The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

 Xbox 360
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 1490 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 1,293 out of 1490
  2. Mixed: 113 out of 1490
  3. Negative: 84 out of 1490
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  1. AbramT.
    Dec 7, 2007
    0
    This "game" is an atrocity by each and every measure, and I am shocked, shocked, shocked to my poor little soul that everyone else isn't saying likewise! Are people really * that* susceptible to hype hypnosis?! Gameplay? Abysmal! The leveling system is utterly broken, and that's a baaad thing for an RPG! Bethesda decided to make it a scaling system, which was a horrible idea in This "game" is an atrocity by each and every measure, and I am shocked, shocked, shocked to my poor little soul that everyone else isn't saying likewise! Are people really * that* susceptible to hype hypnosis?! Gameplay? Abysmal! The leveling system is utterly broken, and that's a baaad thing for an RPG! Bethesda decided to make it a scaling system, which was a horrible idea in the first place, but they made it way worse than it had to be with their sub-sub-sub-amateur implementation! End result: stupid game gets harder and harder as you get more powerful. Elaboration for your elucidation: get beefy enough, and you'll be having mortal duels with mud crabs; stay level 1, and you'll beat the game as a steroid-enraged Conan would the proverbial red-headed stepchild. AI? Hair-tearingly heinous! Can't count the times it almost *disemboweled* my psyche with its mind-blasting +2 stupidity! Enemies chase you forever, friends can't fight with either the intelligence *or* efficacy of a rabies *and* syphilis-maddened toddler (yes, I know that makes me a bad man!), vampires don't care about sunlight though it totally burns their stupid asses, and a guard attacked me when I was assaulted by a witch before I had even done anything! No, I won't even mention the patch-work conversations between townspeople! I shan't go on, for the sake of my sanity, I shan't, I shan't! Bugs, bugs, the hellish bugs! Hung up many times when I backed up while shooting arrows, corpses never disappear (nobody ever notices them, either!), items left in the cabinets of a dead man's house magically turn into vegetables, every other side quest has a bug that makes you unable to finish it if you happen to run into it (and believe me, these bugs are loud proud and in your FACE, so you actually have to make an effort to avoid them!) and there are even reports of mega-bugs that, if encountered, explode your hopes of finishing the main quest into tiny, flaming pieces that smell like charred farts. Graphics? Fugly! Major building and tree pop-up! People all look related, even non-humans; humanoid characters have puddy-ish, discolored, Robot Chicken-esque necks! Way to go with character design, boys and girls! Uninspired city and town design! Story? Overly-simple and completely lacking in atmosphere. These can't be the same writers from Morrowind! You can just tell that they never, ever read! Altogether, an eye-melting Hell-fart of a game! Discerning and intelligent people should keep away, if they value their sanity! Do not, I repeat, do not listen to the legions of brainwiped, hype-notized fanboys who laud this thing like it was Jesus himself, back on earth and granting ten wishes to anybody who lays down 60 bucks! Disgustingly bad craftsmanship, Bethesda! You should be mortally ashamed, as should anyone who praises this thing! I consign this asbestos bag of captured demon flatus to. . . OBLIVION!… Expand
  2. Johhnydepht
    Mar 22, 2006
    0
    Wow an amazing game that has absorped my life for the next twelf centuries!
  3. MrMoby
    Mar 20, 2006
    0
    For £50 this version is so inferior to the £25 version found on the PC. just not worth spending £50 on but for those of you who do have a PC its a good game and the graphics are far superior to that next generation super computer called the XBOX 360
  4. PCMAN
    Mar 23, 2006
    0
    To Exspencive fo what it is. i mean you can either spend £50 on xbox 360 sub standard version or you can spend £20 on the vastly supirior version . still cant belive people are prepared to spend that sort of money when its available cheaper and better on another format
  5. JimG.
    Jul 29, 2008
    4
    This is a well made game, but with horrible, IRREDEEMABLE game design flaws. It's a sad indicator of the pitiful state of game reviewing that it has been universally praised. The three main flaws of the game are: 1) The optimum way to play a character type [i.e. mage, rogue, warrior] is to specialize in all the skills it SHOULD NOT have, and then tediously build up the actually This is a well made game, but with horrible, IRREDEEMABLE game design flaws. It's a sad indicator of the pitiful state of game reviewing that it has been universally praised. The three main flaws of the game are: 1) The optimum way to play a character type [i.e. mage, rogue, warrior] is to specialize in all the skills it SHOULD NOT have, and then tediously build up the actually desired skills, which are now minor skills that you're behind in and you improve more slowly, all the while being careful to get the exact number of skill levels before making character level in order to best improve your ability scores when making level, which you achieve by doing things that your character type shouldn't do [i.e. casting spells if you're a warrior]. If that sounds like a confusing, ridiculous, obnoxious headache, it's because it is. 2) The game generally rewards repetitious, sometimes unrealistic behavior to improve skills. 3) When my character initially was infected with vampirism, nowhere on my character sheet did it say so, therefore I was unaware and unable to nip it in the bud. Hence, it was impossible to figure out what was going on and why. Once you get bit you're either going back to an earlier save or you're dealing with it for hours of gameplay. For me, there's nothing fun about that. The same company bought the FALLOUT license, and are making FALLOUT 3. I finally understand why the diehard Fallout fans are furious. Shame on game reviewers. There's nothing 94/100 about it. [xbox 360 version played].… Expand
  6. DaveW.
    Jan 21, 2007
    2
    For what its worth, anyone new to RPG's and has never played morrowind will come to oblivion awestruck and amazed to see such a wanderful culmination of technology and talent in one tiny disc. I know, because the same happened to me when I played Morrowind (the game which came before oblivion), for the first time. But now I can see oblivion for what it really is. Another attempt at For what its worth, anyone new to RPG's and has never played morrowind will come to oblivion awestruck and amazed to see such a wanderful culmination of technology and talent in one tiny disc. I know, because the same happened to me when I played Morrowind (the game which came before oblivion), for the first time. But now I can see oblivion for what it really is. Another attempt at raking in the dollars by appealing to a market who only want pumped up graphics and hack and slash. Hate to say it, but Diablo 2 is more playable than oblivion. Firstly, aside from graphics requiring a chunky computer to run, The combat engine is almost always repetetive and somewhat unrealistic. I mean, if I hit a wolf with a 20 KG sword, you'd expect it to die. Furthermore, it is so clumsy come along another enemy, let alone 3 or more, just forget it. Diablo 2 lets you, WITH EASE, kill dozens. The magic system is completly the same as morrowind and is the alchemy. Items have a 1:1 functionality in that if you need to recharge an item with 800 charges, it will cost you 800 dollars in the game. Leveling up seems pointless however my biggest gripe with this game is that if you build yourself up to be a massive strong arm sword fighter (no magic), or an excellent shot with the bow, prepare to be dissapointed after 20 hours of play because suddenly all the creatures at your level require strong magic ability to destroy otherwise your sword or arrow passes right through the enemy without effect. If this is your first RPG, you may enjoy it for a long time, therefore giving the game a high score of 8. However, to the regular gamer who is not so easly taken in by all the eye candy, you will find a boring repetative game with really nothing to do and most of the gameplay carried over from morrowind, landing a pitiful and most dissapointing score of 2! A so I end this review.… Expand
  7. BenG.
    Mar 28, 2007
    1
    This game is far too slow and has too many obscurities. I definitely did not enjoy it.
  8. ChristopherP.
    Jan 13, 2008
    3
    If you're really into open-world RPGs, don't be fooled by the ridiculously generous scores that Oblivion has received. Yes, it has a vast - albeit painfully generic and mostly barren - world to explore. Yes, there are plenty of things to do, see, and collect. Unfortunately, all of these things are undermined by the game's loot and enemy scaling. It's not just a little If you're really into open-world RPGs, don't be fooled by the ridiculously generous scores that Oblivion has received. Yes, it has a vast - albeit painfully generic and mostly barren - world to explore. Yes, there are plenty of things to do, see, and collect. Unfortunately, all of these things are undermined by the game's loot and enemy scaling. It's not just a little bit of scaling, mind you; it's a mind-boggling, almost painful amount of scaling. It has been done to such a degree that to describe it as anything less than Bethesda selling-out would be disingenuous. There is no incentive to crawl through dungeons or explore the countryside, as EVERY SINGLE enemy and treasure chest will be scaled. If your character is on his second level, expect to mostly be fighting rats and goblins. It doesn't matter where you go; that's what you will be running into until you level up. Every treasure chest and every bit of carried loot you come across will also be scaled. Finally leveled enough to where you can get your hands on some glass armour? Don't go feeling too accomplished, since every last dirt-licking, flea-ridden brigand will also be getting a shiny new set of glass armour along with you. When all is said and done, Oblivion is Morrowind with breast implants, a botox injection, and a lobotomy. Bethesda has removed their flagship series' soul for the sake of a wider audience, and there is nothing left but a dumbed-down husk.… Expand
  9. FrankM.
    May 5, 2006
    2
    This game is absolutely atrocious, i can't believe the way people r raving about it. it has nice graphix but ist incredible boring to travel around in the games world bashing wolfs and crabs, the combat system is a disaster to say the least.
  10. TiaV
    Jan 7, 2010
    3
    Every character seems to have a similar voicesimilar face. I've seen peasants that only distinguish themselves from the king by wearing crappy clothes. Face and voice variation is VERY limited. Gameplay is dull and repetitive. To top it all off, most of the characters are HIDEOUSLY UGLY. I mean, seriously, I know that the aim of the developers wasn't to be realistic, but did Every character seems to have a similar voicesimilar face. I've seen peasants that only distinguish themselves from the king by wearing crappy clothes. Face and voice variation is VERY limited. Gameplay is dull and repetitive. To top it all off, most of the characters are HIDEOUSLY UGLY. I mean, seriously, I know that the aim of the developers wasn't to be realistic, but did they really have to make everything so damn horrendous?! Some quests are somewhat unique and interesting, but that doesn't compensate for the lack of variation and the faces that make you appreciate realism more than fantasy.… Expand
  11. DonS.
    Mar 23, 2006
    2
    What a disappointment - The so called "Radiant AI' does not exist. NPCs talk the same rumors over and over again, get stuck at each other and - The graphics are awesome... in a radius of 10 meters around the character. Texture lodding creates huge, ugly blobs on the ground in the distance. - Loading hitches every few meters. - Grass growing only in a 15 ft radius around the What a disappointment - The so called "Radiant AI' does not exist. NPCs talk the same rumors over and over again, get stuck at each other and - The graphics are awesome... in a radius of 10 meters around the character. Texture lodding creates huge, ugly blobs on the ground in the distance. - Loading hitches every few meters. - Grass growing only in a 15 ft radius around the character! - Cities are empty. No more than 5 NPCs in most places, half of which are guards and have the same voice and text - The translation (german version) is horrendous. The worst I have ever experienced in a game. A scroll of healing is listed as "Schr. d. schw. H." on the GUI. WTF?. The game also tells you outright wrong numbers when you try to buy a house - The game is totally unbalanced. My level 1 character can kill everyone by just getting them follow him and constantly casting spells. - The UI sucks. - Load times are horrendous. - The horses in the game are weak and die easily. That is very convenient, since Bethesda just announced that you will be able to buy horse armor from the XBL marketplace... great idea ... NOT! All in all this is a major disappointment. The game feels half finished and I can not recommend it to anyone. Maybe waiting for the platinum edition or maybe a patch through XBL.… Expand
  12. AlexL.
    Mar 25, 2006
    3
    Nothing at all like it was hyped up to be. Graphics are decent, but not even close to the promo shots - scenery loads VERY frequently giving walking anywhere a very jumpy feel, and pop-up style terrain hides everything but your immediate vicinity. Hand-to-hand combat is lackluster and clunky, spells are not very visually interesting, my character (which remains level 1 no matter what I do Nothing at all like it was hyped up to be. Graphics are decent, but not even close to the promo shots - scenery loads VERY frequently giving walking anywhere a very jumpy feel, and pop-up style terrain hides everything but your immediate vicinity. Hand-to-hand combat is lackluster and clunky, spells are not very visually interesting, my character (which remains level 1 no matter what I do to raise my stats) has never failed to kill anything I've run across with minimal, if any, difficulty. Very little sense of achievement for doing anything, menu interface is clunky. My female character has a male voice, and I've heard other players with male characters have female voices. Overall not very challenging with a rather nondescript storyline, fails to be gripping on pretty much any level. Certainly not worth $60.… Expand
  13. TimmyB.
    Dec 9, 2006
    4
    This game is really repetative with a uninteresting storyline the most frustrating save system ever, for people who don't save it every two seconds, spells are all the same, linear and limited weapon and armour choice.
  14. TuomasKoskela
    May 6, 2007
    0
    I have to gave it zero,because how bad this Xbox360 version is compared to it's far superior big brother PS3.XO version has lots of sloppy slowdown and framerate issues.Bottom line:Get this on PS3, and get ready for best version of Oblivion.
  15. WoWPlayer
    Jun 24, 2007
    0
    If you have ever played a good RPG, you will be disappointed. Very disappointed. The game is probably worth a 2, I gave it a 0 to try and curb the obvious Overhype. 1) Leveling is a bad thing - You actually can lvl up in a corner, by yourself, just casting light (flashlight), which you will do, ALOT, because the game is constantly in the dark. When you lvl, the enemies lvl, automatically. If you have ever played a good RPG, you will be disappointed. Very disappointed. The game is probably worth a 2, I gave it a 0 to try and curb the obvious Overhype. 1) Leveling is a bad thing - You actually can lvl up in a corner, by yourself, just casting light (flashlight), which you will do, ALOT, because the game is constantly in the dark. When you lvl, the enemies lvl, automatically. You're better off staying at a lower lvl, which you get to by Powerlvling - by yourself - in the corner. 2) The graphics are gorgeous. Wait - why is that bad - because you rarely get to enjoy them. 1/2 time its dark, 1/4 it's dusk or tinted by something into a red or blue color, 1/4 you are in the corner powerlvling on a summon. 3) This should be on a PC. You have many abilities and can even create your own. But 4 little buttons (directional pad) means you are constantly pausing to change your spells and always pressing the wrong thing. My opinion, the quests, etc are buggy and uninteresting. Gonna sell mine back to EB cause I havent played for 6 mths or more.… Expand
  16. TomW.
    Mar 21, 2006
    3
    The game offended me and I got scared but I enjoyed it. thank you
  17. Daz
    Apr 24, 2006
    4
    I'm going to get lots of stick for writing this review!!
    Played the game for 4 hours then sold it on ebay. I'm not a rpg type of gamer but i did see loads of positive reviews so i thought i'd give it a go. Combat was especially dull and after 4 hours i got bored and turned back to burnout and battlefront and i haven't regretted it. If you like this kind of game then    I'm going to get lots of stick for writing this review!!
    Played the game for 4 hours then sold it on ebay. I'm not a rpg type of gamer but i did see loads of positive reviews so i thought i'd give it a go. Combat was especially dull and after 4 hours i got bored and turned back to burnout and battlefront and i haven't regretted it. If you like this kind of game then fine, you'll think it's brill. If you're not sure i recommend you rent first.. Not for me    … Expand
  18. FishboundComments
    Nov 26, 2008
    0
    With mainstream developers continuing to use persuasive techniques, in order to make their games popular, the gaming industry is oh so bleak, bethesda is just another developer like this, and oblivion is just another game that got popular this way.
  19. alfieboi13
    Nov 22, 2010
    2
    I'll give you a heads-up now, just because it's made by the same people who made Fallout 3 doesn't mean it's any good so don't waste your money!!!

    Firstly, the AI has hardly been touched. Yes, artificial intelligence is a difficult thing to program but really, when I murder the bandit on the left and the bandit on the right, the guy on the corpse should realize something is terribly    I'll give you a heads-up now, just because it's made by the same people who made Fallout 3 doesn't mean it's any good so don't waste your money!!!

    Firstly, the AI has hardly been touched. Yes, artificial intelligence is a difficult thing to program but really, when I murder the bandit on the left and the bandit on the right, the guy on the corpse should realize something is terribly wrong, instead of wandering around hopelessly. Similarly, it is brutally and unforgiving when it comes to accidental thievery. Try to click on the bartender to talk to her, and likely you'll accidentally click on an alcohol bottle. THIEF!!! she cries out, and even if you put the bottle down immediately, a guard will escort you to the castle, where you'll have to pay a fine for touching a bottle on a bar. Character interaction is annoyingly weak. To get a character to like you, you'll need to, in a brief period of time, Boast, Joke, Admire, or Coerce him/her, repeatedly, via a mini-game. Bashing heads solves almost every quest, so the talking issues in the game are neatly covered up by massive bloodshed (although corpse cleanup isn't so good; this one poor shop has had 3 naked corpses in it for months now).

    Also, the main story line is, no fun. It's not just the "you start in a prison with no equipment or past" lameness that's been done so many times before. Opening up the gate from a hellish world all through the countryside, you're told things like, "You must save him RIGHT NOW" but we still have the theme of do whatever you want so the invasion or execution or whatever will patiently wait until you go off and become head of every guild, visit every city a dozen times, or do whatever else you feel like. The main quest just doesn't feel right in this context. You'll also need to close many gates, and the sense of accomplishment for doing so is a bit boring, as each close the gate quest is almost the same.

    Finally, we have an overall design flaw here. Usually, once your character gets above level 25 in any game, there is nothing left to challenge you, making the whole game extremely easy. Oblivion (tries) fixes this by making the monsters and treasures as your character does. So, a cave that would hold rats for your first level character holds trolls at a higher level. It sounds nice, but it creates new problems as well. First, the thrill of exploration drops off a bit; I know the monsters I meet and treasure I gather will all be set to my level, there's no danger in encountering something far too tough for me to defeat with a simple thumping, and there's no thrill of finding a great artifact far outside the power of my character. Second, the non-player characters generally aren't leveled. A number of missions grant you help from additional soldiers and such. If you're too high a level, the monsters you encounter will toss those soldiers around like confetti; leaving you all alone to deal with a horde of monsters (at least you can loot the soldiers corpses for extra gold). Curiously, the best counter to this is to design a character that does NOT go up levels. By basing your character around little used or unnecessary skills, you can get a character that goes up levels at a slow enough pace that you can see all the game has to offer; go up levels too quickly, and you'll miss many monsters that simply won't appear for high level characters.

    So like I told you at the beginning, DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY! (The only reason I gave it a 2 was because of the lovely graphics!)    … Expand
  20. PatrikM
    Sep 1, 2008
    4
    1. Character models and animations are uninspired and stale. 2. I killed an innocent bystander, then teleported to a different city. The police there instantly recognised me. This happened at night, to boot. I didn't know they had telephones and night vision goggles in the middle ages. 3. The game felt repetitive and.. well, boring. I didn't feel compelled to continute playing.
  21. AlexB.
    May 5, 2008
    3
    This is a very very very very bad game. The world isn't "living" it's just there... the game could have been better, but the not breathing world ruins it all... no working people, no hunting monsters and no real... twist.
  22. lintmaster
    Feb 14, 2013
    3
    Enemies scale to your level stupidity. I remember dying in a cave so I left it, leveled up, came across the same cave later on and entered it again expecting to kick some butt. But I died again because the enemies leveled up as well. Stupid. Apparently leveling up my character is POINTLESS in this game. The game world is extremely bland and repetitive. Oh look, the same ruins I've seenEnemies scale to your level stupidity. I remember dying in a cave so I left it, leveled up, came across the same cave later on and entered it again expecting to kick some butt. But I died again because the enemies leveled up as well. Stupid. Apparently leveling up my character is POINTLESS in this game. The game world is extremely bland and repetitive. Oh look, the same ruins I've seen the last 10 times. Everything is so picture perfect it feels like I'm walking in an urban park. No grit or realism in the world. Caves are pointless to explore all enemies and loot are scaled to me anyway. When you're exploring everything feels spreadsheety. Oh look, I see somebody in the distance I wonder who they are? Oh wait, sigh, they're an enemy that simply charges at me when they see me. No witty or interesting conversation to be had here. NPCs are robotic and major immersion breakers. There are guards hiding in every closet and basement, just watching and waiting to see if you'll steal that spoon, and then they'll get on their laptops and enter your name in a database, flagged as most wanted, putting every guard in the enter realm on high alert and hunt you down like you're OBL. Oblivion gates are ok the first time. But after the first one, ugh. Bethesda doesn't understand what immersion is so I'm walking on the main road to Kavatch when I see a cave just off the road, along with a big "you have discovered such and such cave", well no sh-t, you put it on the main road like a gas station. Don't want to make this next gen gamer have to go out of their way and discover the cave for themselves they might get frustrated and not buy our next game. Who cares about mystery and exploration when we can just put our dungeons and ruins on the main road like tourist attractions. Along the same road was a goblin encampment. At first I thought they must be friendly goblins being so close to the road and all but no, they attacked me on sight (just like every. single. last. enemy. in. this. game.) Someone should probably tell that guard I just saw that THERE'S A GOBLIN ENCAMPMENT JUST OFF THE MAIN ROAD! If you're looking for a good role playing game then pick up Gothic 3 Enhanced Edition. It's a game where you actually have to buy the world map IN GAME, imagine that Bethesda!… Expand
  23. GameMan2005
    Aug 22, 2023
    1
    Horrible game. Even for the time the graphics and environments look awful. The soundtrack is dull. The gameplay is extremely boring repetitive. An extremely overrated game from an extremely overrated developer.

Awards & Rankings

2
#2 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2006
3
#3 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2006
3
#3 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2006

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
94

Universal acclaim - based on 90 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 90 out of 90
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 90
  3. Negative: 0 out of 90
  1. Jolt Online Gaming UK
    94
    A refreshing, immersive, massive, satisfying and hugely impressive game.
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  2. Worth Playing
    98
    Oblivion not only raises the bar in the visual and audio modules but also in the gameplay and presentation department, making it easily one of the most recommendable titles to anyone who has ever enjoyed the thought of truly doing whatever they want in a video game, in a world where actions actually mean something.
    Read full review
  3. Xbox Evolved
    97
    Oblivion is so deep it is hard to escape its grasp. Few things keep it down, such as loading times, and a few problems with visuals and sound, but the gameplay, the most important piece is dead-on.
    Read full review
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