The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Platform: Xbox 360/PS3
Infiltrate an evil organization and stop demons from destroying everything. What more could you want?
Review by Jeice

Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a fantasy RPG set in the world of Tamriel and in the province of Cyrodiil. At the start of the game you choose your gender, race, and facial characteristics. After that, you go through a tutorial area where you accompany the emperor of the land, Uriel Septim, through a dungeon. After a bit of play you choose your class and the sign you were born under. These combined with your race creates what kind of character you will be using. But more on that later. After leaving the dungeon, your free to pretty much anything. Of course there is a main story. You need to help find the heir to the throne to stop demonic beings known as "Daedra" from infesting and eventually destroying Tamriel. . . similar to my average weekend.

The game follows in it's predecessor's footsteps of being very open-ended. Within the vast game world you're free to do whatever you want. And trust me there's a lot to do. With 4 guilds, over a hundred quests, 200 dungeons and thousands of ways to design your character, you'll be at the game for a while. Not to mention, that the good folks at Bethesda are coming out with neat little add-ons all the time. So make sure you have alot of time on your hands before you buy the game.

Gameplay: Now remember those choices about your character I mentioned? I wasn't exagerating when I said you have over a thousand ways to design your character. At the start of the game you have to choose your gender and name your character. Not to hard. But then you get the pick of your race. And yes it does matter. There are 10 races and each one has it's own special powers and affinities. If you want a powerful Fighter, Mage, Thief, or Assasin you may want to plan your character out. Because after race you have 21 Skills to choose. Of course you'll have them all, but only 7 become your main skills and determine how you level up. This leads to certain skills becoming worthless. But that's why I said plan your character. Now your birthsign is interesting. It gives you powers, stat increases and/ or new strengths and weaknesses. So remember to take that into account. And all this is to barely get you started on the gameplay. Combat Controls are fairly simple. Attack with right trigger, block with left; magic with the right bumper and all that. But then they throw in a thing called "Hotkey" this allows you to set up certain items, weapons, armors, and spells to be used without having to open the menu. Now while on the PC version of the game you have the buttons neatly laid out, on the 360 version we have to use the directional pad. (Trust me it sucks. I rarely use it.) Movement is done with the dual analogs and the (Y) button to jump; (A) button to activate things or talk to people. All this make for a fun game.... of course other things help too.

Graphics And Audio: Oh...My...God... Just give me one moment.....Ok now the graphics are amazing. They force the 360 to use all three core CPU to their full extent giving you a stunning scene no matter where you go. But on the downside this also means loading screens between doors and the game pauses to load new areas. But I feel it's totally woth it. And if you think the graphics are good, then you'll find the music amazing. (I really want the soundtrack to this game.) OK you got your awesome orchestral themes all being played on the 360's many Dolby Digital channels. The game also has music depending on what you're doing. Sneaking into a house to steal everything in sight has awesome quiet "spy-like" music. Being ambushed by 3 Minotaurs has the kind of "Sir Lancelot from Monty Python and the Holy Grail" music. But, on the downside, if you're wandering and a creature notices you before you notice them the battle music will start and warn you that they're there. And if you run away from a fight the music will usually stay with you long after you've outrun them. But it still sounds cool.

Story: Fight monsters, Find the heir to the throne, Infiltrate an evil organization and stop demons from destroying everything. What more could you want.

This is an amazing game that deserves all the awards it's gotten. From the compelling story and sidequests to exploring the huge land of Cyrodiil this is one of the best games out there.

Gameplay: 10/10
Graphics: 8/10
Sound: 8/10
Story: 9/10
Lasting Appeal: 10/10
Final Score: 10/10