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This game does NOT work outside of the US

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 18
Date: November 04, 2006
Author: Amazon User

We could not get this game to work so we obviously did not have much fun with this game. I bought this game for my sister's boys in Sweden and I brought it there myself as birthday present. They have an Xbox 360. Unfortunately they could never use the game because of some idiotic limitation built by Microsoft in not allowing US Xbox 360 games to work on European Xbox 360 machines and vice versa. Amazon site and product info there does not make that clear at all. I had no idea. There is no way of knowing this. I think this stinks. My sister's boys were really dissappointed in not being able to play this game and the game sits now and collects dust. They and I are very upset.

Biggest Disappointment Ever

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 25
Date: June 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Where to start.....
1.) This has been the most unstable, glitchy-est, game ever produced. To date, i have had over 300 crashes and freezes from this game. i have had only 1 with every other title in my library, and that was an online error.
2.) Horrendous graphics. Everyone is saying that these are mind-blowing better than sex visuals, but everything is just well... shiny. And after the 13th tree that suddenly appeared in my path, i realized that this game has a serious rendering issue. the distant backgrounds consist of 2D 'landscapes' consisting of 3 or maybe even 4 colors. and the draw distance is atrocious, like i said, trees, bushes, people, rocks, monsters, shrubs, all seem to pop out of nowhere. and i love the fact that when you move next to water, the water ripple effects stop and freeze. all of that combined with the sheer ugliness and cartoony visages of every character make this game downright unpleasing to look at.
3.) any game that passes itself off as a sequel, should at least have some shred of continuity. this game goes of on several tangents in several areas and leaves many issues set in Morrowind contradicted in Oblivion. for example, the helm of Oreyn Bearclaw, Deadric Quests, Etc.
4.) THE LEVELING SYSTEM! The worst idea ever in an RPG. You spend a lot of time and energy fighting monsters to get better, so that you can kill said monsters more efficiently. Well guess what, when you level up, SO DO YOUR ENEMIES! So the game only gets HARDER as you level up, and not in a good way. For example, at level 1 when a rat bites you it does approxamitely 5% damage. at level 20, that same rat, still does 5% damage. WTF? so what ever happened to being a god in an RPG, this game forces you to be a cowardly like squelcher that has to run from a damn mudcrab at level 15, because the crab can still eat YOU.

Bad design, nice concept, horrible execution, good combat system, horrible experience system = bad sequel. my advice if you loved Morrowind is to leave this on the shelf and remember the good times, because this game ruins good memories of the entire series.

Seems like a good game... but just not my style.

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 0 / 9
Date: October 31, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I bought this game because it has a lot of good reviews. But after playing it for a couple of hours, I got tired of it. It does not have a lot of action and RPG is not really my style. Only buy this game if you truly like Role Playing Games.
The Collector's Edition comes with some cool stuff. If your mind is set in purchasing this game, definately get the Collector's Edition, the extras are worth it!

Hey Mikey, I Liked it!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 10
Date: March 30, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I rarely have been captivated by a game like this (Since Panzer Dragoon Saga). This one is good. Held my attention for more than 6 hours on the initial play through. It tends to suck you in.

Pros:
Pleasant Graphics
Good 1st person control
Very good NPC AI
Level system

Cons:
Sub-Par 3rd person control
Level system

Altogether a solid RPG
Worth the 59.95, but 69.95 gets you the bonus disc, A historical handbook, and a really cool GP (Coin).

Bought it on a whim, and liked it.

Oblivion

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: September 02, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Now if you haven't played one of the previous games you don't know what fun this game can bring. Let me first start off saying that on the xbox 360 console this is (LOADED) with gamerscore points 1000 to be exact and the great thing is you will have fun getting them. In the beginning of the game you can already see how sharp the graphics are and when you create your character how immersive the gameplay is. Going back to the graphics once you get out of sewers you will see how lucious and rich the enviorment is especially during the day. Another great thing about this game is the factions you can join there is the dark brotherhood the mages guild the fighters guild and the thieves guild each offering an array of special items and expiriences. And last is the new additions there is the horse the oblivion gates and of coursethe ayelid ruins and their varla and welkned stones.

ADDICTIVE GAME

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 4 / 8
Date: July 06, 2006
Author: Amazon User

OK...when buying or renting this game, take the week off, stockpile food and other necessities, pull down all the blinds, take the phone off the hook and lose yourself roaming this vast and amazing world with its cites and countrysides.. discovering hidden shrines, caves, sewers and ruins... allowing yourself the joy of the journey. The choices and ways to play this game are endless. Each aspect of the game is lovingly crafted ...right down to the accuracy of the different herbs and their properties. When you leave the game and return to the "real" world, you walk out into the bright daylight dazed and disoriented as a result of this "imagination jetlag". Yet, in spite of the brilliant work and loving detail, the designers fell short with the ending. Unlike, say, God of War or Devil May Cry..You make your choices and build your power, endurance, stamina and wealth....only to watch Martin deal with the final boss. I am at a loss. Why do they take you through such pains to build yourself up so much only to let the CPU fight the final boss. Perhaps I'm missing something.. Sort of makes the choices and the gathering of power and abilities rather fruitless really... unless you want to use your superpowers or superabilities to run errands for other people-SIGH! BUt all and all, it's a great game and very addictive...especially to all of us armchair travelers...a great buy..well worth the money!!

Its huge, its in depth, and its not for everyone.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 4
Date: August 18, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion takes place in a fantasy realm called Cyrodil... or Tamriel, I don't remember. Anyway it is under the rule of the Emporer Uriel Septim. When assassins from a cult known as the Mythic Dawn attack & killl Uriel, along with his direct heirs, the empire begins to fall into chaos - especially when the "Oblivion Gates" open and horrbile beasts begin to storm the land (these gates can also be considered gates to hell). Anyway, its up to your character to restore order to Cyrodil by finding Uriel's unknown son, crowning him king, and closing the Oblivion gates.

This game is by all means huge. You can literally interact with practically everything. This means you can harvest plants, throw plates, steal potatoes, swim, open treasure chests, sit down on benches, sleep in beds, repair your armor, move & search dead corpses, ride horses, cure diseases, read books, mix & name potions, etc. Furthermore, the "create a character" system is extremley in depth - you can customize the hair & eye color, skin tone, hair style, nose size & width, how bald you are, the race you want to be, and much more. In addition, the map is even huge filled with random dungeons, fortresses, mountains, cities, rebel encampments, forests, caves, mines, open plains, oblivion gates... all for the adventureous to explore. But since the map is so big I highly doubt you'll find everything, though you do have a compass at the bottom of your screen which helps a little.

Like every other RPG, you have to level up and to explain the leveling system is a bit complicated so bare with me. Depending on what you prefer as a weapon you go up in that sort of weapon style (ie: if you use swords, then your "blade" level goes up, if you prefer axes then your "blunt" level goes up.) You can raise your "sneak" level so you can pickpocket and go undetected, you can raise up your skills in lockpicking, blocking, heavy/light armor so you can carry more stuff, etc. Basically, if you can do it in the game, you can level it up and be better at it - easiest way to explain it.

Also, you can join different guilds and arenas to gain money, experience points (so you can level up) , common & rare equipment, side quests, and those lame X-Box 360 achievment things.

Oh, speaking of side quests do not think you will have this game completley beat in a matter of 3-6 hours like I did. There are MILLIONS of side quests... MILLIONS!!!! In every city there are atleast 25-30 side quests which involve having you go practically all over Cyrodil to find different things & people until the quest can be completed, but most of the time you have a choice of whether (for instance) to kill or not kill a character, which completley changes the outcome of the side quest. Meaning, you have two different paths to take. The main quest alone is really long, so I say this game is probably way more then 100 hours long.

Lets talk flaws: first of all the game is (in my opinion) way too long for its own good. Secondly, being evil does not pay - no matter what you do, be it lifting a plate in a house or killing someone a billion miles away - you can get arrested no matter where you go. Third, I get a good laugh at how a goblin as skinny as twig can block a powerful swing of a mace and send me stumbling back. Finally, the load times are RIDICULOUSLY long.... I could a make & eat a sandwhich, go to work and push through a 8 hour shift, come home and catch a nap, and come back and it will STILL be loading. Also, it amazes me how some of the Daedra enemies have a striking resemblance to Darth Maul from Star Wars.. one more thing about the loading: one minute you can be running in an open field, then all of a sudden trees and rocks and what not begin to just blip onto the screen.. lame.

The fighting in this game is somewhat lackluster, though its a big step up from Elder Scrolls: Morrowind. You can slash/swing sideways, up, down, block with your weapon or shield, shoot arrows (with a pretty decent aiming system by the way), and more. However, if you're playing on more difficult levels and you get attacked by more then two enemies at a time your basically screwed. You do get a LOT of weapons & armors, both magical & normal, all with different stats so thats cool.

The graphics in this game are amazing, that much I can say. Everything just has so much detail and looks really good. You can see flowers & grass swaying in the wind, trees changing from one season to the next, the sky growing red & hateful as you near an Oblivion gate, people's jaws moving when they talk, etc. The cities are massive, and some parts of the scenery are absolutley breathtaking. However, some times there are contrasting colors that make things hard to see - for instance, an Elve's skin is so bright and the room is dark that it looks like his face is made out of just polished gold.

The music is soothing, but it becomes really repetitve & just annoying after awhile. There are maybe three music tracks - a calm one, an action one, and a town one.. thats it. The sound effects are pretty right on for the most part, the swords & what not deliver a satisfying sound when connected with an enemy & monsters growls are excellent. However, I get a laugh when you throw a shield onto the floor and it sounds like a pin hitting the floor or when you throw a strawberry and it sounds like your slamming a rock against a wall. The voice acting is pretty good too.

Thanks to X-Box Live you can download content for this game such as armor for your horse, new areas & new weapons. But... I don't have any points, so I didn't bother.

In the collectors edition it comes with a 200 page book of the history of Cyrodil/Tamriel, a "making of Oblivion" DVD, and finally an actual Tamriel replicated coin.

To finish this review, this game is great as a buy if you have no life, enjoy really big RPGs, or no games that interest you and you want something to take up a lot of time. But for guys like me, it serves as nothing more then a few days of rental gameplay....yeah it has a pretty good & engaging story, great graphics, and a decent fighting system, but its just too damned big for everyone to enjoy & hold their attention.

My Favorite X-box 360 game so far

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: May 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

This game is massive! I am over 20 hrs into the game and I have not even started the main quest yet. I get the impression that this is the type of game that may hold my interest and time for much of the next year. The game is very open and non-linear so you can play it however you want.

The graphics are good, but not as great as a had hoped from a "next gen" game in HDTV. With that being said, there are some awesome landscapes to be found. Otherwise combat and physics are solid. I also am very impressed by the 5.1 Dolby surround. I happen to be playing as a thief and can use the directionality of ambient sounds to help me sneak up on my mark.

The main down-side I have found so far are long load times, some times as long as a minute. I also was disappointed by the lack of on-line play. This game would be even better if you could interact with other players and or do co-op play.

If you love RPGS, this belongs in your 360 collection. The high price is greatly mitigated by the huge world and replay ability.

This game eventually gets old...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: April 17, 2008
Author: Amazon User

I loved this game and I have about 200 hours into it now. Although a few months ago I kind of got sick of it. The combat system is great and everything else in it is great too. As I said, it just gets old after 3 or 4 months. So enjoy it! For a while... Oh yeah, and if you have it for your PC remember to have a really good computer and video card!

One of the best rpgs, if not one of the best games of the last decade

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 104 / 106
Date: April 10, 2006
Author: Amazon User

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (now that's a mouthful of a game title) was suppose to be set for release at the Xbox360's launch day of November 18, 2005. It was to be one of the 360's launch day crown jewels. Instead the game was delayed by Bethesda Software as they deemed it needed abit more polishing and work. There were quite abit of disappointed gamers who'd been waiting for almost 4 years for this nextgen sequel to the best-selling and quite popular The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind and its expansion packs. Now, after 4 months of delays, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has been released to the gaming public and the many delays was well worth the wait. Oblivion has turned out to be an excellent, fun and engaging roleplaying game that improves on what made Morrowind such as success and fixing the previous game's inherent flaws.

First off, Oblivion could be enjoyed by both Elder Scroll veteran gamers and new players to the series. Like the three previous games in the series, Oblivion takes place in the medieval fantasy world of Tamriel. Similar to the Japanese rpg franchise Suikoden, The Elder Scrolls game could be played without having played the previous titles in the series as each game works both as a continuation of the growing mythology of Tamriel, but at the same time a storyline which works as a stand-alone. Oblivion's storyline, or main quest as some would call it, involves the search for the long-lost heir of the recently assassinated Emperor of the Kingdom of Cyrodiil. The search for this heir would spell either the success of your character's journey to becoming hero of Cyrodiil for helping close the Oblivion Gates popping up all over Cyrodiil, or failing in that be destroyed with the rest of the kingdom. The main quest will take a dedicated gamer somewhere between 25-40 hours to complete and that alone is worthy of this game's purchase. But like Morrowind before it, Oblivion is not just about the main quest. Oblivion is a sandbox-type of game where the player is given free rein on what they should do. The main quest would be there for the player to work on, but they could also delay working on it to explore the huge realm of Cyrodiil and perform the 200 or so sidequests ranging from guildquests, city quests, and freeform quests. I went 100 hours from the day I bought the game before I even began to work on the main quest. But then the beauty of the game comes form the fact that each player could play the game however they want.

Just like the Grand Theft Auto games, Oblivion's gameplay is non-linear, but unlike Grand Theft Auto the gameplay and its many sidequest helps introduce the player to the rich and expansive world of Cyrodiil and Tamriel as a whole. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion took the open-ended gameplay of Morrowind, ran with it and made it simpler and less daunting by allowing for a simple journal log which kept track of all active, current and completed quests taken in by the player. Unlike Morriwind where a player played 15-20 hours before they even figured out what their main quest was supposed to be, Oblivion starts off the player with the main quest. This change in gameplay puts Oblivion heads and shoulders above its predecessor and makes the game much more accessible to the more casual gamer who in the past would've been intimidated by a large, complex game like Morrowind. And unlike other rpgs franchises like Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Wild Arms just to name a few, Oblivion doesn't end when a player finishes the main quest. Unless a player has done and finished every sidequest there is in the game, Oblivion continues well after one has found the heir to the throne, closed the Oblivion gates and saved Cyrodiil. Bethesda has already announced that they will continue to extend the game's lifespan by releasing new official questlines through Xbox Live download content. I like to characterize Oblivion as a Massive Multiplayer Online RPG (MMORPG), but without the Multiplayer Online part. In fact, Oblivion's more of an rpg than other MMORPG's like Final Fantasy XI, World of Warcraft and Guild Wars.

Second, Oblivion sports one of the most comprehensive character creation of any roleplaying game in the history of console gaming. The character creation doesn't begin at the start of the game but during the tutorial section which also acts as the first act of the all-encompassing main quest storyline. A player goes through this first part of the game learning the game mechanics and controls during a very hands-on journey through the Imperial City's sewer and catacombs. How a player goes about playing this stage helps the game come up with recommended classes for the player to choose from. But a player could bypass these recommendations and create a custom class of their own. Doing so they would be prompted to pick one of the 10 different races (4 human types, 3 elf types, and 3 creature types), then following it up with one of a dozen different birth signs (gives bonuses to attributes like Strenght, Intelligence, etc...), and finishing it off by choosing seven major skills that when levelled up ten times gives the player one full character level. If that wasn't enough the player then could then come up with a custom class name that only a player's imagination could limit in variety.

For all micromanaging players out there, Oblivion's character generator also allows for the player to alter, adjust and manipulate their character's facial and head details. From how the eyebrows look to the size and shape of the lips, chins, cheekbones and nose. Oblivion's character generator allows a player to almost create a character who could look like the player themselves or some other person they know. All it takes is time and dedication from working the sliders to get the right look. If a player wanted their character to look like Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn they could do so with time and effort. If they want their character to look like them then they could try and make it happen. The possiblities are endless and again only limited by one's imagination.

Third, Oblivion surely helps usher in the nextgen gaming promised by the gaming industry in 2005. The graphics in Oblivion bar none have to be one of the best looking. Bethesda's programmers and developers really take full advantage of the Xbox360's processing power as it gives the player a rich, lush and believable fantasy world. All of this done in full high-definition. Even when played on a standard TV, Oblivion is great to look at but it's with a HDTV that its beauty could truly be seen in full view and appreciated. From the sunlight and moonlight reflecting off the water surfaces of rivers, lakes and even just puddles of water after a thunderstorm to the swaying blades of grass that move with the wind and moves accurately when disturbed by characters moving through it. Each weapon and pieces of armor show great, fine detail that's also reflected on your player's character. It's not just the gleam and shine of the metal as the light hits them at an angle, but also the etching and rune work done on the gear could be seen from every angle and close-up. If there's to be found a hiccup in Oblivion's graphical beauty its that there's a slight problem of graphic pop-ups and fade-ins of distant images. It's really not enough to take away from the game's beauty, but it's there nonetheless. The PC version also has this problem but moreso if one didn't run the game on a bleeding-edge, hi-powered gaming pc rig.

Lastly, there's the audio part of the visual excellence of Oblivion. This game could truly only be played with justice and appreciation on a surround sound system sporting Dolby Digital 5.1. The game has been developed with true DD 5.1 surround sound and it shows at some of the more stealthy and shadowy gameplay aspects of Oblivion. One could here the ambient sounds of nature when exploring out in the field to the background chit-chat of passing npcs on the streets or in dwellings. The surround sound also helps a player when spelunking in caves and dungeons as enemies could be heard sneaking up on your flanks and rear through satellite speakers. The soundtrack to Oblivion was once again composed by premiere game music composer Jeremy Soule who also did Morrowind's excellent soundtrack. There's a hint of Howard Shore's Lord of the Rings to this soundtrack which just helps accentuate the game's epic and fantasy nature.

In the end, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion's four year trip from the minds of Bethesda's creative programmers ans developers has been a trip well worth all the delays. Oblivion has turned out to be a massive open-ended roleplaying game that's both fun and enjoyable to fans and non-fans of the genre and the series. Oblivion's a sandbox-type game which Grand Theft Auto wishes it could be and one that's now set the standard very high for other games in its genre to match and surpass. Oblivion has also officially announced the arrival of nextgen gaming with its HD graphics, true surround sound and excellent gameplay which could last a player 25 hours to 200+ or more. It all depends on the player. Oblivion has become the jewel crown in The Elder Scrolls saga and has become of the best rpgs ever, if not one of the best games of the last decade or more.

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