Review : The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

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PlayStation 3 owners seeking an adventure fix would be wise to purchase The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Bethesda's critically acclaimed action role-playing game draws people into its rich fantasy world and eats up more hours than a Battlestar Galactica marathon. The PS3 version doesn't offer anything different from the Xbox 360 rendition, but it still provides plenty of reasons to neglect friends and family for the next few months.

Once the game begins, players must save the kingdom of Tamriel by shutting Oblivion gates and killing hordes of evil beings populating the land. Bethesda succeeds in creating a believable, open-ended world with no set path to follow. Gamers may complete the story missions at their leisure, instead focusing their time on customizing their character, going on nature walks, robbing people, joining guilds and taking odd jobs. They can even kill non-player characters and take their homes, storing their goods so they don't grow encumbered. They'll mix plants to create spells, explore caves, acquire a horse and hunt for treasure, among other things. During their trek, they'll enjoy gorgeous scenery as well as a Jeremy Soule's haunting soundtrack.

For the PlayStation 3 version, Bethesda included the Xbox 360 expansion Knights of the Nine, which adds roughly 10 hours to the game. Aside from that, this is the same Oblivion that debuted in 2006, minus rumble support and the soon to be released update, Shivering Isles. As for visuals, both versions look almost identical.

They both suffer from the same issues as well. Just like its counterpart, trees and grass magically magically appear out of nowhere. Distant scenery doesn't display correctly -- the landscape turns into a blurry mess that, at times, keeps the player from getting truly immersed in the game. Finally, the framerate occasionally stutters when characters clog the screen, though not as much as it did on 360. It also features speedier load times, so players won't suffer through watching a blank screen for 10 seconds before diving into the next dungeon.

The lack of multiplayer might also be a sticking point for some players -- its MMO-like qualities seems to be crying out for both solo and co-operative play -- but Oblivion still tops our list for its broad scope and rich content that will keep people playing for hours... weeks... even months on end.

Final Score: 9 (out of 10)

Related Links

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game Guide

Bethesda