Burning in Oblivion — A review of Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion
Visit hell today! Stop the forces of darkness and the devilish imps from taking over your villages on this wonderful vacation package!
Developer(s): Bethesda Game Studios
Publisher(s): Bethesda Softworks, 2K, Ubisoft
Year Released: 2006
Platform(s): PC (Windows), Xbox 360, PlayStation 3
Reviewed on: PlayStation 3
Elder Scrolls Oblivion is the predecessor to the world-famous and highly successful RPG Skyrim. Oblivion introduces its players to the world of Tamriel before the land of Skyrim was even a speck upon the horizon. Its open-world exploration and RPG gameplay allows for players to adventure across the hills and trails of Tamriel through different graphics than previous games in the Elder Scrolls franchise. Compared to the world of Skyrim, it pales in comparison to the majestic graphics that are showcased within that game, however, Oblivion still holds a very important place in the Elder Scrolls franchise and helped build Skyrim up into the world-renowned video game it is today.
Oblivion sets its tone very early, launching the player directly into the action within the first five minutes of the game. After spending hours in character creation, the player will be introduced to the story set to begin from the start. Unlike many other RPGs, Oblivion starts its players in prison and has them freed by the Emperor, before being set on a lengthy and otherwise difficult mission to save Oblivion from destruction and find the Emperor’s final living heir before it is too late. Players will find themselves jumping between worlds, swapping between the plains of Oblivion, and the calming peace of Tamriel. However, it is up to the player to keep this peace and save Tamriel before it is consumed and destroyed by the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon.
For those who have played Skyrim before, this game will be very mundane in comparison. When I first picked up my controller to play this game, I wasn’t richly enthralled with the story like I was with Skyrim. Although the story is gripping, and the beginning section is always a fun little tutorial to work through, the rest of the game felt very bland in comparison. The graphics of the game are far removed from anything players could encounter now, and instead just seem very grainy and old. The world of Tamriel is by no means a graphical masterpiece that I could spend hours viewing and relaxing in as I could with Skyrim. Instead, it feels like there is very little to say about the game world itself, and as I am writing this, I cannot remember much of what it looks like because it feels forgettable. Whenever I wander through the world of Tamriel in Oblivion, I cannot help but feel that the whole place has had an off-white tint and light blur covering the landscape, and looking less crisp and more blocky in texture.
However, the graphics of the game, and the look of it overall, is nothing compared to the complete and utter trainwreck of a combat system the game appears to have adopted. Coming from a fairly generous and simple combat system in Skyrim, the Oblivion controls seem confusing and laughably frustrating. The hitbox on small animals in archery, for example, is so annoying and difficult to figure out that you’ll be sat in sneak mode for ages trying to hit this small rat, only to have it turn around and spot you anyway. Sneaking in this game almost seems like a waste of time, and is nothing compared to the OP version in Skyrim. Archery is almost not worth bothering with, much like any other combat style in this game. The controls feel floppy and mainly consist of barely controlled button-mashing along with a constant sense of hope that you might hit whatever it is that is attacking you. Along with this, the controls that the game automatically gives you as the standard layout are far from the conventional gameplay style, but thankfully they can be re-mapped, which is what I immediately ended up doing because it annoyed me so much.
Unfortunately, the main element of gameplay that upset me, compared to most RPGs, is the emergence of side quests. For a long time, players can wander through the world of Tamriel and seemingly never encounter another quest other than the main quest line. It seems utterly ridiculous that players could wander throughout the entire game and not know that there were other quests to do. If players want to find other side quests to complete other than the main mission, they are required to go out and find them, rather than have random encounters trigger them randomly and seemingly without warning. Although I used to hate this way of presenting quests, when I played Oblivion, I missed them. Having to go out of my way, and off the beaten track, in order to find these quests was mind-numbingly tedious, and I would have rather done anything else with my time.
Overall, I just found that most of this game felt like a chore rather than an enjoyable adventuring experience. I missed Skyrim and the ease of gameplay with which that game presented you. Oblivion has the potential to be something great, however, with the existence of Skyrim within the gaming world today, Oblivion struggles to keep up with the more modern titles and it is better left on the shelves. For the time, I can see why it would have been a smash hit with RPG players, unfortunately, I believe that it has lost the charm that it once had and should only be played by those with unwavering loyalty to the franchise.
Honestly, I did still manage to complete it. I just haven’t replayed it to completion again.
