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Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion | 
 enlarge | From: 2K Games
Category: Video Games
List Price: $29.99
Buy Used: $22.97
You Save: $7.02 (23%)
New (11) Used (12) from $22.97
Avg. Customer Rating:  115 reviews
Sales Rank: 491
Format: Cd+dvd
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB: Mature
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Batteries Included: No
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: 39013
Model: 39013
UPC: 710425390135
EAN: 0710425390135
ASIN: B000GE7O9K
Release Date: May 30, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: No scratches on disc, comes with disc, case and manual along with bonus map
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| Features:
| • | Create and play any character you can imagine, from the noble warrior to the sinister assassin to the wizened sorcerer | | • | Next-generation graphics for lifelike towns, dungeons, realistic forests and amazing weather effects | | • | All-new combat and magic system brings first person role-playing to a new level of intensity where you feel every blow | | • | Groundbreaking AI gives characters full 24/7 schedules and the ability to make their own choices, based on the world around them | | • | Features over 1,000 non-player characters who come to life with facial animations, lip-synching, and full speech |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion lets you step inside the most richly detailed and vibrant game-world ever created. After the mysterious and untimely death of the Emperor, the throne of Tamriel lies empty. With the Empire ready to crumble, the gates of Oblivion open and demons march upon the land. To turn the tide of darkness, you must find the lost heir to the throne and unravel the sinister plot that threatens to destroy everything. Completely open-ended gameplay - Explore the world at your own pace, as you do everything from fighting bandits and mixing potions, to creating magic items and persuading friends keep the challenges coming
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| Customer Reviews: Read 110 more reviews...
 Addictive but boring May 15, 2008
To me, this is one of those games that are addictive but boring. Quite ironic, I know....
 OBLIVION: YOUR SECOND LIFE May 13, 2008
Tired of the monotony of getting up at 7 to get to Starbucks by 8 so you can be at work by 9 and turn that TPS report in by 5?
Can't afford a nice vacation and the two weeks you do have off are spent with the in-laws?
Sounds like you need a second life!
Welcome to the world of Oblivion!
Imagine a fantasy world where you can do almost anything you want. Buy, sell, join Guilds, talk to people, be nice, be evil, save the world, live your vampire fantasies, fight in the arena . . . whatever.
Here's what I thought of this world . . .
SOUND: 4/5--The Oblivion "theme song" is catchy and the music that plays everywhere else is fitting without being overwhelming and intrusive.
Sound effects are good, but nothing honestly sticks out in my mind as being excellent or terrible.
STORY: 3/5--If you read fantasy novels then the story behind Oblivion is not terribly special. There are hundreds of characters in this game but none of them feel very well developed. At least not in the way that other RPG's have mastered character development, like FINAL FANTASY, LUNAR or LOST ODYSSEY (to name a few). I felt very little emotion toward any of the characters, major or not. I must have killed hundreds of NPC's (my bounty was well over 200,000) and shed not a tear for any of my victims.
GAMEPLAY: 4/5--I often think to myself, "If I was making this game, I would improve it this way . . ." However, this game did things the way I would have done it myself, were I making my own game.
A better inventory system is the only major suggestion that comes to mind. It gets too cluttered once you start collecting potions, keys and ingredients.
GRAPHICS: 5/5--Very good graphics all around. My only complaint is that the water is too dark. If it were more clear they could have put some underwater caves in or hid some treasure down there.
QUESTS: 4/5--The main quest is terribly short and somewhat repetitive. Thankfully, the game does not end when you finish the main quest as you can explore the rest of the world you haven't touched yet. I believe those that say they've logged 200+ hours on this game.
OVERALL: 4/5--About as good as Morrowind, the main difference being that I actually cared enough to finish the main quest instead of just roam around for hours on end.
 Words cannot describe how good this game is. But I'll try... May 12, 2008
When I bought my 360 this was one of the first games I got, to get my game repertoire moving. Well it started moving and that was my fingers, until they got glued to the controller. Lets face it, the game can be addicting, period!
The world you play in is so vast, very realistic with highly intuitive controls. They take some getting use to but soon you find yourself throwing fireballs and casting magic spells on enemies or just random people, with ease. I regrettably had to sell my 360 awhile back, and never even got the opportunity to beat it. This game can be a bit lengthy due to the freedom you have, you can go off course for days and just get lost in this world. Oblivion has Great Music, Great Controls, superb Graphics, and the game play is topnotch. I'm definitely going to buy another 360, probably when the Jasper comes out in August, 08'. Then I can finally get the chance beat it!
Ridiculously Extensive May 8, 2008
The title says it all, this game is the most extensive game you will EVER play. With at least 250 hours of gameplay, 1,000 NPCs, 9 cities, and countless numbers of ruins, caves, and creatures, you might never stop playing Oblivion.
Graphics- 9/10. Spectacular. No other game I can think of has made me stop and just take a minute to look at the world around me. I might see a dear running throw a meadow, or a giant mountain off in the distance. Whatever you might come across, it will look fantastic. However, I've given this a 9, because the game doesn't use lighting all that well, as the game's 9 cities can appear, at night, quite hideous. While the graphics do come across slightly dated after 2 years, it's easy to forgive the few textures that aren't quite up to par because the world is just so huge that it would have been near impossible to make the entire map perfect. Another note about the graphics- When you are in a conversation with a NPC, you'll notice how stiff and cold the facial expression comes off, if you talk to a few NPCs, you'll notice that they all seem to have the same facial expression.
Sound- 10/10. The sound is actually very impressive in oblivion. While wandering around aimlessly in the countryside, a nice, calm, melodic theme will be accompanying you in your travels, but if you happen to come across a non-friendly character of any kind, a more up-beat music will kick in, to let you know to be on high alert. Also, you might notice the subtle changes in the sound that your feet make as you transition from dirt, to mud, to grass and so on. This is fairly impressive, because there is a countless amount of terrain put into Oblivion, and it all has high quality sound.
Customization- 9/10. Again, the word extensive comes up. There is so many ways to make your character unique. There are 10 different races, including Argonian, Breton, High Elf, Wood Elf, Nord, Redguard, Orc, etc. All of the ten different races have there own specific attributes that go with them. For example, Argonians have the ability to breathe underwater, while Wood Elves have the ability to summon small beasts to fight for them. After choosing a race, you go through a fairly extensive appearance customization, where you can change your characters Hair, face, body, and more. The appearance customization could be a bit deeper, as there are only limited choices in some of these categories. After a while of playing a game, you are forced to chose a birth sign and a class in which to be a part of. I was thoroughly impressed with the number of classes you get to choose from, and the game even gives you the ability to create your own. Each class has on specialization (perhaps magic, or blade), 2 favored attributes, and 7 major skills. You will want to choose these according to what race your character is, as it greatly affects the game. The way you level up is by using each of your 7 major skills, until you have increased them by 10 points total. Say one of your major skills is marksman, simply use your bow more to increase that skill. This plays a big role in determining what you will be fighting with, whether it be a Sword, Bow, Magic, etc. This leads to the next category.
Fighting System- 6/10. The first time you click the right trigger to swing your weapon, there is a good chance you might burst out laughing, like we did. Frankly, it looks pathetic while you are fighting with an object that requires swinging, especially from the 1st person view. Of course, Oblivion has so much else to offer, that you will get use to this and just except it as part of the game. Besides the standard sword fighting, you can use a bow, or cast magic, which is actually quite fun, and very satisfying. What you fight with is a big part in the success you will have in killing enemies. For example, if you are the typical quick character, an enchanted mace might not be the best thing for you to use. Perhaps a dagger, or bow would be better for that character. Customization also plays a role in fighting, as you might be fighting with an enchanted weapon, or fighting in enchanted armor. If you have completed the necessary steps in the Mages' Guild to gain access to the Arcane University, you will have the ability to create your own enchantments. Of course, you can pick up standard enchanted weapons, but it truly is fun playing with a weapon that you know, you helped to create.
Gameplay- 5/10. While I may not like the fighting system, it is definitely not the biggest problem in Oblivion. The game has MAJOR problems with loading times, screen tearing, frame-rate and items not loading completely loading into the world. Often, especially on horseback, you may be stopped in the middle of playing with a notice that says "loading area". Also, it cannot be stretched enough, that this game is riddled with glitches. Some actually can benefit you, but most of the time, they are just very frustrating, and a huge annoyance. The most famous glitch that can benefit you is the "Dorian Money Glitch", in which you can rob a man an unlimited amount of times, leading to an unlimited amount of money. That glitch helps you if you so choose to use it, but we've experienced the pain of playing through an Oblivion Gate, only for us to not be able to pick up the Sigil Stone required to close the gate. On the plus side, when you are lucky enough to be roaming the land without a frame-rate drop, you have the ability to change from 1st person to 3rd person whenever you like, but it is clear that the game was meant to be played in 1st person, and typical RPG fans that like 3rd person play will be disappointed.
Controls- 6/10. Clunky is the best way to describe the controls. In the heat of battle, it often becomes necessary to change weapons, but this is eliminated because of the "clunky" controls. You have to use the D-pad to change weapons, and it is often difficult to select the correct weapon on your first try, as the game has it set up so weapons are not only up, down left, and right, but are on all the diagonal buttons in between. Personally, were not fans of A as the jump button either, as almost no other games we've played have this.
Story(s)- 10/10. For me, the main story-line wasn't incredible, but definitely good enough. Here's the rundown on the main story- All over your land, gates to oblivion have opened and they threaten your entire world. The only way to stop this is to give the recently assassinated King's son the "Amulet of Kings", which has been taken to the hellish world of oblivion. You have to assist in getting it in many ways- maybe gather a few rare plants or stones, or even close one of the gates. Over time, you will dread going into the Oblivion Gates as you dread paying taxes. Actually, we stopped playing Oblivion entirely for a good long month, before forcing ourselves to start playing it again. The main quest can be frustratingly hard when you are forced to go into the dreaded Oblivion Gates, and this is when you have to start playing the game as a world, rather than a game. Just from a couple minutes of messing around with exploring, you will find that there is a countless number of side-quests, guilds, and people to meet and interact with. The major guilds you can join are the Fighters Guild, the Mages Guild, and the highly exclusive Thieves Guild. A problem for some people may be incentive to finish all of these quests, because it sure doesn't feel like you are so high-and-mighty while in your guilds, even if names like "master" and "champion" are bestowed upon you from the guilds you are in. For beating the fighters guild, the only reward you get is a treasure chest filled with a limited amount of gold, and whatever items that you might have come across in your work for them, so this could surely be looked upon as an issue. Besides the guilds, you can fight in the Arena, and possibly do errands for the counts and countesses all across Cyrodill. While all this sounds all right, the side-quests are really, what separate Oblivion from other games. So many different side quests that can be done, though none of them are mandatory. There is just such a wide variety of these side-quests that it really is stunning to look back on in retrospect of doing them. You might have to clear a cave of Trolls, retrieve a sacred Sword, maybe even settle a squabble in a couple's marriage- and of course you get rewarded well for partaking in these side quests. You can create your own path in the game, and it is obvious how much work went into all the different story lines.
So, though the fighting system or loading times didn't impress us, this game has to be played. As a man from a very notable gaming magazine said- "Oblivion is the best-looking game I have ever seen in my life". I'm not going to go that far, but this game is easily the best RPG of 2006, and will probably end up being one of the best, if not the best RPG to come out for the XBox 360. This game is very deserving of a 9.1/10 in our opinions, and we can't wait for Elder Scrolls V to come out.
2 Years Later, this is a great game April 9, 2008
First, this game is not for your average gamer. I play a ton of console games and Oblivion overwhemed me to the point that I wouldn't install the expansion disc till the 2nd time I played through it (I have the GOY edition).
Simply put, this is the best RPG experience available on the market. The graphics are brilliant, the music flows very well for a game that you can spend up to 300 hours playing, the voice acting is good, and the story lines are varied and involved. The game holds up so well graphically after two years and considering the story line and controls, its amazing more companies haven't attempted to emulate its successes.
However, its easy to see why. Simply put, the game is massive. Apparently, the world itself is nearly 14 square miles, which is huge. Factor in the 150 plus dungeons, etc and there is a monumental amount to explore. The level of character customization is off the charts. A lot of it doesnt affect game play, but you can spend hours tweaking your character so he/she looks just right.
The XP system is different from all others I've played. Instead of earning "XP" from killing things and finishing quests, you level up by using your 7 "Major skills". Go up a level in any combination of your 7 skills 10 times, and you level up. It's complicated to explain, but easy to see once you sit down and look at the skill set you create for your character.
Many of the complaints you will see about this game stem from the fact that it is so different from just about every other RPG out there. Other complaints include that it's really complicated, or that the control scheme is difficult to grasp. Well, its a great game that can take a while to understand, but the rewards from playing this game are well worth the time you invest in it. I can't recommend this game enough.
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