I waited six years for the Lord of the Rings Trilogy Extended Collector's Edition and when I finally got my hands on it, I felt like Gollum with the Ring of Power. When I heard that Bethesda were to release a sequel to Morrowind - one of my all-time favourite games of any genre - I once again felt that "My preciousssss" tremble in my soul.

After a long, long wait, the game was released and I equipped my trusty Daedric laser mouse, inserted the game disc with surgical delicacy, and prepared to feast upon a whole new episode in the The Elder Scrolls series...

The installation process is quick and easy enough - as was the options setup - despite the game's hefty 4.7 GB - and a few minutes later we are into the game. The very first thing that leaps out at you is the HUGE improvement in graphical detail compared to Morrowind. Textures, lighting effects, object physics and overall aesthetics have been taken to new heights with this title, although this means that its full capabilities are inaccessible to all but the highest-spec hardware setups. The character creation stage is the most complete (and time-consuming) I have ever seen in a game. This includes customizing every aspect of the Player's physical appearance, right down to the last detail. The inclusion of the Havok physics system is also evident from the outset, as we are able to freely move objects such as bottles, chains and even corpses. As the game progresses, this can make for some highly amusing scenes of drunkards throwing flagons of mead across the tavern, and felled opponents tumbling down mountainsides, but above all adds to the vastly improved feeling of immersion and environmental interaction that was so distinctly lacking from Oblivion's predecessor.

Starting off in a prison cell in Cyrodiil's Imperial City, we are approached by Emperor Uriel Septim himself, and he speaks. Yes, speaks! All dialogues and comments throughout the game are spoken, as opposed to the endless reams of text dialogue of before, and are brought even more to life with a near-perfect system of lip-sync and facial expressions that again heightens that feeling of being "there." After a brief, but rather "hairy" tutorial stage, we're off out into the big wide world of Oblivion. And believe me, it's BIG. We have almost limitless freedom of movement in a huge, sprawling country the size of - erm - a country, although as we find new locations we are able to "Fast Travel" to them, and the clock jumps forward the amount of time it would have taken us to get there on foot, or on horseback.

Another thing which is immediately noticeable is the more instantly accessible gameplay. Even at Level 1, we are able to move at a reasonable pace, and not get beaten to a pulp by kwama scrubs like we did in Morrowind. Bethesda seem to have struck a fairly happy medium between the more "purist" roleplay system of their previous productions, and the "jump-right-in" approach of games like their recent Call of Cthulhu; all the while retaining in us that omni-important urge to "level up." Having said that, as the game progresses there are times when the "leveled creature" spawning detracts somewhat from the scare-factor, if we venture too soon into what should be forbidden territory - teeming with adversaries beyond our current capabilities - only to find a couple of Level 2 skeletons and a snow wolf. But dismay not! For the dangers are many and myriad-kind, and you'll get your fair share of umber loincloths!

So where was I? Oh yes, outside. As the sun sets slowly in the west, we bear witness to one of the most spectacular sights of any videogame ever: the rich crimson glow over Lake Rumare outside the Imperial City at sunset - and the subsequent fading hues of the Cyrodiilic dusk - caused me to gasp in awe in much the same way as I did the first time I crossed Hyrule Field in Ocarina of Time. But enough of my banter! What you really want to know is "is it any good?!?" And the answer is yes; yes, if you want stunning, sprawling lands in which to roam and complete quests and explore and fight mythical beasts and save the world. Yes, if you like an instant-gratification-fantasy-action-RPG with potentially hundreds of hours of gameplay. But if your cup of tea is hardcore roleplay and the satisfaction of sweating your way up through the leveling system (and if, like me, you wanted more Morrowind) then you're in for a bit of a disappointment. But comparisons are odious, and if we take Oblivion as a whole new game in its own right, it more than makes up for its shortcomings by being a great game, and will undoubtedly attract thousands of gamers old and new, of all ages and preferences - which is a definite notch on the bedpost for Bethesda.

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Created Jan 10, 2008 at 8:55am • Submit your own review...