivion, you are instantly plunged into a highly detailed world of Bandits, Ogres, Daedra, and 150 other baddies as well as 800 NPC's that roam the world. Each character is like a tiny mystery, waiting to be solved. As well as the Main Quest, there are at least 500 other completely optional side quests that you will pick up on your journey. Although it has 20 something glitches, and third person mode is a glitchy flop, it is a most wonderful game that deserves a 10.… Expand
  88. Schlafanzug
    Oct 13, 2011
    10
    First, I felt Bethesda improved greatly on the flow of the game. In Morrowind the combat was boring and for a long time (until you leveled your weapon skills) you would miss about 75% of attacks. Oblivion has the Dual combat system to where you can cast spells and melee with out pressing a button to switch between modes. Dialog is this game isn't the best but if you get past the similarFirst, I felt Bethesda improved greatly on the flow of the game. In Morrowind the combat was boring and for a long time (until you leveled your weapon skills) you would miss about 75% of attacks. Oblivion has the Dual combat system to where you can cast spells and melee with out pressing a button to switch between modes. Dialog is this game isn't the best but if you get past the similar voice acting, bethesda gives characters interresting and unique phrases and comments. With a 16 sq Mile map, Hundreds upon Hundreds of side quests, a Fun and intence storyline, Great DLC, Huge cities, Beautiful Environments, Diverse and Rewarding Areas ( Dungeons, caves, Keeps, Ruins, and Oblivion gates), and Tons of fun activities to do (arena, Make spells, enchant, and make potions). This game has everything a RPG play wants. Oblivion dishes out hundreds of hours of gameplay and Is one of those games you play when you're bored of everything else. THIS GAME IS Probably if not the best RPG out there. And yes i have played Morrowind ( lots of time on it ) and dozen of other RPGs and MMOs This the best your going to find out there. btw Looking forward to Skyrim ( hope its not a disappointment like Fallout New Vegas was(Fallout 3 is sooooooo much better)).… Expand
  89. HighwayUK
    Oct 9, 2011
    9
    100+ hours of content before you even added the DLCs, decent graphics for the release year, okay combat system, very atmospheric music and sound, totally moddable so you can get updates to just about everything. Just about the perfect RPG of the decade.
  90. roboticsun
    Oct 8, 2011
    6
    Still do not understand why this game is so well received. It may be good for newcomers of this series, but it is neither as massive as daggerfall nor as fun as morrowind. The setting in this game is painfully average. The leveling system is broken unless you use mods to fix it. Quests are quite repetitive and there is not much story associated with those quests, so you end up with doingStill do not understand why this game is so well received. It may be good for newcomers of this series, but it is neither as massive as daggerfall nor as fun as morrowind. The setting in this game is painfully average. The leveling system is broken unless you use mods to fix it. Quests are quite repetitive and there is not much story associated with those quests, so you end up with doing the same things over and over again. The setting for the factions in this game is just terrible comparing to morrowind. In morriwind, you can establish social relations with different factions, and you can be smooth and slick with them to achieve a lot of benefits which is tons of fun. The factions in oblivion are just like a bunch of quest generating machines to extend the game time. Overall it's a good entry to elder scroll series but probably the worst elder scroll game.… Expand
  91. TheMitherer
    Sep 30, 2011
    8
    I can really do without a game telling me on screen that I've reached the entrance to a cave when I'm stood 1 foot away from said entrance. A game where levelling up seems more than a bit pointless. A game where I'm thinking 'why don't they get the guards to do this quest - they're obviously more capable'. A game which threw away many of the great things that its predecessor had. But II can really do without a game telling me on screen that I've reached the entrance to a cave when I'm stood 1 foot away from said entrance. A game where levelling up seems more than a bit pointless. A game where I'm thinking 'why don't they get the guards to do this quest - they're obviously more capable'. A game which threw away many of the great things that its predecessor had. But I can't honestly give this game less than an 8. It's entertaining, engaging and has some replayability and if it grabs you, you will probably spend a lot of time with it. Personally, I found it a lot more enjoyable when I finished the game at level 8 as opposed to level 24., which says it all about the levelling system. Still, at today's prices I would consider it a great buy.… Expand
  92. Yutyut
    Sep 25, 2011
    8
    Okay, I will rate this in two portions. First will be the game in its out of the box, vanilla state. The second will be with the addition of mods. Overall I give the game a solid 7 for vanilla and a 9 for mods, so we can call it even at 8.

    1. Vanilla oblivion is great. When the game first came out it was the first next gen game of its kind. That is a huge reason it had so much hype. How    Okay, I will rate this in two portions. First will be the game in its out of the box, vanilla state. The second will be with the addition of mods. Overall I give the game a solid 7 for vanilla and a 9 for mods, so we can call it even at 8.

    1. Vanilla oblivion is great. When the game first came out it was the first next gen game of its kind. That is a huge reason it had so much hype. How mnany other games offered that detailed and that gorgeous of a gameworld? Now in comparison to Morrowind, the quests sucked. Morrowind actually took a real long time to complete even if you did only main quest and hauled ass. Oblivion's main quest is just kinda....done. I finished the game and was astonished how little time it required. Realistaqcally...you can probably beat the main quest in 1-2 days if you know what your doing. Side quests- Oblivion did have some interesting and funny side quests at times but I kinda missed the running down a road in the middle of nowhere and some guy offers me 50 bucks to deliver some shirts from morrowind. Oblivion to me was more of a showcase than an actual Elder Scrolls. Also you need to keep in mind tech limits in 2006 they wanted this onto one disc... the game is several gigs. and ppl always btich about how morrowind was so massive....Guys...Morrowind GOTY takes up 924MB on my HD, that aint alot, thats less than a damn movie. Anyways. The biggerst dissappointment in Oblvion for me was the leveled creature system. At levels 1-7/8 you fight nothing but imps, wolves and the occasional bandit. In morrowind, god help you if you went somewhere at level 1-10 or 10-20 so on that you weasnt supposed to be. Every region in Morrowind had its own creatures of varying strengths. So if you went to Molag Amur at lvl 1 you got ate.

    2. Alright. Mods... As always TES has an amazing mod community and like all the previous games you can mod anything...and I mean ANYthing. I wont go into detail but go to tesnexus or planetelderscrolls. they have thousounds upon thousands of mods.    … Expand
  93. JSNB
    Sep 24, 2011
    10
    This game really deserves no less than a 10 and is, for sure, in my top favorites. Which is saying a lot because I don't really like "fantasy" dragons and such, type games. My friends made me play it since I was such a fallout 3 fan (which is also on my top favs, maybe even number 1) and I insisted that I wouldn't like it since it was so fantasyish, but the depth of the game... I don'tThis game really deserves no less than a 10 and is, for sure, in my top favorites. Which is saying a lot because I don't really like "fantasy" dragons and such, type games. My friends made me play it since I was such a fallout 3 fan (which is also on my top favs, maybe even number 1) and I insisted that I wouldn't like it since it was so fantasyish, but the depth of the game... I don't think I ever even finished the main quest line since I've always kept myself busy with hours upon hours of side things to do, and exploring in this vast map, and the character progression is great, I love the stat system. you use something it levels, and then you combine that with the base stat system that you can put stats in as you level. Amazing system, works kind of like how Congress and House is Supposed to, haha.… Expand
  94. Hackensack
    Sep 18, 2011
    10
    Most engaging game I've ever played. The world is immense and the things to do seem unlimited. I've gotten a lot of playability out of this game. A truly good game for me is one where I can beat it in a different way than my friends will. I love the customization and oblivion has plenty.
  95. Diosys
    Sep 9, 2011
    8
    Oblivion is an open world RPG that is great in immersing the player in a fantasy world. The games great elements is allowing a player to build a character the way they want, rather then the way the developers want. The environment is beautiful. There are a few drawbacks. Combat is simplistic, some of the animations (such as jumping) are horrid looking and the ragdoll effects do tend toOblivion is an open world RPG that is great in immersing the player in a fantasy world. The games great elements is allowing a player to build a character the way they want, rather then the way the developers want. The environment is beautiful. There are a few drawbacks. Combat is simplistic, some of the animations (such as jumping) are horrid looking and the ragdoll effects do tend to somewhat break the immersion sometimes.

    However, its in depth storyline and lore can only be competed with by its predecessor, Morrowind. Although possibly accurate in calling it a dumbed down version, Oblivion still carries a lot of elements that many other RPG titles miss.    … Expand
  96. TheRealGaffer
    Sep 8, 2011
    8
    Now to review Oblivion I feel the need to try and ignore a comparison to Morrowind, so I'll view it as such. The game is a great open world experience. I've enjoyed countless hours exploring the fantastic looking forests and caves and fighting whatever fancies a fight. The combat is fun, although some enemies are far harder to kill at certain levels than others and offer no better reward.Now to review Oblivion I feel the need to try and ignore a comparison to Morrowind, so I'll view it as such. The game is a great open world experience. I've enjoyed countless hours exploring the fantastic looking forests and caves and fighting whatever fancies a fight. The combat is fun, although some enemies are far harder to kill at certain levels than others and offer no better reward. And questing is relatively interesting, although nothing groundbreaking. The concept for the leveling system is nice, it being - if you do something enough, you get better at it - which gives a great feeling of worth over just killing monsters to level anything you want. The AI is pretty linear, you can force them to make errors and then capitalise on that, allowing you to win a one on one with a juggernaut enemy without a scratch on you. Once you reach high enough skills in speed and strength or agility, you're pretty much a demi-god. The voice acting is rather limited which takes away immersion in the world, but if you can look past that you can enjoy a lot of gameplay out of Oblivion. If you want more of an authentic feeling fantasy story RPG epic I'd prefer Dragon Age Origins. But if you like the idea of an open fantasy world to just explore and do what you want, then this is perfect.… Expand
  97. Fuzz
    Aug 30, 2011
    10
    I couldn't give any reason to not like this. From start your character can be created to suit your play style. ANY play style. Weather you want to be a sword swinging mage or a lightning launching thief, The Elder Scrolls IV will drag you in for hours upon hours of game play. A large, vast explorable world lies ahead for your to engage in with perilous caves, deadly towers, and sinisterI couldn't give any reason to not like this. From start your character can be created to suit your play style. ANY play style. Weather you want to be a sword swinging mage or a lightning launching thief, The Elder Scrolls IV will drag you in for hours upon hours of game play. A large, vast explorable world lies ahead for your to engage in with perilous caves, deadly towers, and sinister gateways into the planes of Oblivion.… Expand
  98. 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
  99. luveykat
    Aug 22, 2011
    10
    This is a fantastic game with so much replay value. It is a HUGE improvement over the previous ES game, compared to Morrowind it's 100% better. Amazing main storyline, great voice acting, amazing guild quests and many, many great side quests. This game has kept me entertained for literally hundreds of hours. I've had it bug out a few times but after I removed all my mods andThis is a fantastic game with so much replay value. It is a HUGE improvement over the previous ES game, compared to Morrowind it's 100% better. Amazing main storyline, great voice acting, amazing guild quests and many, many great side quests. This game has kept me entertained for literally hundreds of hours. I've had it bug out a few times but after I removed all my mods and reinstalled it played perfectly so i think it was the mods that were screwing it up (which makes me sad because there's a plethora of really cool mods for this game too). So far in playing the un-modded and officially patched game I've run across no bugs whatsoever so I'm not sure what all the complaining is about.… Expand
  100. GolovA
    Aug 21, 2011
    8
    I did play Morrow Wind before. And i did enjoy Oblivion a lot. The story sucks in, RPG element is very well balanced, and it's just fun to explore the world, finding caves and looting skeletons! :) Just make sure to get some MODS - it's gonna make the game even better!
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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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