Chefe
Erudite
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2005
- Messages
- 4,731
I should be getting my copy in later today. I'll post my full review.
Edit: Here's the review.
----------------------------------------------------------
The wait is over. Here is my unbiased review of Bethesda Softworks' The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion © for the personal computer running Microsoft's Window's XP Professional © operating system.
---------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer:
All words, phrases, and ideas used herein are solely the thoughts of Chefe and the representation of Oblivion as it applies to his unbiased persona. Any persons that attempt to steal, edit, or otherwise plagerize the work contaned within will be prosecuted under the full written consent of the law.
The contents of this review are protected under copyright and other intellectual property laws. This review is licensed only for non-commercial private viewings in homes. Any distribution outside of the licensed territory, copying, transmission, public performance, alteration, or reverse engineering is strictly prohibited, and may result in criminal and/or civil liability. Federal law provies severe civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or exhibition of copyrighted literature, reviews, images, and ideas. Title 17 U.S. Code, Section 501 and 8861. The FBI investigates allegations of criminal copyright infringement. Title 17 U.S. Code, Section 5061.
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in Federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Copyright 2006 Chefe ©. All rights reserved.
---------------------------------------------------
At last, the next long awaited and much anticipated chapter in the epic and ambitious Elder Scrolls © saga has arrived.
The system I will be reviewing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion © on is as follows:
Microsoft Windows XP Professional © Operating System
Intel Pentium 4 - 3.4 GHz
Corsair RAM - 2GB
Sapphire Radeon X1800XT Video Card
With every chapter developer Bethesda Softwords © creates within the Elder Scrolls © universe, the gameplay evolves as well. You're probably familiar with the previous epic masterpiece known as Morrowind ©, and perhaps you are familiar with the first two games Arena © and Daggerfall © as well. The lead designer Todd Howard © has said each new game is built up from the ground, and that has never been more apparent than in Oblivion ©.
From the beginning, Bethesda Softworks © has promised open-ended free-form gameplay, and they have certainly delivered. The world of Cyrodiil ©, the country in which Oblivion © takes place, is huge. There are miles and miles of unexplored terrain including thick forests, forested swamps, desert forests, mountain forests, and caves. Oblivion © is a virtual surveyor's dream.
Upon starting the game, you can delve into the setting menu which lets you adjust a number of options. Most notably, if you want the graphics to be "minimal" or "Xbox 360 quality". The other slider adjusts the draw distance. If you have no controller attached, the game will kindly inform you to attach one. Thankfully, the recommended playing device, the X-Arcade Dual Joystick, was the controller that I do happen to own. The audio options let you adjust different sound levels, and Patrick Stewart's © melodic voice accompanies your options. He talks when you adjust the speech level, and he sings Air Supply when you adjust the music. A very nice touch.
Oblivion's © character creation screen is massive and fully realized, allowing you to adjust almost every intricate part of your character's face. The character models are beautiful, so much that when I clicked "Imperial Female" I wanted to make love to my computer screen. I decided against that, and instead created my likeness. The many diverse options allowed me to create a mirror image of myself. Truly remarkable.
As mentioned before, the world of Oblivion © is enormous and teeming with life. During my exploration, I came across deer, cattle, squirrels, aliens, and Jean Claude Van Damme, all living and moving in harmony. I hunted a squirrel for food, which was called "Squirrel Buttocks", that I promptly ate and regained strength. It increased my alchemy skill, and when I hunted the next squirrel I could see the effects that its meat gave me. Many intricate quests can be obtained by travelling in the wilderness as well, such as delivering shirts, finding a lost puppy, and retrieving a golden statue from a dungeon. Horsies can also be acquired to help you in exploring the wilderness. I obtained such a horse, which had a personality of its own! When I came into contact with several bandits, the magical talking horse told me that he was a pacifist, and did not want to get involved in this battle. So, I dismounted him and fought the bandits on my own. I was certainly suprised at his eloquence.
There are also many villages and towns in Oblivion ©. I happened upon one small village was named "Imperial City". It had several houses and a whenever I approaced a villager I overheard them talking about a quest, which was updated in my journal promptly. Seeing the Radiant AI © at work is simply beautiful. The villagers all had ice skates on, which animated beautifully, and they all ate and went to the bathroom in unison. When I stole an item, the entire village worked together in a remarkably radiant fasion to attack me. The intelligence system in Oblivion © is the best I've ever seen, bar-none.
Dungeon crawling is a major aspect to Oblivion ©, and one of its finest. The dungeons are huge, intricate, and fully realized. Whever I walked, there was a trap waiting for me to disarm. Goblins in particular offered a unique and interesting way to use traps to my advantage. As the goblins stood around, I disarmed the trap that they had set, which caused rocks to hit them instead of me. I had to do this several times until all the goblins in the group were dead. Upon completing a dungeon, you are presented with a dungeon boss, who is the utmost highest test of your combat skills. You must utilize a dizzifying array of rolls, blocks, hits, and dodges to defeat these creatures.
Still on the subject of combat, it has received a major overhaul from Morrowind. Simply put, the new method is amazing. It really takes your player skill into focus, just like the best action and first person shooting games that we all love. In a way, it functions like many popular fighting games. You have to press certain button combinations and move the controller in the right direction to execute any number of attacks. Any time during combat, the game can be paused and your attack list can be brought up from the menu. Many of these attacks can be strung together to create exciting and frantic combos. You can also gain "Super Special" moves over the course of the game depending on what type of weapon you use, including the Hidden Desperation Attack that can be activated when you are low on health.
There are several minigames present in Oblivion © that fully enhance the gaming experience. One, a lock picking minigame, is entirely unique and nothing of its kind has ever been seen before in a video game. You tap a lever until the locks are in place and the door opens. It requires precise timing and immense brain power. Casual gamers need not apply here, as this feature will certainly be appreciated by the "hardcore" roleplaying crowd. The other minigame, a persuasion minigame, is quite intuitive and ingenious. When talking to someone, you must solve a puzzle before you are allowed to tell jokes, admire, taunt, or threaten. A screen appears that has several columns, and you must navigate your way through as the person's facial expressions change. Once you activate all the columns corresponding to what action you want to take, the character will respond either positively or negatively, depending on your avatar's skill level. Bribing is handled in much the same way as it is in real life, give the person some gold and they'll spill their guts. Perfect for the less friendly types.
Oblivion's © graphics are better than we ever could have hoped for the next generation. As mentioned before, the ice skating motions are extremely lifelike, the characters are beautiful and realistic, and the environments are splended. Walking through the world is an amazing experience, as the entire trip is shown to you through a beautifully rendered slide-show presentation. Overall, you should now be able to tell why this game is a superb roleplaying experience. It is quite possibly the biggest achievement in electronic entertainment since Pac Man. If you were debating on whether to upgrade your computer or buy an Xbox 360, this is the reason for doing so. Never before has such a masterpiece in video gaming been produced. I'd go so far as to say The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion © is a work of art. It's what Da Vinci would have played.
Edit: Here's the review.
----------------------------------------------------------
The wait is over. Here is my unbiased review of Bethesda Softworks' The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion © for the personal computer running Microsoft's Window's XP Professional © operating system.
---------------------------------------------------
Disclaimer:
All words, phrases, and ideas used herein are solely the thoughts of Chefe and the representation of Oblivion as it applies to his unbiased persona. Any persons that attempt to steal, edit, or otherwise plagerize the work contaned within will be prosecuted under the full written consent of the law.
The contents of this review are protected under copyright and other intellectual property laws. This review is licensed only for non-commercial private viewings in homes. Any distribution outside of the licensed territory, copying, transmission, public performance, alteration, or reverse engineering is strictly prohibited, and may result in criminal and/or civil liability. Federal law provies severe civil and criminal penalties for the unauthorized reproduction, distribution, or exhibition of copyrighted literature, reviews, images, and ideas. Title 17 U.S. Code, Section 501 and 8861. The FBI investigates allegations of criminal copyright infringement. Title 17 U.S. Code, Section 5061.
The unauthorized reproduction or distribution of this copyrighted work is illegal. Criminal copyright infringement, including infringement without monetary gain, is investigated by the FBI and is punishable by up to 5 years in Federal prison and a fine of $250,000.
Copyright 2006 Chefe ©. All rights reserved.
---------------------------------------------------
At last, the next long awaited and much anticipated chapter in the epic and ambitious Elder Scrolls © saga has arrived.
The system I will be reviewing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion © on is as follows:
Microsoft Windows XP Professional © Operating System
Intel Pentium 4 - 3.4 GHz
Corsair RAM - 2GB
Sapphire Radeon X1800XT Video Card
With every chapter developer Bethesda Softwords © creates within the Elder Scrolls © universe, the gameplay evolves as well. You're probably familiar with the previous epic masterpiece known as Morrowind ©, and perhaps you are familiar with the first two games Arena © and Daggerfall © as well. The lead designer Todd Howard © has said each new game is built up from the ground, and that has never been more apparent than in Oblivion ©.
From the beginning, Bethesda Softworks © has promised open-ended free-form gameplay, and they have certainly delivered. The world of Cyrodiil ©, the country in which Oblivion © takes place, is huge. There are miles and miles of unexplored terrain including thick forests, forested swamps, desert forests, mountain forests, and caves. Oblivion © is a virtual surveyor's dream.
Upon starting the game, you can delve into the setting menu which lets you adjust a number of options. Most notably, if you want the graphics to be "minimal" or "Xbox 360 quality". The other slider adjusts the draw distance. If you have no controller attached, the game will kindly inform you to attach one. Thankfully, the recommended playing device, the X-Arcade Dual Joystick, was the controller that I do happen to own. The audio options let you adjust different sound levels, and Patrick Stewart's © melodic voice accompanies your options. He talks when you adjust the speech level, and he sings Air Supply when you adjust the music. A very nice touch.
Oblivion's © character creation screen is massive and fully realized, allowing you to adjust almost every intricate part of your character's face. The character models are beautiful, so much that when I clicked "Imperial Female" I wanted to make love to my computer screen. I decided against that, and instead created my likeness. The many diverse options allowed me to create a mirror image of myself. Truly remarkable.
As mentioned before, the world of Oblivion © is enormous and teeming with life. During my exploration, I came across deer, cattle, squirrels, aliens, and Jean Claude Van Damme, all living and moving in harmony. I hunted a squirrel for food, which was called "Squirrel Buttocks", that I promptly ate and regained strength. It increased my alchemy skill, and when I hunted the next squirrel I could see the effects that its meat gave me. Many intricate quests can be obtained by travelling in the wilderness as well, such as delivering shirts, finding a lost puppy, and retrieving a golden statue from a dungeon. Horsies can also be acquired to help you in exploring the wilderness. I obtained such a horse, which had a personality of its own! When I came into contact with several bandits, the magical talking horse told me that he was a pacifist, and did not want to get involved in this battle. So, I dismounted him and fought the bandits on my own. I was certainly suprised at his eloquence.
There are also many villages and towns in Oblivion ©. I happened upon one small village was named "Imperial City". It had several houses and a whenever I approaced a villager I overheard them talking about a quest, which was updated in my journal promptly. Seeing the Radiant AI © at work is simply beautiful. The villagers all had ice skates on, which animated beautifully, and they all ate and went to the bathroom in unison. When I stole an item, the entire village worked together in a remarkably radiant fasion to attack me. The intelligence system in Oblivion © is the best I've ever seen, bar-none.
Dungeon crawling is a major aspect to Oblivion ©, and one of its finest. The dungeons are huge, intricate, and fully realized. Whever I walked, there was a trap waiting for me to disarm. Goblins in particular offered a unique and interesting way to use traps to my advantage. As the goblins stood around, I disarmed the trap that they had set, which caused rocks to hit them instead of me. I had to do this several times until all the goblins in the group were dead. Upon completing a dungeon, you are presented with a dungeon boss, who is the utmost highest test of your combat skills. You must utilize a dizzifying array of rolls, blocks, hits, and dodges to defeat these creatures.
Still on the subject of combat, it has received a major overhaul from Morrowind. Simply put, the new method is amazing. It really takes your player skill into focus, just like the best action and first person shooting games that we all love. In a way, it functions like many popular fighting games. You have to press certain button combinations and move the controller in the right direction to execute any number of attacks. Any time during combat, the game can be paused and your attack list can be brought up from the menu. Many of these attacks can be strung together to create exciting and frantic combos. You can also gain "Super Special" moves over the course of the game depending on what type of weapon you use, including the Hidden Desperation Attack that can be activated when you are low on health.
There are several minigames present in Oblivion © that fully enhance the gaming experience. One, a lock picking minigame, is entirely unique and nothing of its kind has ever been seen before in a video game. You tap a lever until the locks are in place and the door opens. It requires precise timing and immense brain power. Casual gamers need not apply here, as this feature will certainly be appreciated by the "hardcore" roleplaying crowd. The other minigame, a persuasion minigame, is quite intuitive and ingenious. When talking to someone, you must solve a puzzle before you are allowed to tell jokes, admire, taunt, or threaten. A screen appears that has several columns, and you must navigate your way through as the person's facial expressions change. Once you activate all the columns corresponding to what action you want to take, the character will respond either positively or negatively, depending on your avatar's skill level. Bribing is handled in much the same way as it is in real life, give the person some gold and they'll spill their guts. Perfect for the less friendly types.
Oblivion's © graphics are better than we ever could have hoped for the next generation. As mentioned before, the ice skating motions are extremely lifelike, the characters are beautiful and realistic, and the environments are splended. Walking through the world is an amazing experience, as the entire trip is shown to you through a beautifully rendered slide-show presentation. Overall, you should now be able to tell why this game is a superb roleplaying experience. It is quite possibly the biggest achievement in electronic entertainment since Pac Man. If you were debating on whether to upgrade your computer or buy an Xbox 360, this is the reason for doing so. Never before has such a masterpiece in video gaming been produced. I'd go so far as to say The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion © is a work of art. It's what Da Vinci would have played.
