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. LA_DOTTORE
    Aug 21, 2011
    10
    A phenomenal next game in the Elder Scrolls series that took everything that wasn't already great in Morrowind and made it great! You would always hit an enemy if your weapon made contact, the graphics were upped 10 fold, every NPC in the game has dialogue and most importantly... There's a new story to immerse yourself with and a new land. Tamriel! This game is very imaginative and runsA phenomenal next game in the Elder Scrolls series that took everything that wasn't already great in Morrowind and made it great! You would always hit an enemy if your weapon made contact, the graphics were upped 10 fold, every NPC in the game has dialogue and most importantly... There's a new story to immerse yourself with and a new land. Tamriel! This game is very imaginative and runs amazingly. The inventory has had a complete overhaul (among other things) and is what I would call the peak of RPG gaming available at the moment. The soundtrack to this game is unforgettable. For a taste of it try typing in Reign of the Septims in the YouTube search. That is the most memorable song I have heard in my life! This game is great and anyone who has a spare life should buy this game! After you've started, you won't be using your real life as much anymore!… Expand
  2. mr_cupcake
    Aug 6, 2011
    9
    This game is the best rpg i have played with a variety of different quests and missions. You can join many different groups and guilds. Also the game leaves you to just do whatever you want and where you want it has a decent story that could be tweaked slghtly as it is not perfect and also there are many problems i havent found any major ones to bother me alot
  3. Spartan111
    Jul 31, 2011
    9
    Even though this game has a few flaws it is still great. First of all this game is huge and while maybe the world is not varied enough it is still lots of fun to explore. For a game this big the graphics are great for it's time, the game is also a true RPG in the sense that it allows one to do what one wants when one wants, be who you want to be and play how you want to play and has greatEven though this game has a few flaws it is still great. First of all this game is huge and while maybe the world is not varied enough it is still lots of fun to explore. For a game this big the graphics are great for it's time, the game is also a true RPG in the sense that it allows one to do what one wants when one wants, be who you want to be and play how you want to play and has great customization for ones character be it your race, how you look, or what weapons, spells and armour you want to use. The game is also extremely long and has countless side quests for one to partake in and in my opinion holds more of the fun to be had than the actual main story. As said before the game has a few flaws namely the third person view is terrible and basically unplayable, there are quite a few glitches in the game making some quests incompletable (although one cant expect a game of this size to have no glitches what so ever ), the story was not bad but just was not that engaging, the npc's lack emotion and the voice acting is not varied enough and lastly one VERY BIG flaw that ruined a lot of the experience was the leveling system which basically says "screw you, you will never become stronger but will become WEAKER as you level up and progress or should i say DEgress through the game " this flaw most definitely must be fixed for Skyrim. pros : Very long, lots to do, true RPG elements, great game play, great graphics. Cons: Bad leveling system, unengaging story, bad glitches. Overall for it's time it is still an awesome game despite it's flaws. 8.8/10… Expand
  4. Aodecim
    Jul 30, 2011
    8
    My first truly open-world game (decided to play it after the announcement of Skyrim) that swept me off my feet despite many controversial issues as discussed by user Phlakes. I truly believe that this game, despite its years, should be at least experienced to some extent as an introduction to the Elder Scrolls series. Despite its lack of voice actors and strong NPC interactions, I feltMy first truly open-world game (decided to play it after the announcement of Skyrim) that swept me off my feet despite many controversial issues as discussed by user Phlakes. I truly believe that this game, despite its years, should be at least experienced to some extent as an introduction to the Elder Scrolls series. Despite its lack of voice actors and strong NPC interactions, I felt immersed enough to research a whole lot about the world of Tamriel and the Elder Scrolls Prophecy.… Expand
  5. Zoronii
    Jul 13, 2011
    9
    Oblivion is a great game, but has some sizable setbacks. Gameplay is solid and something you can get easily hooked on. The quests, while moderately unoriginal, are presented in a unique way. Unfortunately, combat is smooth but almost too hard, and the leveling system is flawed and may level you faster than you can keep up. In addition to the flawed leveling system, most new players willOblivion is a great game, but has some sizable setbacks. Gameplay is solid and something you can get easily hooked on. The quests, while moderately unoriginal, are presented in a unique way. Unfortunately, combat is smooth but almost too hard, and the leveling system is flawed and may level you faster than you can keep up. In addition to the flawed leveling system, most new players will have no idea what they're doing, as it doesn't tell you what specializing in a skill will do. Overall, the minor flaws can be overlooked by great overall gameplay, and this is a worthwhile game.… Expand
  6. snowshreder
    Jul 5, 2011
    10
    Well what can i say that everyone hasn't Morrowind (Oblivion) is One of the most complex games out there it may be outdated on Graphics but it surpasses most if not all other Role Playing Games on the market when it comes to a big world with almost endless quests and more gear then you can think of. Great game i cant wait until Skyrim comes out to set the new Standard on Role Playing Games.
  7. DanMan3395
    Jul 4, 2011
    10
    revolutionary game that sets the bar so high for open world RPG's that it probably wont be beat by any game except its own sequel. A HUGE open world that has a life of its own. You can take almost any action you can think of. Combat is VASTLY improved compared to morrowind and is much more fun. This is as close to the perfect game as it gets.
  8. Brumbek
    Jul 2, 2011
    10
    Where to begin, Oblivion is one of the best games ever created. The joy of exploring a huge open fantasy world is just delicious indeed. Plus Oblivion is very accessible for all you "dumbed-down" types. Be sure to download the essential mods (50+ of those, 4 being my mods, hehe) to create the most awesome open-world RPG ever. Another must play. Don't talk to me about RPGs until you play this.
  9. seantjee
    Jul 2, 2011
    9
    Its a large game with a big world many quest and many item. its an open world wich i liked the most. plus mods you can download mant more items quests and world spaces, so best game ever.
  10. Devslilhelper
    Jun 30, 2011
    10
    This is the BEST game I have ever played. I bought it when it first came out however long ago and I have probably played completely through it 15 times? All with totally different characters with completely different strategy. The level of depth its incredible, a depth only matched by Morrowind, the previous entry into the Elder scrolls. This cannot be beat. "mediocre graphics?" yea myThis is the BEST game I have ever played. I bought it when it first came out however long ago and I have probably played completely through it 15 times? All with totally different characters with completely different strategy. The level of depth its incredible, a depth only matched by Morrowind, the previous entry into the Elder scrolls. This cannot be beat. "mediocre graphics?" yea my ass, the graphics are awesome even now, its still a game that I can play and not have to gripe about the graphics. If your that spoiled that this game looks bad, go watch a movie, if you want to basically play your own movie with some pretty awesome graphics, game play, quest line, re playability etc than play this game. The Add ons are pretty sweet too I have them all (I would get the deluxe edition if I were buying it). IF you dont mind graphics, play morrowind too! Its SO deep intense, and the same good things just with bad graphics. So look at the good reviews, compare to the bad ones (in number and info) and realize they are cry babies. They have their "perfect games" most of them are probably something linear and stale like crysis and cant handle the freedom of an open ended RPG.… Expand
  11. Peterhb1234
    Jun 24, 2011
    10
    This game was absolutely amazing, it has great lore, lots of content and a lot of things to do. The main quest can get repetitive, but the story is pretty cool. However, you shouldn't play this game just for the story, the most amazing part of this game is how open and huge it is and how many side quests and content there is. Overall, an outstanding game, it was fun playing and well worthThis game was absolutely amazing, it has great lore, lots of content and a lot of things to do. The main quest can get repetitive, but the story is pretty cool. However, you shouldn't play this game just for the story, the most amazing part of this game is how open and huge it is and how many side quests and content there is. Overall, an outstanding game, it was fun playing and well worth the money.… Expand
  12. Malkiel
    Jun 23, 2011
    3
    Having Played Morrowind first and enjoying it a lot, I expected better from Oblivion. The game's killing flaws where 1) enemy scaling with the player making gaining levels pointless, because you do not see any increase in power and 2) lack of levitate (some storyline missions took a half hour longer to reach because I couldn't get up the bloody hill) When a particular bit of storylineHaving Played Morrowind first and enjoying it a lot, I expected better from Oblivion. The game's killing flaws where 1) enemy scaling with the player making gaining levels pointless, because you do not see any increase in power and 2) lack of levitate (some storyline missions took a half hour longer to reach because I couldn't get up the bloody hill) When a particular bit of storyline right by the end got repetitive, I said enough of this and decided I wasn't going back. (buddy playing on xbox at same time said I was ~2 hours from the end)
    Regarding the design choices about leveling: I read a number of things that suggest the true powergamer approach to this game is to stay _at level 1 or 2_ by never sleeping to avoid leveling up... this is not an ideal solution frankly.    … Expand
  13. patrickrender
    Jun 17, 2011
    10
    This is more than a game, this is the future of man kind. I am bringing you my second review on one of my favorite games of all time, OBLIVION. This game came out a while back but it is still enjoyable as any game that has came out recently. If you have played an elder scrolls game you will know what i mean. The characters have good story lines and the whole game is packed with side questsThis is more than a game, this is the future of man kind. I am bringing you my second review on one of my favorite games of all time, OBLIVION. This game came out a while back but it is still enjoyable as any game that has came out recently. If you have played an elder scrolls game you will know what i mean. The characters have good story lines and the whole game is packed with side quests which will give you the equipment to finish the main story easier. You start off in a prison, you don't know anything, but you quickly find out a thew things
    * That dark elf in the other jail is a douche
    * That the emperors son's are getting killed
    * You are the one who must close the jaws of oblivion

    When you have finished the tutorial you will be placed in the world. You will have to guide your own path through the game, i have played through an assassin and a thief and they have total different game play which makes the replay ability of the game outstanding. I can't wait for skyrim as it should take care of the things oblivion had like poor graphics, the weird voice acting of the normal npc's and the zooming into the faces. The modding community is vast, as there are mods that add magic in the game, or total conversions which in turn, make the game more re playable. BUY THIS GAME, RIGHT NOW!    … Expand
  14. FlubbaJubba
    Jun 11, 2011
    10
    You cannot compare this to fallout, because its nothing like it. This game is absolutely amazing, and will go down in history because 5 years on, it still looks beautiful. The open world it delivers is massive and full, wherever you go there is something, which shows how refined the game is and how much effort was put in, the graphics are amazing for the time and the storyline keeps youYou cannot compare this to fallout, because its nothing like it. This game is absolutely amazing, and will go down in history because 5 years on, it still looks beautiful. The open world it delivers is massive and full, wherever you go there is something, which shows how refined the game is and how much effort was put in, the graphics are amazing for the time and the storyline keeps you captivated. I like how the story takes you all over the world, which makes the RPG even bigger because of movement, and in between walking you stumble across more and more caves or ruins and you HAVE to explore them, it side tracks you so much, you find yourself nowhere near where you wanted and another 5 hours of game play in the bag. There are obviously flaws, i will get onto them later. The AI are one of the best AI in a video game and they respond completely to your presence. I like the character designs too, there has been so much thought put into everything, the amount of things you can be..it makes your character different to your friends, and not many games can deliver that. The sound is absolutely amazing off memory, the music when you are battling through the wilderness is perfect, creating a brilliant mood that you can delve, making you believe you are in the game. The flaws, like i said earlier, is that there isnt many battles with more than one creature, imagine the game with epic battles with more than 20 enemies at once? it would be superb, the greatest...but I think thats down to FPS, the game would not run with masses of enemies attacking at once. It isnt a massive problem, but its something i wouldnt mind in it, because the game is still amazing without it, and its such a minor problem when you look over the entire game. Everything has a unique design which makes you believe you are there. Summing up the game, it is a definite buy, if you dont enjoy this game at all, not even for sound/graphics then you are a fool, this is an amazing game which definitely by-passes Morrowind and shows that the developers (Bethesda) are constantly evolving for the better, one of the greatest games ever. Undoubtedly 10/10. - FlubbaJubba… Expand
  15. Pomornik
    Jun 3, 2011
    6
    Lets see; Graphics, they was good back in the days, but now you need mods to make it look decent. NPC faces are creepy and ugly, and thats a big deal since you get zoom in at them every time you talk with them. Luckily it has a great character creation, lets you customize your character any way you want. Story, the main plot is horrible, i would use the console to close the oblivion gates,Lets see; Graphics, they was good back in the days, but now you need mods to make it look decent. NPC faces are creepy and ugly, and thats a big deal since you get zoom in at them every time you talk with them. Luckily it has a great character creation, lets you customize your character any way you want. Story, the main plot is horrible, i would use the console to close the oblivion gates, since it was extremely boring to do it the normal way, over and over again (they were all identical). But it had alot of great side quests, especially the Assassins guild. Class and combat system are almost identical as in Morrowind, which means they are good, but got "simplified" a litte (or dumbed down if you prefer). I really hate how every house, cave and even cities are instanced, doesnt make it feel like a free open world at all. Also no fun skills like levitation, and hearing the same voiceactors all the time is kinda awkward (theres only like few voice actors). I dont really see a point buying this game today, just wait for Skyrim.… Expand
  16. jakoby
    Jun 1, 2011
    9
    i think this is one of the best RPG games i ever played. U can be almost what u want...Assassin, mage or warrior...The quest are good, but the main quest is a little bit ....how can i say...not the best.
  17. Emporer
    May 31, 2011
    10
    perhaps 1 of the best series of games out there, excellent idea and masters non-linear gaming. although a number of glitches haunt this game; a modding community still very much alive and active today has pretty much rectified any problems remaining. the elder scrolls created not only a game but a legacy and probably has a lore behind it that rivals star trek :) - just search oblivion inperhaps 1 of the best series of games out there, excellent idea and masters non-linear gaming. although a number of glitches haunt this game; a modding community still very much alive and active today has pretty much rectified any problems remaining. the elder scrolls created not only a game but a legacy and probably has a lore behind it that rivals star trek :) - just search oblivion in google and youll see wat i mean. althought made in 2006, ign said that it took 2 2008 4 another game 2 top it - fallout 3. Note: made by same company oblivion is not a game it is a world therefore rated 2 the max… Expand
  18. Wren
    May 30, 2011
    10
    This is what a game should be- you felt fully immersed, as though your decisions mattered- this is a great game, and a great modding community make it even better.
  19. TheImbecile
    May 24, 2011
    9
    This game is undoubtedly one of the greatest, if not the greatest, I've ever played. The game-play is fun, the character-creation system is ambitious, and the story is captivating (but perhaps a bit generic). The class system is entirely flexible, allowing you to take advantage of limitless possibilities. Bethesda's huge library of lore is so diverse and expansive; it could convince youThis game is undoubtedly one of the greatest, if not the greatest, I've ever played. The game-play is fun, the character-creation system is ambitious, and the story is captivating (but perhaps a bit generic). The class system is entirely flexible, allowing you to take advantage of limitless possibilities. Bethesda's huge library of lore is so diverse and expansive; it could convince you that Tamriel is a real place. There are a plethora of dungeons to explore, items to find, and monsters to slay. Only a handful of negative factors (lack of diverse voice-acting, awkward AI, etc.) stopped me from giving this game a perfect ten. There is absolutely no-one that I wouldn't recommend this game to; It's a great experience, and you'll easily put over a hundred hours into exploring the beautiful land of Cyrodiil. If the 2006 graphics aren't to your liking, there are plenty of mods over on TESNexus or Planet Elder Scrolls to improve them.

    The defining factor that places Oblivion on the RPG Throne is it's open world. It's the very first thing that comes to mind when someone mentions the game. There are choices to be made in every situation; your character could be a ruthless assassin, a righteous knight, or a brilliant mage; there are no boundaries. So buy Oblivion, you'll be glad you did.    … Expand
  20. Matseb2611
    May 22, 2011
    9
    Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is fun, engaging and consuming, but its main drawback is that it's pretty repetitive. The game takes place in a vast country, containing 9 cities, and many villages, caves, forts and other landmarks. The landscapes are stunning, eye-candy at its most (if you set the video options to high that is). The ambient music is beautiful too. It actually adds heavily toElder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is fun, engaging and consuming, but its main drawback is that it's pretty repetitive. The game takes place in a vast country, containing 9 cities, and many villages, caves, forts and other landmarks. The landscapes are stunning, eye-candy at its most (if you set the video options to high that is). The ambient music is beautiful too. It actually adds heavily to the atmosphere, making you feel like part of this enormous world. However majority of those locations I've mentioned are pretty repetitive. A lot of caves and other dungeons look the same. Hence the free-roaming does get boring eventually. The character creation feature however is phenomenal. First of all you get to choose one of 10 races (4 races of humans, 3 races of elves, and then also orcs, argonians and khajiit), each one with its own set of pros and cons. After you've chosen a race you customize the character's appearance, all of their facial features, etc. After that you pick a class. Best idea to perhaps customize your own class, because the way it works is that each class favours a certain set of skills and attributes, meaning you get bonuses to those at the start and they are the ones that would contribute to your levelling up. So getting to choose the attributes yourself is the best. The main story is not bad. It does have its good bits and also some boring bits, but all in all worth playing through at least once. The game has a huge amount of side quests too, as well as 4 different factions, all of which have their own story arcs as well - Fighter's guild, Mages' guild, Thieves' guild and The Dark Brotherhood (aka Assassins' guild). There is a good variety of various armors and weapons. However for the most part the better items only start appearing once you reach a certain level, and the levelling up is rather slow. Nevertheless, due to such a big variety of skills, the game can be played in many different ways - a sturdy paladin, a silent archer, a fierce spellcaster, a poison assassin, a hand-to-hand fighter, etc. However playing as the same character for long does get repetitive, and hence I'd say Oblivion is not one of those games you tend to come back to very quickly after completing it. Overall it's a beautiful and very atmospheric game. It's a consuming new world. That's what it is. When you play Oblivion, you find yourself feeling like you're part of it.… Expand
  21. fearless
    May 20, 2011
    9
    A heroic fantasy masterpiece and an RPG modder's dream, sadly flawed by some poor design choices (eg, level scaling) and its reliance on a vague high fantasy aesthetic over the depth of lore and hand-crafted world of its predecessor Morrowind.

    But the scope, potential, and fundamental gameplay value of Oblivion can hardly be overstated, especially when it's considered as a 5 year-old    A heroic fantasy masterpiece and an RPG modder's dream, sadly flawed by some poor design choices (eg, level scaling) and its reliance on a vague high fantasy aesthetic over the depth of lore and hand-crafted world of its predecessor Morrowind.

    But the scope, potential, and fundamental gameplay value of Oblivion can hardly be overstated, especially when it's considered as a 5 year-old game. An imperfect classic.    … Expand
  22. TommyH
    May 20, 2011
    9
    I admit I love Oblivion, I played like hundreds of hours in it. However, there is the Oblivion out of the box which you grow tired of rather quickly, certainly after one full run through the main quest (which I liked but could be more elaborate) and some of the guild quests. And then there is the modded Oblivion which is simply amazing and a universe in itself. Out of the box the game is aI admit I love Oblivion, I played like hundreds of hours in it. However, there is the Oblivion out of the box which you grow tired of rather quickly, certainly after one full run through the main quest (which I liked but could be more elaborate) and some of the guild quests. And then there is the modded Oblivion which is simply amazing and a universe in itself. Out of the box the game is a 6 or 7 maybe (I much agree with what reviewer Phlakes is saying), but the modded game is the best game ever, if you take the time to learn modding which can get intricate and intimidating. So I give it a 9.… Expand
  23. Brentwahn
    May 17, 2011
    9
    Oblivion was my favourite game when it was released. After 5 years, I have just gone back to play it again, and it is just as magical as before. The storyline is amazing, and the seamless way in which you can pursue adventure down so many smaller story arcs is just fantastic.

    The feature that gives this game so much replay value, however, is the ability to mod. There are so many available    Oblivion was my favourite game when it was released. After 5 years, I have just gone back to play it again, and it is just as magical as before. The storyline is amazing, and the seamless way in which you can pursue adventure down so many smaller story arcs is just fantastic.

    The feature that gives this game so much replay value, however, is the ability to mod. There are so many available and they breath new life into the game at every turn.    … Expand
  24. Dethstar
    May 17, 2011
    9
    This was the game that made me finally drop my xbox and buy a decent pc some years ago. I have been modding and enjoying Oblivion ever since and still manage to add fresh new content. This was the ultimate world builder and gaming experience. Since then its costs me thousands in constantly buying and upgrading my PC but if I consider the entertainment I have had out of it and theThis was the game that made me finally drop my xbox and buy a decent pc some years ago. I have been modding and enjoying Oblivion ever since and still manage to add fresh new content. This was the ultimate world builder and gaming experience. Since then its costs me thousands in constantly buying and upgrading my PC but if I consider the entertainment I have had out of it and the hours of fun I have had in Cyrodil. Its been money well spent.… Expand
  25. EsquireIII
    May 15, 2011
    7
    This game stole what little life I already had. It's incredibly fun. Randomly exploring caves and ruins never gets boring, though I do admit, I had to start using console commands to close down Oblivion Gates because I just couldn't take doing the same map I had already done a million times before. Another small complaint I have and that I've heard a lot of is that Oblivion doesn't captureThis game stole what little life I already had. It's incredibly fun. Randomly exploring caves and ruins never gets boring, though I do admit, I had to start using console commands to close down Oblivion Gates because I just couldn't take doing the same map I had already done a million times before. Another small complaint I have and that I've heard a lot of is that Oblivion doesn't capture Morrowind's atmosphere. I haven't played Morrowind much yet, but after playing hours upon hours of Oblivion and stepping of the boat in the very beginning to see a massive insect that, come to find out, was used for transportation made the game feel very alien. Oblivion's atmosphere is indeed more of a generic sort of feel, but there are definitely improvements over a few problems I noticed with Morrowind despite how little I played of it. First of all, combat feels much more smooth, and when you hit an enemy, you actually hit them, rather than using stats to determine your hit chance. In addition, the combat just feels smoother, with the ability to block at will rather than using the block skill to determine the chance of blocking. My biggest Morrowind annoyance is how slowly you moved at the beginning of the game. Being a rather impatient person, that gets kind of old. Oblivion definitely fixed this problem. A change from Morrowind that I think is for the worse is the horrible leveling system. Enemies level up with you, and subsequently, so does their loot. It tends to ruin the realism quite a bit (how do so many bandits find full sets of Daedric armor?) and generally makes the game get harder as you level up, unless you micromanage your skill growth to obtain the maximum boost from each level, which is incredibly annoying and just plain tiresome. On the good side of the game, the world is massive. There are hundreds of locations to discover, many of which have a quest assigned to them. There are also quite a lot of joinable factions. Not as many as Morrowind, I've heard, but still a good amount, ranging from the magic oriented Mages Guild, to the combat oriented Fighters Guild, and the stealth oriented Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood. Each offers a very different experience and all are worth joining, even if you don't really focus on that particular stat (heck, I was a thief and I still became one of the top ranking members of the Mage's Guild). Spell casting tends to be a bit on the weak side when it comes to buffs, many lasting as little as 10 seconds before needing to be recast and the spell making is more limited that many would like it to be. The spell animations tend to be a bit bland after a while, using the same effects for each spell for the most part (for example, a strong fire spell will look the exact same as a weak fire spell. At least prior to impact). I personally do not like the music in Oblivion, though the songs can easily be changed by replacing the files in your music folder. The main story quest is fairly interesting, though I find it hard to play more than once. Even if you don't enjoy the story, the lore still provides an interesting feel to the world you Overall, Oblivion is a huge game with a very nice combat system, a huge world for you to explore, many NPCs to populate it. Finally, though I'm not counting this towards the score of my review, it is definitely worth mentioning that there are a HUGE number of modifications available for Oblivion, improving upon many problems I've mentioned here (like the shoddy magic system and broken leveling) as well as a few I didn't. There are many to improve performance and stability of your game if your computer can't handle the graphics, while others add in various content (homes, weapons, armor, the things you might expect). As a last word. whether or not you use a few mods or a lot of mods or just avoid mods altogether, Oblivion is definitely a game you should pick up regardless of what console you want it for (though if you want mods, the PC is the best console to go with).… Expand
  26. nsane
    May 15, 2011
    9
    Oblivion is a classic. There is so much to do and such a big world that it is very liberating. With no real classes, you can do almost anything given enough time and training. The flora and fauna of Cyrodil is diverse and interesting. The graphics, at the time were quite impressive and for a 5 year old game, they're still very decent. Some of the quests are fun and varied, though the curseOblivion is a classic. There is so much to do and such a big world that it is very liberating. With no real classes, you can do almost anything given enough time and training. The flora and fauna of Cyrodil is diverse and interesting. The graphics, at the time were quite impressive and for a 5 year old game, they're still very decent. Some of the quests are fun and varied, though the curse of repetitive quests in rpgs still plagues this game. If there isn't enough game for you, even with the expansions, there are many mods out there to help you tailor the game to your desires.… Expand
  27. Sebster
    May 15, 2011
    9
    250 hours. That is how long I have spent in the world of oblivion. And I don't want a single nanosecond back.

    I have one and one only criticism: The characters are awful, awful, awful and the voice acting is dreaful.
  28. Antimateria
    May 12, 2011
    6
    Pretty good. Not so great at first but when modded with own taste. Then the game is awesome. The world is so big.. dungeons get a bit repetitive. And better put some own music choices in folders. Buth with games original merits.. It's good, clearly above average, though leveling system is too fast and kinda sucks. But when you ride with a horse trough the fields at early morning none ofPretty good. Not so great at first but when modded with own taste. Then the game is awesome. The world is so big.. dungeons get a bit repetitive. And better put some own music choices in folders. Buth with games original merits.. It's good, clearly above average, though leveling system is too fast and kinda sucks. But when you ride with a horse trough the fields at early morning none of that really matters. It's heavenly. And then bear attacks your horse, you must dismount the horse and you throw a fireball at it and slash it with sword ten times and run and go back continue your attack finally defeating it. Then you start to think where is my horse and why do I use it. I can run faster but if I do, my furry armors will perish in the wind, cos that's how fast everything wears out. Then you search inventory for repair hammers and you'll find two of them. they both break when you are just repairing your shoes. then a deer comes to your attention, drawing your trusty long bow you aim carefully and release the arrow.. and watch it fly like a old wooden bucket. never hitting the deer. then the game crashes.
    Truly it's not perfect.    … Expand
  29. mindguru
    May 1, 2011
    10
    Honestly, I don't understand most of the negative criticism for this game. A HUGE improvement on TES3: Morrowind in terms of combat and atmosphere. Combat is much more engaging, as it should be for this style of game. Quests are entertaining and tough enemies are very challenging (until you are extremely high level). Coupled with a do-anything-you-want style world, this game willHonestly, I don't understand most of the negative criticism for this game. A HUGE improvement on TES3: Morrowind in terms of combat and atmosphere. Combat is much more engaging, as it should be for this style of game. Quests are entertaining and tough enemies are very challenging (until you are extremely high level). Coupled with a do-anything-you-want style world, this game will entertain for hours. My only complaint is that it ended so soon. The world is much smaller than its predecessor, Morrowind. Players of that game will find the world somewhat confining, and you definitely won't get the 500+ hours of gameplay like you did in that title. An awesome game, though. Can't wait for TES V!… Expand
  30. Amorphic
    Apr 26, 2011
    9
    I can't really give it anything less after putting 100+ hours into it and enjoying every minute of it. of course it does have some flaws including repetitive dungeons, not rewarding exploration enough, bad levelling system and game play bugs. overall it is a fantastic game.
  31. fearer
    Apr 26, 2011
    10
    Best game ever. I am still playing it. It has bugs, but because it's great mod-ability, mods have fixed all of them. I played hundreds of hours without mods and patches, and I've played hundreds of hours with mods and patches. I have loved every moment.
  32. robinjam
    Apr 21, 2011
    9
    The awful level-up system and vast number of unfixed bugs prevent me from giving this game a perfect score. Don't let that dissuade you, though - it's a fantastic game which provided me with over 100 hours of gameplay before I became even remotely bored.
  33. Willybach
    Apr 20, 2011
    6
    Man, I've had a funny relationship with this game over the years. Really really wanted to love it. In fact practically upgraded my PC once just to try to play it as my initial set up could barely get 12 fps with distance drawing off. Downloaded hundreds of mods - all in an attempt to make the most immersive, in-depth fantasy world I possibly could. Ultimately this game is just anMan, I've had a funny relationship with this game over the years. Really really wanted to love it. In fact practically upgraded my PC once just to try to play it as my initial set up could barely get 12 fps with distance drawing off. Downloaded hundreds of mods - all in an attempt to make the most immersive, in-depth fantasy world I possibly could. Ultimately this game is just an unfortunate let down. Even years later after upgrading my PC for a second time, when checking out the game once more, I found myself strangely not enjoying the experience. I mean, I love fantasy, love the idea of an open world. Love RPGs. So why is this game so disappointing? Well, even with pretty good PCs this game will stutter and struggle. The world is very repetitive. Dungeons, extremely so. Combats simplistic. NPCs mostly boring. Plot, okayish. Spells and animations just not good enough. If people like this game, it's almost certainly down to the mods. The community is what made this game in truth. Let's hope they learn from this one (and the modders) and turn out a more polished game for Elder Scrolls V. (And a bigger, more interesting world please). I found myself trying Morrowind because of this game and then strangely hovering in limbo between the two, unable to really get into either - there's Morrowind with it's far more detailed and engaging world, its better systems and story-line - but after Oblivion's combat it's pretty hard fighting in Morrowind. Then after Morrowind it's likewise pretty hard to get into Oblivion's shallow world. Even with the quite outstanding mods out there like OOO, MMM and so many others... nice try, here's hoping someone makes the game I'm waiting for soon ....… Expand
  34. Mad_Diplomat
    Apr 16, 2011
    4
    This is one of those games that seem great at first. But the more you play it, the less you like it. Once the flash wears away, you start to realize that at it's core the game is broken. Without an engaging story and good gameplay mechanics there can be no lasting appeal for me.
  35. Duderoth
    Apr 15, 2011
    5
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. It might be a little late to be writing a review of this game, but I have been playing it on-and-off since practically its release day. To this day, I'm still not sure what all the hype was about.

    Let's just say Oblivion was a good game. Good, not great. If you actually play RPGs for the scope and story, probably the biggest drawback of the game is the story. I wouldn't go so far as to call it contrived, but it's not all that great anyways. Actually it's pretty dull, since what you become known for by the citizens of the empire is something you accomplish within the first couple of hours of the game, had no emotional impact or power behind it, and just established the next flaw with Oblivion.

    Oblivion gates. The first time I stepped through one, I thought to myself, "Oh wow, this is actually pretty cool." Then I went through another one. Then another one. Then several more. They all look the same. They all have the same mechanic. If there was one part of Oblivion that was uninspired, this was it. They all consist of getting to the top of the central tower, and pulling out a "Sigil Stone" to close the gate. Alright, now let's cycle that them through 9 maps that all look exactly the same, and you'll begin to dread going through any of these gates ever again.

    I had a few other issues with the game, such as horseback riding being pretty lame, some so-so dungeons (nothing especially hidden away or secret like there was in Morrowind) and the facial animation and voice acting being the crap they were. But the leveling with your character loot and enemies was insulting. In a game that's supposed to be about go anywhere, do anything, this is an atrocity. Limiting the types of enemies you fight and level of loot you can receive at any given level automatically turns this into an extremely structured game. Sure it prevents getting anything gamebreaking at an early level, but the whole point in adventuring is learning what your strengths and limits are. If, at level 1, you can find a way to beat a level 20 monster, I think you deserve some pretty epic loot for doing so. But this leveling also meant that dungeon crawling was pretty stupid, since there was no incentive to explore other than to "see the dungeon," and they all looked essentially the same within about 3 themes (Aleid ruins, old forts, and caverns/mines).

    Now this is not to say Oblivion was a crappy game. Far from it. If you want some excellent story telling and a much better RP experience, check out the... 4 factions. That's right only 4. Thankfully, each questline for the factions was much more enjoyable than the main questline, and each was quite long as well, which makes up for the fact that there are only 4. (I believe that in Morrowind there were upwards of 15, and many of them affected other factions.) And no, I am not counting the Arena. That was not a faction. You just kill people. You can finish it at level 1.

    The region of Cyrodiil was quite beautiful, but only some areas shined. According to lore, Cyrodiil is supposed to be a jungle/swamp type of area. In this fashion, I quite enjoyed the areas around Bravil and Leyawiin in the game (and the snowy mountains of Bruma to the north), and Anvil was very pretty, but the rest was more ho-hum classic fantasy affair, and the cities all looked very fabricated and themed. Overall it was not nearly as immersive as Morrwind's quite alien locale, setting, and culture.

    So overall, Oblivion was an average game. It definitely felt geared towards console players and much more casual gamers, as was obvious through the main storyline, generic hack'n'slash gameplay, and toned-down classic fantasy setting. But it had some obvious merits for those willing to delve deeper, with some pretty amazing faction questlines, along with some other specific side quests.

    I hope 2011's Skyrim shapes up to be more like Morrowind. But if Bethesda stays down the path of Fallout 3, I won't be too irked, since that game was incredibly fun as well. Give us TES fans something good this time, Bethesda!    … Expand
  36. LB1900
    Apr 10, 2011
    9
    Peanut butter by itself is delicious, but when you combine it with stuff like nutella, it becomes amazing. So it is with Oblivion and its mods. Oblivion is currently 5 years old and has TWENTY TWO THOUSAND mods on tesnexus alone. Literally anything you want oblivion to be, it can be. It is a great game, but can become bland by itself, but not until you've run through the main quest andPeanut butter by itself is delicious, but when you combine it with stuff like nutella, it becomes amazing. So it is with Oblivion and its mods. Oblivion is currently 5 years old and has TWENTY TWO THOUSAND mods on tesnexus alone. Literally anything you want oblivion to be, it can be. It is a great game, but can become bland by itself, but not until you've run through the main quest and become the head of all the guilds, but the real allure is the open ended gameplay and the mods.

    I recommend playing the vanilla game first, ie unmodded, and then adding in tweaks. You'll go from a great game to a new world as you add new elements to get deeper into the game. I have been coming back to this game for 5 years and I will only stop playing for the same reason I stopped playing its predecessor, Morrowind, because the next iteration has come out and its mods are even better!

    Bethesda is a hell of a game company and their RPG's are bar none the best RPG's ever made due to the fact that you can make the game whatever you want it to be. Don't buy it on console, you'd be cheating yourself, come to the dark side of modding and you will never look back.

    The only downside to Oblivion is that its not quite as vivid as Morrowind was as it was made a tad more mainstream and simplified to release as one of the first 360 games, but on PC you won't have that issue.

    Disclaimer- I am not responsible for your becoming a TES addict.    … Expand
  37. aisu
    Apr 5, 2011
    2
    One of most overrated games in history. It had nice graphics when it lasted (i bought and played it on release) but honestly... nothing else. Terrible gameplay, fighting, same 2 or 3 voice actors for every character. linearity, terrible character development and world leveling systems, very mediocre plot. Playing as melee classes is boring clicking of one button, well mages do not differOne of most overrated games in history. It had nice graphics when it lasted (i bought and played it on release) but honestly... nothing else. Terrible gameplay, fighting, same 2 or 3 voice actors for every character. linearity, terrible character development and world leveling systems, very mediocre plot. Playing as melee classes is boring clicking of one button, well mages do not differ much from this. I cant understand that unfounded cult surrounding this title. I do not recommend this game to anyone, its boring, anticlimactic and rly overrated..… Expand
  38. M_Alex
    Mar 26, 2011
    5
    Ths game isn't bad. Some aspects, like the graphics, are very good. However, gameplay wise, this game falls behind. It begins very well, but it becomes monotonous with time. After about 30 hours of gameplay i was running away from any person who wanted to give me a quest, and some time later, I just ignored most of them. Regardless of what they said you are to do it always came down to "goThs game isn't bad. Some aspects, like the graphics, are very good. However, gameplay wise, this game falls behind. It begins very well, but it becomes monotonous with time. After about 30 hours of gameplay i was running away from any person who wanted to give me a quest, and some time later, I just ignored most of them. Regardless of what they said you are to do it always came down to "go there, kill everybody, find an object, come back." The main quest line also is not enthralling, and, moreover, nor original in any way. After gluing me to the screen for a long time, the game simply became tedious.… Expand
  39. DantheMan
    Mar 18, 2011
    5
    The phrase that is often used to described Bethesda's games are "free world". It's apt. It's correct. And either you like that aspect or you don't. I don't. To me, it's not an RPG. Playing a role by definition means there is some type of script. While there is technically a major thread in the game it very easy to lose it and never find it again. You can wonder aimlessly for hours.The phrase that is often used to described Bethesda's games are "free world". It's apt. It's correct. And either you like that aspect or you don't. I don't. To me, it's not an RPG. Playing a role by definition means there is some type of script. While there is technically a major thread in the game it very easy to lose it and never find it again. You can wonder aimlessly for hours. Is it fun? Kinda. But it never offers any real sense of accomplishment for me. I never feel like I'm making progress, like I make a difference in the world. I hate to give this game a five because I respect the quality of the work that went into it. But it's just not for me. If you are Bethesda fan-boy you will love this game like you loved all the others. But it's more of the same old boring crap as far as I am concerned.… Expand
  40. Kaizoku2793
    Mar 17, 2011
    10
    Oblivion is the greatest game I have ever played. The graphics increase the standards for all future games. It will be a long time till any game beats this and that game will probably be Elder Scrolls V.
  41. DANEger
    Mar 13, 2011
    10
    You will love or hate this game and one factor will determine which of the 2 it will be and that is if you mind a game lacking structure and be exceptionally open ended if you want a strong coherent story that is in any way linear this is not your game. However if you do not mind going so far as to even completely abandon even the main quest line for a while this is your game you can spendYou will love or hate this game and one factor will determine which of the 2 it will be and that is if you mind a game lacking structure and be exceptionally open ended if you want a strong coherent story that is in any way linear this is not your game. However if you do not mind going so far as to even completely abandon even the main quest line for a while this is your game you can spend hours hot accepting one quest just mindlessly wasting time killing thing and exploring dungeons if you do not mind a game being a complete time sink. the simple ability to be absolutely any class and just do whatever the hell you want is where this game shines.… Expand
  42. Eddyward
    Mar 11, 2011
    6
    Well, it's nothing compared to Morrowind. The world felt very small in comparison. The quests were very short, with the exception of the mains toryline, which couldn't have been more tedious. Oblivion feels rushed and they really could've brought a lot more things from Morrowind forwards. I was also disappointed to find the Imperial City was actually quite small, and was miniscule comparedWell, it's nothing compared to Morrowind. The world felt very small in comparison. The quests were very short, with the exception of the mains toryline, which couldn't have been more tedious. Oblivion feels rushed and they really could've brought a lot more things from Morrowind forwards. I was also disappointed to find the Imperial City was actually quite small, and was miniscule compared to some of the cities in Morrowind.… Expand
  43. Conscience
    Mar 9, 2011
    4
    This game looks great, the world is vast and the world is open-ended and interactive. Lots of great potential, with a complex and technically impressive interactive world. The only problem is that there are no appealing characters to interact with and no emotional connection with the game. They made something awesome, but without much of a soul.

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

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

    Summary: a game with a lot of potential, but not much substance.    … Expand
  44. PithHelmet
    Mar 9, 2011
    6
    Oblivion is a great introduction into the Elder Scrolls. I loved it so much when I first played it. However, after you play Morrowind you realize how much potential Oblivion threw away. Oblivion is an example of the terrible direction the game industry is starting to go into: Games that are worth buying, and are extremely great in the beginning, but lack the long term value that is veryOblivion is a great introduction into the Elder Scrolls. I loved it so much when I first played it. However, after you play Morrowind you realize how much potential Oblivion threw away. Oblivion is an example of the terrible direction the game industry is starting to go into: Games that are worth buying, and are extremely great in the beginning, but lack the long term value that is very key to have to prevent boredom in the future again. When you finish up all the quests (Which are a lot, but still has significantly less compared to Morrowind) there is no point to play anymore. The dungeons feel prefabricated just like Daggerfall and there is nothing really "new" to explore. The vast majority of them are just filled with common monsters and loot that becomes worthless after you get the best armor and weapons (Which can be gotten fairly easily at higher levels). Oblivion is worth the money, but in the long run is no where near as RPG satisfying Morrowind was. That is what we play RPGs for, the satisfaction of completing quests or completing leveling goals or finding special items. Oblivion denies that ability of satisfaction way too early compared to its predecessors. If you are reading these reviews though you are probably considering buying it. In a simple answer, of course. Well worth the money it costs now.… Expand
  45. excessivekitty
    Jan 7, 2011
    0
    A pretty ragdoll. This game is one of the biggest waste of good potential I have seen in a long while. The lush graphics are wasted on an empty shell, on a dull, stiff, rigid, lifeless world where there is little to no compulsion to explore or do anything.

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

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

    On top of this, the hefty system requirements.

    Stay clear of this.    … Expand
  46. AuraxMark
    Jan 7, 2011
    6
    Oblivion is not as cut out as it seems to be, none the less, it has highly sophisticated game-play, but that's it.Nearly every aspect in the game seems rushed.1.There are less then 10 voices in the game and beggars change accents mid-dialogue.Usual drawly voice at the start then after clicking on an option, the accent changes to a guard voice.2.Main story too short.Granted, the quest hadOblivion is not as cut out as it seems to be, none the less, it has highly sophisticated game-play, but that's it.Nearly every aspect in the game seems rushed.1.There are less then 10 voices in the game and beggars change accents mid-dialogue.Usual drawly voice at the start then after clicking on an option, the accent changes to a guard voice.2.Main story too short.Granted, the quest had an urgency attached to it that encouraged people to continue with it but the main quest itself is only about 5 hours long on normal difficulty.3. Too many loading screens. Every time you go into a building,a loading screen appears and even to have a mini one like in Dragon Age Origins would be better.And, the loading is about less then 5 seconds so it just gets annoying after a while.4.Dupes.I closed about 20 Oblivion gates in my game and there are only about 4 different wastes or planes of Oblivion.I'm not sure as I don't like dungeons, but I heard that dungeons are the same, dupes.5. Rag-doll physics. When you throw someone off a cliff you expect them to speed down it, not glide down as it seem. It seems,when you die or a NPC or anything dies, the carcass of that thing loses most of the gravitational pull on it. It literally glides down at less then a quarter of the speed it should be going at.Also, when you kill something, the carcass seems to lose all bones in it's body, it literally turns into a rag-doll which is not good. It looks sloppy and un-realistic.6. Leveling system. I have NEVER heard of a leveling system like this before. Advancing levels by advancing skills?That seems theoretical sound,but some quick math, and you see, if you can only gain experience from your main skills until they reach 100, and for every main skill it starts at 25 and you level up every time you gain 10 skill points, you can only level up 52.5 times without cheats and ,which is most stupid of Bethesda, they put the level cap at 225!Why?No-one knows.7. Interface. When you are walking,you feel like you a gliding effortlessly a few centimeters off the ground and when you jump, you feel like a feather caught in the wind. Only when you change to third-person camera, does it feel normal but even the third person camera is not excellent.8. The world. The world is green or white usually, and that's ok, but that's all it is, ok. On a rating of 1 to 10, I would give the world a 4, as it is monotonous except for the snow in the upper regions.9.The people. There is too little settlements that you can actually run into and are useful. They are pretty shallow people in personality as I already mentioned, limited voices. I mean, I once ran into an old lady with the voice of a mature female dark-elf that lives in Chorrol. In conclusion, I would say Oblivion is rushed and un-interesting. The world is a bleak, life-less area with a dull touch to the cities.But there is potential for the game,as I'm hoping Bethesda won't make such a **** game as Oblivion again.And P.S, I would re-think getting The Elder Scrolls V:Skyrim as the games are too close together to be any good but I might be wrong and Bethesda might surprise even me with Skyrim.… Expand
  47. Itsapaul
    Dec 26, 2010
    8
    Would've been way better had I not played Fallout 3 first, but this is only getting a slightly above average score since you have to get it on pc and get mods to fix the glaring gameplay problems like psychic guards, a retarded leveling system, and so on.
  48. Seamus25
    Dec 15, 2010
    9
    Fantastic Game. The freedom we have to mount classes , magics and our own alternative paths and quests in the game are really unique. Plus , instead of other famous RPG like games, it brings us the experience of good first person combat.
  49. zombiehampster
    Nov 2, 2010
    10
    Many things can be said about Oblivion. It's a very ambitious project that allows you to explore a massive world with a good level of detail despite its size. The game is an open sandbox, much like its mind bogglingly vast predecessor Daggerfall, Oblivion opts for the same feel, although it narrows down the scope of the game from several countries to 15 miles of detailed landscape. IMany things can be said about Oblivion. It's a very ambitious project that allows you to explore a massive world with a good level of detail despite its size. The game is an open sandbox, much like its mind bogglingly vast predecessor Daggerfall, Oblivion opts for the same feel, although it narrows down the scope of the game from several countries to 15 miles of detailed landscape. I think this is a definite plus as Daggerfall was far too generic at most levels, although still tons of fun if you discount the amount of game stopping bugs. Oblivion has its share of problems as well. The story is somewhat standard, with very few (if any) wow moments to it. Its art style is pretty generic and the design of the armor/weapons leave much to be desired. The combat system seems to be solid, although it isn't anything great and not even close to strategic, and the AI is a fan of suicide charges; those that don't use magic or bows will just run right up to you and chase you all the way back to the cities if they can. Normally I'd say that's a recipe for a pretty bad game, but through all this, Oblivion has a hold over me unlike most other rpgs (even Mass Effect, which I love). The game is pure fun for those who enjoy a nice big sandbox to run around in, and as far as my personal tastes go, that is perfect for me. The range of possibilities that exist for how you play through the game gives it a massive amount of replay value, along with the different types of characters you can create. Now as far as graphics are concerned, that's pretty much a no-brainer; they are gorgeous (aside from the not so great design) and never fail to amaze, while the music is well thought out, giving the world an almost dream-like quality in some areas. I have to say that I'm rarely moved by a games atmosphere/setting, but when I wander through the uninhabited areas of Cyrodill, I can't help but feel a certain tinge of melancholy and loneliness. I love this game, but to truly enjoy it you must pick up the expansion packs Knights of the Nine and the Shivering Isles, respectively. These two only add to the immense world and have kept me playing for probably over a hundred hours. The final and most important part of Oblivion on PC is the libraries upon libraries of mod content that is free to download and will extend your playing time into god knows how long. A game will always have it's bugs, there is no way to cut out all of them, especially the more open ended a game is. To me, the sign of a great game is one that can hold my attention for a long time and never feel like a chore. Something that, despite its shortcomings (and there will be shortcomings) I still keep coming back for more, despite newer and flashier titles. Even now I'm thinking about downloading some more mods and reinstalling it on my brand new cpu...… Expand
  50. Valknaz
    Oct 28, 2010
    10
    An excellent game, my favorite RPG of all time and perhaps my favorite game.
    I'll try to keep this as short and to the point as possible:
    Pros -Vast and varied world. Those who say it is repetitive honestly have not played the game. There are Jungles, woods, plains and so on. An example of the vastness of the world is emerging from the sewers in the beginning of the game and seeing a    An excellent game, my favorite RPG of all time and perhaps my favorite game.
    I'll try to keep this as short and to the point as possible:
    Pros
    -Vast and varied world. Those who say it is repetitive honestly have not played the game. There are Jungles, woods, plains and so on. An example of the vastness of the world is emerging from the sewers in the beginning of the game and seeing a snow-peaked mountain far off in the distance. You can go to the top of this mountain. Along the way you may run into a wolf, an ogre, or a friendly Orc living in a well appointed manner.

    -The awesome questing system. There are literally hundreds of hours of quests to be found here, all interesting. Whether it's climbing the ranks in the sinister Dark Brotherhood, fighting Mehrunes Dagon, or sorting out a crooked merchant you will be entertained for hours.

    -Finally, the graphics and gameplay were amazing for its time. They still look very good unmodded, but modded (specifically with Qarl's texture pack) it looks absolutely amazing. The gameplay is fun, the swordplay is simple but not repetitive, and the magic is entertaining.

    Theres are several negatives to this, none of which prevent it from being a 10, but still are worth being mentioned.

    -Voice actors. They used (for some obtuse reason) a very small group of voice actors. The voices do become repetitive.

    -Dialog system is iffy. Kind of strange

    Overall an excellent game. Highly recommend the PC version to anyone who enjoys RPGs or who wants to try something other than Call of Duty.    … Expand
  51. SameDifference
    Oct 23, 2010
    10
    This has to be the all time best game I have played. I hope there is a new version, soon. Ive played the game at least 6 times. If you like RPG, this game is fantastic! Play it often! From magic to awesome weapons, this game has it all! The story is very interesting, too! Even the music score was great! Excellent job 2K Games!!! Give us more like this!
  52. Tubie
    Oct 2, 2010
    8
    This game was to some degree a let down to me, but simply because I loved Morrowind so much. The game itself is very good, a great RPG that follows that traditional open ended free to do what you want formula. I did find the main story to be a bit short and a bit too linear but overall I think this is a great PC game that every RPG fan should play.
  53. spartan-117
    Sep 28, 2010
    10
    Unique.It opened a new rpg era.Precursor of Fallout 3 and The Precursors.Huge.Masive game play options.Free world.You can do whatever you like.Huge array of items.Many NPC's.To short main story.But Brilliant.There's much..much more to say but i have to write down about 70 pages to finish it.Wonderfull.10+
  54. Dakimaz
    Sep 10, 2010
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. How Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion got 94 score, I simply do not understand. When I read the reviews and saw the score, I thought "hey this might be kinda like Dragon age: Origins, just much cheaper", but no.
    As stated by other reviews, I too really wanted to like this game, but unfortunately those little super frustrating events like "lock picking" and various other annoying factors just ruined the feeling of a good game entirely.
    To elaborate: In the Lock picking sequences you have to continuously move your mouse upwards and then click with the left mouse button in order to make the pin "stay in it's slot", however, you have to click the pin when it is at the top, and stays there for half a second - otherwise your lock pick will break. This happens completely random and there's no way what so ever to predict whether it stays in the top or not, there's no pattern, no little noise that goes off, nothing. That in it self is not an issue (annoying, but you can just walk away... or?) the thing is, you can't cancel the sequence, so if you have 100 lock picks, you'll just have to stay there, breaking them all, before the game let's you go. Oh sure fine, there are options in the bottom that says "auto try" and "close".. but you go ahead a try click those buttons with a none existent mouse (and you can't use the arrow keys... not anything to hit them). So last in total frustration i hit escape on the keyboard, causing the game to freeze. *sigh*
    Now that we're talking about the key bindings. In comparison to most other games, where you for example have a key for you map, menu, inventory, quests, reputation, spells, abilities etc. - in oblivion you have 1 - yup, EVERYTHING is wrapped up in one damn tap, that in it self wouldn't be a problem if it had tool tips when you moused over the different items - but it doesn't, you'll have to figure it out yourself.
    Weight is apparently symbolized with a feather, money with the head of a random guy - and after 8 hours of playtime, i still do not know, where to see the quests. And the map is too small (in comparison to the actual size of the game world), and you can't zoom out to locate where you have to go. The worst part is, the feeling of "a big game" disappears with the "fast travel" system - and you already have all the locations from the beginning.
    But the worst part of the entire game is the story telling, it's done so poorly, that you really have to drink 8 cans of redbull to stay awake while the NPC's talk, because the story just isn't compelling at all. You start out in a cell (in jail presumably - though you're never told why), some guy rushes into you cell claiming he's the emperor, (if it's legoland or china - you're never told either) - about 5 mins later he's dead. The voice acting is terrible and the animation is so stiff (sure they have, mad or happy faces, but this is split up in either EXTREME ANGER or SUPER HAPPY, that you can't help but thinking either the guy is a psychopath or a rapist), you can't connect with any characters in the game, 95% of the time I was playing I just went "hmm I wonder what happens if I kill this guy", and finally got bored with it and stopped playing the game.
    The AI is also somewhat ridiculous, they all seemed to have this "Leeroy Jenkins" syndrome in them, charging forward to slay enemies even though they are greatly outnumbered and go down after 2 blows.
    Was hilarious at first, but when the peeps you have to protect from getting killed does the same thing, it just gets annoying.

    So to put it short
    The game play is repetitive, The story telling is **** The AI is suicidal (this only tends to work for the enemy, not so much your allies.)
    Here's a tip, if you liked Dragon Age: Origins, or just good storytelling - go play that instead, there's nothing to be seen here.
    However, if you like Fallout 3, this is probably the game for you, this game pretty much has the same issues. Just replace laser rifle with a bow, aliens with demons, and nuclear bomb with magic.    … Expand
  55. JudgeMental
    Sep 4, 2010
    8
    I wrote one review for this on the 360 already, but tragicly forgot to mention one of the reasons I love this game so much. The expansion Shivering Isles is the single most enjoyable DLC I have ever played. Period. It's a wonderful, twisted, gripping expansion. I could take or leave Knights of the Nine, but the Shivering Isle was epic.
  56. Xgrubbs
    Aug 26, 2010
    8
    great game, great concepts, great interactivity. However if you're more into a storyline than a i want to play this forever game then this isn't for you. For me without constant DLC it gets really old really fast especially when you have done all Daedra, main story, guild quests. Some may say there is a world of replay value here but i would disagree sorry.
  57. Higher_Standard
    Aug 17, 2010
    7
    Oblivion has to be played a certain way by people that can imagine themselves in the world that is the game. This can make the game very enjoyable in comparison to just making a god character that's the leader of every guild. Try to specialize and you'll have more fun. Sadly, they seem to have skipped the beta testing stage before releasing this game. On multiple occasions I've had entireOblivion has to be played a certain way by people that can imagine themselves in the world that is the game. This can make the game very enjoyable in comparison to just making a god character that's the leader of every guild. Try to specialize and you'll have more fun. Sadly, they seem to have skipped the beta testing stage before releasing this game. On multiple occasions I've had entire guild quest-lines become impossible to complete due to bugs. If this game had a coop it would be a ten without a doubt. There also seems to be little to no reward for playing on higher difficulties.… Expand
  58. Phlakes
    Aug 15, 2010
    6
    This game is not the best game of all time. In fact, it probably isn't in the top 20. For some reason, even though the game is filled with bugs and terrible design, people just overlook all its problems because the side quests are fun. I would like to list some of the major problems with the game that make it a 6 instead of a 9 or 10.

    1. The main story. This should have been the best part    This game is not the best game of all time. In fact, it probably isn't in the top 20. For some reason, even though the game is filled with bugs and terrible design, people just overlook all its problems because the side quests are fun. I would like to list some of the major problems with the game that make it a 6 instead of a 9 or 10.

    1. The main story. This should have been the best part of the game, and it should have been long and involving. It wasn't. All the story missions felt exactly the same as any side quest, but sometimes involving an Oblivion gate. It was boring and very disappointing, especially for an RPG.

    2. The entire engine. Moving feels like your gliding above the ground, and when you're in the air it feels like you're above the surface of the moon moving yourself with a fan. Picking something up off a table causes all the other objects on it to jump, And when and the ragdoll physics make creatures and people look like broken piñatas.

    3. The animations. When you hit something a 20 pound metal rod, you expect it to feel powerful. The animations make you feel like you're swinging a piece of hollow plastic. Facial expressions unfortunately fall right into the bottom of the uncanny valley, and one of the worst problems, Bethesda was too lazy to put in animations for running diagonally. People also just disappear when entering buildings.

    4. The voice acting. The worst problem here is that there are, according to the Credits.txt file that came with the game, 9 voice actors, not including the unique characters. For a game where every single character can be interacted with, only having 9 voice actors is a massive issue. Not to mention that some characters, especially beggars, switch accents mid-dialogue. They greet you the same drawl as all the other beggars, then after you choose an option, they start talking with the same voice as the guards, and then back again during their next line. Another problem is that every single infinitely-spawning guard has the same voice actor. If they just had one other voice, it would have made a huge difference, but there's only one. Most of the dialogue is terribly generic, too.

    There are very many other problems, such as the uninspired music, the ludicrous frequency of load screens, and the copy-pasted caves and dungeons, but I'll stop here.

    Imagine if any other game had all these problems. It definitely wouldn't get reviews like this. If Mass Effect 3 came out with only 9 voice actors, a short and boring main story, no diagonal running animations, loading screens at every door, floaty controls, and planets like Mass Effect 1, I'm sure users would give it something like a 6. But because Oblivion as so much hype behind it, people automatically give it 10s. Now I still like the game. I've spent about 150 hours on it, but it really isn't as good as people think, and it is definitely not even close to perfect.    … Expand
  59. RyanB
    Aug 7, 2010
    10
    Best game I've ever played. Graphics are amazing, almost no lag for the amount of detail is put into everything. Vast amount of weapons, armors, AI, and quests. The weapons have outstanding amount of detail, along with the armors and such. The only real disappointment I had about this game was the short main story. But the 200+ side quests more than make up for it. If I had played Best game I've ever played. Graphics are amazing, almost no lag for the amount of detail is put into everything. Vast amount of weapons, armors, AI, and quests. The weapons have outstanding amount of detail, along with the armors and such. The only real disappointment I had about this game was the short main story. But the 200+ side quests more than make up for it. If I had played through the main quest without stopping to do side quests it maybe would have taken 4-5 hours. But, with the Shivering Isles expansion and the other expansions available for all three consoles, I've played the game for over 50 hours in total. Overall, This game is spectacular. I'd give it a 9.8 out of 10.… Expand
  60. RaghaB.
    Mar 29, 2010
    7
    I love this argument in the PC community about how games are "dumbed down for consoles." Now i'm sure that this argument works for other games, i dont know im relatively new to PC gaming. What I do know is that it does not work for TES games. Remember Morrowind guys? Yeah it came out on the X-box also. On to Oblivion. Being a huge Morrowind fan i was disappointed with Oblivion. While I love this argument in the PC community about how games are "dumbed down for consoles." Now i'm sure that this argument works for other games, i dont know im relatively new to PC gaming. What I do know is that it does not work for TES games. Remember Morrowind guys? Yeah it came out on the X-box also. On to Oblivion. Being a huge Morrowind fan i was disappointed with Oblivion. While the graphics are better (even on my lower end PC) The addition of the Quick Jump makes the world seem MUCH smaller than that of Morrowind. And the main story line is very repetitive. After what felt like the twentieth Oblivion Gate I said forget it and moved on...until i caught Vampirism and gave up all together. I can still pick up morrowind and play for hours but Oblivion was barely aboe to hold my attension for more than a few hours. The combat system upgrades (spell button FTW!!) and the shinnier graphics do not make up for the fact that Oblivion is not as good as its predecessor. If only Bethesda wold release a patch moving Morrowind into Oblivion's graphics and controls. That would be the perfect game. But hey dreamers can only Dream. Overall its a good game, There are just a few things missing from it that should have been kept in the game. Hopefully Bethesda learns from their mistakes and delvers an epic TES:V.… Expand
  61. SlobodanO
    Mar 24, 2010
    1
    This game is just an empty shell. Even the lauded graphics fail when it comes to the look of characters. Writing is abysmal. Horrible minigames instead of stat influenced outcomes. Horrible hack and slash combat. Bad engine. This game is not a RPG and what's worse, it's utterly boring.
  62. kungfucat196
    Mar 21, 2010
    7
    My real vote would be 8.4 Ok lets get it started, the gra[hics were good for 2006, its alright. What makes the force of the game is the realism, EVERY but EVERY actions in the game will have an effect on the other AI surrounding you and there is a multitudes of ways to do the scenario, the world is deep and well made, a lot of efforts were put in, but it stops there. The AI is not good at My real vote would be 8.4 Ok lets get it started, the gra[hics were good for 2006, its alright. What makes the force of the game is the realism, EVERY but EVERY actions in the game will have an effect on the other AI surrounding you and there is a multitudes of ways to do the scenario, the world is deep and well made, a lot of efforts were put in, but it stops there. The AI is not good at all, a supplementary 3 month wouldn't have been too much for the game to fix the AI problems and the Glitches. Also, RTS games are my favorite, and i like wen im immerge in the story, like i was in Dragon age: origins or Kotor. The broken AI and universe dosen't help. You can do whatever you want, there is exacly NO LIMITS, a lot pf players are just playing this game for its mods, but i do not know some1 excepted me who alredy beated this game. too much limit is not good, but not enough too. All those facts dosen't immerse you in the story, well, it didn't for me. I had to force myself to finish this game. I didn't like this game, i gave a 7.5 for all the efforts they putted in and to respect those who liked that, but its not a game for amators of games like Kotor, mass effect and dragon age.… Expand
  63. AndrewC
    Feb 28, 2010
    6
    A tragically flawed game, saved only by a lovingly obsessive modding community. The real tragedy of Oblivion is not it's instability, the stupid main quest, the non-existent AI, the horrendously flawed leveling system, the annoying voice acting, the merely adequate combat system or even the ugly interface. It's none of these. Its that if you take the effort to download about 10 A tragically flawed game, saved only by a lovingly obsessive modding community. The real tragedy of Oblivion is not it's instability, the stupid main quest, the non-existent AI, the horrendously flawed leveling system, the annoying voice acting, the merely adequate combat system or even the ugly interface. It's none of these. Its that if you take the effort to download about 10 Gigabytes of 3rd party mods, from bug fixes, to complete overhauls that totally change almost every system in the game, you can see what this game could have been if Bethesda had just taken the effort. Then you understand why so many, me included love this game.… Expand
  64. RoGuE
    Feb 3, 2010
    10
    I have been playing this game now for over 3 years. I absolutely love it. It never gets boring, what, with all the different abilities, characters and secrets out there!! What the hell is with those poor, lifeless, cynical souls who give Oblivion a 0/10? Well, I have a message for you braindead people: This game is one of the best ever made, simply because, it's simple to play, I have been playing this game now for over 3 years. I absolutely love it. It never gets boring, what, with all the different abilities, characters and secrets out there!! What the hell is with those poor, lifeless, cynical souls who give Oblivion a 0/10? Well, I have a message for you braindead people: This game is one of the best ever made, simply because, it's simple to play, understand, and enjoy. The plot is excellent and well tied-in with the other TES titles, the combat is very diverse and can be done in many different ways, most quests are interesting and fun with great rewards, and it always has a very challenging aspect. If you have not got this game, (you poor, poor people) then I suggest succumbering to the hype and getting it as soon as possible!!… Expand
  65. [anonymous]
    Jan 23, 2010
    10
    Truly one of the greatest RPG's ever made. You can be whoever you want, do whatever you want, have whatever you want and be either good or evil. This game is truly encapsulating. An master piece which even when you have completed the game, is impossible to put down.
  66. BrandonL
    Jan 17, 2010
    10
    The game is simply amazing from start to beginning. Most of the people that rated this game a 0 had never beat the game. People say the leveling system is flawed, It makes it so you don't have to worry about running into a highend area or a lowend area. you are access new gear at higher levels and New weapons. If you never level in this game you will be missing out on everything in The game is simply amazing from start to beginning. Most of the people that rated this game a 0 had never beat the game. People say the leveling system is flawed, It makes it so you don't have to worry about running into a highend area or a lowend area. you are access new gear at higher levels and New weapons. If you never level in this game you will be missing out on everything in the game, well just about..... The combat system is very simple, you can learn new melee moves and spells are a breeze to use. Character customization is very large and creating your own class is a very interesting thing to use. Basically the sky is the limit in this game. Make your own spells and weapons with special abilites. Monsters play very much like you and everything they wear u can take which i really dig that. Quests are very very deep and not just a simple kill this and kill that. the AI plays very well and play similar to you. There is no shortage of things to do. I mean you can beat the game and hundreds and hundreds of quests. Difficulty can be adjusted. The game is user friendly and isn't difficult at all. Works perfectly on a console. It plays unlike any other RPG out there right now, besides fallout of course. PEOPLE WHO GIVE THIS GAME A 0/10 REALLY DON'T KNOW WHAT MAKES A GOOD RPG A GOOD RPG!!! this game is amazing, graphics, voice acting, enviroment, combat system are all perfected and are amazing.… Expand
  67. TheChosenOne
    Jan 15, 2010
    6
    Lets get one thing straight; Oblivion has clearly been dumbed down for the consoles, and IS easily inferior in every way but graphics to its predeccessors. The plot is simple, dull, repetetive and stinks of a certain well-known film Franchise down to the voice actors, most of the loot is randomised(so stupid its hard to believe), most NPC's have 5 dialog options at best, and the Lets get one thing straight; Oblivion has clearly been dumbed down for the consoles, and IS easily inferior in every way but graphics to its predeccessors. The plot is simple, dull, repetetive and stinks of a certain well-known film Franchise down to the voice actors, most of the loot is randomised(so stupid its hard to believe), most NPC's have 5 dialog options at best, and the combat has been reduced to the depth of a Turded Salt Ayre. The most annoying thing though by far, is the content thats been removed. An RPG without Spears? Come on Bethesda, theres no excuse, its pathetic. Another brilliant series down the drain because of console gamers inert brains. Great.… Expand
  68. SuperMan
    Dec 24, 2009
    10
    Severely underrated game. Graphics and physics and still fast and responsive.
  69. AlexiK
    Dec 23, 2009
    10
    Usually i find these sort of games to be pritty Nerdy, you know the sorts. Where you plod arround for hours trying to find some wood to construct a hovel out of. Oblivion is the exception however, and is one of the easiest to master RPG's iv played all year round.
  70. RadekK
    Dec 20, 2009
    10
    A little easier and simpler than Morrowind, but I gave 10. I hope that next Elder Scrolls V will be even better.
  71. StephenS.
    Dec 9, 2009
    10
    I can honestly say that this is my favorite game possibly created. Amazing graphics and game play, so many possibilities of character creation and everything is reflected on what you do in the game play world. If this was Co-op there would be no other game that could compete with this...
  72. Kronox
    Dec 1, 2009
    10
    Not even gonna speak long on this game, its virtues are obvious. This is an instant classic and a must own on whatever platform you play. Anyone who thinks this is a bad game simply hasn't a clue as to what a good game is and their review is worthless.
  73. EE
    Nov 18, 2009
    10
    Oblivion is an amazing game that lives up to the expectations set down by bethesda's other games such as morrowind and Fallout 3. Amazing graphics, wonderful performance, and hours of great fun. And when you finish with the game, just install a few mods and it is new again! Completely worth $50.
  74. TomVt
    Nov 5, 2009
    6
    The beauty of this game does not make up for it's obvious flaws. While it is very fun to pick up once in a while, I never find myself playing through the game. Sure, it's not a linear game in the sense that you must follow a specific path - it is a very open ended game, but far from the open ended gameplay in for example Fallout 2. The scenery is wonderful, and the atmosphere is The beauty of this game does not make up for it's obvious flaws. While it is very fun to pick up once in a while, I never find myself playing through the game. Sure, it's not a linear game in the sense that you must follow a specific path - it is a very open ended game, but far from the open ended gameplay in for example Fallout 2. The scenery is wonderful, and the atmosphere is relaxing. I found myself picking flowers for an hour and making potions to poison my weapons. The close combat can be fun sometimes, but it feels wrong hitting a skeleton several times with a large hammer before it crumbles under it's feet. What I can't really forgive is the "big world" which is Oblivion. You walk into a town, and you overhear people taløking about some really evil demons that invaded a nearby town yesterday. (say, 1 or 2 miles away) The immersion really drops to a point of being hilariously implausible. What? So some demon lord have invaded a town nearby and doesn't move outside a radius of some hundred meters. I just don't get it. And don't forget the "randomized" interactions between npc's. Sometimes it works, but since it's "random" you can hear some pretty strange interactions. No doubt, I will pick it up again, just to sneak around castles and assassinating mayors and stealing their hidden treasures, but no way I'm gonna follow the main story. The pretentious boasting of it's scale coupled with it's serious flaws make it a potential victim for jokes. I recommend trying this game, but don't expect something big. It's a fun little game, nowhere as "big" as others say. The world is NOT big. Say, 25 square kilometres or something. And there are many towns at the size of a pack of farms.… Expand
  75. IanV
    Oct 23, 2009
    7
    The best example of setting the bar too high and stretching your resources too thin can be found within Oblivion. While everything within the world feels devoid of both life and meaning, there is an enormous amount of content to explore. Memorable quests stand out in a bitter sweet way, reminding you of the game's potential.
  76. JasonB
    Oct 20, 2009
    9
    There seem to be people who hate on this game simply because it's not a "traditional" RPG. That is, in a game like this which is truly open; your own personal plot isn't spoonfed to you. Your own personal character history, motivation, and actions are all up to you and your imagination. If you don't have imagination and don't want to get lost in a non-linear world, There seem to be people who hate on this game simply because it's not a "traditional" RPG. That is, in a game like this which is truly open; your own personal plot isn't spoonfed to you. Your own personal character history, motivation, and actions are all up to you and your imagination. If you don't have imagination and don't want to get lost in a non-linear world, this isn't for you. As far as the main quest goes, yes it's short and rather unimpressive but much like old RPGs the wonder of the game is in the side-quests and off-the-path interactions. I put dozens of hours into this game without touching the main quest for days on end; I've played through four times and STILL find new things to uncover with each playthrough The game is relaxing when you want it to be, tense when it needs to be, and always engrossing. I don't know why the "old school" crowd is so venomous because it doesn't adhere to the rules of other RPGs. Why does everything have to be the same? Don't see Oblivion for what it isn't, see it for what it is. I can appreciate and love both types. 9 because while the game most definitely deserves its acclaim, some of its niggles had no business being there, like the console-ish menu system and repetitive voice actors.… Expand
  77. JohnB
    Oct 12, 2009
    7
    The game has a lot of content and enviroments are beautiful. Unfortunately there are some serious flaws. All the npc- characters in the game are ass ugly, generic and they act like robots. There are only adults in the game, and no one has a beard. I'm glad that they didn't include dwarves in this game since they too would propably be as tall as anyone and without beard. The The game has a lot of content and enviroments are beautiful. Unfortunately there are some serious flaws. All the npc- characters in the game are ass ugly, generic and they act like robots. There are only adults in the game, and no one has a beard. I'm glad that they didn't include dwarves in this game since they too would propably be as tall as anyone and without beard. The voice acting is mostly horrendous, and there are 2 or 3 music tracks in the whole game.… Expand
  78. AlexM
    Oct 2, 2009
    10
    I playing games since 1993. I played evrything from Tetris to Baldurs Gate. And i have to say this is best game ever made.Best RPG ever made , Best 3D RPG ever made , Best Graphics ever made , Best modding system ever made. Best Lore ever made. Oblivion is just Brilliant , if u didnt liked this game then u have no taste in beautiful things.
  79. AnonymousMC
    Oct 1, 2009
    10
    This game is by far the best RPG to offer to those who love Magick and Enchanting storys alltho the game has somewhat of a short campain the Mods made for this game keep more coming and coming with 100's of quest's in game and countless mods being made by fans Oblivion will never get boring to those who wait and give it a chance I myself have been playing this game for 2 yearsThis game is by far the best RPG to offer to those who love Magick and Enchanting storys alltho the game has somewhat of a short campain the Mods made for this game keep more coming and coming with 100's of quest's in game and countless mods being made by fans Oblivion will never get boring to those who wait and give it a chance I myself have been playing this game for 2 years and am not bored yet instead I love that Bethesda lets modders alter the game as they want in some feeling I think Bethesda gets a chuckle outa seeing how far we can make oblivion go therefor Im giving this game a 10… Expand
  80. LeviA.
    Sep 22, 2009
    10
    This is the best game I have ever played. Ignore the whiny little kids with poor grammar skills that rated it low. They probably played it for about 20 minutes before stopping. The game may also require somewhat of an imagination too play. I have had this game for 4 years and still haven't completed the main quest and I still play it once every week. It is the best game ever made.
  81. MarcD
    Sep 17, 2009
    1
    The only department this game is a winner is the make up department. This game is really poor compared to previous TES titles. The terrain althought claimed wider than Morrowind give a shrinked feeling. You can cross it in 20 real time minutes jog on its wider part, talk about a country, 6KM long 4 Km wide if much If you take ingame time just multiply by 10 at a 12km jog, patetic. In this The only department this game is a winner is the make up department. This game is really poor compared to previous TES titles. The terrain althought claimed wider than Morrowind give a shrinked feeling. You can cross it in 20 real time minutes jog on its wider part, talk about a country, 6KM long 4 Km wide if much If you take ingame time just multiply by 10 at a 12km jog, patetic. In this game the player (you) is treated like a complete moron, or the developer where too lazy to write directions. A compass lead you straight to all missions. Talking about missions the main mission could be good is many bad game design weren t choosen. Like the auto leveling system that let your ennemies exactly the same lvl you are. Like the ability to not lvl. Like the possibility to finish the game at LVL 2. Like many immortal NPC, rendering your personnal choices irrelevant. Like combat not being tied to your stats anymore, its 100% finger related without the need of any skill: Forward, slash, backward or sidestep, slash rince and repeat. No matter who is your ennemy this will work every time, always 100% guaranteed or your money back. Combat lead to quest 90% of the quests are combat related, so any class non, or having poor vocation to combat related is a no go, So in the end your personal choices are irrelevant. In Oblivion the less relevant parts are the player choice. Did i speak about how irrelevent the side missions are, very few fun but absolutely none interesting to the main plot. And why would they be since the ennemies LVL with you what is be the relevance of getting stronger faster richer and even lvl up ? You should be in a the capital state of an empire, But there s absolutely nothing that give you this feeling, you could very well be in alska summer or whatever. Oblivion is at least 50% of all the TESS Lore. No wonder the previous game design team where fired or quited in middle project. You really feel it. The game sweat shallowness, misconcepts, and faulty to lazy design. I could go on pages. But to go to the point this game is an insult to the RPG gaming and its player. Thinkin bettter this game doesnt deserve a 2.… Expand
  82. HenryS
    Sep 12, 2009
    10
    This is the best RPG ever, EVER. I have finished this game on three difirent platforms (360 (RROD), PS3 (YLOD) and PC. And not once have I found this game repetive. Every time I play again I find a new quest a new itme, or I just repeat the same quests just for the hell of it. Those who think this game is Lacklustre obiously have no taste in games or this isn't their genre for in This is the best RPG ever, EVER. I have finished this game on three difirent platforms (360 (RROD), PS3 (YLOD) and PC. And not once have I found this game repetive. Every time I play again I find a new quest a new itme, or I just repeat the same quests just for the hell of it. Those who think this game is Lacklustre obiously have no taste in games or this isn't their genre for in which case shouldn't be reviewing it. Best RPG ever.… Expand
  83. JacobL
    Sep 12, 2009
    10
    Oblivion, is simply brilliant game! The plot line is imersive, the gameplay is thrilling, the adventuring is invigerating! When it was first released, most common computer systems had a hard time playing it. But now, with rigs that can play Crysis at 250 FPS, Oblivion's graphics system is merly a tick on ones RAM. I recomend all action/adventure gamers imediatly go to there local Oblivion, is simply brilliant game! The plot line is imersive, the gameplay is thrilling, the adventuring is invigerating! When it was first released, most common computer systems had a hard time playing it. But now, with rigs that can play Crysis at 250 FPS, Oblivion's graphics system is merly a tick on ones RAM. I recomend all action/adventure gamers imediatly go to there local game store and pick up a copy! Bravo Bethesda for creating such a wonderful game!… Expand
  84. AdamC
    Sep 6, 2009
    4
    I wanted really, really badly to like this game. It's absolutely beautiful (if you can run it that way, of course), and it's got some nice IDEAS as far as leveling goes. It's great that the NPCs have conversations with each other, it's great that there are theoretically consequences to your actions, it's wonderful that there are so many places to explore and I wanted really, really badly to like this game. It's absolutely beautiful (if you can run it that way, of course), and it's got some nice IDEAS as far as leveling goes. It's great that the NPCs have conversations with each other, it's great that there are theoretically consequences to your actions, it's wonderful that there are so many places to explore and quest, and the twitch combat is a breath of fresh air for those of us who really don't like watching our characters swing once every five seconds based on a dice roll. Unfortunately, none of these things are well-executed. Leveling based on the skills you use is intuitive and engaging and even if it's not a brand new idea, should have been a really wonderful way to feel like your character was getting stronger. Yet Oblivion has probably the worst leveling system I've ever experienced. Each skill is connected to an attribute. When you level up a skill, you gain a bonus to its connected attribute when you level. That means that to get the max (or close to) bonus for each level, you're going to have to grind away at minor skills (otherwise you'll level too quickly and won't receive a bonus). And if you choose just to play your character without trying to achieve bonuses, then monsters -- which level at the same time as you -- will ultimately surpass you in power. It also means a level one character is potentially the strongest character you can ever create. There's not much incentive to level. Of course if you don't level at all, you won't be able to use any new weapons or armor, because those begin dropping based on your level. And yeah, the highwaymen uses the same kind of armor as that bandit warlord at the end of the dungeon. The storyline begins with wonderful urgency, but as soon as the tutorial is over, you can basically ignore it completely. There are Oblivion Gates opening everywhere, but you could just leave them for like 2 years if you want, go do other things. The invasion will wait until you're good and ready to confront it. I'm all for open-ended and ambiguous, but removing structure entirely means that I really never felt engaged with the world I was playing in. One more problem is with the game's "Radiant AI." It's awesome that they leave their houses and go about town and do various things, but if they're going to have conversations...well...the voice acting for the most part is bad, but most of the conversations sound like Public Service Announcements anywa. "How are things with you?" "The [armor shop] in town makes great armor." "Bye." Spellmaking is a great idea, but there are only about four different spell animations, and although there are an IMMENSE number of spells (because you can make your own), there really aren't very many effects, which means you're basically casting the same four or five spells the entire game long. This isn't so different from other games, but it seems like the system here was setup to be so much more interesting than it turned out to be. Making up your own class is great, especially because if you want to play a warrior, you can't pick any of the preset ones due to the aforementioned leveling system. So essentially there's only one class I'll ever pick: custom. The game is absolutely huge and tried to do so much, but, at least for me, failed to really engage me in any meaningful way. This was a really great engine for an Role-playing game, I just wish there'd been a roleplaying game to play.… Expand
  85. AnonymousMC
    Sep 5, 2009
    10
    1. To compare it to Fallout 3, unless you really would rather just go over a repeating landscape for a few hours and kill some enlarged animals along the way, this game has more content then any of you can make up. The DLC are broken, buggy and empty, quests arent really anything worth speaking of, and there's only about 7 of them (side quests) so that should explain itself. The main1. To compare it to Fallout 3, unless you really would rather just go over a repeating landscape for a few hours and kill some enlarged animals along the way, this game has more content then any of you can make up. The DLC are broken, buggy and empty, quests arent really anything worth speaking of, and there's only about 7 of them (side quests) so that should explain itself. The main quest had it's points, that's all that game has going for it unless you play it for the guts. 2. To Morrowind fans - Oblivion is VERY sorry for being user friendly. You guys are some of the most dogmatic idiots I've ever read of. 3. Leveling system - Propose a better one, don't just complain. There are plenty of other options for it if you play on PC and are willing to use mods. 4. Combat - Same as above. It's not great, but there ARE many ways you can make it fitting to you. 5. Quests - Wow. Show me an RPG that isn't just "go get this item, kill this group/person, investigate this/that, clear out this cave". There isn't one. Rating 10 to balance out some of the ridiculous, unexplained 0's. Will it make a difference, I doubt it. At least no one with any internet-savvy will take you seriously, and just know you're the regular drama loving fool.… Expand
  86. James
    Sep 5, 2009
    0
    Dull, repetitive, unfinished, not original and MASSIVELY over-hyped! Oblivion is a prime example of the deterioration of quality in the PC gaming industry. Everything about this game is flawed and dislikable. Sure, you have a huge world to roam around and explore but why bother, the landscape design has just been repeated over and over again. Its utterly uninteresting. The dialogue is Dull, repetitive, unfinished, not original and MASSIVELY over-hyped! Oblivion is a prime example of the deterioration of quality in the PC gaming industry. Everything about this game is flawed and dislikable. Sure, you have a huge world to roam around and explore but why bother, the landscape design has just been repeated over and over again. Its utterly uninteresting. The dialogue is laughable. Whos brilliant idea was it to have the same actors (about 5) doing the the voice for the entire game population. And they are rubbish at it. They sound so flat and borring. None of the NPC characters feel like they have any depth. None what so ever! But its not just the voice quality which is poor, its the script as a whole. Its not gripping in the slightest, it feels lifeless. The game art and design is horrible. The characters for instance are for the ugliest Ive ever witnessed in a game. And their movements are all static and robotic, just another element that breaks your immersion from the game. Gameplay is awfull. Combat is a matter of frantic mouse clicking. Attack, block attack block, or as it becomes soon enough, attack, attack, attack, attack... win or run away. There is nothing about it to make you want more. And the leveling system... I mean come on. WHAT WERE YOU THINKING! As you advance level so do your enemies??? So you have no real character development. Its pointless. Theres no reward for gaining skill and no motivation to continue. When you get to the highest skill level you want to be kicking ass. Not to be equal with your opponment like you were when you first started the game. The menus, this is appalling. It forces you into flicking back and forth between each section. No shortcuts. Irriatating in the least. The games story... yawn... nothing compelling in the slightest. Infact I never did complete Oblivion as I lost all interest. Now, I've rated this game a ZERO. It deserves it. I cannot understand why people are rating this game 10/10. My guess is they are kids who still have the fortunate ability to use their imaginations to over come all the short commings this game has. I have however no guess as to why the major industry critics have awarded Oblivion so much. Whatever happened to great game design with new innovative concepts??? Oblivion is a huge dissapointment that was a complete waste of my hard earn money. My advice is dont buy it, and dont be duped by all the 10/10 ratings!… Expand
  87. SD
    Aug 31, 2009
    7
    Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. It may be beautiful, but that can scarcely hide the wafer thin plot or the mind-numbing repetition. Creating a great virtual world is one thing, and here this has been achieved. But a great virtual world needs to be inhabited to beings that aren't just clones of each other, and it needs to contain a game that's not just being an armed Fed Ex guy in a Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. It may be beautiful, but that can scarcely hide the wafer thin plot or the mind-numbing repetition. Creating a great virtual world is one thing, and here this has been achieved. But a great virtual world needs to be inhabited to beings that aren't just clones of each other, and it needs to contain a game that's not just being an armed Fed Ex guy in a pretty mythological world.… Expand
  88. NeilB
    Aug 29, 2009
    3
    I've never voted on anything, but feel strongly that this game is not worth a grade higher than a three for the simple reason that it feels more like a chore than a game. You spend a tremendous amount of time juggling inventory, repairing weapons, opening locks creating potions and cleaning out bland fortresses and ruins. The monsters/enemies are all the same...fighting a skeleton is I've never voted on anything, but feel strongly that this game is not worth a grade higher than a three for the simple reason that it feels more like a chore than a game. You spend a tremendous amount of time juggling inventory, repairing weapons, opening locks creating potions and cleaning out bland fortresses and ruins. The monsters/enemies are all the same...fighting a skeleton is no different than fighting a bandit or a ghost...and the weapons and spells are also incredibly boring, especially compared with the Baldur's Gate series. Pick a weapon (e.g. sword, axe) add some kind of cold/fire/shock damage to it and that's all. Same for the spells...fire a projectile of heat/cold/shock and that's all (other than heal, which you will use constantly). The game offers an enormous number of spells, weapons, armor and potions, but there is nothing to get you excited or make you feel that the quest was worth it. It's an impressive game for the freedoms it offers, but it is extremely boring, repetitive and worst of all, NOT FUN.… Expand
  89. GabrielU
    Aug 28, 2009
    5
    This game is a LARGE step back. Everything nerfed, dumbed down, sick level scaling, plenty of choices, where we don't have any choice, destroyed lore (Cyrrodil is and tropical jungle and few things more, not a typical, european woods!). I felt deeply cheated after playing.
  90. CJW
    Aug 18, 2009
    10
    Definitely the one of the best, if not the best game, I have ever played. A must play for fans of RPG's, or anyone who is looking for an RPG experience that isn't hardcore. Even though there's a couple of little niggles, it still fells finished, polished, and the DLC adds so much more depth to the game.
  91. DavidL
    Aug 17, 2009
    5
    I give this game a 5 because it requires "Fan Made Content' to even make it enjoyable, even after having mods toppled over mods it still don't entertain me as much as my other games do. Morrowind was far better than this game. Morrowind kept you busy even if you where not playing the main plot. The problems with oblivion is every thing that they said was good about it. 1.I I give this game a 5 because it requires "Fan Made Content' to even make it enjoyable, even after having mods toppled over mods it still don't entertain me as much as my other games do. Morrowind was far better than this game. Morrowind kept you busy even if you where not playing the main plot. The problems with oblivion is every thing that they said was good about it. 1.I can't walk up "steep hills" when there really not all that steep. Why can't they have the character crawl up the hill at least with coded textures that make the character do stuff when they touch the texture or some thing that makes sense please. 2.You character can't climb up ledges and pull him/her self up. 3.The magic effects are boring. All i have seen was fire balls, thunder bolts and stuff alike etc. I have not seen any thing epic like a meteor shower or a fire storm or fire arrows or a huge shock wave that shakes the ground and makes cracks and stuff etc. 4.Combat is slow and boring. There is a mod that fixes this, but still with out good maneuverability combat will also fail. (Refer to 1) 5.The story line was great and i give them a 10 for it, but it lacked in game play so it was like watching a movie with a single ending. 6. Random encounters took for ever to re spawn or you won't even fight them because only 1-3 monsters spawn at a time. To get any action you had to look for quests and there hard as heck to find for such a big game. So even though you can go any where you still had to do quests to get any real action so technically the game was linear. 7. Why do you even level up? Why do you even have abilities? Why do you even have any thing for this game when you can beat it at level 1? 8. The character creation concept was awesome, but didn't work right because it takes mins to hours to make a good looking character. The facial hair was a complete rip off because it wasn't facial here it was just coloring. Games that are far older than this had beards and more maneuverability like prince of Persia or dungeon lords. 9.This game has some advantages like being huge (Why is there no MP support?) and the graphics. 10.This game is just a walk in the park. Nothing that caught my eye. I care about game play more than visuals all though i do admit that visuals are very very important for games. So even if a game has bad graphics it can still look nice if it has a lot of detail the objects plus the game play to back it up. Games should be great with many features from the start you shouldn't make your customers do all the work by having to mod the thing inside out. I do love modding i don' t mean to stop make modding tools, i mean make a game that is good enough so that we don't have to make overhauls. This is all my opinion of course. Excuse my typing i,am young and not perfect at English even though it is my own language.… Expand
  92. AnonymousMC
    Aug 11, 2009
    7
    Very expansive world to explore, and a plethora of side quests to complete make this a very good RPG. Unfortunately, the game is marred by serious design flaws and a main storyline that leaves much to be desired. There are mods to fix the worst of its problems (such as the unbalanced creature leveling), but a game should not have to rely upon its community modders to fix their product. 7/10.
  93. RC
    Aug 1, 2009
    9
    This is a great game. Hell I don;t even need to mod it in order to have a good time. Ive played this game exactly 48 times over and each time was fun. The graphics are a little outdated now, but it's still not bad for today's generation. The quest are fun, but are lacking meaning, you're mostly doing it for money so you can buy new stuff. Some of the quest are just not This is a great game. Hell I don;t even need to mod it in order to have a good time. Ive played this game exactly 48 times over and each time was fun. The graphics are a little outdated now, but it's still not bad for today's generation. The quest are fun, but are lacking meaning, you're mostly doing it for money so you can buy new stuff. Some of the quest are just not interesting. The AI is great (when it came out) today it's ok, considering this was made in 2005. Overall though the game is long and you have a massive modding community to help keep it fresh all in all this game is great and can't wait for the next elder scrolls.… Expand
  94. AnonymousMC
    Jul 29, 2009
    8
    Good game, great gameplay, nice quest, the expansions are cool (shirvering isles) you get your moneys worth of gameplay (around maybe 250+ hours if u do every quest) but the game isnt perfect, i played it un patached and un modded and even though it rain fairly, i felt the graphics werent as good as i could get them to be (even though i have a lower end dell, i can get insanly goodGood game, great gameplay, nice quest, the expansions are cool (shirvering isles) you get your moneys worth of gameplay (around maybe 250+ hours if u do every quest) but the game isnt perfect, i played it un patached and un modded and even though it rain fairly, i felt the graphics werent as good as i could get them to be (even though i have a lower end dell, i can get insanly good graphics in games like call of duty, and left 4 dead etc) sometimes if i opened it through steam it would close to my desktop wich would be annoying when im exploring a cave because i would need to start over. Also not enough voice actors, one time when i was in cloud ruler temple i heard to charcters with the same voice actor have a conversation. Leveling system can get annoying aswell.
    the quest in the game are good, only memerable ones are the ones such as the main quest line, the dark brotherhood questline (which i play on every charcter i make because of how fun it is) have to admit though some enimes arent real creative, and i think bethsidia gave up too quickly (only one real expansion pack, knights of nine is really more of a bunch of addons on a CD with OBLVION stamped on the cover) campared to a fully expanded Fallout 3, not as good but is still a good game i would pick it up on steam as its at a fair price there.    … Expand
  95. EthanKunz
    Jul 28, 2009
    10
    This is probably the best game I've ever played, and I've played them all. While it has some minor flaws in npcs, it makes up for this in almost every other way. What really added to the game for me were the mods that hardcore gamers have been coming up with. I'm still playing it!
  96. JacobF
    Jul 26, 2009
    3
    Talk about overhyped, by a long shot. Graphically, it's pretty incredible. But all graphics do is sell a game and keep one from poking their eyes out. Anything to with the actual game content is severely lacking. The story is very bland, and honestly, just isn't very good, (which is funny, because it was praised for that). It feels more like a wild goose chase, whether you have Talk about overhyped, by a long shot. Graphically, it's pretty incredible. But all graphics do is sell a game and keep one from poking their eyes out. Anything to with the actual game content is severely lacking. The story is very bland, and honestly, just isn't very good, (which is funny, because it was praised for that). It feels more like a wild goose chase, whether you have to go find someone, or an item. Granted, there are tons of side quests, ruins, and a vast world to explore, which might redeem the problem with the issue, but it does not redeem the gameplay. The gameplay becomes severely repetitive. After you close the fifty-trillionth Oblivion gate, the game becomes very tedious, and is more like a chore than a fun game. In order to expect to go anywhere with success, you must be a spell caster. The incentive to level up is gone, because they scale the enemies to match your level. Yes, this means when you're level 35, with the best sword the game has to offer, you're still going to die trying to fight off a bandit. Also, you're stuck, for the most part, fighting the same lot of enemies the entire game. A couple bandits or wolves here... A few Mystic Dawn cult members there... A heck of a lot of Daedra everywhere... There is very little diversity in what you fight, unless you specifically go looking for something different to fight. The game partially fails in the sound department. Not to say the sounds were bad, by any means, but they were repetitive, and had a few inconsistencies. They used the same actors, over and over. Heck, the one actor they didn't repeat was killed off in the first half-hour of gameplay, and was the best one in the game (Patrick Stewart)! I mentioned some inconsistencies earlier. The conversations and voices often go against the nature of the character. If you talk to a beggar, and she sounds like an uneducated beggar (as she should) at first, wait. Ask her some stuff, and she'll suddenly sound like a well-educated noble. There wasn't a lot of music, but that doesn't bother me as much, since in games like Oblivion and Morrowind, I prefer something a little quiet, just ambience, if at all. Conclusion Overall, Oblivion is a major disappointment, and fails to live up to the hype and praise it's constantly given. The graphics are nice, so I won't deduct points there. The story is crummy, although there are lots of sidequests and things to explore and do. I'll deduct a point for the story anyway, because it can't fully redeem the poorly executed goose chase that Bethesda tried to pass off as a storyline. The gameplay is incredibly repetitive, and is incredibly difficult unless you're a spellcaster. Deduction of two points here. The leveling system is stupid, and has no incentive because of the scaling, so deduction of three points here. The sounds need a little bit of work, due to the inconsistency between conversations, and the overuse of certain actors, and under usage of others (Patrick Stewart, again). They weren't bad, but definitely not perfect. Point deducted here. The lack of tons of music didn't really bother me, so no points were deducted. In short, don't waste your money on this game. It is a blemish to the entire RPG genre, and a proof to the nearsightedness of the entire game critic industry.… Expand
  97. BobC
    Jul 24, 2009
    2
    Just thinking of the sheer artistic talent and work that went into designing this game makes me very sad to see how lackluster the story, combat, and well, the entire game are. I have reinstalled Oblivion about 6 times now and tried to force myself to play it. Each time I do the Dark Brotherhood and Thieve's Guild quests and then quickly lose interest. I have never been able to stay Just thinking of the sheer artistic talent and work that went into designing this game makes me very sad to see how lackluster the story, combat, and well, the entire game are. I have reinstalled Oblivion about 6 times now and tried to force myself to play it. Each time I do the Dark Brotherhood and Thieve's Guild quests and then quickly lose interest. I have never been able to stay interested long enough to even finish the main story line but I hear it's about as long as some side quests in the game are. And when you're done you're left with a vast world of copy-pasted tunnels and villages and the same fields of grass over and over again occasionally interrupted by some ruins which rapidly become repetitive as well. Overall, I am giving this game a 2 merely out of how pretty it is. The combat is atrocious (mouse button 1 swing, mouse button 2 block - AMAZING FUN!), the voice acting is mediocre at best, and the UI is utter garbage and it is cumbersome to do anything with it. Oh, yeah - the NPCs are supposed to be extremely interesting with daily needs and things like that. They're still dry and boring, just like Morrowind! Only in this game, they have random impossible-to-believe conversations witih eachother such as follows: NPC 1: Did you hear about that Gray Fox thief? NPC 2: Yes NPC 3: Bye now Wow! Cool!… Expand
  98. TimE
    Jul 22, 2009
    4
    The game is huge, but it does not give the proper avenues for allowing you to explore it completely, such as dull quests and the tedious searching for these quests. The game felt very clunky; like when trying to pick up something, I was constantly slowed down from carrying too much. Auto-loot even picks up your enemies 10-ton rusty iron breastplates. Combat was decent and simple, but was The game is huge, but it does not give the proper avenues for allowing you to explore it completely, such as dull quests and the tedious searching for these quests. The game felt very clunky; like when trying to pick up something, I was constantly slowed down from carrying too much. Auto-loot even picks up your enemies 10-ton rusty iron breastplates. Combat was decent and simple, but was also clunky, it felt just like an FPS with a knife. The story was linear, and all the side quests were very "unimportant" and time consuming. With all the hype that this game has got, I believe even with outdated games such as Fallout 2 and Baldur's Gate had a much better 'soul" than this game because I was not able to immerse myself into this world. I was not able to bring myself to finish this game completely, after 8 hours, I was too bored to continue.… Expand
  99. FranckD
    Jul 21, 2009
    3
    Mediocre. Beautifull but ordinary. Loosy combat system based on finger skill. You jaust have to press forward slash backward, sometime sidestep and bingo you ve gone trought all the game. The main quest is lousy and can be completed at lvl 2. Noone offer challenge due to the stupid system that let any of your ennemies ever your level. At least 50% of the classes are unplayable even going Mediocre. Beautifull but ordinary. Loosy combat system based on finger skill. You jaust have to press forward slash backward, sometime sidestep and bingo you ve gone trought all the game. The main quest is lousy and can be completed at lvl 2. Noone offer challenge due to the stupid system that let any of your ennemies ever your level. At least 50% of the classes are unplayable even going very slowly on combat since 90% of quests require bashing. Hail for the king Morrowind.… Expand
  100. MikeM
    Jul 6, 2009
    10
    Amazing game. In order to fully appreciate it though you must have the game for the PC. The mod community is enormous and some mod creators are awesomely talented. 10 out of 10.
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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

All reviews »
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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