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. 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
  2. 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
  3. slick_trick
    Dec 29, 2012
    1
    The absolute worst and most overhyped game I can remember. This game is like a punishment that was secretly made by the religious fanatics who were trying to ban Dungeons and Dragons in the 80's. And everyone giving it a 10 is like one of those people who are now playing online roleplaying games. Massive, massive expanses that are COMPLETELY empty.. void of any life whatsoever.The absolute worst and most overhyped game I can remember. This game is like a punishment that was secretly made by the religious fanatics who were trying to ban Dungeons and Dragons in the 80's. And everyone giving it a 10 is like one of those people who are now playing online roleplaying games. Massive, massive expanses that are COMPLETELY empty.. void of any life whatsoever. Apparently this is considered 'exploration'. I have never seen such a barren and lifeless game environment in my entire life. The 'facial expressions' made me cringe... the 'story' was so cliche.. it also made me cringe. I think this game is more like an instructional video for making facial expressions for people who live in caves.… Expand
  4. Vjeran
    Jul 10, 2008
    0
    How can people give this game 10/10. It would mean the game is perfect. Oblivion is far from perfect. From all the bugs, problems with AI where your companions kill eachother, generic world that cannot possibly be compared to the diversity of Morrowind, etc it still gets 10/10 by some people?? And those sites that gave it 100/100?? Just shows what little money can do and how people can How can people give this game 10/10. It would mean the game is perfect. Oblivion is far from perfect. From all the bugs, problems with AI where your companions kill eachother, generic world that cannot possibly be compared to the diversity of Morrowind, etc it still gets 10/10 by some people?? And those sites that gave it 100/100?? Just shows what little money can do and how people can easily be swayed. 0/0 to rectify injustice.… Expand
  5. Mareus
    Jul 10, 2008
    0
    I would never give any game 0/10, unless it was really completely unplayable, but Oblivion deserves it just because it is overhyped and those 10/10 scores are also very unrealistic. The game has so many flaws it cannot possibly be 10/10. Even with 16 gb of mods it is still just an average game and the success of this average game due to it's shiny graphic and hype from Bethseda can I would never give any game 0/10, unless it was really completely unplayable, but Oblivion deserves it just because it is overhyped and those 10/10 scores are also very unrealistic. The game has so many flaws it cannot possibly be 10/10. Even with 16 gb of mods it is still just an average game and the success of this average game due to it's shiny graphic and hype from Bethseda can only mean RIP for Fallout 3.… Expand
  6. Bruno
    Jul 14, 2007
    0
    No matter how good is everything in Oblivion. The leveling system makes this game unplayable for me. I uninstalled it 2 days after i bought it, because this is the first RPG I ever played that actually wants to stay level 1 to be strongest (setting up major skills those you never use and improve abilities only that can't level your character up -- so you basically stay lvl 1 with No matter how good is everything in Oblivion. The leveling system makes this game unplayable for me. I uninstalled it 2 days after i bought it, because this is the first RPG I ever played that actually wants to stay level 1 to be strongest (setting up major skills those you never use and improve abilities only that can't level your character up -- so you basically stay lvl 1 with maxed out abilities you use) This is extremly broken and it's a reason why there are so many 0% and 100% user scores.… Expand
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. Anonymous_1
    Sep 12, 2014
    3
    Pros: N/A

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    Don't think I'm done yet. Now comes the section of the truly pathetic:
    - Behold the worst lock-picking system of all times. Here, playing a thief is an ordeal. Or a deal-breaker.
    - There are no fences to sell your stolen goods to, therefore there is no point in thieving. I'm slightly exaggerating, since you'll have access to fences if you go to the one place in the so-called immense world to do the one thing that will connect you with the so ever-present, so American, and so absurd concept of a thieves guild, but I would argue that this forced path makes it even worse.
    - Level scaling. I think that's what it's called. It's the retarded notion that the world improves every time you improve, so as to remove any sense of immersion, emotion, strategy, accomplishment, fun, motivation, and whatnot.
    - Somehow in the same vein, here is yet another example of how dreadfully the game is designed: Improving your alchemy adds negative effects to your ingredients. As a corollary, a poisonous plant will kill you when ingested, but only if you know it's poisonous, otherwise it is harmless. For the last time, I am not kidding.    … Expand
  11. toeknee
    Jul 6, 2006
    0
    Not fun, simpley a terrible game. Repetitive, leveling system is terrible, the weapons repair thing is terrible, everything looks the same, compass is terrible. Couldn't even play after like 10 minutes because the game is so bad. Do not buy this game. Do not play this game.
  12. g
    Sep 10, 2008
    2
    I can't understand all the 10/10 ratings here. Quests and caves are more interesting than that of Morrowind, but that's where the good parts end. Boring samey world, boring characters, boring story, boring combat and utterly terrible levelling system. Graphics are ok but I suspect they were toned down for actual release to run better on lower end PCs - it takes a while to edit I can't understand all the 10/10 ratings here. Quests and caves are more interesting than that of Morrowind, but that's where the good parts end. Boring samey world, boring characters, boring story, boring combat and utterly terrible levelling system. Graphics are ok but I suspect they were toned down for actual release to run better on lower end PCs - it takes a while to edit the various files and install mods to get it looking great again. Radiant AI is hilariously broken and basically offers the only entertainment this game has to offer, apart from maybe the Dark Brotherhood missions. It's bizarre that they hired Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean to do voices (although both are underused and mostly uninteresting) then hired about three more to do every other voice in the game. Despite all the assurances I'm pretty sure Fallout 3 is gonna end up a massive disappointment for pretty much the same reasons - Bethesda just haven't a clue on how to make a truly engaging and interesting RPG.… Expand
  13. Hrco
    Jul 10, 2008
    0
    It really is incredible how games have degraded in the last 10 years.
  14. koval321
    Dec 6, 2014
    0
    Enemies progression is broken, this is not right for RPG game because you may get feeling that you are punished for leveling rather feel like have benefits from it. And worst is that you can level pretty fast, am explored nearby locations around starting point and after make one circle I was already boss with super armor and weapon. After that all enemies around become pretty nasty and amEnemies progression is broken, this is not right for RPG game because you may get feeling that you are punished for leveling rather feel like have benefits from it. And worst is that you can level pretty fast, am explored nearby locations around starting point and after make one circle I was already boss with super armor and weapon. After that all enemies around become pretty nasty and am feel like nobody again, some weak looking monster kills me LOL Am made epic battle with some rat !!! And treasures probably don't match to your level so it look epic and ridiculous at one time. Also my problem was with locations where at beginning I though they are stunning beautiful after while they become repetitive, in this parts Skyrim is much better game. Play Gothic 3 its much better game in many parts in long distance. At very beginning am love Oblivion but now am at point where don't even want to complete it and am realized that Gothic 3 have all what is missing in it. So in fact am would rather complete G3 than continue this game. Its basically good game and may be enjoyable for few days but for long play its very bad it going downhill all the time to point where become unplayable. Its pretty ridiculous that I want to play it again and try to avoid leveling to have better chances complete it on level 1 LOL as RPG its terrible how they test it? Was its tested anyway? And on what are based scores on first hour play? In my opinion this game is broken to point of unplayable because you will never get advance, you never change anything for better all you do work against you LOL Am already have epic equipment and don't see any whatsoever advance from it. Only one good point is sneak + bow but after monster see you it may be pretty frustrating battle because boss are everywhere even some stupid road thief with full glass armor etc it look crazy! More you play then more you see that stuff. My initial score was really 10/10 but it drop to zero and that is final score. Its just bad game for long play.… Expand
  15. 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
  16. AamirM.
    Jul 29, 2006
    0
    theres 2 bad things about one is that its boring, complicated and very depressimg and the second is nobody will stop saying its the best game ever and the hype makes me want it even if its crap.
  17. JohnyB.Good
    Jul 10, 2008
    0
    This 10/10 crap must be corrected for the sake of future gaming. Fallout 3.. rest in peace. *cries*
  18. 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
  19. 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
  20. UweP.
    Mar 22, 2006
    0
    Tomorrow was pretty cool, but this is way more cool because you get to ride a horse and kidnap young maidens in the woods!
  21. DanielO.
    Jul 6, 2006
    2
    Atrociously bad game. i was real disappointed.
  22. BakaD.
    Jun 22, 2007
    3
    Oblivion is Morrowind with hundreds of bugs fixed. The game also graphically declines, it has loads of the 'good stuff' but it doesn't use it properly leaving environments lackluster and dull. There are a few parts that have an epic 'appeal' but thats only due to the use of lighting. Now I played Morrowind and although the 'level by usage' idea is Oblivion is Morrowind with hundreds of bugs fixed. The game also graphically declines, it has loads of the 'good stuff' but it doesn't use it properly leaving environments lackluster and dull. There are a few parts that have an epic 'appeal' but thats only due to the use of lighting. Now I played Morrowind and although the 'level by usage' idea is innovative... it is very broken. Removing the skill leveling part fixes many problems (Either 5 5 5 level or get screwed. Then there's the problem with spells/magical things in the game. Not only do all things magical share the same animations, but all magical abilities transpher down to alchemy and enchanting... essentally making "gear farming" worthless, or even being a mage since alchemy effects are often more powerful than what you can cast. The game has a very limited selection of voices... most annoying is when I hear barius' voice. Now I don't care if a few civies share the same voice... but don't EVER use the same voice as a main story thingy. There are a few other problems (voices not matching with characters for one) with voices, but there are more pressing issues... like the limited interaction with the environment. use of physics without any USE of them. (Like dropping crates on enemies) infact, physics serves no use except to be there. Vampirism is one of the best things, but I really dislike the way it's done. Having to drink blood just to keep from 'changing' when wandering about, not beingable to sulk in dark corners durring daytime (infact, shade has no effect on health loss) The end result is Oblivion is what Morrowind 'should' have been... but not fully fixed. It's fun... for a while... till you realize that there's nothing else compelling you besides the nagging aspect of the storyline.… Expand
  23. 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
  24. Jeremy
    Mar 22, 2006
    7
    The economy is still broken. A vendor selling items costing as much as 5000gp only has 1000gp cash on-hand? How does that make sense? I stopped playing Morrowind when I found loot that could not be sold anywhere in the universe. Idiotic.
  25. patchman
    Mar 28, 2006
    5
    i will agree with all the other reviews that this is a great looking game BUT there are some serious issues regarding stability on some PCs. 60% of will play this game with no issues but the other 40% of us are have some mojor crashing problems that just makes the game unplayable. check out the various forums for this game to find out how bad these bugs are, untill oblivion is patched upi will agree with all the other reviews that this is a great looking game BUT there are some serious issues regarding stability on some PCs. 60% of will play this game with no issues but the other 40% of us are have some mojor crashing problems that just makes the game unplayable. check out the various forums for this game to find out how bad these bugs are, untill oblivion is patched up correctly with a proper patch then i can only give this game a 5/10 and thats being generious for a game that i am unable to play.… Expand
  26. BasS.
    Jun 6, 2006
    4
    This game dont deserve all marks,it s so boring and his predecessor is really better than this.
  27. GregB.
    Jul 20, 2006
    1
    Boring, feeble control of the character. All you have to do is h the make the character jump into the air to watch him float upwards although he still appears to be standing up in the same exact position, but his body is now above the ground, and then "slowly descend back to the earth". Oh, uh oh, did you fall a bit too far without investing enough "spell points" into your JUmp attribute? Boring, feeble control of the character. All you have to do is h the make the character jump into the air to watch him float upwards although he still appears to be standing up in the same exact position, but his body is now above the ground, and then "slowly descend back to the earth". Oh, uh oh, did you fall a bit too far without investing enough "spell points" into your JUmp attribute? Oh no, did yu take damage? This has to be the most feeble game I have ever played. Completely unrealistic. Perform the same stupid looking sword swing. Lame physics. The same stupid looking enemies to defeat, few and far between. Is this thing in slow motion? Everything is so S...L....O...W. Laughable storyline about, uh-oh, don't say it.. CULTS. A completely dorky game from obviously completely dorky writers. Thank you Jim Henson for the lesson in making every NPC look like a a movie as they tell you the next boring, predictable part of the stoyline. I would have been fine reading it w/o a close up. Am I gay now? where I need to see every person up close, and why does everyone look like an old geezer? Dear lord, learn how to make a game that is not irritating. This game is nothing more than irritating.… Expand
  28. MattiM.
    May 18, 2007
    6
    CS:S Rocks.
  29. EdS,
    Jun 29, 2007
    2
    This game is boring and clunky. The movement is slow and bouncy/floaty. You can't sell things without a stupid mercantile skill. Everything is tedious. I can't believe an online mmorpg loads and runs faster than this bloated boring game. Oblivion is terrible.
  30. AnonymousMC
    Jul 2, 2007
    3
    Truly a bad joke of a game. I don't think I can stand another "So, yeah - the current plot hook is [X], so you have to go to the next completely generic [cave/ruin/oblivion gate] [Y], [kill the foozles/retrieve the item [Z]/both]" quest - an this little template has basically described 75% of the quest content of Oblivion. If only the combat system was any good... Well, it's notTruly a bad joke of a game. I don't think I can stand another "So, yeah - the current plot hook is [X], so you have to go to the next completely generic [cave/ruin/oblivion gate] [Y], [kill the foozles/retrieve the item [Z]/both]" quest - an this little template has basically described 75% of the quest content of Oblivion. If only the combat system was any good... Well, it's not - think about your typical FPS, and remove all the fun and the challenge (even if, for some strange reason, you are losing you can always gulp on an unlimited number of healing potions - six every time you open your inventory, with closing and opening of it taking less than a second of game time, since the game pauses on inventory screen). Also, don't kid yourself that it's a good RPG, 'cause it has stats. They don't matter. In fact, the best thing you can do if you want to munchkinize your character is give him the exact opposite of the skills you want to use - that way you will still advance fairly quickly, but not in level. Why is this good? Well, thanks to the oh so brilliant level scaling, the world's monsters will stay in "noob mode", while you are getting more and more powerful. The downside of this is that the scaled random loot will be pretty pathetic, but given how easy it is to outclass the scaled monsters in damage dealt/damage received even with steel equipment, this doesn't matter very much.

    The game has LOTS of issues, like uninspired writing and soul destroying blandness and genericness of the towns (and ignoring previous TES lore to boot - wasn't Cyrodill supposed to be tropical jungle?), terrain and monsters, the supposedly great AI that makes the NPCs emergently admire walls (and it's pretty much all it does), the inconsistent voices of NPCs, the linearity (true, you can do a quest for most of the factions (except for those for which it was deemed you cannot - the Blackwood Company comes to mind as the most illogical of those) at any moment, the quest sequences of those factions are completely linear), the "become the head of the guild and be done with it" factor, the lack of conflict between joinable factions (it goes as far as allowing you to be the guildmaster of all) even though the death of the emperor with no known heir would be THE opportunity for power grabs, the "oh so there are Oblivion gates popping all over the place, but since they're not quest related we all ignore them", the inconsistent [Rumors]/"You are the hero of [town name]!"/[Other option]/"Who are you noob?" dialog, and the dumb minigames (I would nominate the persuasion minigame as a winner here)... I was going to finish this comment with "but I think the boring and repetitive are what killed it for me", but really, all those issues did their part in it - and there's STILL more that I don't care to describe. I'd say - avoid this game.    … Expand
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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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