Oblivion Elder Scrolls

Oblivion Elder Scrolls

Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion is the fourth episode in the Elder Scrolls series. It is a single player role-playing game, published by Bethesda Game Studios, which pits the player against all manners of creatures and characters. It is available on most platforms including PC, Playstation 3 and Xbox. The map that can be played on is vast, covering the province of Cyrodiil in the Land of Tamriel, with a number of detailed cities and villages to explore. There are also countless castles and keeps, caves and the oblivion gates themselves to explore. Add to this the visually stunning graphics, and you can see why Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion is such a popular computer video game. If that wasn't enough, Bethesda also released a downloadable add on called Knights of the Nine, and an expansion pack, The Shivering Isles.

Modern computer games are a world apart from the ones most of us played when we were younger. Despite the often-fantastical descriptions on the boxes, these old games were very much a linear path from the start to the end. Usually, specific tasks had to be completed in order to continue, and often in a particular way. This lead to games having a short shelf life – you finish it once, and that’s it. Recent games are different, they are often called ‘sandbox’, as there is not a defined storyline through the games. Instead players can do almost anything they want – follow the main plot, or just do what they want. It doesn’t sound like much of a game, until you have a go, and that’s what I did with Oblivion.

Like the previous episode, Morrowind, you start the game in a prison cell. You have no idea why you are there or for how long – it’s never explained. After listening to a fellow inmate giving some less than encouraging remarks, the guards enter your cell, and the initial ‘tutorial’ starts. I won’t give the story line away (even though it’s not that important), but how you react to different problems, determines the skills you acquire, and the sort of character you play. And this is where the strength of the game lies, there is no set way in which to play it. Gone are the days of selecting the class of character you play before you start and that being that. Now you can play with a style that suits you – think about how you solve something, or just rush in swords swinging, cast a spell, or sneak through in the shadows, its up to you. As you fight creatures, pick locks and creep past baddies, your skill level for that particular action increases, meaning that if you don' t do something, like cast spells, your character will not get any better at it. The game really does adapt to your particular style.

The tutorial section guides you through the various control keys and methods, so you 're not just left stranded. However, it's not long before you are on your own outside the prison with a quest from the main plot line. But as said above, you can do what you like. Its probably best to just go for a wonder round, and get used to controlling your character. Before long you will run into something that doesn't like you much, and then the training from the tutorial kicks in – you hope.

As you get into the game, one of the things that is most impressive, is the graphics. There is a tremendous amount of detail everywhere you look, whether on a path between villages, down the depths of a castle or walking round the citadel. Ok, you need a high-end graphics card to get the best effects, but if have one, you can see for miles – assuming the weather is clear, yes the weather changes! There is a central capital within the 16 square miles of terrain. Surrounding this is an area containing hight mountains, vast grass plains and forests. Stand on a cliff and look around. It can be spectacular at sun set.

But graphics isn't everything, and there is plenty more in the game. There are hundreds of NPCs (none player characters) that you can talk to. Some of them have quests that you can take for a reward, or like everything else, you can just ignore. There are guilds to join that will help your skills, and a lot of trading to do to raise money to buy better equipment. And all of this is without even mentioning the main quest.

At some point, even if its just out of curiosity, you will start the main quest. The empire is in great danger (don't you know), and your the one to sort it out. This involves talking to certain people, doing difficult missions and travelling through the oblivion gates to fight some rather nasty things that would rather you weren't there. The story unfolds in a natural manner as different layers of the intrigue are revealed. And before long you will come across voices that you will recognise. Bethesda not only concentrated on getting the big things right, but also the smaller as well. You will already have encountered Patrick Steward in the tutorial, but there is also Sean Bean and a little further on, Terence Tramp. It goes to show how well Oblivion was put together.

Computer video games are looked down on as a form of entertainment. It is usually seen as the domain of teenagers in their bedrooms. However, these games have come along way since space invaders and pacman. They are not quite at a stage were you are free to do everything you want to do, but you can almost do anything. The pixilated graphics have been replaced by HD quality images, and sound is close to lifelike. If you have never played a modern game or its been years since you tried, then you don't know what your missing. Oblivion Elder Scrolls is a great (re)introduction to modern games, and at the price of a dvd, will give you many hours of fun.