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. Zonidor
    Jul 5, 2012
    10
    After spending 50h+ into this game im more than delighted by the quality of today's so often almost mindless games. Yes i am playing Bf3 and CoD and enjoying them too but neither of those titles can give me the feel as when you fight your way through the dark plains of the Oblivion realm, finding that new great enchanted glass-sword or just simply exploring the beautiful world for newAfter spending 50h+ into this game im more than delighted by the quality of today's so often almost mindless games. Yes i am playing Bf3 and CoD and enjoying them too but neither of those titles can give me the feel as when you fight your way through the dark plains of the Oblivion realm, finding that new great enchanted glass-sword or just simply exploring the beautiful world for new dungeons or even ingredients. It was released in 2006 and i would say that it looks better than the most games released just one or two years ago, and not because of the details in the textures but by the design of everything in the game. From the wooden houses of Bruma to the dark and red of towers in the Oblivion dimension. It looks great, its all created with such creative joy which is easily noticed throughout the whole game. The story is intriguing if you just put some time into actually listening to what the people have to say, and with all the side-quests it's a game that would last for days after days. Everything about this game makes you want to play it for hours upon hours. It does contain its flaws though. The Ai might be a bit jerky sometimes and the faces might look goofy but that isn't but that is never something that ruins the overall experience of the game. Oblivion offers a lot of variety, and often a lot of twists to the regular gameplay. I would recommend this game to anyone who wants a great immersive singleplayer-game that will only leave you with the urge to find that last gem for your jewellery-collection or that one missing piece of armor. I cant promise that everyone would appreciate the qualities of this game though, but give it a try even though your not a huge rpg player it still delivers a great experience.… Expand
  2. Ostrypwns
    Jul 5, 2012
    5
    The game is a huge setback comparing to TeS III: Morrowind. Many of the skills from the previous game are gone - either gone for good or merged with the existing ones for some mysterious reason. The overall amount of writing is about 100 times smaller than in TeS III. Why? Because they wanted a complete voice-over but didn't quite like to spend money on it. This is reflected both in theThe game is a huge setback comparing to TeS III: Morrowind. Many of the skills from the previous game are gone - either gone for good or merged with the existing ones for some mysterious reason. The overall amount of writing is about 100 times smaller than in TeS III. Why? Because they wanted a complete voice-over but didn't quite like to spend money on it. This is reflected both in the quality of the voice-overs which is poor at best, as well as the amount of actors that are involved in the process. There's about 12 of them. For like 120 characters. Seriously. The amount of quests is severely limited - at least cut in half (optimistically...). Another extremely annoying feature of this game is the fact that enemies level up with the player character which not only makes you feel like you're not leveling at all but on the higher levels you get weaker and weaker compared to enemies... But I could forgive all that if the exploration was more rewarding. And let me tell you - it is almost not rewarding at all. You wander into a a dungeon with enemies and loot generated to match your level, then to another which looks completely the same, then another... almost same dungeon? Yes. For real. Sadly. This means not only extreme boredom and no point at all to exploring dungeons. It means you will never encounter unique items and powerful artifacts in dungeons you explore - like it was in Morrowind. The only things that are actually improved since Morrowind are the combat system - which makes you feel like you're actually fighting and not just swinging a sword like a puppet - and special bonuses that you gain leveling the skills. Every 25 points up to 100 in a skill gives you a special ability your character can perform. Example: 100 in acrobatics means you will be able to jump on the water, 100 in swords will give you a special move etc. These things are nice but do not make up for all the setbacks mentioned, The plot. Well. The plot is just the most horrible abomination I have ever seen in a would-be RPG game - why would-be? because in RPG you actually have some choices which influence the world in some way, here your only choices are whether to complete a quest or when to do it, which are not choices at all. Anyway, the plot is linear as hell, you have no control over the outcome of the game. You are not even the main character of the game - you only help him while he takes all the credit for all that tedious dungeoncrawling! The factions are present as before - you do quests and make your way up in the chain of command. But these are pretty boring too. The only one I really enjoyed somehow was the Dark Brotherhood and, the Thieves Guild (but not as much). Overall - if you have too much time to waste you may as well take this game up, but it is nothing special. The bigger DLCs like Mehrunes Razor and Shivering Isles can improve the game's situation but I am rating the base game now so... It doesn't stand anywhere near Morrowind in terms of fun, content or the story line. Why would Bethesda simplify their game so much? I don't know. Nor I want to know.… Expand
  3. Tehsoupman12
    Jun 27, 2012
    9
    Easily one of my most played games ever, Oblivion introduced me to the accessible open world RPG, and after many many hours of complete immersion amongst the amazing forest landscape, I finally realized that I had completed everything. Great fun.
  4. Naglfar
    May 13, 2012
    9
    One of the best games on xbox 360. Hugely varied and interesting fantasy landscape with a plethora of things to do from alchemy to smithing to enchanting. The storyline is fantastic and the lead narration from Patrick Stewart sets the scene for an immersive epic from the very opening. Buying your own house to decorate and place your rare loots in never gets old, and the multitude of townsOne of the best games on xbox 360. Hugely varied and interesting fantasy landscape with a plethora of things to do from alchemy to smithing to enchanting. The storyline is fantastic and the lead narration from Patrick Stewart sets the scene for an immersive epic from the very opening. Buying your own house to decorate and place your rare loots in never gets old, and the multitude of towns with differing style makes picking a home for our characters unique and interesting on each play through. Couple this with the ability to buy a mount to explore the vast open landscapes for quests and caves and dungeons and you have an awesome freestyle play experience. The storywriting and voice acting are all top notch as is the gameplay and graphics.
    My only two complaints are as follows: the levelling system, which sees common enemies getting more powerful depending on your level (which kind of makes levelling up pointless) aka getting attacked by a common roadside bandit who has elite weapons and armor because of your level when you passed by the same road earlier in the game to be attacked by a barely dressed struggler with iron weapons; and the glitchiness inherent in the game, with slow load times and the occasional crashing. Overall a superb and ambitious title for the xbox 360.    … Expand
  5. IplayGAMESone23
    Apr 3, 2012
    10
    Oblivion I think is Bethesda's masterpiece so far. It only really has funny bugs and that at the current update, possibly the last. In Skyrim I have found about 30 game crashing bugs, so I end up playing Oblivion way more.

    Boasting 16 miles squared (40km) of land, it is a pretty massive game. Of course Daggerfall was 487,000 square kilometres but that was randomly generated.
  6. sympathy4saren2
    Apr 2, 2012
    9
    A brilliant rpg with a massive amount to do. Looting is phenomenal, as is exploration and character customization. There are some flaws that people all too often point out, but overall the scale and freedom and fun of this game is absolutely amazing. I tried this game once, didn't like it, put it back. I watched some lets plays and decided to give it another try: best gaming decision IA brilliant rpg with a massive amount to do. Looting is phenomenal, as is exploration and character customization. There are some flaws that people all too often point out, but overall the scale and freedom and fun of this game is absolutely amazing. I tried this game once, didn't like it, put it back. I watched some lets plays and decided to give it another try: best gaming decision I have ever made. This game opened me up to The Elder Scrolls, and after 220 hours and a satisfying playthrough (before the expansion), I can safely say this game is soul-suckingly addicting and absorbs your existence right out of your eyes. 9 / 10… Expand
  7. Machofella
    Mar 18, 2012
    10
    While it gifts players a huge, stunning world to wander in and a ton of things to do, Oblivion also takes quite a humble approach, sticking to more conservative RPG values. Firstly, Oblivion is extremely pretty. The land of Cyrodiil is styled in the manner of a European fairy tale of a Knights-and-Dames age, largely covered in greenery and dotted with medieval towns and settlements. It isWhile it gifts players a huge, stunning world to wander in and a ton of things to do, Oblivion also takes quite a humble approach, sticking to more conservative RPG values. Firstly, Oblivion is extremely pretty. The land of Cyrodiil is styled in the manner of a European fairy tale of a Knights-and-Dames age, largely covered in greenery and dotted with medieval towns and settlements. It is scene which welcomes players warmly and embrace them in a feeling of familiarity. In other words, it is quite the perfect fantasy world. There is also a nice story added in, and many, many quests to do and places to explore. Basic gameplay is largely a mix of fighting, which is relatively simple and fun, and much travelling which for more cultured folks is quite a gorgeous experience. Oblivion gets many things right, and aside from offering a great game gives gamers another world to live in.… Expand
  8. Josh_47ra
    Mar 6, 2012
    8
    A great game marred by poor design decisions. I'll admit I might have rated this a 9 if I hadn't finished Skyrim before writing this review. It's incredibly fun and addicting, but it never is that immersive. It is almost insistent on yanking the player out the world constantly be it from glitches, meta gaming, or just annoying controls. Still really fun and I recommend playing ,even if theA great game marred by poor design decisions. I'll admit I might have rated this a 9 if I hadn't finished Skyrim before writing this review. It's incredibly fun and addicting, but it never is that immersive. It is almost insistent on yanking the player out the world constantly be it from glitches, meta gaming, or just annoying controls. Still really fun and I recommend playing ,even if the ending is a bit anti-climatic.… Expand
  9. bubblegumNtaffy
    Mar 3, 2012
    10
    Honestly the best game/RPG I have every played. I even happened to get all the achievements without trying to.... on all the DLC. That's how immersive this game was. The plot was so well written with great major twists and missions, followed by engaging side missions. Although, not every mission is fun ( ie. oblivion gates), usually a quick-paced adventure is waiting for you via the nextHonestly the best game/RPG I have every played. I even happened to get all the achievements without trying to.... on all the DLC. That's how immersive this game was. The plot was so well written with great major twists and missions, followed by engaging side missions. Although, not every mission is fun ( ie. oblivion gates), usually a quick-paced adventure is waiting for you via the next mission. I used to hate this game because of the level of difficulty. DON'T GIVE UP ON IT AT FIRST. Realize that some enemies you can't take on until much later in the game. Once you get to level 15 everything starts falling into place ( at least it did for me) from then on I absolutely loved that game, putting 300+ hours into one save game file. It is the single greatest game buy I have made to date. For both quality and quantity. Do yourself a favor and at least try this game out. PLEASE BETHESDA DONT SELL OUT LIKE BIOWARE!

    PS: You can wait to by hitting select ( it also heals you ) and you can fast-travel across the huge map ( hate to admit I didn't know that for the first 16 hours of playing the game)    … Expand
  10. MercilessMonkey
    Feb 11, 2012
    10
    One of the best games I've played, and it has stood the test of time. In terms of amount of gameplay, only newer Elder Scrolls games can even compete. Shivering Isles was probably the best DLC released for any game ever, and added tons of hours to a game with already limitless playtime. The combat is fun, the story is huge, and it can keep you busy indefinitely.
  11. LordSeferoth
    Dec 30, 2011
    10
    One of the best games ever created. Massive world,massive amount of customization,amazing graphics, beautiful soundtrack and touching story makes Oblivion an experience of lifetime. Oblivion improves everything from Morrowind. Get ready to lose your social life
  12. HonestCritic
    Nov 24, 2011
    10
    This game blew me away all those years ago.

    I cannot believe it's been this long. No matter how many people play this game, none of them will have the exact same adventure. Classic game.
  13. Shadexx7
    Nov 22, 2011
    8
    I am coming back to review this having invested time in the newly released Elder Scrolls game, Skyrim. While Skyrim is amazing, one can't help but look back at Oblivion. Thus, this review comes.

    I played Morrowind, the game before Oblivion. Unfortunately, I did so after playing Oblivion, and I could clearly see how flawed the game is in comparison to Oblivion. First, though, let me    I am coming back to review this having invested time in the newly released Elder Scrolls game, Skyrim. While Skyrim is amazing, one can't help but look back at Oblivion. Thus, this review comes.

    I played Morrowind, the game before Oblivion. Unfortunately, I did so after playing Oblivion, and I could clearly see how flawed the game is in comparison to Oblivion.

    First, though, let me praise Oblivion. As one of the best RPGs on the 360, and considering its age, Oblivion is just a blast to play, with so much replayability in it that one could play for hours on end. The combat, much improved from Morrowind, is fun; however, sometimes, usually in the melee combat, it feels floaty and the mechanics aren't perfect. Despite these hiccups, combat is still quite enjoyable, even if you want to be a mage or, like me, a sneaky thief/assassin. The quests are usually fun; there are many that fall flat, those being parts of the main quest or the Fighter's Guild. The Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild quests are still fun, no matter how many times I play them.

    Now, on to the flaws. First and foremost is the voice acting. It is great in that every line of dialogue is spoken clearly but...I can only hear the same voice so many times. You will end up hearing the generic Orc, Nord, Imperial, etc. voice many times throughout your adventure. Also, there are problems with the AI. In some instances in the game, where you fight alongside town guards, you'll end up accidentally hitting them; this leads to confusion at the end of the battle, when one will come up to you and demand to take you to jail for assaulting (or killing) a guard. This takes away from the experience.

    Another complaint would be the textures. They sometimes don't load, and you will notice that many of the caves, forts, and ruins do start to look very, very similar. The skill system is also kind of complicated, with major skills going to your level, and minor skills not affecting it at all. This really placed an emphasis on what you choose at the start of the game, narrowing down the freedom as it limits your character's growth.

    Even though it's not perfect, Oblivion is still a good game, and has aged rather well. Skyrim is much improved, but Oblivion will still entangle you. I doubt you'll get as much play time out of it as I did (100+ hours, all achievements) now that there are better RPGs out there, but I still recommend it if you have played Skyrim and want to see some of its origins (and understand some of the references) or you just enjoy fantasy RPGs where you make all the choices.    … Expand
  14. SpunkyMonkey
    Nov 21, 2011
    6
    Iâ
  15. ThomasB
    Nov 15, 2011
    9
    I got Oblivion for Christmas and until then, I never heard of Oblivion or the Elder Scrolls but after a few hours playing, I knew about Bethesda and The Elder Scrolls. And my god, I'm glad I did! The story is absolutely amazing, the world is incredible, the speech could be better but in all it's a FANTASTIC game! There are a few glitches but they don't bother me much. Well Done Bethesda,I got Oblivion for Christmas and until then, I never heard of Oblivion or the Elder Scrolls but after a few hours playing, I knew about Bethesda and The Elder Scrolls. And my god, I'm glad I did! The story is absolutely amazing, the world is incredible, the speech could be better but in all it's a FANTASTIC game! There are a few glitches but they don't bother me much. Well Done Bethesda, Skyrim for Christmas. Excited!… Expand
  16. Terexin
    Nov 12, 2011
    10
    Had the pleasure of stumbling upon this game when my friend decided he didn't want to play his xbox 360 anymore 5 years ago. It was the greatest game that could ever fall into my lap, I've put almost countless hours and starts into this game. It's one of my absolute favorite games and I always find my self popping it back in and playing it over and over again. Even though skyrim is out IHad the pleasure of stumbling upon this game when my friend decided he didn't want to play his xbox 360 anymore 5 years ago. It was the greatest game that could ever fall into my lap, I've put almost countless hours and starts into this game. It's one of my absolute favorite games and I always find my self popping it back in and playing it over and over again. Even though skyrim is out I still see my self playing it from time to time. An ageless classic.… Expand
  17. coldcalculated
    Nov 11, 2011
    9
    Bought this game first day, never played any game in this genre before this. Amazing controls, alot of detail in the environment, massive map with tons of freedom. The AI is slightly stupid in some situations. The game has a **** load of minor glitches. Some big glitches present that require you to load previous saves, others completely freezing the system. These would otherwise renter aBought this game first day, never played any game in this genre before this. Amazing controls, alot of detail in the environment, massive map with tons of freedom. The AI is slightly stupid in some situations. The game has a **** load of minor glitches. Some big glitches present that require you to load previous saves, others completely freezing the system. These would otherwise renter a game unplayable or discourage you from playing it but this game is addicting and will definitely keep you locked away from the real world for a couple hundred hours or so.… Expand
  18. arnyftw
    Nov 10, 2011
    10
    One of the best RPG'S i've ever played. I highly recommend playing this. I have 130 hours of gameplay on this without the DLC. This game is perfect and a must buy.
  19. IHateFanboys
    Nov 9, 2011
    10
    This game absorbed countless hours of my life. I put more time trying to complete everything that there was in this game. The scale of this ame is incredible, yet somehow it was never enough to fully keep me from wanting more. The amount of detail in each city, each guild and each person are impossible to overstate. For any little bug that someone could point to in this game, there areThis game absorbed countless hours of my life. I put more time trying to complete everything that there was in this game. The scale of this ame is incredible, yet somehow it was never enough to fully keep me from wanting more. The amount of detail in each city, each guild and each person are impossible to overstate. For any little bug that someone could point to in this game, there are countless things that easily outweigh that in my mind. This game was what really made me follow the works of Bethesda. Their games always have a scope that is simply unparalleled in any other game out there.I HIGHLY recommend this game to all gamers out there. The main story is only the tip of the ice burg for this one.… Expand
  20. Kdall
    Nov 9, 2011
    9
    An absolute must have for RPG enthusiasts, this game is extremely deep and addictive, there is an entire world of quests and great story waiting for you. The class system is simliar to previous elder scrolls games, and the customization is very nice, you can really make a character that will play exactly how you want to play the game. The main story is cool, but the oblivion gates canAn absolute must have for RPG enthusiasts, this game is extremely deep and addictive, there is an entire world of quests and great story waiting for you. The class system is simliar to previous elder scrolls games, and the customization is very nice, you can really make a character that will play exactly how you want to play the game. The main story is cool, but the oblivion gates can get extremely repetetive, luckily there are many guilds to work for and many side quests that you can pick up along the way all with intricate and interesting stories behind them. This game will take you a great deal of time to completely beat, and its definitely worth it in the end. My only gripes in the game would be that the enemies scale with your level, so your feeling of getting buff after a long period of time never quite get fulfilled because the enemies get tougher right along with you, also the combat system, kind of like previous elder scrolls games can get very repetetive, but these facts are overshadowed by the epic scale of the game. In conclusion if you are looking for a great RPG experience, definitely pick this up and you will see why people sunk so much time into this game.… Expand
  21. MadChiller
    Nov 9, 2011
    10
    Even now, many years later, I still hold any game that claims to be open world to the Elder Scrolls standard. There are few games in my life that awed me. This was one of them. Now only 2 days from the list release of Skyrim, all I can think of is my past experience with Oblivion and I can't believe how excited I am. Elder Scrolls is the definition of western rpg.
  22. Iconindy
    Nov 8, 2011
    10
    A 200+ hour campaign paired with the largest landscape and most in-depth character progression to date makes this installment in The Elder Scrolls series the greatest fantasy RPG to date.
  23. Harold_Saxon
    Nov 8, 2011
    9
    I really like this game, though I would have given it roughly an 8.5 due to all the bugs and lack of voice actors (roughly 10?) in this game. For all that you can explore, I was hoping I could do more than just quests. Here's hoping that Skyrim, improves on the genre!
  24. Dyedfire
    Nov 7, 2011
    8
    Bethesda studios created one of the best open-world RPG for Xbox360. The game included features and quests to make the player play for a long time. Introducing this on a console removed to countless cheat features presented on the PC forcing the player to explore around without the need for them. Oblivion included a difficulty feature for players to change the experience of the gameBethesda studios created one of the best open-world RPG for Xbox360. The game included features and quests to make the player play for a long time. Introducing this on a console removed to countless cheat features presented on the PC forcing the player to explore around without the need for them. Oblivion included a difficulty feature for players to change the experience of the game whenever they want. Although, raising the difficulty mid-game would create enemies that would take 5,000 slashes and creates a pointless thought of even raising the difficulty. Once you get to roam around this huge landscape, you'll begin to forget about the main quest... And that it existed in the first place.… Expand
  25. BillGR17
    Nov 7, 2011
    10
    The best rpg EVER i read some comments like one moran user called WOWplayer and i say what the f* is wrong with u ? but ur name says it all wow... well it has the best graphics for a 2005 game and u can update it more with mods if u want to
    there are a LOT of questS in this game the main quest are not a lot but u still have a LOT to do in the game after the main quests....
    i have enjoy    The best rpg EVER i read some comments like one moran user called WOWplayer and i say what the f* is wrong with u ? but ur name says it all wow... well it has the best graphics for a 2005 game and u can update it more with mods if u want to
    there are a LOT of questS in this game the main quest are not a lot but u still have a LOT to do in the game after the main quests....
    i have enjoy this game seens 2005 and now i will stop playing it coz of skyrim... :D    … Expand
  26. HARVEYtheDAMNED
    Oct 25, 2011
    10
    Another Bethesda game that you simply must own. A gigantic world to explore, hundreds of quests, NPCs, items, dungeons, ect. 5 years after release and the game still holds up very well. An absolute masterpiece, I couldn't praise it enough.
  27. dimon94xx
    Oct 23, 2011
    10
    This is one of my favorite games of all time. There are some flaws like the world that doesn't seem to be actually living and some glitches, but it will never ruin the overall experience.
  28. CarsonRGB
    Oct 4, 2011
    8
    Story: 8 Characters: 7
    Graphics: 7
    Setting: 10
    Multiplayer: N/A
    Soundtrack: 10
    Audio: 6
    Gameplay: 8
    Re-Playability Value: 10
    Fun Factor: 10

    Score: 8.4/10 = A-
  29. Siadern
    Sep 25, 2011
    10
    An all time classic of the genre, and the benchmark for all other console based RPGs. Perhaps a bit dated now, however still worthy of a playthrough if you haven't experienced it, especially considering how cheaply you can pick it up.
  30. KyleCrase15
    Sep 8, 2011
    6
    i liked the games concept and combat but i had huge issues with glitches and objective confusion to the piont where i couldn't continue playing the game. Typical Bethesda :(
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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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