Hey Dragon, You Can Have Her: The Elder Scrolls IV - Oblivion

[SavingPrincess]

Snipity

hi, leon.

I have to disagree slightly with you on your point that the this section isn't for critiquing. I personally relish in the ripping apart of my reviews so that I can fix them and improve. I mainly review old games for the purpose that no one will care and only read the review to critique it. Though if someone is like me and enjoys a good PS2 game or something of the such and read my review just to find out about a game that's great as well! But as a reviewer (used lightly for the moment) I think this site really is as Samurai said a step above the rest for the English side of things. I know many sites that host reviews that are no where near as good as here for critiques and tips. Just a few things for thought I suppose.

I guess there might be a middle ground. If you invite such things, then fine, but I think what Leon was saying is that simply being here doesn't mean that stylistic critique is the sole purpose of posting. Do staffers and contributors post their articles on this site so that the grammar and style can be analyzed and dissected? I consider people here, as a general rule, who write consistently in the same style to be sort of 'mini-contributors' and if I like their style, even if not grammatically perfect, I will read their stuff.

So like I said, if you're forthcoming and say "Critique the grammatical correctness and stylistic approach of my posts" then fine; but if not, why, as a part of the general community, would you stylistically and editorially snipe at someone on anything other than the facts and opinions contained within the content? Also, if you feel it necessary to critique style and grammar, why would you do so in a rather curt and borderline insulting manner? It just seems like bad form and psychologically distracting from the "help" you were trying to deliver.

 

[Twad]

Oblivion is probably my favourite game of all time - I just loved every moment of it and was more than willing to see past it's shortcomings. Occasionally, I just spend hours wandering around the towns shopping and admiring the scenery - I adore the game's atmosphere that much.

However, I still thought this was a brilliant review/nitpicking session. It was funny and kept me entertained for a while.
It's not often I bother reading something so wall-of-textish, but I'm glad I did.

Yep, even if i hate the game system, the environments were a ton of fun to just.. explore. The graphics dept. did its job well. I particuliarly like the swamps. Always something interesting to see nearby.

 

[SavingPrincess]

I'm going to reply before quoting your post just to show you that I read it all. I wasn't going to reply, but after reading the post over and over I decided its brilliance should not go unnoticed.

I'm going number the points in your post just a little to help show that I'm responding to each individual point you brought up if that's okay?

1)so you didnt like it, 2)why pay for a game you knew you wouldnt like and dont be a little ***** and say that you didnt know what it was like, 3)you could tell from the back of the box you would hate it and if you couldnt then you are a moron, 4)back on subject you payed to have a little whine on the internet about a game that is flawed but good 5)other examples would be,halo 1,2,3, half life 1,2, morrowind and fallout 3 just to name a few 6)(if you ***** about my grammar and punctuation not my point then i know that you know im right) 7)all games have problems and all opinions are different and equal besides yours wich is wrong and pathetic, 8)moaning about a game you bought makes it seem as thought you regret buying it and are get sympathy from the community.

9)this was simply a opinion you dont have a problem with that do you

10)before quoting read the whole post not just the bits you didnt like

• 1) Glad to see you grasped the overall narrative of the post.
  
  2) I'll do my best to not "be a little *****" but I've played wRPG's quite a bit before, games with names like Baulder's, Neverwinter and Planescape in the title, so judging by that, there was no reason why I shouldn't have liked the game.
  
  3) As much as I'd love to agree with you that the rear of a box is a infallibly accurate representation of the game contained within; more accurate would be the understanding that the back of a box is designed to sell you a game, not accurately describe its flaws.
  
  4) Actually I paid to have a good experience... I rarely pay for a game so that I can whine about it later on the internet. Promise. Quite simply, if you look at my review list (conveniently located at the bottom of the post) you will find that I write many more positive reviews than negative. Every game I purchase I hope I will one day look back on fondly enough to pontificate on.
  
  5) There's an interesting thing when looking at a piece of entertainment, usually the flaws are universal, but the good is subjective [http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/subjective]. So while you can say "I enjoyed ____" that doesn't necessarily mean it's good. I enjoyed many of the games you mentioned, but I understand that just because I enjoyed something, doesn't mean it's good (see: Final Fantasy: Mystic Quest & Onechanbara: Bikini Samurai Slayers)
  
  6) While it was difficult to read through for sure, me pointing that out or the lack thereof has no bearing on whether or not you're right or wrong.
  
  7) I'm glad I'm special enough to have the only "wrong and pathetic" opinion in the world. Thank you.
  
  8) You are correct, spending $50-60 on a game I was ultimately disappointed in absolutely made me regret buying it... that's how it works, isn't it? I'm pretty sure when I come out and talk about
  
  9) I don't have a problem with people's opinions, I might have a little problem with people calling me things like "a moron" and "pathetic;" however, it is the internet, so sadly, we've accepted this all as commonplace behavior and acceptable.
  
  10) I did read the whole post, and while most people would disregard it due to the tone and unabashedly derogatory theme and simply "not respond" I feel that this does a disservice to you, the community as a whole, and to people who have legitimate points bathed in anger.
  
  Take care.
  

 

[Quad08]

My friend bought the collectors edition and didn't like the game while myself, and many of my other friends.

Reading through your review, and many of the comments afterwards, it would seem that there is a distinct "Love it or Hate it" attitude going on. Oh well.

Also, in terms of your review, inserting an image once and awhile would really spruce it up. It doesn't have to have a witty caption or anything, but just something to break up all the text would help.

My 2 cents.

Despite it's flaws, looking back I would still highly recommend Oblivion to people. There are just too many positives to the game for it not to be included in a must play list for this generation of consoles.

Ha ha ha, what? Why would you play a fundamentally broken game that the community has taken it upon themselves to fix and improve on the system that can't actually benefit from any of that effort? That's crazy talk!

Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3 - sure, they were all released on consoles, but you're delusional if you think they really belong there. With some games mod support is a nice perk, with those, it's pretty much vital.

And yet I still had fun with ALL of these games on my Xbox and Xbox 360.

 

[Scobie]

DELETED

 

[Lost In The Void]

so you didnt like it, why pay for a game you knew you wouldnt like and dont be a little ***** and say that you didnt know what it was like, you could tell from the back of the box you would hate it and if you couldnt then you are a moron, back on subject you payed to have a little whine on the internet about a game that is flawed but good other examples would be,halo 1,2,3, half life 1,2, morrowind and fallout 3 just to name a few (if you ***** about my grammar and punctuation not my point then i know that you know im right) all games have problems and all opinions are different and equal besides yours wich is wrong and pathetic, moaning about a game you bought makes it seem as thought you regret buying it and are get sympathy from the community.

this was simply a opinion you dont have a problem with that do you

before quoting read the whole post not just the bits you didnt like

Ouch, I'm not going to pretend to ignore the fact that SP himself already addressed this, but seriously, please proofread before posting. This snip is painful to read at best and impossible to read at worst. Now I'm going to address points as well as to not appear as a simple attacker:

So you didn't like it. Why pay for a game that you knew you wouldn't like. Don't pull that tired excuse of ignorance of what the game would be about.

I didn't know what the Witcher was like when I picked it up, yet I bought it because it looked interesting. It turned out to be interesting. I also picked up Dead Space because it looked interesting and it fell flat on its face. Funny how we can't see the future and all that.

You should have been able to tell what the general premise of the game was from the box and if you were unable, maybe it says something about your intelligence.

Again see above comment. The back of the box is to intrigue the reader and viewer, not to tell him exactly what the game is

Flames aside, I'll move back to my initial argument. You purchased this game, purely so that you could complain on the Internet about it. There are many gems of games with flaws, some examples being the Halo and Half-life series, as well as Oblivions predecessor; Morrowind. Attacking my grammar and spelling exclusively only fits to reinforce the fact that my opinion is clearly right.

Yes he nit picked, but then again he admits to his writings being opinionated so I fail to see how this argument has merit. Second, looking at one's grammar and spelling and giving them tips on how to improve is actually probably a good thing in some cases.

All games tend to have some issues, just as everyone tends to have their own opinion. Your opinion is sadly misinformed however and I know that this is correct because I say so. It looks as if all you bought this game for was to garnish sympathy.

This is simply my opinion and it would be most ironic for you to attack me for having one in a thread such as this one.

Be sure to read my entire response rather than only choosing the negative bits to attack.

Alright I read your entire response, addressed the points and posted my own opinion. My opinion is evident in my quotes. You are an attacker, and someone who clearly needs to work on their grammar and spelling.

LITV

 

[Knight Templar]

SavingPrincess, why do you post these reviews?
I ask because you don't seem very open to advice, and that is kinda the point of this froum.

 

[Raventyr]

Personally I am a big fan of the elder scrolls, since Arena. To be honest most of the games in the series had their flaws and you have to overlook them to get to the creamy filling. Nobody likes a buggy game but I don't think that should over shadow the good points, especially considering the scale and content of oblivion. I actually like the combat system, in my opinion it is far superior to most other rpg combat systems. I don't find it "flat" in any way, its more engaging than click and stack mmorpg style combat, or menu based final fantasy combat. Each to their own though i suppose.

 

[SavingPrincess]

SavingPrincess, why do you post these reviews?
I ask because you don't seem very open to advice, and that is kinda the point of this froum.

What "advice" have I not been open to? I write editorial opinionated articles on games that I think were decidedly good, or decidedly bad/mediocre... asking me to balance them out or not be "so opinionated" is kind of defeating the purpose wouldn't you say? Hardly anyone critiques my grammar and/or spelling; if they do, the most I get out of it is, "I don't like your grammar... kaythanksbye," but it rarely comes up to begin with.

So I ask you again, what advice am I ignoring?

Oh and I post these reviews because they are fun to write and I am bored at work.

 

[matrix3509]

Want to know how completely nerf combat in Oblivion, making auto-leveling enemies a non issue? Get the Escutcheon of Chorrol, and the Raiment of The Crimson Scar at level 25, then find either the Ring of the Iron Fist, the Necklace of Swords, or the Amulet of Axes. And voila you have 101% reflect damage. You won't even have to swing your sword to kill people.

 

[Knight Templar]

So I ask you again, what advice am I ignoring?

Samurai Goomba gave some advice and you responded rather poorly.
You also come off as a bit of an arsehole.
EDIT: Hang on,

editorial opinionated articles

I post these reviews

Why call it two diffrent things?

 

[Sebenko]

I agree with this review.

Then again, if you reviewed oblivion by pissing on the disk then putting it in a blender, I'd agree with it.

I HATED Oblivion. HATED HATED HATED.

The Dark brotherhood quest were certainly fun, but I found every other quest to be fucking annoying.

And there was no competition. You joined the Mages guild. No choice, if you wanted to enchant weapons, you joined the Mages guild. You couldn't join their opposition either, because they were EVIL and you're not allowed to be EVIL, except when you are, which is only during the DB quests.
In Morrowind, enchanting stuff, sure it was expensive, but you didn't need to be some magic wielding gibbering old man to do it, and they were useful without having to drag the weapon's own weight in soul gems about to keep the fucking thing charged. And they didn't break every three enemies like they did in Oblivion.

And the map sucked as well. The whole "see the imperial city from anywhere" thing just made the map suck. Sure, it was supposed to make the IC look impressive, but since it was one of the first places you could visit, you knew it was pretty much a tiny village, which just made the map look small.
And yeah, I live in what is pretty much the non-german equivalent of Cyrodil. I look out my window, I see deer and rolling hills, and I'm sure there are a fair few re-enactment groups waving swords. So the map didn't exactly make me curious. Liked the map for Shivering Isles though. Mainly because it reminded me of Morrowind.
Morrowind's map, even with the distant land mod, still feel massive. I'm still finding new things. I've been to maybe one or two Ayleid ruins in Oblivion, and I feel like I've visited them all.

And at least the people in Morrowind kept their talking to a few quips about how smelly adventurers were.

Sure, the combat in Morrowind sucked, but at least they kept it quick. Except in the expansions, but you could see what was going to happen to Oblivion in them. And how did those bandits get the rarest, most expensive armour in the game? The levelling system was shit too.

I liked Morrowind because it was a case of "I'll know where I'm going when I'm there". Oblivion was "I know where I'm going because it's the same as the last damn place."

 

[oganalp]

Hello All;

I wanted to add my opinions regarding the title. Both good and bad, so I will start with my negative thoughts as a player;

- Morrowind, even Daggerfall had MUCH more variety in means of locations and especially dungeon design. This was the first thing I have noticed immediately after installing the game. As you can fix the outdoor variety issue with some really good mods, the dungeons are still a problem.

- Realistic fantasy. Everyone is panicked about the Oblivion gates are opening and terror coming. And when that time comes... terror comes as 15 little demons. 15... You get an army from several cities and your army count is... 15. It may be an engine problem not to be able to summon bazillions of characters but then, you can at least design it so that it won't be seen like that. Like the Dragon Age Origins battle where you stand over the bridge, watch a huge battle below. Its a trick and tricks could have been applied.

- Emotions and character animations. Yes they were 15 times better than Morrowind but still very dull. Especially the emotions.

- Dialogue system fail. Sorry but it wasn't a dialogue system, it was more like a children puzzle box where you put cube to square, ball to round, prism to triangle box. Daggerfall had 10 times better dialogue system. It was shallow but at least it gave you the feeling of talking to someone for real.

- Creature Leveling. You can finish the game as level 2-3. I love the fact that you have to work your way to be able to beat some odds like in earlier RPG games. The feeling of frusturation when you died and the feeling of a conqueror when you have beaten Kangaxx the Demilich in Baldur's Gate II is WAY MORE entertaining than slice and dicing your way in hell with a wooden sword at level 1.

- Quests were nice at some points but all turned out being dull eventually. Its as if the ideas were good but the applications were somewhat fail.

Well, even though I bashed the game, I enjoyed playing it because I roleplayed while playing. It gives any game some level of fun when I play like that. There were also things that I liked like;

- Graphical improvements were immense.
- Patrick Stewart!
- Level of detail at certain things (like Martin's rituals etc) were amazing
- Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild stuff were fun.
- Some Mage's Guild stuff were fun
- With the UL add on, wandering around becomes fun.
- The expansion packs were MUCH BETTER than the original game so they have added quite a value to the title imho.
- Very Moddable as expected from a Bethesda game.
- Much less buggy. You remember Daggerfall bugs? Gosh...
- Map mod was great. Elven Cartographs?....

 

[SavingPrincess]

So I ask you again, what advice am I ignoring?

Samurai Goomba gave some advice and you responded rather poorly.
You also come off as a bit of an arsehole.
EDIT: Hang on,

editorial opinionated articles

I post these reviews

Why call it two diffrent things?

I guess I just really don't care what people who will never be pleased have to say. Trying to please someone who doesn't want to enjoy something to begin with is a horrible way to go about things, wouldn't you say? Oh sure, I could change my entire writing style, never use words that don't existify, write nothing but reviews on current games that are evenly balanced that highlight an even number of good and bad points as to not offend anyone who happens to like/dislike the game in question. I could use pictures that I can't access from work. I could write things that are unoffensive or questionable in any way shape or form...

or I could actually have fun with my day and accidentally piss off a couple people whom I will never have to meet over the course of my life that sit at home and instead of doing fun, positive things with their time, decide it's better debating the finer points of someone else's opinions of someone else's creative works.

What choice would you make in my position?

 

[Knight Templar]

What choice would you make in my position?

I would improve my writing but keep my opinions. You seem to think you can't do both.

 

[SavingPrincess]

What choice would you make in my position?

I would improve my writing but keep my opinions. You seem to think you can't do both.

So I would "improve my writing" by changing how I communicate based on one or two people's opinions, when over the course of every single piece I write, I have multiple people over the course of the comments say "wow, that was very readable" (which is basically, in my opinion, the highest compliment a writer can get). I think I'll take my chances.

That being said, I work very hard to write everything I do, and am constantly looking to get better. I just may not take all of the advice I'm given, especially when I don't think it's exceptionally valid and delivered in a confrontational way. Just because one (maybe two) person(s) thought one of my sentences was too long and doesn't enjoy my use of linguistics and tone, doesn't mean I should (or will) change my writing style to suit their tastes.

Have fun on the internets everyone!