This is nearly perfect rpging' this is an excellent game that pushes the xbox 360 to the greats.

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Oblivion is easily the best 360 game out right now, most likely until Halo 3. The upgrade the Elder Scrolls series has seen since Morrowind is unbelievable. The graphics are just as insane as the gameplay, which was the one thing Morrowind lacked. There are a multitude of ways to go about playing the game, and each is fun to try. Character creation is a game in itself. Varied weapons, armor, and upgrades, as well as the ability to customize each to your own specifications makes this game the most advanced RPG out there. What's really revolutionary, and this has been the defining feature of the Elder Scrolls Series, is the first person combat system, making RPG's about more than just clicking an enemy and selecting an attack. The two-part level-up system is the only system I've played with that actually makes sense, allowing your character to progress more rapidly in the skills and attributes that you use, as well as see the effects of some skills immediately, without having to level up. By far the best RPG I've played. At least 200+ hours of gameplay for each character type, many different ways for going about each. The only game (besides both Halo's) that any 360 gamer absolutely needs.

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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (now that's a mouthful of a game title) was suppose to be set for release at the Xbox360's launch day of November 18, 2005. It was to be one of the 360's launch day crown jewels. Instead the game was delayed by Bethesda Software as they deemed it needed abit more polishing and work. There were quite abit of disappointed gamers who'd been waiting for almost 4 years for this nextgen sequel to the best-selling and quite popular The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and its expansion packs. Now, after 4 months of delays, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has been released to the gaming public and the many delays was well worth the wait. Oblivion has turned out to be an excellent, fun and engaging roleplaying game that improves on what made Morrowind such as success and fixing the previous game's inherent flaws.

First off, Oblivion could be enjoyed by both Elder Scroll veteran gamers and new players to the series. Like the three previous games in the series, Oblivion takes place in the medieval fantasy world of Tamriel. Similar to the Japanese rpg franchise Suikoden, The Elder Scrolls game could be played without having played the previous titles in the series as each game works both as a continuation of the growing mythology of Tamriel, but at the same time a storyline which works as a stand-alone. Oblivion's storyline, or main quest as some would call it, involves the search for the long-lost heir of the recently assassinated Emperor of the Kingdom of Cyrodiil. The search for this heir would spell either the success of your character's journey to becoming hero of Cyrodiil for helping close the Oblivion Gates popping up all over Cyrodiil, or failing in that be destroyed with the rest of the kingdom. The main quest will take a dedicated gamer somewhere between 25-40 hours to complete and that alone is worthy of this game's purchase. But like Morrowind before it, Oblivion is not just about the main quest. Oblivion is a sandbox-type of game where the player is given free rein on what they should do. The main quest would be there for the player to work on, but they could also delay working on it to explore the huge realm of Cyrodiil and perform the 200 or so sidequests ranging from guildquests, city quests, and freeform quests. I went 100 hours from the day I bought the game before I even began to work on the main quest. But then the beauty of the game comes form the fact that each player could play the game however they want.

Just like the Grand Theft Auto games, Oblivion's gameplay is non-linear, but unlike Grand Theft Auto the gameplay and its many sidequest helps introduce the player to the rich and expansive world of Cyrodiil and Tamriel as a whole. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion took the open-ended gameplay of Morrowind, ran with it and made it simpler and less daunting by allowing for a simple journal log which kept track of all active, current and completed quests taken in by the player. Unlike Morriwind where a player played 15-20 hours before they even figured out what their main quest was supposed to be, Oblivion starts off the player with the main quest. This change in gameplay puts Oblivion heads and shoulders above its predecessor and makes the game much more accessible to the more casual gamer who in the past would've been intimidated by a large, complex game like Morrowind. And unlike other rpgs franchises like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Wild Arms just to name a few, Oblivion doesn't end when a player finishes the main quest. Unless a player has done and finished every sidequest there is in the game, Oblivion continues well after one has found the heir to the throne, closed the Oblivion gates and saved Cyrodiil. Bethesda has already announced that they will continue to extend the game's lifespan by releasing new official questlines through Xbox Live download content. I like to characterize Oblivion as a Massive Multiplayer Online RPG (MMORPG), but without the Multiplayer Online part. In fact, Oblivion's more of an rpg than other MMORPG's like Final Fantasy XI, World of Warcraft and Guild Wars.

Second, Oblivion sports one of the most comprehensive character creation of any roleplaying game in the history of console gaming. The character creation doesn't begin at the start of the game but during the tutorial section which also acts as the first act of the all-encompassing main quest storyline. A player goes through this first part of the game learning the game mechanics and controls during a very hands-on journey through the Imperial City's sewer and catacombs. How a player goes about playing this stage helps the game come up with recommended classes for the player to choose from. But a player could bypass these recommendations and create a custom class of their own. Doing so they would be prompted to pick one of the 10 different races (4 human types, 3 elf types, and 3 creature types), then following it up with one of a dozen different birth signs (gives bonuses to attributes like Strenght, Intelligence, etc...), and finishing it off by choosing seven major skills that when levelled up ten times gives the player one full character level. If that wasn't enough the player then could then come up with a custom class name that only a player's imagination could limit in variety.

For all micromanaging players out there, Oblivion's character generator also allows for the player to alter, adjust and manipulate their character's facial and head details. From how the eyebrows look to the size and shape of the lips, chins, cheekbones and nose. Oblivion's character generator allows a player to almost create a character who could look like the player themselves or some other person they know. All it takes is time and dedication from working the sliders to get the right look. If a player wanted their character to look like Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn they could do so with time and effort. If they want their character to look like them then they could try and make it happen. The possiblities are endless and again only limited by one's imagination.

Third, Oblivion surely helps usher in the nextgen gaming promised by the gaming industry in 2005. The graphics in Oblivion bar none have to be one of the best looking. Bethesda's programmers and developers really take full advantage of the Xbox360's processing power as it gives the player a rich, lush and believable fantasy world. All of this done in full high-definition. Even when played on a standard TV, Oblivion is great to look at but it's with a HDTV that its beauty could truly be seen in full view and appreciated. From the sunlight and moonlight reflecting off the water surfaces of rivers, lakes and even just puddles of water after a thunderstorm to the swaying blades of grass that move with the wind and moves accurately when disturbed by characters moving through it. Each weapon and pieces of armor show great, fine detail that's also reflected on your player's character. It's not just the gleam and shine of the metal as the light hits them at an angle, but also the etching and rune work done on the gear could be seen from every angle and close-up. If there's to be found a hiccup in Oblivion's graphical beauty its that there's a slight problem of graphic pop-ups and fade-ins of distant images. It's really not enough to take away from the game's beauty, but it's there nonetheless. The PC version also has this problem but moreso if one didn't run the game on a bleeding-edge, hi-powered gaming pc rig.

Lastly, there's the audio part of the visual excellence of Oblivion. This game could truly only be played with justice and appreciation on a surround sound system sporting Dolby Digital 5.1. The game has been developed with true DD 5.1 surround sound and it shows at some of the more stealthy and shadowy gameplay aspects of Oblivion. One could here the ambient sounds of nature when exploring out in the field to the background chit-chat of passing npcs on the streets or in dwellings. The surround sound also helps a player when spelunking in caves and dungeons as enemies could be heard sneaking up on your flanks and rear through satellite speakers. The soundtrack to Oblivion was once again composed by premiere game music composer Jeremy Soule who also did Morrowind's excellent soundtrack. There's a hint of Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings to this soundtrack which just helps accentuate the game's epic and fantasy nature.

In the end, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion's four year trip from the minds of Bethesda's creative programmers ans developers has been a trip well worth all the delays. Oblivion has turned out to be a massive open-ended roleplaying game that's both fun and enjoyable to fans and non-fans of the genre and the series. Oblivion's a sandbox-type game which Grand Theft Auto wishes it could be and one that's now set the standard very high for other games in its genre to match and surpass. Oblivion has also officially announced the arrival of nextgen gaming with its HD graphics, true surround sound and excellent gameplay which could last a player 25 hours to 200+ or more. It all depends on the player. Oblivion has become the jewel crown in The Elder Scrolls saga and has become of the best rpgs ever, if not one of the best games of the last decade or more.

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This is a must own if you have a 360!! the game goes ahead and exemplifies what the next gen system is supposed to provide. lush graphics, great environments, and a story!!! the game does have a few problems with loading, but as far as i'm concerned it means nothing with such a wonderful game! the rpgs for the next gen systems will have to look up at this game and have my drooling at the mouth to see where they will lead!

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I am fairly new to the role playing games myself. And having never played any of the precursors to this game, I was going to just allow it to pass me by at first. Until a friend of mine talked me into it, it has been the best buy for my 360 yet!

For someone new to the games the first person view takes a little getting used to, but after you master that, the world is your playground. There are so many ways to customize your play and character (I must confess I spent at least an hour just creating my character). This game has left me wanting for absolutely nothing, from the perfectly synced conversations and breathtaking graphics, to the vast character development options. This has to be one of the greatest games out there.

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I loved Morrowind and got put this on my wish list as soon as I learned it was coming. It took me a while to save up to get it, but it was worth it. Oblivion is fantastic. Like the three previous Elder Scrolls titles, Oblivion takes place in the medieval fantasy world of Tamriel.

It is helpful if you've played a previous title, but not necessary. The story works by itself and the game play is intuitive if you are used to playing rpg. The main quest involves the search for the long-lost heir of a recently assassinated emperor. There are over a hundred side quests ranging in cities, dungeons, outdoors. The combat system is improved and the music is fantastic. While you can use custom soundtracks, the music included in the game is amazing.

The character creation (which comes during the tutorial) is totally comprehensive. The first part of the game teaches the controls as you go thorugh the Imperial City's sewer and catacombs. The way you play helps the game come up with recommended classes for the player and you can also create a custom class. Pick from one of the 10 different races (humans, elves, creatutres), one of 12 birth signs that give bonuses to attributes, and 7 major skills. All aspects of the character are customizable too!

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this has got to be the best game to come out for the xbox 360. it is so immense in sory and quest. there are so many dungeons and ruins to explore. many months of great gameplay.

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Very few games nowadays are good enough to earn that distinction. I have put nearly 100 hours into this game. Not because the game itself is that long, but because there are so many things to keep you occupied without even starting the main quest. This game is absolutely beautiful. It is one of the few titles on Xbox 360 that truly look 'next gen'. It is also one of the very few 360 titles I consider worth every penny of its cost. This is a long game, and long games give you better value for your money spent.

There are a few gripes I have about the xbox 360 version of the game, so I'll go ahead and get those out of the way. I have not played the PC version so some of these may exist on that platform as well.

1. Graphics sometimes "pop in", meaning that trees, mountains, etc will spontaneously appear in the distance. Items like grass, rocks, etc will appear randomly up close. This is worse while riding a horse. This is most likely due to the limitations of the Xbox 360, and not sloppy programming. I find it easy to look past, others may not.

2. No modding potential. We are limited to what Bethesda provides via Xbox Live (and there have been some good quests released - Mehrune's Razor is completely worth the money). Because of this fact, I will be purchasing the PC version when it becomes a value title.

3. The radiant AI that was so highly touted during the game's development is not as groundbreaking as I thought it would be. Sure, NPC's have a schedule and tasks to complete, but it is nowhere near as evident as it was in the demo videos shown during development. Still, a step above anything else I have played thus far.

4. Framerate slowdown. Again, I'm 99% certain this is due to the limitations of the console, and not the game itself.

5. While the voice acting is good, I think only 4-5 people actually provided voiceovers for the NPC's. I would have liked to see more variety in both voice and content. I applaud the effort to have every line of spoken text in the game be spoken by an actual human being. It is said in the documentary that half of the DVD contains nothing but recorded dialogue.

Now for what I like.

1. Dungeons. Lots of them. Just as fun to ramble through the tenth time as the first.

2. The scope of the game is grand, and there is ALWAYS something to do. Don't feel pressured to finish the game. You play it how YOU want to. I personally don't care if I ever finish the main quest, because I'm just having so much fun running around exploring and doing side quests.

3. Continuing the tradition of earlier Elder Scrolls games, you are able to enchant weaponry and armor, and create your own spells. I find this is an extremely nice feature in the game.

4. Enemy scaling. As you progress and gain levels, your foes also get tougher. This makes for an even challenge throughout the entire game. No leveling up to 99 and decimating everything in your path in this one.

5. Story. Most of us play these types of games for the story, and there is no lack of it here. In addition to progressing through the game via quests, you can also read lore from the various books scattered throughout the world.

6. Collector's Edition. I'm an absolute sucker for collector editions of games. However, some companies have begun to take advantage of this and offer a collector's edition that really isn't worth the extra 10 dollars. They just throw a few development videos on there, mark the price up, and suckers buy it (I'm looking at you Perfect Dark Zero, Madden 2007, etc). Oblivion's release reminds me of the old Ultima games, where it seems they would absolutely stuff the box full of nifty extras. This one comes with a 'pocket guide' to Tamriel, a making of DVD, and a replica Septim coin, which I feel is a nice touch. I would have LOVED to see a cloth map included with the collectors edition, but I guess you can't have everything.

Bethesda has created a next generation classic. You can see the staff's dedication to detail and excellence around every corner. I don't think any game to this point has so accurately depicted forestry the way Oblivion has. If you own an Xbox 360 or a moderately up to date PC, you must own this title. I have been playing games since I was four years old, starting on an Atari 800xl, and this game definitely makes it into my top ten favorite games of all time. Definitely an instant classic.

I would also highly recommend the strategy guide. It is very thorough and helpful. It is one of the best written guides I have seen in a long time.

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I bought this game when I purchased my X Box 360 Wireless (taking advantage of my wife's momentary weakness). This is the best video game I have ever played (and I started with playing Pong at the local Pizza Hut).

The game is never boring and it allows for endless wandering and exploring. My biggest complaint with role-playing games (especially fantasy ones) is that, eventually, you just end up repeating things over and over again: you know how to fight each character and the game becomes boring. In Oblivion, this does not happen. Your opponents rise in level with you, so you are presented with more and more difficult fights. Yes, you fight the same creatures, but the settings and actions change enough to make it continually interesting. The closest you get to repetition is fighting bandits, but they are a good source of gold.

There is a main quest, which you don't need to follow and many, many side quests. If you want to crawl in dungeons for a while, you can do it. If you want to explore, you can do that too.

The graphics are amazing. You will find yourself wandering through the landscape just for the joy of wandering around the landscape. Many times I have climbed a mountain just to see what I could see.

The game is easy to learn and fairly intuitive. The controls are easy and the "puzzles" challenging, but not ridiculous. You will find yourself having empathy for your character and thinking about and weighing the morality of your character's choices.

All in all, this is a fantastic game and will give you many, many hours of fun.

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Believe the hype, this game is RPG in it's heavenly perfection. First, let me say that I didn't like Morrowind, but this game has made me one of the converted. This is definitely one of the best games to have on the X-Box 360. From the music, to the graphics to the game play, this game is very addictive and FUN.

First, lets get to the graphics. The graphics are simply beautiful, the most beautiful graphics I have ever seen in any video game. There is nothing like riding your horse to the top of a snow-covered mountain to look over and see the entire landscape. It's as beautiful as it sounds, simply breath taking. This game looks great in third and first person views. I usually prefer the third person view, especially when I have a horse just so I can admire the scenery. From the cities to the countryside, it truly is a feast for the eyes.

The story is great as you help a man who just found out he is the next King. The interaction with all of the characters is great as well. Everyone talks, no more reading the dialogue on this game which is an improvement over the third game when you had to read and read. It just makes the game easier on the eyes and more realistic when you don't have to read anything.

The gameplay is fantastic as well. It's the same as the others, but the graphics of this game really help out the gameplay. The controls are pretty easy to learn and remember, but you should catch on fast since you will be doing similar things a lot. The game isn't that difficult, I've learned to save a lot incase I make a wrong turn and go the wrong way or lose someone during a mission.

Which brings me to the small problems with the game. The game is nearly perfection, but it does have small problems. Mainly being that occasionally the game will pause for a second every now and then. There is nothing wrong, it's just so much memory goes into this game it freezes for like a microsecond, but it happens so little it's not a big deal. The only annoying thing is that when someone is supposed to follow you, they sometimes don't because they can't get past certain rocks that you were able to. Sometimes I turn around and can't find the people who are supposed to follow me. The cure for that is to always keep an eye on the people and make sure they follow you and to save often. In case something happens, you can always load that game and try again. The load times are sometimes short and sometimes a little long, but nothing unbearable.

With all of this said, I HIGHLY recommend that you buy this game. Like others have said, it is worth every penny. If you are like me, and didn't like Morrowind, get this!!! I'm one of the converted and I truly believe that if you play this game, you will be as well. The graphics, the gameplay, the story; the best I have seen on a video game. period. I thought Fable was the best RPG, now this rules! (I still like Fable as well)

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WOW when I first saw this game on the market i was skeptick of the first person fighting and everything but i went ahead and bought and did it change me. Me never being much of an rpger more of the run and gun kinda player but this game has it all. you can go anywere do anything. yeah i dont like the whole iam in the middle of the woods and kill some civilian and then when i go to a town bam i get thrown out of jail and lose my stolen goods. but there are always minor flaws in every game. the?envirement has never felt so alive the animals run away if you come to close the wolfs and other sort of dangerous animals will atack you to the death. if a civilian attacks you you can ask them to stop and they will sometimes stop. I joined the thieves guild then i got kicked out because i stoll from another member. i have pickpocketed stuff stole things from the watch towers gotten into fights with bandits on the road i even trecked from one side of the map to the other off the roads just straight across and saw some really cool stuff. killed a civilian and joined theblackbrotherhood stole a horse then ran some more by the time i got to the other side i was amazed at how long it took me. This is a really good game to buy.

IF a friend or somebody says it looks gay or something get it anyways it will CHANGE THEM AND THEY TO WILL BE ADDICTED TO IT thats how good it is.

go out and buy it today

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This game is absolutely amazing. I, like some others that have already reviewed this game, didn't like Morrowind. A couple of my friends loved the Morrowind game and "forced" me to try it, and I just couldn't get into it. So naturally, I was a little worried about ordering this game, but just from seeing the screen shots, and hearing about all the things you can do in the game, I was willing to take the risk. Needless to say, the risk was well worth it. As my title says, I can't get enough of this game. I work full time, so I can't play 24/7, but I would if I could! As others have said, the graphics are absolutely beautiful, the game play is immensely diverse, and the landscape just rolls on and on and on. As of my last game save, I believe I had clocked about 63 hours of play, and I haven't even begun the main quest line yet (you can do the main quest line whenever you want, but I've just been busy doing the seemingly limetless side quests)...not to mention the fact that I've only ventured into one Oblivion Gate, and there are MANY of those to "close". So if you're into RPG games at all, you need this one. If you're like me, the first person views were what drove you away from Morrowind. However, in this game it doesn't bother me at all. It just seems natural this time around to see the gorgeous world of Oblivion from the eyes of your character.

Anyway, enough about the game itself. You should know you need it by now. As for the actual Collector's Edition package...

I was very impressed with the content of the Collector's Edition package. I'm a huge fan of anything Collector's of Special edition...I always need those editions, and this one was worth the extra $10. I was worried that the replica Septim (Tamriel's official currency) would be cheap, and maybe made of hollow plastic or something. However, I was pleased to find that it's a heavy, solid metal coin. It feels like real currency. that's just a cool thing to have, even if it isn't legal tender. :) The "pocket guide to the empire" is quite nice as well. The small brown book details the history of the land, and gives you an understanding of each race's background; where they came from, how they were significant to Tamriel's founding, etc. As for the "making of the game" documentary DVD, I haven't watched it yet because I'm afraid of spoiling a part of the game for myself. I never watch things like that until I'm done with the game. But, considering how well done everything else in this package is, I'm sure the DVD is quite awesome as well.

Well that's my review. I don't want to explain many things inside the game itself, because I don't want to risk ruining anything for any of you, so I'll just leave it at this...You need this game. Seriously. For those of you that get it: ENJOY! Now I'm gonna go play some more...

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This game is the giant of video games it stand out from the rest in almost every way, this game is also close to perfect or as close as we will get for a long time. I have been waitin for this game for a while and it was well worth the wait. Even though i was no fan of morrowind or 2 many other fantasy rpg's this game is probably the best game ever made for any console. It realy shows what the the 360 is capable of and shows u its power and is truely a next gen title. As i can see many others agree with me seeing the good reviews and talking to others about it ,all i can say is if you have it get others to buy it and keep the hype up about the game , and if you dont whats wrong with u? buy this game 2 DAY! U will be very happy you did.

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This is the best game ever period. The extra's with the collectors editions are great, the pocket guide similar to the Baulders gate one is very well made and detailed with tons of information. The bonus disc and "Septium coin" are great additions to the package. A perfect 10/10.

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First, let me start by stating that if anyone is having framerate problems, slow-downs, etc...contact MS because it is a sign that your console is overheating, even if you are using the intercooler. MS has begun replacing many of the older internal components with: quieter fan, new chipset (not new GPUs, but new components to alleviate the overheating problem with the 3 cores), and a few others that are unimportant. Point is, if you are having problems, get it back to MS. They are offereing free repairs to all 2005 Xbox Console owners. I myself just got my console back from repair and I cannot express how drastic the changes are. Think about two things: framerate usually has to do with programming (which was falsely alluded to in another post) and with a three core system, most programmers that made game of the initial release of the 360 did not utilize its potential. Only now are we seeing games coming out that actually use all three cores in an efficient manner. NOw for the game:

As stated, once I got my console repaired, I never experienced another freeze, slow-down, framerate problems, etc. It was like playing the game for the first time. Anyone that has played it knows how when you enter a new "area" of Cyrodill, there is usually a brief pause while the console loads the environment. Well, once I got my box repaired, it doesn't do that anymore. It flows from one area to another without any hesitation. Now as for gameplay, its a great RPG. YOu can easily spend the rest of your teenage/adult life playing this game without having to complete the last mission. I only hope that Bethesda decides to come out with some more sizeable downloadable content. All in all, this is a great game and a must have for RPG fans alike. Enjoy!

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