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Review - Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

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1)   11 May 2008 13:05
Enigmatism
Anonymous Source
Posts: 4
Joined: 23 Mar 2008

I, being a apple pie-gorging, red-white-and-blue-type individual living in the best country ever (seconding is Guam, where you can be a government-funded pimp), I have the great fortune of having games released to me faster. Now then, Elder Scrolls: Oblivion is another game from the generator of the Elder Scrolls series and the first real-time Fallout, Bethesda. Like all of Bethesda's games, gives you thousands of options to choose from. As I am absolutely horrid at mico-managing stats and such, along with fully-customizable faces, I failed very badly at it. Or maybe the fact that each voice is recycled counless times through the game put too much monotony to it.

At any rate, you play as a person who, throughout the course of the game, noone asks the name of, and the people still trust you to save the world or something. You collect spells (most are unnecessary), weapons (which don't need to be bought), and do quests (low-pay, high-work jobs) for gold (which you always never have enough of). Here's what you need to know: the emperor has been killed, and you need to have a new emperor on the throne. After that, you topple a cult and have to take down a huge daedra in a suit of what I call "Armor of Assrape." That's all you need to know of the plot, since that's all that is really connected to it.

If you liked Morrowind, it's more of the same, except a different villain and time, and different circumstances. Altogether, not a really bad game, just boring.

2)   11 May 2008 13:22
nilcypher
Red Guard
Posts: 744
Joined: 21 Feb 2008

Enigmatism:
Altogether, not a really bad game, just boring.

Huh? Surely a boring game is not good one?

3)   11 May 2008 13:30
Chalee
Paperboy
Posts: 48
Joined: 14 Jan 2008

Bad review.

4)   11 May 2008 14:15
AzraelUK
Anonymous Source
Posts: 3
Joined: 27 Apr 2008

If anybody watches BBC3, you'll have seen the sixty-second news. It's a stinking turd -- albeit quite a small one -- in between the actual interesting content. Sixty-second reviews seem much the same.

5)   11 May 2008 14:26
Easykill
Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1171
Joined: 13 Sep 2007

I disagree about Oblivion being more of the same from Morrowind, I would have liked it better if it was. The only really good thing about Oblivion was the dark brotherhood quests, they were cool. Well, graphics and the compass were nice too I guess.

6)   11 May 2008 14:26
Enigmatism
Anonymous Source
Posts: 4
Joined: 23 Mar 2008

One, I did do this in 60 seconds. First post, tired, not really liking the subject. Two, I did not say the game was good, just boring. In my measure, boring is wanting to quit after an hour of playing, and bad is wanting to stop after a few minutes. Three, I didn't reach the end of this game, because it's boring, long, and filled to its brim with dialogue and pointless exploring. Plus, I don't do this for a living, and I typed it out in the post box, not on Word.

7)   11 May 2008 14:31
tagMaverick
Copy Clerk
Posts: 55
Joined: 30 Apr 2008

It's an interesting take on the game. :)

8)   11 May 2008 14:38
marfoir(IRL)
Copy Clerk
Posts: 69
Joined: 11 Jan 2008

At least make an effort mate, talk about the hundreds of side quests, how you can rise to be the leader of all the guilds, the good graphics, the amazing soundtrack, the huge open world, how every dungeon is the same as the last one, how the enemies level with you...

In those two lines I've done a better review of the game than you because I have mentioned more than the plot. I know more about the game from those two lines than your review. I don't often like to criticize in case someone throws the old "well you do better" line in my face but in this situation I could do better.
If you plan to do more "reviews" talk about the gameplay, graphics, soundtrack, voiceacting, etc., don't just summarize the plot and say it's like a previous game.

EDIT(after reading his reply post):

Enigmatism:
One, (1)I did do this in 60 seconds. (2)First post,(3) tired, (4)not really liking the subject. Two,(5) I did not say the game was good, just boring. In my measure, boring is wanting to quit after an hour of playing, and bad is wanting to stop after a few minutes. Three, I didn't reach the end of this game, because it's boring, long, and filled to its brim with dialogue and pointless exploring. Plus, (6)I don't do this for a living, and I typed it out in the post box, not on Word.

(1)That shows your lack of effort
(2)So? That doesn't give a good first impression.
(3)Then don't write a review if you're tired, go to sleep.
(4)Then don't review it, nobody is forcing you to.
(5)You said it was not bad, same thing.
(6)So? That doesn't stop you writing a competant review.

9)   11 May 2008 14:51
nilcypher
Red Guard
Posts: 744
Joined: 21 Feb 2008

Enigmatism:
One, I did do this in 60 seconds. First post, tired, not really liking the subject. Two, I did not say the game was good, just boring. In my measure, boring is wanting to quit after an hour of playing, and bad is wanting to stop after a few minutes. Three, I didn't reach the end of this game, because it's boring, long, and filled to its brim with dialogue and pointless exploring. Plus, I don't do this for a living, and I typed it out in the post box, not on Word.

When someone says a thing is not bad, I tend to assume they mean that something is good, or at least passable. I didn't realise that 'boring' was an entry on the admittedly loose Good-Bad scale. You can make all the excuses that you like for the quality of your review, but I don't think that anyone who posts reviews in this forum is a professional reviewer, and most of us put in a little more effort, even for games we don't like.

10)   11 May 2008 21:10
Copter400
Pulitzer Laureate
Posts: 822
Joined: 14 Sep 2007

Very in-depth. You told us everything we need to know about the gameplay, dialog, philosophical undertones...

Here's a tip. Don't post a review if all you're going to do is skim over some plot details and deliver a confusing diagnosis. We don't need that here.

11)   11 May 2008 21:29
JamesR
Anonymous Source
Posts: 8
Joined: 18 Nov 2007

Posts 2 and 3 pretty much say it all.

12)   11 May 2008 21:57
noolli
Copy Clerk
Posts: 56
Joined: 5 Feb 2008

I thought this was an epic game. But you do have a point about the name thing. No one cares who you are and the fact you start in a prison means you are most likely, ya know, a criminal and a particularly bad one if you got caught. I thought that as well as no one caring who you are, you have no reason to be in the one province infested by deadra i would of fucked off to hammerfall with that amulet as soon as i got out of the prison but then that wouldn't make much of a story unless them idiot guards were hunting you down in the masses and the only way to escape them is to give the amulet to m........ c........ and take over cyrodil by his side. that would be cool.

13)   11 May 2008 22:39
tagMaverick
Copy Clerk
Posts: 55
Joined: 30 Apr 2008

I didnt like that all i got for the main quest was some shitty armor. I saved the province, probably the world, and i got a better quest item from a lvl2 daedra.

14)   11 May 2008 23:34
Scarpy
Paperboy
Posts: 33
Joined: 10 May 2008

Just stop posting now, until your posts are well thought out, un-biased and well presented.

15)   11 May 2008 23:57
s0denone
Paperboy
Posts: 50
Joined: 25 Apr 2008

Great review! You altered my opinion on the matter, I never thought of it that way, rather compelling to say the least!

Cockney Weasel.

16)   12 May 2008 00:38
Break
Muckraker
Posts: 280
Joined: 10 Sep 2007

Sure, being tired excuses you from writing a good review. You can't be expected to write well when you just need to go to sleep.

On the other hand, I do kind of wonder about the type of person to go, "oh, man, I'm beat. I really need to get to bed- OH HAY A FORUM". Seriously, what's the matter with you?

17)   12 May 2008 03:50
Programmed_For_Damage
Press Junketeer
Posts: 406
Joined: 26 Mar 2008

The first time I played this through I got really annoyed with the enemies constantly being almost more than a match for me regardless of if I was weilding the Sword of Eternal Pwnage or a tinfoil spork.
Then I became the head of the Fighters Guild, Mages Guild, Dark Brotherhood and the Grey Fox (not to mention becoming schizophrenic) and then I could slap down enemies left, right and centre without breaking a sweat.

18)   12 May 2008 16:27
Sparkly Weasel
Beat Writer
Posts: 127
Joined: 8 May 2008

s0denone:

Cockney Weasel.

HEY!

19)   12 May 2008 16:55
mitsoxfan
Copy Clerk
Posts: 83
Joined: 12 Feb 2008

Maybe there's a niche for '60 second reviews'.

Oblivion: It's like the cube root of Daggerfall * Doom!

20)   12 May 2008 17:02
runtheplacered
Beat Writer
Posts: 207
Joined: 31 Oct 2007

Ok, we get it. You guys didn't like his review. Why are there 19 posts about it? You guys are so die-hard. heh

21)   12 May 2008 19:22
lordyawgmoth
BANNED
Posts: 6
Joined: 7 May 2008

What is this. It's too short. IMHO I think/thought the game was really, really, REALLY good. I've been playing for like 100 hours and I'm still not bored.

22)   13 May 2008 04:25
Knight Templar
Infamous Scribbler
Posts: 699
Joined: 29 Dec 2007

You lied, where's the review?

23)   13 May 2008 19:37
s0denone
Paperboy
Posts: 50
Joined: 25 Apr 2008

Sparkly Weasel:

s0denone:

Cockney Weasel.

HEY!

PARDON MOI, MADEMOISELLE.

24)   15 May 2008 09:36
avykins
Beat Writer
Posts: 174
Joined: 8 May 2008

Wow. Started off with moronic american ego stroaking and then somehow managed to get worse...
That much stupidity is truly impressive.

Anyway I personally loved Oblivion. I have played approximatly 30 hours of it soo far and am yet to close a single Ovlivion gate thats just how much stuff is it in.
Throw in all the amazing mods and its one of the best games I have played in a long time.

25)   16 May 2008 15:50
Kaos Incarnate
Copy Clerk
Posts: 108
Joined: 7 May 2008

I find my kicks from Oblivion by putting on god mode and murdering everyone I see, especially with the guards which seems to know where you are no-matter what, also I am taking my time through the Dark Brotherhood quests.

26)   21 May 2008 23:46
Random argument man
Copy Clerk
Posts: 112
Joined: 21 May 2008

Except for
-each time you have to go in one Oblivion gate...beat the same guys all over again then close gate and its over..
-The Main Story

The game is kinda good. Althought I wish they had putted more guilds

27)   22 May 2008 00:11
Archaeology Hat
Copy Clerk
Posts: 98
Joined: 6 Nov 2007

Mild Spoilers

If I had never played Morrowind then Oblivion would be my favourite game ever. But I had played Morrowind, whenever I compare the two, Oblivion comes out on top only for graphics, physics and combat. It's by no means a bad game, nor was I really ever bored while playing it. It was just shallow compared to it's predecessors in the series. Compared to Morrowind, which, on my first time playing killed me in half an hour multiple times, Oblivion is in fact really easy, at least to begin with.

I found it odd how Oblivion punished the player for leveling up, as fights actually got harder what with enemies leveling up with you. Compared to Morrowind where if you had the willpower to level your character up to 30ish you tended to feel like a god, increasingly past about the mid twenty levels Oblivion became infuriating with it's "every fight is epic".

My favourite parts of the game were the Dark Brotherhood Quests, which were interesting and suitably nasty, while, if you read into them, all had a certain degree of "justice". For example some snooping round the Imperial city reveals evidence that implies your first kill, that of a man named "Rufio" was comissioned by someone in revenge for a rape, all of the cludo house guests have something going against them. I also loved the Shivering Isles expansion, it brought back alot of the wierdness that made me love Morrowind.

As for micromanaging stats, it's not particularly hard... Oblivion doesn't even need to be micromanaged. Ever tried playing on +100 difficulty? Then you'll understand what all those unneccesary spells are for.

28)   22 May 2008 00:55
Whitto
Copy Clerk
Posts: 57
Joined: 19 Mar 2008

I enjoyed (and am still enjoying) Oblivion, but I'm a huge fan of Morrowind and I agree with Easykill; it would have been more enjoyable had it been more of the same. On the face of it, Oblivion is better than its predecessor in almost every way, but it doesn't suck me in like Morrowind does. My main issue with Oblivion is that whilst Bethesda have quite obviously gone to a lot of trouble to improve most of the game play elements (combat in particular) I can't help but feel like the atmosphere has suffered as a consequence. When I play Morrowind I feel like I've entered an alternate universe full of bizarre creatures,lost civilizations and mysterious characters. With Oblivion I don't get that feeling, it just feels like pootling through Ye Olde England, which is nowhere near as exciting.

Yes, Cyrodiil is a stunning game environment by all accounts, but it hasn't got the variety of Vvardenfell, one of the things I really enjoyed about Morrowind was walking from place to place and seeing the landscape change, there were swamps, deserts, forests, volcanoes, and weird giant-mushroom things, we had the lot! Cyrodiil by contrast, is mostly just forest and mountains. Beautiful, yes, but a tad monotonous.

Oblivion has better mechanics almost across the board undeniably making it a 'better' game but even when I'm having a great time turning goblins into flaming ragdolls with my Bow of Blaze, I still catch myself gazing wistfully at my copy of Morrowind and wishing I was doing so in Vvardenfell.

Is it just me?

29)   22 May 2008 02:00
Hey Joe
Pulitzer Laureate
Posts: 707
Joined: 23 Dec 2007

Longer review please.

Games are bigger than a couple of paragraphs.

30)   22 May 2008 02:04
Fire Daemon
Gone Gonzo
Posts: 1533
Joined: 18 Dec 2007

Try adding more to your review, add structure and provide evidence to back your opinions instead of just saying your opinions.

 
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