Instead of creating this massive intro paragraph about Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, I'm just going to cut the BS and be real with you.

Buy this game immediately, and if you don't have an Xbox 360, buy an Xbox 360 just to play this game.

That's it. No fancy words. No stupid paragraph about how Oblivion came to be. I did write a lengthy review, but don't bother reading it. Furthermore, don't read IGN, Gamespot, 1up, or Gamespy's reviews either. It's all going to be the same exact shit, except I'd wager that it's going to take you much longer to wade through all of their unnecessary crap. Besides, the longer you read about Oblivion, the less you're actually playing Oblivion.

If you're still with me, then you probably need more convincing, or, you're just really into Oblivion (and in the absolute worst case scenario, the game hasn't been released in your territory), and that's fine, as I'm more than happy to divulge information about the game and why it's so captivating. Basically, Oblivion is the quintessential single player adventure game, an experience where you can do, within reason, anything that you want. There is a main quest to follow and it's a marvelous tale about how you, as a mysterious courier for the late Emperor of Tamriel, must deliver the sacred Amulet of Kings to the last surviving heir while at the same time battling to close the horrible gates of Oblivion, but if you just don't give a damn about all of that stuff, you don't necessarily need to bother with it. The compass will always point you in the direction of your next important mission, but you're free to go in an entirely different direction. In fact, I encourage you to take the path less traveled by, as you'll discover a plethora of different things, some amazingly spectacular, and some downright horrible, but you'll have a fantastic time regardless of what you're doing.

Before you begin your adventure you're allowed to create your own character, and Bethesda has done a wonderful job providing us with a wealth of options, but it all begins with selecting one of roughly ten races, each of which has its own signature skills and abilities: Imperial, Khajiit, Nord, Orc, Redguard, Wood Elf, Argonian, Breton, Dark Elf, and High Elf. From there, you can opt to change their appearance (and the amount of options is just staggering), or you can settle for a computer generated character, which definitely speeds things up considerably.

After finishing with that, your quest begins, and like in Morrowind, you begin the game as a prisoner, but instead of being politely released and left to your devices, you're immediately plunged into a dangerous conflict that sets the game's fantastic tone, and after battling through the sewers you come out into the world, and that's when things get really crazy.

Upon seeing the healthy green forests, the blue sky, and the rippling water I was instantly ensnared by Oblivion's beauty. The game's dungeons and shops are exquisitely modeled and wonderfully attractive, but it's the countryside that's the most startling, especially since it encapsulates the game's enormity. I crept from the sewers, allowed the view to sink in, and then had no idea which direction to go. Sure, my compass had a little red mark on it that pointed me to my next destination, but this is an Elder Scrolls game, and with that being said, I decided to take a stroll, and that's another reason why Oblivion is so immersive.

There are a thousand different directions and hundreds of places to go, and in this game's case (and to use a terrible cliche), the sky's the limit. If you come face to face with a series of snow-capped mountains you can climb to their very tops. It may take you thirty minutes and there's no telling what abominations you'll discover on your journey, but in Oblivion, it's possible to ascend the highest peak, and once you get there you may discover that it's barren and bears no treasure, or you'll happen upon an entire town or passageway that leads into the rock, where valuables as well as danger await you with open arms. There's just so much to do that I managed to complete the very first mission after just a couple hours of play.

The fact that Oblivion's such a big game isn't all that surprising when you consider that Morrowind is also enormous, and similar to the aforementioned prequel, you can interact with a wide variety of NPCs, go on various side quests, hunt for treasure, collect a whole bunch of stuff, dress up (or dress down) your character, kill people at random, claim houses as your own, and join guilds. All of that can be done in Morrowind, and since I spent a lot of time playing that game, Oblivion didn't impress me in that respect. However, it was how I succeeded in these objectives that set this game apart from all the rest beginning with horseback riding. In Morrowind you hitch a ride on these gigantic creatures and you never actually see where you're going. The game just loads, but in Oblivion, you can hop onto a horse and actually take the scenic tour in real time.

Furthermore, the combat system has been superbly refined. In Morrowind, whether you actually hit something is dependant on the roll of the dice, and while those dice still have some bearing in Oblivion, the game feels more like a first person shooter than an RPG. When you go up to something (or someone) and bring down your sword (or whatever) you'll make contact. That doesn't mean that the game's easy, because the different types of enemies, which range from skeletons to ghosts to bandits, will kick your ass if you're not careful, but in Oblivion, you'll feel a greater sense of control. I still found myself running away from NPCs (which will pursue you across great distances), but by and large, if someone pissed me off, my confidence level was such that I engaged them in combat, at least for a little while.

Continue...