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. SiE
    Mar 28, 2006
    9
    I don't usually like RPG's but after reading a few reviews I thought i would try this game. I'm pleased i did as this is an excellent game, one of the best i have played. The plot line so far has been very involving and the graphics stunning. As others have said I think the interface ciuld be better but other than that there are no gripes from me. The sheer amount of I don't usually like RPG's but after reading a few reviews I thought i would try this game. I'm pleased i did as this is an excellent game, one of the best i have played. The plot line so far has been very involving and the graphics stunning. As others have said I think the interface ciuld be better but other than that there are no gripes from me. The sheer amount of content must embaress other developers who seem to feel its fine to put oout a game which can be completed in 10 hours. After 20 hours playing i seem to have barely scratched the surface of the main story.… Expand
  2. JamesH.
    Mar 29, 2006
    9
    This game is like crack, extremely well done, the pinnacle of game design. I won't dote on more than the others have, but rest assured, if you are an RPG fasn and more specifically a fan of the seldom seen first person type of RPG, then this game is for you. The game is so massive that one hardly knows where to begin. This game will keep you occupied for a VERY long time.
  3. Roee
    Mar 31, 2006
    9
    Excellent game. The world is extremely immersive, the graphics gorgeous, and plenty of quirks from Morrowind are streamlined now (hurrah to fast travel!). Not perfect, but amazing nonetheless.
  4. JonathanS.
    Mar 31, 2006
    9
    No doubt... This game is the best single player RPG ever! You have so many choices. The graphics are amazing the AI is good (But not to good) and the gameplay is really great! I just wish the game world was bigger! Hail Bethesda!
  5. BoogerNugget
    Apr 4, 2006
    9
    Great game, best single-player RPG ever. Would be a 10 if the PC interface was customizeable - as it stands now it's awkward and clunky. Why can't I open map by pressing "M", or inventory by pressing "I". Damn you XBOX!
  6. hcarter
    Jun 9, 2006
    9
    I haven't played an RPG this good since the Baldur's Gate series. The endless play is amazing, let alone the great main quest arc. The amount of variation you can play in this game is just amazing. The graphics are wonderful. Back when CIV4 came out I had upgraded my video card--so I was easily able to play Oblivion with no modifications whatsoever.
    There are a few glitches    I haven't played an RPG this good since the Baldur's Gate series. The endless play is amazing, let alone the great main quest arc. The amount of variation you can play in this game is just amazing. The graphics are wonderful. Back when CIV4 came out I had upgraded my video card--so I was easily able to play Oblivion with no modifications whatsoever.
    There are a few glitches here and there--but nothing too major---the first beta patch is sincerely a take or leave install--which means the version you get in your box was tested well. Still, I'm eager to see what the full exp. patch will entail when it's released. The only thing that would earn a 10 from me is multi-player--same party capabilities like Baldurs Gate. Otherwise, bravo to Bethesda--well done.    … Expand
  7. ColbyA.
    Mar 23, 2007
    9
    Okay, I won't waste your time rephrasing everything everyone has said here. Great Graphics, Great gameplay (imo), but the scaling system is seriously flawed, yes. My suggestion? If you buy this for the PC, find a modding site and download a scaling modification for the game. Oblivion for the PC was -made- to be modded, so find mods that fix the game how you want it, and play. Okay, I won't waste your time rephrasing everything everyone has said here. Great Graphics, Great gameplay (imo), but the scaling system is seriously flawed, yes. My suggestion? If you buy this for the PC, find a modding site and download a scaling modification for the game. Oblivion for the PC was -made- to be modded, so find mods that fix the game how you want it, and play. It's definitely worth the money and the time.… Expand
  8. AdrianL.
    Jul 4, 2008
    9
    One of my favorite RPGs of all time with a great modding community. At first, male characters look horrible in my opinion and the game doesn't really pick up until you install some mods to fix up some of the characters.
  9. DerekL
    Aug 12, 2008
    9
    This gets 9.5 from me. It's an insanely good game, it lets a complete idiot modify the game making new levels, items, spells, etc. The first month or two is fun, adding Shivering Isles gives it about another 2 weeks to 1 month, small mods give about 35 more hours, and large mods give it another week or two (or three), and mods you make get about another couple hours to 3 weeks. But This gets 9.5 from me. It's an insanely good game, it lets a complete idiot modify the game making new levels, items, spells, etc. The first month or two is fun, adding Shivering Isles gives it about another 2 weeks to 1 month, small mods give about 35 more hours, and large mods give it another week or two (or three), and mods you make get about another couple hours to 3 weeks. But after that we get a repetitive game full of boring side quests and dungeons you've already searched. However, if you play a different game for a while Oblivion regains all 100% playability.… Expand
  10. 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
  11. JulesP.
    Mar 22, 2006
    9
    Great game just played it for five houres amazing. Sets a new standard for rpg's
  12. DavidM.
    Mar 22, 2006
    9
    I don't like to attack people in these reviews. However Aelius is completely off-base. First of all let me address one of his points: The NPCs do sometimes talk in non-sequitors or change voice pitches depending on topic. 95 percent of the time however, they are great and a HUGE leap forward over Elder Scrolls 3. That's really the only thing in Aelius's review with merit. I don't like to attack people in these reviews. However Aelius is completely off-base. First of all let me address one of his points: The NPCs do sometimes talk in non-sequitors or change voice pitches depending on topic. 95 percent of the time however, they are great and a HUGE leap forward over Elder Scrolls 3. That's really the only thing in Aelius's review with merit. The world is beautiful. The game has an incredible physics engine. Also, they made the combat much more intense and immediate than the wack-a-mole hits of ES3. Other points: What the heck does "cannot scale back like D3" mean? I don't even know what Aelius is talking about. Aelius's point about Doom 3 and Half Life 2 being technically better than this game is purely objective. This game's interiors match up well with Doom 3. There is realistic shadowing and great texture/animation work. Now against Half Life 2, that is an unfair comparison as HL2 has no free-form outdoor areas. A better comparison would be Far Cry and Oblivion holds it's own there as well. There is a 2 mile draw distance in this game and it looks great. The quests are also interesting and varied. There are problems but is this a 6/10 game? Absolutely not, and only a bitter over-hyped maniac would rate it as such.… Expand
  13. JoshV.
    Mar 27, 2006
    9
    words can not properly describe my love for this game, it is a world into its self. no person can describe this world to someone who hasnt played it. so expansive that i played 45 hours the first weekend that i had it and i completed the main series of quests. it would have gotten a 10 but i tend to stand to close to doors when i open them and on a rare occasion when the door opens tword words can not properly describe my love for this game, it is a world into its self. no person can describe this world to someone who hasnt played it. so expansive that i played 45 hours the first weekend that i had it and i completed the main series of quests. it would have gotten a 10 but i tend to stand to close to doors when i open them and on a rare occasion when the door opens tword me i get smashed into the wall and end up clipping through into a giant ocean below the level also the menu was a pain, i dont need to elaborate on that the only other gripe was that there where too many people that looked too much like martin and i couldnt seem to get my person to look just right.… Expand
  14. C.Leitch
    Apr 14, 2006
    9
    This is a sweet game overall. however, if there was a list of every aspect of a game, and you had to rate it 0-10, there would be several catagories that would receive rather low, while the rest recieved 10. First up would be the system requirements. even the latest top of the range computer can render this beast at 30 fps on full. thats with a crossfire x1900. therefore, people withThis is a sweet game overall. however, if there was a list of every aspect of a game, and you had to rate it 0-10, there would be several catagories that would receive rather low, while the rest recieved 10. First up would be the system requirements. even the latest top of the range computer can render this beast at 30 fps on full. thats with a crossfire x1900. therefore, people with relativly good pci 16s like 6600s are forced to dramaticaly lower the grapic settings, to the point where the game designers desired atmosphere no longer exists because you can only see as far as you hand, whereas the game allows you to see distand mountains. another is the stability. i would be happy to run this game on full grapics, even if i did get a steady 5fps. only problem, is that it will only last about 5 mintues before it blue-screens on me. Im sure this would change if you had a more powerful graphics card, but it forces you to lower your graphics to the point where it runs well AND dosent constantly crash. another, is that much like its predecessor, if you play this game to win, it gets boring very very quickly. you have to from time to time make up your own rules , and not use the idiotic AI system to your advantage. another is the extreemly short main story line. although there is many many city and guild quests to be done, i found it amazing that i had not even been made to visit evey city before finishing the storyline. I was amazed when i found out that i had actually finished the storyline, rather than just a small section of it, probably because of the length of the morrowind campain. Although im sounding very critical, another thing that annoyed me very much was the character animations. Very many of these problems carry over from ES III. The game engne is just too smilar, almost as though they have taken the morrowind engine and added new graphics and features, but more or less left it as it was. if they had delayed for another couple o months to fix these problems, the game would be endless, because evry little thing you do would be enjoyable, with the current release, all these factors leak through the whole "seamless RPG" thing and tend to make it less absorbing. Having said all this, the graphics and world in this game are amazing.… Expand
  15. MercZ
    May 12, 2006
    9
    A great RPG for the ages. There are certain issues I feel, such as the level scaling system which makes it possible to beat the game at level 1. Don't listen to other people that say the game is completely ruined- it is still very fun and is probably the best RPG on the market currently. The graphics are good, the gameplay is great, and everything in the game is good. There are A great RPG for the ages. There are certain issues I feel, such as the level scaling system which makes it possible to beat the game at level 1. Don't listen to other people that say the game is completely ruined- it is still very fun and is probably the best RPG on the market currently. The graphics are good, the gameplay is great, and everything in the game is good. There are issues as I mentioned before, but these can be fixed with patches, expansions, and even mods. Remember, Morrowind wasn't perfect when it was released either.… Expand
  16. PaulC.
    May 22, 2006
    9
    Blew me away when I started. Once I was past the eye candy, though, I did think it was more similar to Morrowwind that I had thought it would be. Not a bad thing. It'sjust that I'd already played that instalment to DEATH. Also, add on improvements to Morrowwind like map notes were backed out of this version. So, in some minor respects this is a bit of a step back. Enjoyed the Blew me away when I started. Once I was past the eye candy, though, I did think it was more similar to Morrowwind that I had thought it would be. Not a bad thing. It'sjust that I'd already played that instalment to DEATH. Also, add on improvements to Morrowwind like map notes were backed out of this version. So, in some minor respects this is a bit of a step back. Enjoyed the hell out of it just the same.… Expand
  17. BL
    May 31, 2006
    9
    Besides occasional lag issues, this is the most immersive and intriguing game I've played all year.
  18. MC
    Nov 12, 2006
    9
    While not perfect (due to a few minor issues with gameplay and a general "emptiness" of the game world), this game is certainly a must-have for all those who like freedom of exploration. Outstanding graphics, excellent soundtrack and the epic scale of the environments (especially outdoors) make Oblivion an excellent sequel to Morrowind. Kudos to Bethesda Software!
  19. JonasH.
    Dec 21, 2007
    9
    It seems that most people voting down this game, are mostly complaining about it being a non-real RPG, presumably because it is a hybrid of a couple of game genres (RPG, sandbox and FPS). As for an introduction I feel like I have to defend this design: Because an RPG is not based on some complex system of chance, defined by a series of attributes, which could not vaguely be understood by It seems that most people voting down this game, are mostly complaining about it being a non-real RPG, presumably because it is a hybrid of a couple of game genres (RPG, sandbox and FPS). As for an introduction I feel like I have to defend this design: Because an RPG is not based on some complex system of chance, defined by a series of attributes, which could not vaguely be understood by anyone who has not played a book or board RPG, does not make it any less of a "true" RPG. And just because the character's ability to aim/time is not only based on "2+1=3 (miss)", but actually is a reflection of the gamer's abilities, it is not necessarily worse than, say, Neverwinter Nights. Hybriding genres rarely brings anything good with it, right, but in some cases, like this, it brings a powerful combination, that delivers months of excellent gameplay. I, for example, did not go stubborn when the Total War series came out, even though it mixed my favourite genre (RTS) with the genre I found the most boring (TBS), I tried it out, and today it has a place among my most favourite game. Yeah, all genres in a hybrid has to give something up, but just because you can't have your advanced roll-a-dice battle systems doesn't make it a complete non-RPG. In fact, I have never felt as much in the role of a character as I feel playing this game. I guess the above paragraph filled more than the rest of the review will, but here we go: The game is, most definitely, the one that by standard is most customisable. YOU decide 100% how you want to look, much like The Sims 2, only the controls are a bit more advanced and hard to manage, you decide what path you'll take, how you would like for yourself to level up etc. etc. What I found most astonishing was the absolute free choice you have regarding how you make money, fight enemies and form alliances. If you want to make money fighting, join the gladiators and you'll make a swift 5000. Want to make money looting robers? Walk by the roads looking for bandit camps. Even as thief you can make a pretty descent living, as long as you train your Security, Alteration and Sneak skills. The choice is pretty much yours, and the best part is: You can do whatever you want, and are NOT locked to following any history as such. The game itself contains a lot of mini games to take care of things like diplomacy (speechcraft) and lockpicking, so it is, again, the gamer's skill and not a random number that decides whether or not you are successful. (Although you can choose to make an attempt based on your security skill alone). The reason, despite my complete obsession with this game, I only give it 9, is the severe amount of bugs existent. It annoyed me beyond reason being told to pay a fine of 1 gold EVERY time I spoke to a guard in the beginning. Although that bug went away after a while. Considering the graphics, I do not have a powerful enough GPU to run it at high/full quality, so I'll avoid commenting on it.… Expand
  20. 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
  21. 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
  22. 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.
  23. 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.
  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. whitespider999
    Feb 17, 2012
    9
    From when it was released to the release of skyrim, modded oblivion was a 10/10. However a lot of people don't play this game with mods. Which leaves a far more bare journey. It's still a great game, with an incredible amount of quality content in it's vanilla state. It's just not comparable to the masterpiece that is the modded version (For reference, check out the all time tesnexusFrom when it was released to the release of skyrim, modded oblivion was a 10/10. However a lot of people don't play this game with mods. Which leaves a far more bare journey. It's still a great game, with an incredible amount of quality content in it's vanilla state. It's just not comparable to the masterpiece that is the modded version (For reference, check out the all time tesnexus oblivion mods). As an unmodded game it's a 8/10 in the current climate. As a modded game. It's a 10/10. This score reflects the modded version.… Expand
  26. HighwayUK
    Oct 9, 2011
    9
    100+ hours of content before you even added the DLCs, decent graphics for the release year, okay combat system, very atmospheric music and sound, totally moddable so you can get updates to just about everything. Just about the perfect RPG of the decade.
  27. 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.
  28. 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
  29. 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.
  30. 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
  31. 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
  32. 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
  33. 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
  34. 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
  35. 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.
  36. 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.
  37. 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
  38. Tarkin
    Dec 16, 2011
    9
    A bit overhyped, but actually quite good in my opinion. Yes it has its flaws - level scaling, UI, animations are silly, main story is quite cheap, atmosphere still not as good as Morrowind etc. Yet still the world is unbelievably huge and very well made. It requires a special approach to this game to fully enjoy it, but it is worth it.
  39. 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
  40. sagesource
    Dec 22, 2013
    9
    Newcomers to the Elder Scrolls world should be warned of the existence of a menace that should not be allowed to influence their opinion of the series or its individual game. This is the sub-variety of fanboy I have dubbed the "Morrowindbag." The attitude of a Morrowindbag is that Morrowind was a great game (I agree with that) and that every other Elder Scrolls game after it was garbage.Newcomers to the Elder Scrolls world should be warned of the existence of a menace that should not be allowed to influence their opinion of the series or its individual game. This is the sub-variety of fanboy I have dubbed the "Morrowindbag." The attitude of a Morrowindbag is that Morrowind was a great game (I agree with that) and that every other Elder Scrolls game after it was garbage. 95% of the time, this is pure fanboy snobbery. Morrowind was an outstanding game for its time and is well worth playing today. But its complexities merely reflect the complex society in which it was set, the Dark Elves of Morrowind. The idea that the urbane Imperials of Cyrodiil, much less the "hearty" (or stupid) Nords of Skyrim should behave like Dark Elves is ludicrous. But that's your fanboy for you. He learns one game, and instead of taking a flexible approach, he sits in his little fortress and spends the rest of his days sneering at everyone else. OK, dude, it's a free country. But outsiders trying to get some idea of what the ES series is all about are well advised to ignore him.

    Not that some good ideas from Morrowind, and Oblivion, haven't been mistakenly set aside. I much prefer Morrowind's drag and drop approach to equipping your character to Skyrim's dress-in-the-dark, which sometimes leads you to wandering around outside in your underwear. I don't think that Skyrim should have thrown out custom spellmaking, either it was ridiculously overpowered in Oblivion, but the answer to that is to tone it down, not to throw it out. But many of the Morrowindbag's criticisms are on the level of "the armor in Skyrim is too simple!" If you can get so attached to one game that you can't accept the next one unless it has pauldrons, then you damn well need professional help.    … Expand
  41. OmnipotentGamer
    Aug 5, 2013
    9
    This game was my introduction to the elder scrolls series.
    Story-
    7/10 as far as story goes I'd give oblivion a 7/10 monarch X has been killed the hero must now find his heir and stop event Y from happening. The story has a couple memorable characters such as Baruas, Mankar Cameron, Lucius and Jauffre, but outside of that none really seem that unique or different. Gameplay 9/10 The    This game was my introduction to the elder scrolls series.
    Story-
    7/10
    as far as story goes I'd give oblivion a 7/10 monarch X has been killed the hero must now find his heir and stop event Y from happening. The story has a couple memorable characters such as Baruas, Mankar Cameron, Lucius and Jauffre, but outside of that none really seem that unique or different.

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

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

    The Sound
    10/10
    Amazing OST, simply epic

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

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

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

    Verdict
    8.6/10    … Expand
  42. Ion1c
    Nov 8, 2011
    9
    Great game, it is rpg and is more or less a decide your own path kind of game, only a few things i didn't like about it which didn't make me give a 10/10 is: It is a bit unrealistic how fast you level up in things and how when your sword is almost broken it looks perfectly fine, another is the graphics and graphical problems like how all water looked pink to me.
  43. Athandel
    Nov 21, 2011
    9
    The world of Oblivion is a seemingly live one. Mountains, caves, and a copious amount of missions would keep anyone busy for hours on end. The sheer beauty of this game is sometimes overshadowed by repetitive voice acting and boring level design; there is no denying the brilliance that comes from looking at the night sky while Jeremy Soule's soundtrack plays in your headphones.
  44. TexasGamer
    Nov 30, 2011
    9
    Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is what an RPG should be - compelling story plot, tons of side quest and a large open world to explore. The automatic leveling system leaves something to be desired. But then again, the more you use certain skills, the better you should get at those skills. The graphics leave something to be desired, but eye candy does not make a game great.
  45. EtaYorius
    Dec 21, 2011
    9
    This was my first Elder Scrolls game and when i first played i was totally amazed by the freedom the game gives you... the modding support if still strong which brings lots of replayability value.
  46. Riddlefang
    Mar 20, 2012
    9
    The story in this game is good, but presented in a boring way where you see everything from one perspective. I've never been a fan of this kind of storytelling, but then again it's not why I play Bethesda games. It is the giant open world packed with quests that draw me in. The skills are nicely done, but some are unnecessary and the leveling system don't work properly. Combat is ok, butThe story in this game is good, but presented in a boring way where you see everything from one perspective. I've never been a fan of this kind of storytelling, but then again it's not why I play Bethesda games. It is the giant open world packed with quests that draw me in. The skills are nicely done, but some are unnecessary and the leveling system don't work properly. Combat is ok, but when you take all things in consideration Oblivion is a very good game. Small problems like the combat and leveling system is overshadowed by the size of the world and all the stuff you can do within the game!… Expand
  47. Obadiah_Jenkins
    Aug 24, 2023
    9
    One of my favorite games of all times, this will live on in my memory for the rest of my life! It was a genre defining game!
  48. chronoT
    Sep 2, 2012
    9
    I remember when I played this game when it first came out on pc, on a new system I had just built. This game at that time blew my mind. This was the first "open world" game I played, and the sheer magnitude was astonishing. The graphics and gameplay opened a whole new world for me. It does take some time to get going, but once you are moving you can't stop. The world map is huge and theirI remember when I played this game when it first came out on pc, on a new system I had just built. This game at that time blew my mind. This was the first "open world" game I played, and the sheer magnitude was astonishing. The graphics and gameplay opened a whole new world for me. It does take some time to get going, but once you are moving you can't stop. The world map is huge and their are TONS of locations. I do believe some of the cities and dungeons can be a bit repetitive and the fighting mechanics aren't the best, but for its time this was a truly great open world. I would like to see a bigger variety of armor and weapons, but there's still a lot here. It was also cool going through portals to oblivion to fight off evil, and this was just one piece to a giant puzzle. Overall I think the game could have been perfected, a lot of mods out now are interesting and worth trying, but it is still an very good adventure!… Expand
  49. faceless-1
    Jul 12, 2014
    9
    Oblivion is mine most favorite TES game (morrowind is really close here) and one of mine most favorite games. This game got awesome world, great RPG system (improved morrowind system, witch is better than system in Skyrim in mine opinion (yes perks were good idea, but the removal of stats was not)). The biggest + this game has are the quests, Dark brotherhood and main quest line areOblivion is mine most favorite TES game (morrowind is really close here) and one of mine most favorite games. This game got awesome world, great RPG system (improved morrowind system, witch is better than system in Skyrim in mine opinion (yes perks were good idea, but the removal of stats was not)). The biggest + this game has are the quests, Dark brotherhood and main quest line are really fun to play and even other factions are solid. The side quests are awesome as well. The only bad think is enemy leveling system, but it can be moded.
    PS:
    I really recommend to mod this game hard, Oblivion got very good mods and it can became a game for a long play.    … Expand
  50. TheGamer31
    Oct 11, 2013
    9
    This game is simply amazing in many aspects. Amazing scenery, great graphics, excellent gameplay, one of the best stories in games, the list goes on and on. This is a very different experience than it is on console. I actually recommend this version over the console version because of two things: mods and better graphics. The only thing holding this back from being a perfect title is theThis game is simply amazing in many aspects. Amazing scenery, great graphics, excellent gameplay, one of the best stories in games, the list goes on and on. This is a very different experience than it is on console. I actually recommend this version over the console version because of two things: mods and better graphics. The only thing holding this back from being a perfect title is the insanely annoying UI in the inventory screen.… Expand
  51. mrpeip
    Jan 26, 2013
    9
    TES IV: Oblivion opened the door of a new kind of RPG playing, it's visuals and it's gameplay are wonderful but still, and as many Bethesda games, t's a bit buggy. Even though, I believe this is one of the best games Bethesda ever made.
  52. CaptainCupboard
    Mar 22, 2013
    9
    I loved Oblivion, not as long and dragging as Morrowind and not as short and simple as Skyrim, love the plot, characters are so interesting, combats fun. I loved it, still like it I suppose. There are many quests and very few of them are like the errand running quests thrown at you in Morrowind and Skyrim. While I admit the scenery is a bit boring and same-old same-old its still moreI loved Oblivion, not as long and dragging as Morrowind and not as short and simple as Skyrim, love the plot, characters are so interesting, combats fun. I loved it, still like it I suppose. There are many quests and very few of them are like the errand running quests thrown at you in Morrowind and Skyrim. While I admit the scenery is a bit boring and same-old same-old its still more attractive and there is a variety of areas to explore. While Morrowind is better at depth I found it a bit too much, Oblivion has just the right amount for it to feel like a game, not a story.

    Character creations funny, you could make your nose MASSIVE and have long turquoise hair. Combat is entertaining and deaths can be made funny when you drag bodies around and make them spaz out. Leveling was OK, don't know if I like it as much as Skyrim's but its cool. Side quests are great and fun, especially Shivering Isles, I like the arena and I like all the guilds you can join and they really make the game interesting. Mods REALLY open up the game to be even more fun. I'd strongly recommend it.    … Expand
  53. Sean-M
    May 27, 2020
    9
    Somehow when I think about The Elder Scrolls, Oblivion seems closer to my heart than Skyrim, not sure why maybe just because of the nostalgia! So I have to give this 9 out of 10.
  54. Aralvar
    Mar 30, 2013
    9
    If you haven't played this game before, please don't let the negative reviews prevent you from trying it. Many of them are from whiny Morrowind fanboys that have nostalgia goggles glued to their face, whether they admit it or not. I know this because I first played Morrowind before I played Oblivion and then Skyrim. For starters, the AI is a vast improvement in Oblivion. You won't see soIf you haven't played this game before, please don't let the negative reviews prevent you from trying it. Many of them are from whiny Morrowind fanboys that have nostalgia goggles glued to their face, whether they admit it or not. I know this because I first played Morrowind before I played Oblivion and then Skyrim. For starters, the AI is a vast improvement in Oblivion. You won't see so many NPCs that are just robots that have nothing better to do than stand in their shop or wander around town all day and night. You won't see so many enemies getting stuck on objects or jogging in place. The combat system is HUGE, and I mean HUGE improvement over Morrowind. The world is a million times more fun to explore. You're no longer limited to "Wooden door in side of mountain, Copy and Pasted Dwarven ruin, and occasional Daedric ruin." There are the usual caves and tombs, but they're more varied and the Dwarven Ruins have been replaced with Ayleid ones, and you'll find more daedric lord quests to get unique artifacts, for a refreshing change of pace. And in place of Daedric ruins, you'll now find abandoned military forts that have since been reclaimed by bandits. Plus you'll be finding more bandit camps that are just out in the wilderness. I myself found the world of Morrowind to be dull and lifeless. I'm sorry, but huge mushrooms and crazy looking animals do not cut it for me. The environment in Oblivion feels so much more alive! You'll find deer, wolves, and other such animals you would expect to be wandering the wilderness that will interact with each other; instead of just a billion Nix Hounds and Cliff Racers that stand around much like the NPCs. The graphics are a given, and I won't go into that too much. The physics have been greatly improved, the NPCs have more personality. When you meet someone, there's a better chance they're not "Fargoth, Commoner" as you would so commonly find in Morrowind. When you go into a Tavern, it feels like a Tavern. You can even sit down in a chair and roleplay a bit, unlike Morrowind where you simply go to sell some junk while the NPCs stand there lifelessly. I compare Oblivion to Morrowind because I know most of the bad reviews come from the fanboys that are completely blind to the HUGE improvements that were made in Oblivion. Trust me, as a fair reviewer who tries to be objective about the series (I rate Oblivion the highest, Morrowind second, and Skyrim third), I would recommend this game to anyone who likes RPGs. Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the fun new quest types they have available. Like the Dark Brotherhood, where you can act as a hitman and sneakily assassinate your targets. Or the Thieves Guild quest, which now seem to actually require you to be a sneak thief. Unlike in Morrowind, where you could essentially be a good thief with nothing but a good lockpick skill. Walk past extremely dumb NPC, close door, pick lock on chest, take item, report back to quest giver. Just another case where Oblivion is far superior to Morrowind, I think. Oh, and then there's the new Arena quest, where you can fight kind of like a gladiator against numerous opponents in a Colosseum-esque arena. Now, to be fair, there are some flaws. At higher levels, you'll find many bandits who spawn with expensive armor, which kind of makes them seem less like bandits. They added a quest marker system, which some people feel is a terrible change from Morrowind. Instead of having to follow directions from someone, you'll have a quest marker telling you where to go. This is debatable if this is even a flaw though. The map is much larger and not nearly as easy to memorize as Morrowind, who's map seemed to consist mostly of easy to remember paths and easy to find locations. So this is a flaw for some, a positive for others, or just a "who cares" thing (that's how I feel about it). There's less weapon types, which hardly feel like a difference in most cases. Sorry Morrowind fans, but I never felt the need to use all the different random short blades and throwing knives they had in there. Though some weapons were left out that definitely should have been included, like spears and crossbows. Though that doesn't mean you'll be lacking in weaponry, you still have quite a few weapon types to select from. There is a shortage of voice actors, which doesn't seem to be a very valid complaint seeing as voice acting in Morrowind seemed almost non-existent. Even if they used two voice actors to voice every character, it would have been a step up. And even though there is a shortage of voice actors, the ones they did use sound great. The whole "Stop! You violated the law!" thing just wouldn't be the same if it weren't for that one Imperial voice saying it. I want to go on, but I'm running out of room to finish this review. All I can say is that this is my favorite Elder Scrolls game, and one of my most favorite video games of all time.… Expand
  55. Pepelinojosefo
    Apr 13, 2013
    9
    Uno de mis juegos favoritos! Aunque, tengo que aceptar que tiene varias cosas malas, por ejemplo, la cara de los NPCs (sobretodo los orcos) dan miedo, pero eso es lo de menos. Los gráficos para la época eran cosas de otro mundo, la historia al principio tal vez sea aburrida, pero poco a poco va mejorando y haciéndose mejor, algunos voice actors capaz estaban dormido mientras se grababan laUno de mis juegos favoritos! Aunque, tengo que aceptar que tiene varias cosas malas, por ejemplo, la cara de los NPCs (sobretodo los orcos) dan miedo, pero eso es lo de menos. Los gráficos para la época eran cosas de otro mundo, la historia al principio tal vez sea aburrida, pero poco a poco va mejorando y haciéndose mejor, algunos voice actors capaz estaban dormido mientras se grababan la voz, pero otros poseen un buen voice acting, los efectos de sonido son muy realistas, el sneaking system esta muy bien hecho, la libertad que posee es muy bueno, las misiones opcionales (para mi) son mejores que la historia principal (sobretodo la arena). La inteligencia artificial esta muy bien desarrollada y el juego es muuuuuuuy adictivo. Cyrodill tiene mucho para ofrecer, tiene una gran variedad de monstruos que se adaptan a tu nivel cada vez que progresas en el juego y la cantidad de misiones opcionales es impresionante. Altamente recomendable!… Expand
  56. CaptainThom
    Sep 9, 2013
    9
    Its beyond me how anybody can give this game 0 out of 10, as this would imply that Oblivion is one of the worst games ever created, this is far from true. However this doesn't mean that Oblivion is perfect a lot of the characters repeat the same lines and the facial animations are nothing to write home about on top of that the system with which you persuade people to like you more is wayIts beyond me how anybody can give this game 0 out of 10, as this would imply that Oblivion is one of the worst games ever created, this is far from true. However this doesn't mean that Oblivion is perfect a lot of the characters repeat the same lines and the facial animations are nothing to write home about on top of that the system with which you persuade people to like you more is way to easy.

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

    For me Oblivion is a benchmark for all future RPG's to compare themselves. Truly a great game and one of the ultimate gaming experiences.    … Expand
  57. DeusXCom
    Aug 2, 2014
    9
    The problem of Oblivion was that it had to follow up to the absolute masterpiece that was previous chapter in TES series - Morrowind. Compared to that, it's true that Oblivion felt quite a bit weaker, locations were a bit too monotonous, the interface a bit too consolized, faces terribly ugly, voice acting over repeated to death, game mechanics simplified and to my taste it all felt a bitThe problem of Oblivion was that it had to follow up to the absolute masterpiece that was previous chapter in TES series - Morrowind. Compared to that, it's true that Oblivion felt quite a bit weaker, locations were a bit too monotonous, the interface a bit too consolized, faces terribly ugly, voice acting over repeated to death, game mechanics simplified and to my taste it all felt a bit too much like a kiddie fairytale sometimes. BUT... Oblivion was still capable to do what all the TES chapters do so well, immerse you in the world, make you forget the real one and let you enjoy the fantasy experience for hundreds of hours. While I wasn't a big fan of the leveling system where the enemies were leveling up along with you, it kept the challenge on par until the very end, also the economics and money seemed to be the best balanced from TES series, meaning you won't usually become a millionaire in a few days, but most importantly, Oblivion had imo arguably the best quest lines in TES series and that's a huge plus. Yes, the main quest with oblivion gates was terribly annoying and it made me skip it and run through them eventually, but the Mages Guild quests, Thieves Guild and especially Dark Brotherhood were just fantastic. This was also the first TES game where I was fully enjoying myself as a vampire. DLC's were ok, Knights Of The Nine being a nice big quest nicely implemented into the main game and Shivering Isles providing you the experience of something a bit different and a bit trippy. While I can't go for the full score here because of the shortcomings, Oblivion is still an excellent game and it would be a big mistake to miss out on this. 9/10… Expand
  58. Crewdroog
    May 5, 2014
    9
    This is, by far, one of my favorite games of all time. It was my first sandbox, and for that it holds a special place in my heart. That being said, here is a review without rose tinted glasses:

    TL; DR: Main story sucks hard, everything else makes up for it. Cons: The main story BLOWS. I mean it is awful, awful. I literally play enough to get the free horse and do everything    This is, by far, one of my favorite games of all time. It was my first sandbox, and for that it holds a special place in my heart. That being said, here is a review without rose tinted glasses:

    TL; DR: Main story sucks hard, everything else makes up for it.

    Cons:
    The main story BLOWS. I mean it is awful, awful. I literally play enough to get the free horse and do everything else. And once you start, the oblivion gates just keep piling up and piling up, which would be fine if there was any variety to them, but there isn't. They do have good loot though...

    Loot: meh. I love loot. love it, love it, love it. It isn't in this game.

    Fighting: pretty much point and click, click, click, click. Not much brain used here.

    Pros:
    Music: amazing!

    Fighting: wah? you just said it was bad. Yes, unless using a bow. The bow actually takes into account gravity and distance!!!

    Quests: super fun, except for the main one. Daedric quests are the best, oh those funny meddling gods!

    Atmosphere/graphics: for the time pretty good. The immersion level is fantastic.

    NPCs: most amazing part of this game. Every single NPC you see has their own unique routine. Every freakin' one. Yes, they have similar voices, but come on, for the time this was unheard of. It is this factor that truly makes this game a total immersion.

    Guilds: Love 'em. There is a guild for everyone: fighting, magic, murder, mayhem. The world is your oyster!

    Monsters: i've read a few reviews and this is a sore spot. People are angry monsters level with you. How is this even an isssue???? Why play a game if it is super easy and you can just run around and one shot things? Go play Wii cooking games if this is a problem for you. Seriously. There is a Barbie game for that console too I think. Go, have fun.

    Play this game, especially if you liked either Skyrim or Morrowind. The three build on each other so well.    … Expand
  59. GregRog
    Aug 8, 2014
    9
    The game lacked a little bit of climate from Morrowind, but the graphics were a huge improvement, the journal is finally readable, the map is really epic, and the game has a little Lord of the Rings feel to it.
    And you can actually feel the tension building when you see all of those Oblivion gates opening in greater and greater numbers everywhere on the map.
  60. Vamrem
    May 27, 2015
    9
    A technical improvement from Morrowind but a downgrade in playability with the system of "use an ability to level it", that keeps us doing things we don't wanted, for example, to improve Athletics we were jumping all the time instead of run or walk... fortunately all failures can be fixed and improved with mods. Thanks Bethesda for the TES Construction Set to improve beyond standards.
  61. philb74
    Mar 15, 2018
    9
    I played this game having enjoyed Morrowind and expectations were high. I was hooked from the get go and noticed immediately the improvement in dialogue and gameplay. The story is by far the best out of all the elder scrolls games. The guilds are fantastic especially the mages guild and dark brotherhood. One thing that always infuriated me was how in order to level up with max pointsI played this game having enjoyed Morrowind and expectations were high. I was hooked from the get go and noticed immediately the improvement in dialogue and gameplay. The story is by far the best out of all the elder scrolls games. The guilds are fantastic especially the mages guild and dark brotherhood. One thing that always infuriated me was how in order to level up with max points to spend, you had to carefully monitor how many point you had gained in the areas where you wanted to boost your stats. I ended up making an excel spreadsheet to track my progress! Aside from that though the game is great. The gameplay is excellent and as with other ES games you can become good at everything, although if you want to cast high level spells you will need a fair bit of magicka. Both dlc's are well worth it also. Totally engaging title.… Expand
  62. JesseCase
    Jul 10, 2015
    9
    Definitely one of the greatest games ever made.
    Many Elder Scrolls fans hate this game because it is less hardcore than Morrowind pretty much just because it has a map marker but if you really hate the map marker switch to a different quest or something or get a mod to turn it off.
    If you have only played Skyrim and not played any other Elder Scrolls games you should definitely play    Definitely one of the greatest games ever made.
    Many Elder Scrolls fans hate this game because it is less hardcore than Morrowind pretty much just because it has a map marker but if you really hate the map marker switch to a different quest or something or get a mod to turn it off.
    If you have only played Skyrim and not played any other Elder Scrolls games you should definitely play oblivion as most of the quests and quest lines are much better than Skyrim's quests and quest lines.    … Expand
  63. Cmmcfreire
    May 12, 2020
    9
    Story - 8/10
    Gameplay - 9/10
    Graphics - 9/10 (for the time)
    Soundtrack - 10/10
    Levels - 9/10
    Replay value - 9/10
  64. Cougargames
    Nov 1, 2019
    9
    One of my top 5 best games of all time maily for nostalgic reasons but by far an incredible world beutiful green forests and a great world to explore, great sidequests (dark brotherhood, shivering isles the arena etc), You can create an endless supply of spells, You can find shoes that can make you walk on water interesting npcs one of the best soundtracks ever made. And yes i know theOne of my top 5 best games of all time maily for nostalgic reasons but by far an incredible world beutiful green forests and a great world to explore, great sidequests (dark brotherhood, shivering isles the arena etc), You can create an endless supply of spells, You can find shoes that can make you walk on water interesting npcs one of the best soundtracks ever made. And yes i know the game can be funny but if you can overlook that then you have an incredible world at your hands.… Expand
  65. gautamkumar633
    Feb 20, 2022
    9
    Oblivion was my first elder scrolls game. The graphics and open-world gameplay was quite great for its time.
  66. Glacialangel
    Feb 11, 2018
    9
    A well-written(if somewhat cliche) story coupled with a simple combat system and fun side quests makes for a blissful experience of over 1000 lost hours of life. The beautiful and colorful art style make for a breath of fresh air that comes across as a true fantasy setting, along with the well-written characters that give the world meaning. The dialogue system is a little wonky(some findA well-written(if somewhat cliche) story coupled with a simple combat system and fun side quests makes for a blissful experience of over 1000 lost hours of life. The beautiful and colorful art style make for a breath of fresh air that comes across as a true fantasy setting, along with the well-written characters that give the world meaning. The dialogue system is a little wonky(some find the camera angle unsettling and immersion-shattering, though I had no such issue), and combat can be deceptively simple(for the most part, a good sword and shield will carry you through the game if you're combat-oriented), but even these nitpicks cannot detract from what is a true fantasy experience that cannot be matched.… Expand
  67. CynicalFurry
    Dec 26, 2019
    9
    Graphics dont age well, The AI are a tad.. dumb, the voice acting can sometimes be off, but the RPG elements, story, and lure make up for those take-aways completely. This is a game that brings you in and lets you experience its fantastically crafted world without resistance or restraint. Its interesting, its inviting, and its definitely fun. I really dont know what more i could ask.
  68. killer1237
    Oct 24, 2018
    9
    A phenomenal and revolutionary fantasy rpg game that may not be considered good to those who have yet to play it, but at release it was amazing. If you have not yet played Skyrim, give this a try first or else you may not be able to get past the bad graphics and clunky combat.
  69. roflmonkey
    Aug 8, 2022
    9
    This game was truly epic when it came out.
    The new engine was great and ran well. (still a lot of bugs, but better then what came after)
    The feeling of Oblivion is something else. Chill music, lots of green and colorful vegetation and a fantasy like menu system. Everything is voice acted which seems pretty normal now, but was pretty insane back in the day. It's a great game to just    This game was truly epic when it came out.
    The new engine was great and ran well. (still a lot of bugs, but better then what came after)
    The feeling of Oblivion is something else.
    Chill music, lots of green and colorful vegetation and a fantasy like menu system.
    Everything is voice acted which seems pretty normal now, but was pretty insane back in the day.
    It's a great game to just walk to some arrow and find fun stuff along the way.

    Optimizing your gameplay for the leveling system was kind of hell though.    … Expand
  70. infin1ty92
    Feb 15, 2019
    9
    Oh the graphics, they were so great. Main story was at times a bit repetitive, but some of the sideline quests (esp. thieves guild and the dark brotherhood) were amazing. Bugs were not really annoying, just funny. A great game, perhaps the best elder scrolls in my opinion. Playing it today in 2019, it feels very, very dated, but that wont affect my review.
  71. DJKrimson
    Mar 2, 2021
    9
    Pretty awesome open world RPG, while the main story is maybe just fine it offers a bunch of really fun optional questlines, thinking primarily of the guild quests.

    Expected, but unfortunate that there's a lot of problems with constant crashes and the risk of corrupt save files.
  72. zbysiek123456
    Sep 14, 2019
    9
    Very good game. Maybe the story is not fantastic as in Morrowind and level scaling provide to various situations but this is still TES! Many mods, many guilds, many hours, wonderful world.
  73. Zeoz
    Jun 16, 2020
    9
    Oblivion is awesome! I spent 145 hours to finish everything (GOTY version w/ all DLCs). The magic system could be a lot better like Morrowind, but I enjoyed the battle system... even though the LVL System isn't too good in my opinion, every enemy turn a lot stronger when you reach a good level. The game has it bugs but isn't a problem at all, if you want to play Oblivion just don't beOblivion is awesome! I spent 145 hours to finish everything (GOTY version w/ all DLCs). The magic system could be a lot better like Morrowind, but I enjoyed the battle system... even though the LVL System isn't too good in my opinion, every enemy turn a lot stronger when you reach a good level. The game has it bugs but isn't a problem at all, if you want to play Oblivion just don't be afraid to do every Secondary Quests you find, they're pretty cool and will give you some useful items. And if you can, try to use mods to fix somethings, like patches or leveling systems. The game is good but can be a lot better with them!… Expand
  74. elijahlape
    May 3, 2022
    9
    Fascinatingly wonderful adventure, great RPG overall, classic Bethesda at times buggy experience that to some extent is a part of their games already. Highly recommend.
  75. FatMonkey12
    Sep 20, 2020
    9
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. This game is amazing so amazing that if you have to sell a kidney... actually if you have to sell both kidneys and your liver DO IT!!

    This is the checklist for quality

    BEAUTIFUL GRAPHICS: Check
    THE ABILITY TO MAKE IT RAIN DOWN FLAMING DOGS: Check
    Fun: Check
    Murder: Check
    Molag Bal: Check
    Thicc Mehrunes Dagon invadiing the WORLD: Check
    A man named Martin who smiles at literraly nothing: DOUBLE CHECK
    The Poop Emoji from the emoji movie: Check as well (he voices the empror at the begining)

    THANKS BETHESDA!!!! YOU ROCK!!!!! CONTINUE BEING GREAT!!!!    … Expand
  76. Dom007
    Nov 20, 2020
    9
    Yes it can be a buggy mess at times as with every Bethesda game but this one has a special atmosphere about it that makes the world feel special. It offers plenty of things to do such as dlc expansions, side quests and finding special weapons. It's a little meh in the combat department but is far from bad thanks to the many weapons and magic you can use to kill enemies. It's story wasYes it can be a buggy mess at times as with every Bethesda game but this one has a special atmosphere about it that makes the world feel special. It offers plenty of things to do such as dlc expansions, side quests and finding special weapons. It's a little meh in the combat department but is far from bad thanks to the many weapons and magic you can use to kill enemies. It's story was interesting but could have been longer with a more satisfying ending like morrowind for example this is what overall takes the game down to a 9/10 for me.… Expand
  77. YaProstoIgrock
    Jun 5, 2021
    9
    Отличная игра. С красивым миром. Множество плюсов.
    Игра состарилась хорошо и выглядит и играется и сейчас неплохо
  78. Zeyon88
    Mar 17, 2021
    9
    Story: 10/10
    The Way story is given: 20/20
    Gameplay: 24/30
    Design: 9/10
    Feelings left after playing: 20/20
    Playability(Bugs and optimization): 9/10

    AVARAGE: 92/100
  79. Aoplob
    Feb 20, 2022
    9
    It is 2022 but the game is still a masterpiece nice quests nice characters big world hour of hours fun and the game does not want doing side quest but if you want to get more fun you should do side quests and it really good to speak with new people exploting the wildernesto to become more stronger or you can fight in the arena or join a guild overall the game is still a masterpiece inIt is 2022 but the game is still a masterpiece nice quests nice characters big world hour of hours fun and the game does not want doing side quest but if you want to get more fun you should do side quests and it really good to speak with new people exploting the wildernesto to become more stronger or you can fight in the arena or join a guild overall the game is still a masterpiece in 2022 and you have to play it.
    Graphics 8/10
    World 10/10
    Characters 9/10
    Combat 8/10    … Expand
  80. Dustyn
    Dec 24, 2021
    9
    I only give this game a 9 out of 10 because time has taken its toll on it, and newcomers may find it hard to look past the dated graphics and mechanics. Besides that, Oblivion was a groundbreaking title for its time, and the pure joy I got from playing it as a young child when it came out was something that I would never let go of in a million years. Oblivion has such a unique charm andI only give this game a 9 out of 10 because time has taken its toll on it, and newcomers may find it hard to look past the dated graphics and mechanics. Besides that, Oblivion was a groundbreaking title for its time, and the pure joy I got from playing it as a young child when it came out was something that I would never let go of in a million years. Oblivion has such a unique charm and feel to it that I can't help but feel like newer RPGs are lacking. If you're an Elder Scrolls fan, Fallout fan, or a fantasy RPG fan, I highly recommend giving Oblivion a try. It may take some getting used to the older feel of the game, but once you get into it you will recognize how delightful the game really is.… Expand
  81. Octavian_August
    Mar 13, 2022
    9
    Игра великолепная! Хоть и есть пару минусов. Но сначала о плюсах. Игра простая, но быстро сюжет быстро вовлекает в себя. Просто огромный свободный мир (для того времени он был действительно огромным). Проработанные квесты. Очень красивое музыкальное сопровождение (композиции Джереми Соула просто очень успокаивающие). Очень хорошо сделанные ДЛС (Больше всего мне понравился "ДрожащиеИгра великолепная! Хоть и есть пару минусов. Но сначала о плюсах. Игра простая, но быстро сюжет быстро вовлекает в себя. Просто огромный свободный мир (для того времени он был действительно огромным). Проработанные квесты. Очень красивое музыкальное сопровождение (композиции Джереми Соула просто очень успокаивающие). Очень хорошо сделанные ДЛС (Больше всего мне понравился "Дрожащие острова". Простая но интересная прокачка. Красивый мир. Хоть и простая, но хорошая для тех лет система боя. И еще редактор персонажа в начале игры:) (В те годы таких игр где можно было создать своего персонажа было мало). Ну и теперь о минусах. Система повышения откровенно говоря бесит! Конечно идея того что монстры и враги будут прокачиваться вместе с тобой довольно не плохая, но она в этой игре сделана очень плохо. После определенной прокачки персонажа кто угодно, даже бомж может иметь стеклянный меч! А оно одно из самых лучших оружий. Короче говоря, очень несбалансированный автолевелинг. И так же есть проблемы с генерацией. Например, трава торчащая из камня. Одинаковые локации. Тут очень много одинаковых пещер, что даже через некоторое время создается ощущение дежавю. И потом это немного надоедает обыскивать эти пещеры. И еще есть довольно много пустых локаций. Может конечно там что то появится с продвижением в сюжете. Но я так не думаю. Та и потом просто забываешь о том месте. Хоть и есть такие минусы, но я все равно эта игра будет продолжать оставаться в моем сердце, как одна из лучших игр. И сотни часов игры в нее определено стоит того!… Expand
  82. GamerDadIsBad
    Mar 26, 2022
    9
    So many hours sunk into this masterpiece!

    Showing it's age by today's graphics, but still a brilliant game I still enjoy today.
  83. imreviewingstuf
    Mar 29, 2022
    9
    Apart from graphics this game still holds up very well. If you liked Skyrim or other games like this it's a must-play.
  84. FreshMelons
    Mar 30, 2022
    9
    This game introduced me to the elder scrolls series. Though it may not hold up as well today, It felt amazing when it came out.
  85. Christian_TV
    May 27, 2022
    9
    The best Elder Scrolls ever.
    Obviously there are some bugs and for this reason,i can't give a perfect score.
    But the graphics,the gameplay,the soundtrack are incredible
  86. dr-kenobi
    Sep 6, 2022
    9
    The great Skyrim precursor. Although not really playable after something like 2015, it still deserves its place at the Pantheon.
  87. Magical_Viktor
    Apr 30, 2023
    9
    Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»Существуют просто Зло и Большое Зло, а за ними обоими в тени прячется Очень Большое Зло. Очень Большое Зло, Геральт, это такое, которого ты и представить себе не можешь, даже если думаешь, будто уже ничто не в состоянии тебя удивить. И знаешь, Геральт, порой бывает так, что Очень Большое Зло схватит тебя за горло и скажет: «Выбирай, братец, либо я, либо то, которое чуточку поменьше»
  88. HydrophobikFish
    Jun 9, 2023
    9
    Game is hella ugly but the sheer freedom available is too much to handle. A massive amount of quests, tons of unique items, crazy good DLC, innumerable tools to break the game entirely, an expansive magic and enchantment system... it presents a deep and well-realized world that while not the most inspired, is a joy to delve into
  89. MadAdventurer
    Jul 2, 2023
    9
    The second game I played the most in my life! I loved to creat male High Elves characters because I always thought they all looks a little bit like Paul McCartney, LOL
  90. Slatetac
    Aug 3, 2023
    9
    The best Elder scrolls game ever made. Period.

    Skyrim is great but it's very dumbed down compared to the previous versions of Elder Scrolls. Oblivion was the best out of the series in my opinion.
  91. GabrielM.
    Apr 30, 2006
    8
    The scaling sistem here is a complete nonsence. Advancing from lev1 to lev8 is o shock :(. Also the story is vast but a bit absurd in some parts. The good part is that you have incredible graphics and sound and a extremely detailed world (that is IF you have a super rig!)
  92. UNI
    Apr 5, 2006
    8
    So stupid AI, technical problems etc. The game is good but not perfect.
  93. Predator
    Jun 4, 2006
    8
    The biggest game ever.So many thing to do.10 means that the game is perfect,but no game is perfect.It has little problems like crashing,glitches and bugs but almost all of that is fixed in the new patch.
  94. JamieS.
    Mar 23, 2006
    8
    Oblivion is a great game. If you like RPG's, you HAVE to buy this game. But there are some bad points too. First the good: The world is huge and interesting. The trees, grass, water and geometry are interesting. The menu systems/inventory management works well. I'm looking forward to playing it for a long time. It's a quantum leap graphically over any RPG around currently. Oblivion is a great game. If you like RPG's, you HAVE to buy this game. But there are some bad points too. First the good: The world is huge and interesting. The trees, grass, water and geometry are interesting. The menu systems/inventory management works well. I'm looking forward to playing it for a long time. It's a quantum leap graphically over any RPG around currently. Now the bad: They cheated us. The game-review screenshots you saw are NOT WHAT THE GAME LOOKS LIKE. I have an XFX 7800 GS card. I pumped all the settings up to max, all the view distances up to max. And it still doesn't look like the review screenshots. In the reviews, the world view scales beautifully, textured as far as the eye can see, and grassed and planted too. But in the real game, the only thing you can see in the distance are trees and general geometry. Grass and even ground textures disappear and are replaced by what looks like blurry green muck. ANd you know how they boasted in the video preview about the markers that appear on the map to show you places of interest? Well ,the truth is, they HAD to put them in - because buildings disappear at such a short distance that, looking across river to a hillside where a building is supposed to be (no more than 100 meters away!) --- it's invisible! Completely missing! THAT'S the real reason for the map "markers". Basically, it looks like what they tried to do - and what they showed us in the video previews - just isn't possible on todays hardware (And I've got a fairly modern system; I bought the video crd 3 weeks ago for oblivion). The problem is, they seem to be guilty of what a lot of game makers do these days - showing impossibly beautiful screeen shots to capture our interest, only to present us with a downgraded actual game experience later on (Oh yeah - whatever happenedto the shadows??? Check the first dungeon to see what I mean!!) Don;t let my review put you off. It's stilla GREAT game any ROG lover must have. But for god's sake guys, stop cheating us in the previews with graphcis that don;t match the final product. (SOny did this with PS2, AOE 3 did this, and so did many others. WOnder what gothic 3 will REALLY look like compared to it's beautyiful screenshots?)… Expand
  95. MichaelL.
    Apr 20, 2006
    8
    Oblivion Elder Scrolls is the best RPG to date. It is brilliant but it is not the next-gen RPG we were expecting. Graphics are superb but once again I think that screenshots were slightly misleading and the graphics were not as good as expected. Don't get me wrong I love this game and have not been able to stop playing it. You never get bored as the game provides so much freedom, so Oblivion Elder Scrolls is the best RPG to date. It is brilliant but it is not the next-gen RPG we were expecting. Graphics are superb but once again I think that screenshots were slightly misleading and the graphics were not as good as expected. Don't get me wrong I love this game and have not been able to stop playing it. You never get bored as the game provides so much freedom, so much so that it's actually overwhelming. There are irritating bugs and glitches in the game e.g. finding the mouse arrow to "close" lock picking, but they aren't enough of a problem to put the game down. Oblivion: Elder Scrolls has set a higher standard for RPG's and games of the future and I think that Bethesda has done a great job!… Expand
  96. JordanM.
    May 26, 2006
    8
    This game is top-notch in its immersion and inter-personal depth. Unfortunately, it suffers from mayn quality-of-life issues and combat which starts as thrilling but quickly becomes stale as you become accustomed to it. What should have been official patches have instead been provided by the mod community, which is thankfully well-supported by Bethesda's development tools. One can This game is top-notch in its immersion and inter-personal depth. Unfortunately, it suffers from mayn quality-of-life issues and combat which starts as thrilling but quickly becomes stale as you become accustomed to it. What should have been official patches have instead been provided by the mod community, which is thankfully well-supported by Bethesda's development tools. One can tell, on a low-end machine, that the visuals weren't designed to be scaled down from the ideal. Roughly speaking, the graphics settings are Very High, High, and Off (not Low... Off), and this could put off people who are low on processor speed, RAM, or video card power. In the end, this game will captivate you utterly with its charms for a week or so, bringing joys you have never before experienced or perhaps even thought possible. Then, you'll likely peter out and rarely play it ever again. But that first week is ever-so-sweet, and I still recommend it.… Expand
  97. SavvasV.
    Aug 13, 2007
    8
    I got bored after I finished the mail quest (which was too easy and too short). No more armor, weapons and skill challenges. The expancion bored me also. It hasn't reached the Morrorwind magic. They should have a look at Gothic for some good elements.
  98. MatthewS.
    Sep 6, 2007
    8
    This game is very fun with tons of missions and things to do. But every once and a while you run into a bug or problem. but is still is a lot of fun and recommend it to all gamers.
  99. LukasK.
    Mar 24, 2006
    8
    It's look lovely. It's run on slow machine. Oblivion could be the next level of RPG games but the AI is terrible. Sometime enemies don't know about me. Sometime fall into water and can't came back. Sometimes simply kill each other with friendly fire. Another thing. How the soldier in this side of island know that I stole 1 silver plate from the opposite side? Yes there It's look lovely. It's run on slow machine. Oblivion could be the next level of RPG games but the AI is terrible. Sometime enemies don't know about me. Sometime fall into water and can't came back. Sometimes simply kill each other with friendly fire. Another thing. How the soldier in this side of island know that I stole 1 silver plate from the opposite side? Yes there are some bugs but most of these bugs will be removed witch patch. As I hope.… Expand
  100. BryanP.
    Mar 29, 2006
    8
    A 10 for content/story, but the PC version is crippled by the XBox 360 console user interface. Simple things like true WASD movement and re-assignable keymappings are not present. Hopefully Bethesda or the modding community will bring the User Interface out of the early '90s and streamline an otherwise wonderful game.
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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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
  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.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »