Video Game Review - Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion

I lost my faith in video game RPGs after Final Fantasy 9. Mainly because I felt the turn based battle systems and other archaic elements were just not what a thirsty 21st century audience wanted. And then I was introduced to Oblivion.

Although I have become aware that these games have been out for awhile, I wish I had known about them sooner. Still, Elders Scrolls 4 is a mighty game (made by those who brought you Fall Out 3; in reality it was because of this game that they got the rights to Fall Out from Interplay).

I will be reviewing the PS3 version, although I have played both versions at one point or another.

Story - Despite the multitude of side quests you can participate in, there is one absolute path you have to take - Find the hidden son of the late king, restore the power of his bloodline in order to prevent Oblivion from taking over the world. Epic? Yes. Lots of good side Quests? Yes. So really nothing wrong here. Sometimes you can get lost in all the side quests, which necessarily isn't a bad thing since you have no time limit to complete the main storyline.

Character models - You are able to choose from several races with their own perks from being physically strong, more adept with magic, or breaking underwater. Allows some diverse customization that was refreshing. However even this system was a bit limited, especially when dealing with NCPS. Most of the generic are that - generic. Guards. Towns people. Considering you're representing cities, I could let this pass.

Character animations - One thing that irks me which probably couldn't really be fixed. Chopping and not fluent at times. hiccups in animations. When talking to them they are kinda rigid in their movements and have set facial expressions for their emotions.

Gameplay - A lot of options to chose from depending on how you want to play - brawler, magic user, stealth, archer, you can atune your characters skills to the way you want to play the game which is probably its best feature.

World Map - Would definitely get lost in the massive world. I would enjoy exploring it on foot just for the adventure of what there is to find.

Re-playability - I'm a stickler about re-playability - it's hard for RPGs when you've done everything, at least for me. I don't like doing things twice, which is what prevents me from playing the game over and over. The real draw is that your character can be a good guy and bad guy through your actions and choices throughout the game, and finding different ways to complete the same missions.

Overall - A well made game, not perfect, but definitely awesome. I would pick this up if you're a fan of the original series, or the Fall Out games.

Next time I will review a JRPG ( a Japanses Role Playing Game)....