Bethesda's fourth installment in the Elders Scroll series knocks down every RPG and raises the bar higher than I feel any other game has dreamt of.
The story is typically western, although highly original and you will not see all of it coming. A prisoner in the dungeons of the Imperial City, you are whisked into the Emperors escape plot from assassins. They still get him, but as he dies he tells you of a secret heir and hands you an amulet that protects the world of Cryodill. This sets you off on an epic journey. meanwhile bizzare portals are opening up all over the place to the evil realm of Oblivion, along with all the nasties in there.
There are no cutscenes, except for the one at the very beginning and a few real-time set pieces. Instead, the story is all told through the use of conversation with NPC's. The dialogue is dull and derivative, with only a handful of voice actors voicing hundreds and Sean Bean putting in a damp squid of a performance. It's laughable really, but the plotlines are interesting and you'll be sucked in so far this can be excused, it's a massive achievement to fit so many lines on a single DVD and it sure beats reading.
The combat is actually very solid. From the first person perespective, you engage a whole range of beasts, fiends and foes with hundreds of swords, hammers, daggers, bows, staffs and magic. Everything has it's own skill tree and allignig yourself to your style is deep yet not overwhelming. All in all, it is very exciting and varied enough not to get repetitive.
The graphics have aged a bit, and while far from ugly, Cryodill is not the prettiest game about. Apart from the epic landscapes, all interiors are recycled and the dungeons are exact and dull. Character models are alright, but they do fall a bit into uncanny valley and are stiffer than most trees.
The soundtrack does it's job and gets the mood across well, but you'll be so engaged the hours of music won't really occur to you.
For all it's faults, Oblivion is a sprawlling epic with so much to do you will literally never finish everything. It's a marvel how well everything works really, with all the weapons and items and skills and quests and kitchen sinks it could easily become a mess, but expert design keep this title tight and enjoyable.
