This is a review that I wrote for my college assignment. I got a Distinction which is the highest grade for it but i'm interested in what other people think about it and what sort of advice people can offer me on how to improve my writing. I have an interest in working in journalism.
Game Title: The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion
Game Genre: RPG
Studio Name: Bethesda Softworks
Release Year: 2006
Platform: PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3
There is a wide selection of Fantasy RPGs on the market and it takes a lot of innovation and work to produce an RPG that really stands out from the rest. The Elder Scrolls Series by Bethesda Softworks has always offered a unique, refreshing gaming experience and the latest instalment is no exception. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion brings the loved series to the Next-Gen consoles, combining cutting edge graphics with the kind of game play that has captured thousands of fans since Arena in 1994. Bethesda Softworks are continuing to provide the open-ended game play that veteran players of the series have enjoyed. Whether you enjoy the role of the traditional hack?n?slash brute force character, the intelligent, learned mage character or even the sneaky roguish stealth character you?ll find a play style that suits you. The game truly immerses you in a lifelike world with realistic characters, changing weather and a beautiful generated landscape. The game also makes use of the legendary Havok physics engine and the revolutionary Speedtree engine which generates the extensive forests found in Oblivion. If you enjoyed any of the previous titles in The Elder Scrolls series then you would definitely find Oblivion to be worthy of The Elder Scrolls name. Released in the EU March 24th, 2006 on Windows and Xbox 360 and released later on Playstation 3 in April 27th, 2007.
Oblivion follows its predecessors by returning to the continent of Tamriel. This time the game is set in the province of Cyrodiil. The game breaks from the tradition of the previous games in the series as instead of playing the chosen one type character you play more of a supporting role. It becomes your job to support, protect and help the chosen one in his quest to fight back the Daedric hordes that threaten Cyrodiil. The game begins with the player in prison for unknown reasons but the storyline quickly unfolds as you meet the current Emperor and quickly see firsthand as Cyrodiil is thrown in dire need with the death of the Emperor and all of his known heirs. Before he dies he gives the player the information and item that sends the player to find his illegitimate secret heir and support him in saving Cyrodiil and fighting the Daedric hordes back into the gates of Oblivion that have enabled them to break into Cyrodiil from the Planes of Oblivion. The player begins in the Imperial Dungeons for unknown reasons when the Emperor along with a retinue of his guards comes to the protagonist?s cell in order to access a secret passageway behind the cell. The story unfolds as the player follows the Emperor into the hidden labyrinth of corridors below the Imperial Dungeon though after the initial classic dungeon crawl the main plot becomes entirely optional.
The games control system is well designed, the controls are similar to the generic fps layout with some slight tweaks to implement magic and stealth into it. It uses the typical WASD controls for movement so veteran PC players should have an easy time adapting into the Oblivion control set once they get used to binding keys and using the quick menu they?ll easily be able to master the game. Similarly new players shouldn?t have a hard learning curve for the controls. They are relatively easy to learn for anyone and with a bit of practice the player will find the controls feel incredibly natural. The camera controls are well designed, the player is able to zoom out to a third person view but they will quickly find that it is much easier to play the game in the first person view though it?s always nice to take a look at your character properly to truly admire the graphics.
In Oblivion the player finds themselves in a world where the avatar that they create is given a huge variety of tasks and missions that the player can complete using various methods. One interesting change from the previous title is the levelled encounters. As the player levels up they will find much tougher creatures and smarter NPCs that will keep the players game interesting and challenging. In order to complete tasks players will find themselves having to either communicate with NPC characters or listen in on conversations. This is helped by the games intuitive AI where NPCs realistically move around the world and communicate with other NPCs. The game maintains the series uniqueness by allowing the player to adopt a first person view which helps engage the player though it still allows more traditional players to use the third person perspective familiar to most RPG players. The game returns with the quick travel feature previously featured in Arena and Daggerfall but missed out in Morrowind which many previous players of the series will be glad to hear. The game provides an unbeatable solo role-playing experience in which a players choices seem endless thanks to the extremely customizable skill system and the wide variety of choices a player can make. If the player kills someone who isn?t plot centric then they will remain dead, nothing will bring them back so each players world will be different depending on the decisions that they make during the game. Players will also have to work on their disposition with different NPCs, if an NPC doesn?t like them then suddenly goods become a lot more expensive and it becomes a lot harder to get the information or help that you needed. The game play is also widely expanded by user made mods that can be put in by the player to enhance their game. So a player could opt to have a more realistic game by making it so the avatar needs to eat, drink and sleep or they will get penalties. Though even without user created mods the player is able to expand the game with official downloadable ?expansions? that add new areas and quests for the players to complete that are professionally designed. Combat in the game is also very balanced, players we find the game levelled fairly and that the game will never be too hard for a player as it is possible to change the difficulty mid game. The game also lacks a multiplayer mode. There is only a single player mode but the quality of the single player mode makes up for the lack of multiplayer mode though the inclusion of some form of multiplayer in the next game would certainly be a huge bonus. The game also limits the player in some ways. The player is only able to carry a certain weight of stuff based on their strength stat. This is similar to most RPG style games and has certainly been in the previous The Elder Scrolls games. Audio in the game is used very effectively in Oblivion. Player?s are able to use audio to help gain awareness of their surroundings and their situation. Whether it?s hearing the sounds of the monster around the next bend, hearing guards coming up behind you or even hearing the battle music that warns you that there is a creature nearby and it is going to attack you. Sounds effects are used option and enhance the environment and help the player understand what is going on and also help with feedback mechanisms.
The visuals in Oblivion are simply put; beautiful. Already boasting top notch game play Oblivion could be described as one of the most visually appealing games released yet. The game feels carefully crafted and designed so that the player is able to truly immerse themselves into it. The game easily makes the switch into to Next-Gen with improved textures, detailed models and an epic sized province that can be completely explored. Oblivion also makes use of the Speedtree software that allows that to build huge forests with distinctive and varied trees that help enhance the realism of the game and prevent the forests becoming too repetitive. Oblivion also makes use of dynamic lighting which helps enhance the appearance in the game especially where used in the large underground sections of the game where the sparsely used lighting helps create a creepy atmosphere that helps enhance the player?s immersion in the game. The game uses realistic rendering rather than using cell-shaded which has recently grown in popularity. This helps the game keep it?s realistic but magical feel to it which is one of the reasons that the graphics in Oblivion are so impressive. The game?s colours while impressive occasionally feel drab and make the game more repetitive but in some cases the colour certainly feels more vibrant especially in The Shivering Isles expansion where the colours seem more vivid and exciting. The HUD is fairly complicated at times but it provides lots of useful information. The minimap is of particular benefit because when you get close enough to something it appears on the minimap preventing you spending hours searching for small cavern entrances. The HUD also clearly displays all the other relevant information though it can seem overwhelming at times as Oblivion is quite a complicated game at its core. Animations are done incredibly well in the game, it could be considered ground breaking with the swift feedback from pressing a key for your character to move into the next animation, though much of this is missed out on due to the FPS aspect of the game it is still a nice feature of the game?s visuals.
One of Oblivions more unique features is the open ended world that the game is set in. Players are free to explore the game environment as they wish and the player can literally go around slaughtering entire towns assuming they have the capability to do so, alternatively a player can grind up a single skill such as alchemy or security to help them when completing the main quest. Oblivion is a very unique game so it is difficult to find a game to compare it to so it would be better to compare it to the previous game in the series. Oblivion is certainly a step forward from Morrowind but retains many of the features from it. Though Oblivion?s landscaped certainly improved graphically they are still fairly bland as opposed to Morrowind which based varied and interesting landscapes though in Oblivion trips to the Plane of Oblivion do offer a refreshing change from the bland countryside that dominates Oblivion. Fortunately the return of the quick travel feature from earlier The Elder Scrolls games allows the player to quickly move to different locations without getting too bored.
In conclusion Oblivion is very much worth the price you would pay for it. Especially when packaged with The Knights of the Nine and The Shivering Isles which greatly expand the quests and area visited. Then with all the cheap downloadable official mods and impressive user created content out there the game can be completely changed to the player?s tastes. The game would definitely compliment any avid RPG fans game collection but the system requirements are a bit steep for some systems and to get the most out of the game you will need a high end computer to play the game on. The game is certainly one of the best next gen titles out so far and it helps show the potential that Fallout 3 shows (also done by Bethesda Softworks) which is hotly anticipated by the cult following of the previous Fallout games.
Added rating for The Escapist: Buy It
Feedback is very much appreciated
Game Title: The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion
Game Genre: RPG
Studio Name: Bethesda Softworks
Release Year: 2006
Platform: PC, Xbox 360 and Playstation 3
There is a wide selection of Fantasy RPGs on the market and it takes a lot of innovation and work to produce an RPG that really stands out from the rest. The Elder Scrolls Series by Bethesda Softworks has always offered a unique, refreshing gaming experience and the latest instalment is no exception. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion brings the loved series to the Next-Gen consoles, combining cutting edge graphics with the kind of game play that has captured thousands of fans since Arena in 1994. Bethesda Softworks are continuing to provide the open-ended game play that veteran players of the series have enjoyed. Whether you enjoy the role of the traditional hack?n?slash brute force character, the intelligent, learned mage character or even the sneaky roguish stealth character you?ll find a play style that suits you. The game truly immerses you in a lifelike world with realistic characters, changing weather and a beautiful generated landscape. The game also makes use of the legendary Havok physics engine and the revolutionary Speedtree engine which generates the extensive forests found in Oblivion. If you enjoyed any of the previous titles in The Elder Scrolls series then you would definitely find Oblivion to be worthy of The Elder Scrolls name. Released in the EU March 24th, 2006 on Windows and Xbox 360 and released later on Playstation 3 in April 27th, 2007.
Oblivion follows its predecessors by returning to the continent of Tamriel. This time the game is set in the province of Cyrodiil. The game breaks from the tradition of the previous games in the series as instead of playing the chosen one type character you play more of a supporting role. It becomes your job to support, protect and help the chosen one in his quest to fight back the Daedric hordes that threaten Cyrodiil. The game begins with the player in prison for unknown reasons but the storyline quickly unfolds as you meet the current Emperor and quickly see firsthand as Cyrodiil is thrown in dire need with the death of the Emperor and all of his known heirs. Before he dies he gives the player the information and item that sends the player to find his illegitimate secret heir and support him in saving Cyrodiil and fighting the Daedric hordes back into the gates of Oblivion that have enabled them to break into Cyrodiil from the Planes of Oblivion. The player begins in the Imperial Dungeons for unknown reasons when the Emperor along with a retinue of his guards comes to the protagonist?s cell in order to access a secret passageway behind the cell. The story unfolds as the player follows the Emperor into the hidden labyrinth of corridors below the Imperial Dungeon though after the initial classic dungeon crawl the main plot becomes entirely optional.
The games control system is well designed, the controls are similar to the generic fps layout with some slight tweaks to implement magic and stealth into it. It uses the typical WASD controls for movement so veteran PC players should have an easy time adapting into the Oblivion control set once they get used to binding keys and using the quick menu they?ll easily be able to master the game. Similarly new players shouldn?t have a hard learning curve for the controls. They are relatively easy to learn for anyone and with a bit of practice the player will find the controls feel incredibly natural. The camera controls are well designed, the player is able to zoom out to a third person view but they will quickly find that it is much easier to play the game in the first person view though it?s always nice to take a look at your character properly to truly admire the graphics.
In Oblivion the player finds themselves in a world where the avatar that they create is given a huge variety of tasks and missions that the player can complete using various methods. One interesting change from the previous title is the levelled encounters. As the player levels up they will find much tougher creatures and smarter NPCs that will keep the players game interesting and challenging. In order to complete tasks players will find themselves having to either communicate with NPC characters or listen in on conversations. This is helped by the games intuitive AI where NPCs realistically move around the world and communicate with other NPCs. The game maintains the series uniqueness by allowing the player to adopt a first person view which helps engage the player though it still allows more traditional players to use the third person perspective familiar to most RPG players. The game returns with the quick travel feature previously featured in Arena and Daggerfall but missed out in Morrowind which many previous players of the series will be glad to hear. The game provides an unbeatable solo role-playing experience in which a players choices seem endless thanks to the extremely customizable skill system and the wide variety of choices a player can make. If the player kills someone who isn?t plot centric then they will remain dead, nothing will bring them back so each players world will be different depending on the decisions that they make during the game. Players will also have to work on their disposition with different NPCs, if an NPC doesn?t like them then suddenly goods become a lot more expensive and it becomes a lot harder to get the information or help that you needed. The game play is also widely expanded by user made mods that can be put in by the player to enhance their game. So a player could opt to have a more realistic game by making it so the avatar needs to eat, drink and sleep or they will get penalties. Though even without user created mods the player is able to expand the game with official downloadable ?expansions? that add new areas and quests for the players to complete that are professionally designed. Combat in the game is also very balanced, players we find the game levelled fairly and that the game will never be too hard for a player as it is possible to change the difficulty mid game. The game also lacks a multiplayer mode. There is only a single player mode but the quality of the single player mode makes up for the lack of multiplayer mode though the inclusion of some form of multiplayer in the next game would certainly be a huge bonus. The game also limits the player in some ways. The player is only able to carry a certain weight of stuff based on their strength stat. This is similar to most RPG style games and has certainly been in the previous The Elder Scrolls games. Audio in the game is used very effectively in Oblivion. Player?s are able to use audio to help gain awareness of their surroundings and their situation. Whether it?s hearing the sounds of the monster around the next bend, hearing guards coming up behind you or even hearing the battle music that warns you that there is a creature nearby and it is going to attack you. Sounds effects are used option and enhance the environment and help the player understand what is going on and also help with feedback mechanisms.
The visuals in Oblivion are simply put; beautiful. Already boasting top notch game play Oblivion could be described as one of the most visually appealing games released yet. The game feels carefully crafted and designed so that the player is able to truly immerse themselves into it. The game easily makes the switch into to Next-Gen with improved textures, detailed models and an epic sized province that can be completely explored. Oblivion also makes use of the Speedtree software that allows that to build huge forests with distinctive and varied trees that help enhance the realism of the game and prevent the forests becoming too repetitive. Oblivion also makes use of dynamic lighting which helps enhance the appearance in the game especially where used in the large underground sections of the game where the sparsely used lighting helps create a creepy atmosphere that helps enhance the player?s immersion in the game. The game uses realistic rendering rather than using cell-shaded which has recently grown in popularity. This helps the game keep it?s realistic but magical feel to it which is one of the reasons that the graphics in Oblivion are so impressive. The game?s colours while impressive occasionally feel drab and make the game more repetitive but in some cases the colour certainly feels more vibrant especially in The Shivering Isles expansion where the colours seem more vivid and exciting. The HUD is fairly complicated at times but it provides lots of useful information. The minimap is of particular benefit because when you get close enough to something it appears on the minimap preventing you spending hours searching for small cavern entrances. The HUD also clearly displays all the other relevant information though it can seem overwhelming at times as Oblivion is quite a complicated game at its core. Animations are done incredibly well in the game, it could be considered ground breaking with the swift feedback from pressing a key for your character to move into the next animation, though much of this is missed out on due to the FPS aspect of the game it is still a nice feature of the game?s visuals.
One of Oblivions more unique features is the open ended world that the game is set in. Players are free to explore the game environment as they wish and the player can literally go around slaughtering entire towns assuming they have the capability to do so, alternatively a player can grind up a single skill such as alchemy or security to help them when completing the main quest. Oblivion is a very unique game so it is difficult to find a game to compare it to so it would be better to compare it to the previous game in the series. Oblivion is certainly a step forward from Morrowind but retains many of the features from it. Though Oblivion?s landscaped certainly improved graphically they are still fairly bland as opposed to Morrowind which based varied and interesting landscapes though in Oblivion trips to the Plane of Oblivion do offer a refreshing change from the bland countryside that dominates Oblivion. Fortunately the return of the quick travel feature from earlier The Elder Scrolls games allows the player to quickly move to different locations without getting too bored.
In conclusion Oblivion is very much worth the price you would pay for it. Especially when packaged with The Knights of the Nine and The Shivering Isles which greatly expand the quests and area visited. Then with all the cheap downloadable official mods and impressive user created content out there the game can be completely changed to the player?s tastes. The game would definitely compliment any avid RPG fans game collection but the system requirements are a bit steep for some systems and to get the most out of the game you will need a high end computer to play the game on. The game is certainly one of the best next gen titles out so far and it helps show the potential that Fallout 3 shows (also done by Bethesda Softworks) which is hotly anticipated by the cult following of the previous Fallout games.
Added rating for The Escapist: Buy It
Feedback is very much appreciated
