The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for PC Reviews

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

2K Games

Release Date: March 20, 2006

Also On: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360

Metascore

Based on

54 Critics

User Score

8.0

Based on

2028 Ratings

Summary Back to top

Oblivion is a single-player game that takes place in Tamriel's capital province, Cyrodiil. You are given the task of finding the hidden heir to a throne that sits empty, the previous emperor having been killed by an unknown assassin. With no true Emperor, the gates to Oblivion (the equivalent of hell in the world of Tamriel) open, and demons begin to invade Cyrodiil and attack its people and towns. It's up to you to find the lost heir to the throne and unravel the sinister plot thatOblivion is a single-player game that takes place in Tamriel's capital province, Cyrodiil. You are given the task of finding the hidden heir to a throne that sits empty, the previous emperor having been killed by an unknown assassin. With no true Emperor, the gates to Oblivion (the equivalent of hell in the world of Tamriel) open, and demons begin to invade Cyrodiil and attack its people and towns. It's up to you to find the lost heir to the throne and unravel the sinister plot that threatens to destroy all of Tamriel. In keeping with the Elder Scrolls tradition, players have the option to experience the main quest at their own pace, and there are plenty of opportunities to explore the vast world and make your own way. Numerous factions can be joined, such as the thieves or mages guilds, and each contains its own complete storyline and the chance to rise to the head of the faction and reap further rewards. Oblivion features a groundbreaking new AI system, called Radiant AI, which gives non-player characters (NPCs) the ability to make their own choices based on the world around them. They decide where to eat or who to talk to and what they say. They sleep, go to church, and even steal items, all based on their individual characteristics. Full facial animations and lip-synching, combined with full speech for all dialog, allows NPCs to come to life like never before. [Bethesda]… Expand

Starring: Craig Walton, Todd Howard, Jeremy Soule

Developer: Bethesda Softworks

Genre(s): Role-Playing

# of players: 1 Player

Cheats: On GameFAQs

Rating: M

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Critic Reviews Back to top

Positive:

Mixed:

Negative:

100

Boomtown

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is less a videogame and more a life in and of itself. The longer I’m away from it the more I come to appreciate it.

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100

Quandary

I honestly have to say that I am in favour of most of the changes and I think Oblivion is an awesome achievement from Bethesda.

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Gamer's Hell

Oblivion is far from a perfect game, but I can think of very few titles that come as close. It’s among the very best in terms of gameplay, audio, and graphics.

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netjak

An incredibly solid RPG. The sheer variety of gameplay elements available, paths you can take, and quests in the game make it well worth a purchase. There is no reason why any RPG aficionado should not own this title.

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PC Format

The 21st Century's finest, most involving roleplaying game so far. [May 2006, p.85]

Game Revolution

The number of options is so vast, it's nearly paralyzing figuring out what it is you want to do next.

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GameSpy

Assuming one has a system with the muscle to run the game and the player is willing to accept some technical glitches, there simply isn't a better RPG experience available.

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User Reviews Back to top

Positive:

365

Mixed:

Negative:

AnonymousMC

Apr 10, 2008

Dispite all the criticisms of people who doesn't understand the TRUE idea of this game, people, this game is one of the best(and moreDispite all the criticisms of people who doesn't understand the TRUE idea of this game, people, this game is one of the best(and more creaitive) game ever made so far in the history of gaming. Deep and immersive RPG/FPS style just makes you want to come back for more and more... Beats the crap out of Halo series with dumb mindless shooting gameplay. No doubt, Trust me, Buy this game, it worth every penny of the cost. And your pretty much set as a gamer.… Expand

Luke

Mar 10, 2006

Are you kidding me if anyone gave this game a lower score then at 10 out of 10 they r nuts its just like morowind with a major graphicallAre you kidding me if anyone gave this game a lower score then at 10 out of 10 they r nuts its just like morowind with a major graphicall over-hall. This game actualy has a physics engine and its over 100 hrs of gameplay which means ill never finish this one just like i never finished morrowind but at least ill have the time of my life plain it… Expand

mindguru

May 1, 2011

Honestly, I don't understand most of the negative criticism for this game. A HUGE improvement on TES3: Morrowind in terms of combat andHonestly, I don't understand most of the negative criticism for this game. A HUGE improvement on TES3: Morrowind in terms of combat and atmosphere. Combat is much more engaging, as it should be for this style of game. Quests are entertaining and tough enemies are very challenging (until you are extremely high level). Coupled with a do-anything-you-want style world, this game will entertain for hours. My only complaint is that it ended so soon. The world is much smaller than its predecessor, Morrowind. Players of that game will find the world somewhat confining, and you definitely won't get the 500+ hours of gameplay like you did in that title. An awesome game, though. Can't wait for TES V!… Expand

mrpeip

Jan 26, 2013

TES IV: Oblivion opened the door of a new kind of RPG playing, it's visuals and it's gameplay are wonderful but still, and as many BethesdaTES IV: Oblivion opened the door of a new kind of RPG playing, it's visuals and it's gameplay are wonderful but still, and as many Bethesda games, t's a bit buggy. Even though, I believe this is one of the best games Bethesda ever made.… Expand

BlackWidow

Jun 2, 2013

I am a HUGE fan of the TES games. I have played them all and even modded the tar out of III and IV. TES IV: Oblivion is a fantastic game. TheI am a HUGE fan of the TES games. I have played them all and even modded the tar out of III and IV. TES IV: Oblivion is a fantastic game. The only reason I gave it a score of 8 is because although I love the game, there are a few things I wish Bethesda would have done better or differently.

Let me start with the BAD: There's a lot here.

The leveling system I don't care for, because the way the creatures level with you, I never felt like my player got any stronger. I also thought the storyline was a little weak. I felt very unsatisfied when it ended. The Oblivion gates were very tedious. It seems like someone just got lazy and copy/pasted. Not much fun. Furthermore, the NPC races share voices instead of each having a unique voice as in TES III: Morrowind. This was a let down. Furthermore, it doesn't seem like Bethesda put very much effort into NPC realism with this title. For instance, if you get caught stealing or trespassing, the guards will try to arrest you, however, if you get busted in let's say the Imperial City, resist arrest, head to let's say, Bruma and then talk to a guard, they will try to arrest you for that crime you committed in the Imperial City. I guess the guards are all psychic. Weird. I mean, how could the guards know your character was a wanted criminal in another village? Same thing when you steal an Imperial Legion horse. Even though the guard is lying there dead and you take the horse, you can still get busted. Those legion horses are the same as other horses in the game. Are they tagged or branded or something? NPC reactions are pretty bad. As with Morrowind, people had many things to say to your character regarding nudity, the weather, disease, and many other things. You don't see this in Oblivion. Rather dull if you ask me and very unrealistic. Thanks to mods, many of these bad points I've noted have been fixed, but it's something Bethesda should have done. Oblivion seems to have focused mainly on graphics and eye candy rather than realism. Sad but true.

Now for the GOOD:

The journal/quest system is awesome. In Morrowind, you could break quests if you weren't careful. This has been very much improved in Oblivion. Great. The graphics are incredible. The combat system I found very fun and enjoyable. The alchemy is a blast to play with as you can make very powerful potions. I especially liked the powerful weather effects. Very good! The guild quests were all good and the side quests were fun as well. I really liked the ability to buy houses and ride horses. The forts and caves all seemed a little repetitive, but were still fun in ways. All in all, although I feel the game has more bad points than good, I still have to rank it as the 3rd best in the TES series. The game is awesome despite its many flaws. 8/10.… Expand

RicM.

Apr 11, 2006

This game is extremely big, but ultimately extremely empty and without reward. The main story will only take a few hours to beat, regardless This game is extremely big, but ultimately extremely empty and without reward. The main story will only take a few hours to beat, regardless of what other people say. Since there is level scaling, there is very little reward for leveling up and because of the scaling you can literally beat the game on level 1 if you so choose. There are a suprising low variety of places to visit (mostly just town, cave, ruin or planes to oblivion) and enemies to fight. I got very tired venturing into the gates of oblivion to fight only a handful of enemies each time, even if you level up a lot. The main story, as well as completing any of the guilds, leaves a great deal to be desired. In fact, you do not even get to fight the end boss yourself, you just watch this fight and that's it. Since the story is so weak, the ending is weak and feels like a waste of time. I really wanted to give this game a 10, I had a lot of fun and it was worth the $50 I suppose, but I feel that this is one of those rare games that could've been amazing, but it was only good. While better than Morrowind, it still doesn't have an engaging story. It just feels like you're playing an MMORPG that is only for one player really. Too bad you can't combine the size and beauty of this game with the focus and NPC interactivity of Fable. It's also VERY VERY VERY annoying how every guard everywhere has telepathy and if you stealthy kill one all the sudden there's a 1000 bounty on your head no matter where you go, and the guards will never ever stop pursuing you. This game should've been delayed a long while.… Expand

bosochargedhercegovan

Nov 4, 2006

the graphics are drab, unbearable shit. i just want to tear the screen apart when I see them. its almost as if the developers mixed up theirthe graphics are drab, unbearable shit. i just want to tear the screen apart when I see them. its almost as if the developers mixed up their own spit and vomit and used that as inspiration. second, the artists are hired from some shitty mental insitution where they have daily art lessons. there is absolutely NOTHING inspiring or captivating about them at all. Decade old games like Mario or Zelda have more interesting and for the most part better graphics than oblivion. oblivion makes use of innovations like antialiasing and ASF and thats it.

second the engine used is shit. gamebryo?? lol are you kidding. the programmers are shit. ever1 that worked on this game were the bottom scrapers of the industry. That is because Bethesda is a cheap-arse company that spends all its money on promotion and making crappy movie tie-ins.

NWN2 is out now!! its not as good as i thought but kicks Obliviooons arse anyday.… Expand

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