Time divided by Money = Great Value!

(I wrote about this a while ago. I still play occasionally, but only occasionally because i would a lot more if i had the time to devote to it)

The PC and console video game market is incredibly competitive these days. It's not hard to go to a retail store and have literally thousands of choices in front of you, and with new-and semi-new-release games pricing in at $50 or more, that makes for a difficult decision when it comes time to purchase. In this article, I will be testing and evaluating Bethesda Softworks' newest release, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It was released simultaneously for the XBOX 360, and also for Windows-based PCs.

I paid $49.99, not including tax, for a retail PC version of the game. I have also had the opportunity to sufficiently test the XBOX 360 version; but I'm more of a computer-gamer than console (except for racing games, but I digress) so my main focus will be on the PC version.

There are a few things that you will need to know about this game before you even consider purchasing it: your system had better be able to handle it. Bethesda's official minimum system requirements call for 512 MB system RAM, a 2 GHz Pentium 4 or equivalent processor, and a DirectX 9.0 compatible video card with at least 128 MB onboard memory. Their recommended specs, however, are substantially higher: 3 GHz Pentium 4 or higher, 1 GB of system RAM, and an ATI X800 or NVidia GeForce 6800 video card, both of which have 256 MB onboard memory.

The computer that I will be playing Oblivion on is even better: 2.4 GHz Intel Conroe Core2 Duo processor (dual-core), 2 GB system RAM, ATI X1900XTX video card with 512 MB onboard memory, with two 7200-RPM hard-disk drives in RAID0 (fast data-striping) configuration. In other words, blazing. I will also be playing on a 20.1" widescreen LCD monitor at 1680 x 1050 native resolution. I'm expecting nothing short of amazing from this game, graphics-wise.

Everybody knows, however, that there is more to a game than just graphics. There is a reason that I keep my old Super-Nintendo hooked up. Some of the games from that era have unrelenting replayability; the gameplay is just that good. I consider The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past to be one of the greatest games of all time. Its storyline is familiar yet compelling and sufficiently developed; its playability, options and difficulty are adequate for a challenge, but not insurmountable; and its progression is intriguing. So I will be holding Bethesda's Oblivion up to the same standards for a favorable review: it must have a compelling plot, a good but not impossible level of difficulty, progression, replayability, and of course, graphics.

Well, it turns out that one of the reviews on the box is correct: Game Informer states "One look at Oblivion will shatter your conceptions about what is possible in a video game," and they are right! Upon first play, the player is given a number of basic choices as to what type of character he or she wants to play. But these choices are not set in stone; one can choose exactly what attributes to specialize in, thus creating one's own character class. He can be a jack-of-all-trades if he wants, or she can be a deadly, bow-wielding assassin, or an adept and powerful combat mage. The options are nearly limitless. There are several races to choose from as well, including your standard orcs, humans, elves, and a couple of stranger, unique races known as Argonians (reptilian) or Khajit (feline) all with their own strengths and weaknesses. It doesn't stop there: the player is also able to custom manipulate their facial features (cheek bone placement, inset or outset of jaw bones, over/under bite, etc.), skin color, eye color, hair color and style, appearance of age, facial hair style (if male). Suffice to say that no two characters in this game will ever be the same. And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

Once out of the character-development menus, and gameplay actually starts, I couldn't help but be impressed by the fluidity of movement. For a first-person-camera oriented game, it is a little slow compared to such high-standards as has been set by first-person shooters such as Half-Life 2, or F.E.A.R., but that's not to say that it isn't fast and smooth. In the dungeon, I've been getting an estimated 45 frames per second with all graphics settings maximized--easily more than the human eye and brain is capable of seeing and processing. I've also been given the beginning of the story. I won't spoil it for you here, but it sounds like an intriguing mix of lies, deception, assassination, evil intents by evil organizations led by evil deities and demons, mixed in with a last-heir-to-the-throne journey.

The real moment-of-awe came when exiting the first dungeon. The only word to describe this scene is WOW. I emerged into the world with the setting sun glaring into my face, overwhelming my visual sense with this incredibly realistic, beautiful orange-red sun blinding me. As I take in my surroundings, I'm reminded that I'm outside by hearing the wind rushing around me... and what's that? Waves lapping against the dock (that wood looks real!) that protrudes into the lake directly in front of me. I see each individual ripple in the lake, reflecting the opposite shoreline in amazing clarity. As I look to my right, I see a patch of grass, and a tree with the slight breeze moving each blade of grass and each leaf independently of the others. I look up, and I see distant snow-covered mountains, and somehow I know that I'll soon be hearing the crunch of snow underneath my feet in that cold, mountain tundra. Am I dreaming? Am I here? If I couldn't see my keyboard and mouse beneath me, I'd almost be convinced. Talk about a Kodak moment... this is it.

By now, after I've taken in the moment (I stayed within this small region, just taking in the sights for five full minutes), I'm expecting poor frames-per-second rates as I move through this incredible, independently rendered scenery; but I'm pleasantly surprised to find that it's just as smooth as inside that dungeon. I also notice that time moves fast in this game, about 1 hour of game-time corresponds to about 2 minutes of real-world time; so I get to see the sun finish setting and make way for two absolutely gorgeous moons, and a full starscape with noticeable constellations that I could create if I spent time stargazing. The weather changes, too. To this point, I've seen rain, snow, fog, overcast, sun-showers, and a plethora of weather effects that lie somewhere in-between.

When I arrive at the city, I am impressed by the architecture, and the detail of the textures that compose the brick, wood, and hanging tapestries. As I step through the gates, I'm greeted by a guard and see a city of bustling commerce, trade, crime, scandals, politics, and everything else you'd expect from a major hub of trade. I approach characters in the streets, and overhear conversations that they have with each other (some useful information, perhaps). I engage one of them in conversation, and she is friendly enough to tell me to "Stop talking!" Ok, maybe not so friendly, but her companion is more willing to talk to me, and offers me a useful tidbit of information about a merchant that is having some troubles with another.

Now, I'm going to fast-forward a bit. I've logged 50 hours of gameplay so far, and I've progressed a little in the main storyline, but there are so many side-quests and side-stories happening in all places of this world that I haven't really gone that far in the main quest. Did I mention how BIG this realm is? There's at least six major cities, several small towns scattered about, numerous encampments, forts and ancient ruins to explore, even more caves filled with monsters and animals, and the occasional helpful comrade adventurer seeking fame, glory, and of course treasure, just like me. I own a house now, have furnished it with some paintings, weapon showcases, bookcases and books, tables, and a place for all of my alchemy equipment. I've been finding great satisfaction in creating helpful potions and elixirs, and... poisons for my enemies. I've decided to specialize in ranged attacks with a bow, and I must say I'm developing a bit of an evil streak. I like the dark arts; poisons, sneak attacks, assassinations, even a bit of... well... I've discovered that I like the taste of human blood.

The combat and detailed physics in this game are amazing. Whether fighting with a blade, bow, magic, or even fists, it all seems very real. I have to take gravity and distance into consideration when aiming a bowshot. Different types of arrows are heavier than others, and are affected by gravity and my opponent's armor differently. Some blades are bigger and slower than others, but hit harder and wear me out faster. Some enemies are resistant to physical attacks, and others are resistant to magic. This game is no normal hack and slash; I actually have to think about active and adaptive strategies as I enter combat.

The number of activities possible is incredible. Everything from sneaking and stealing, to learning and crafting my own spells is possible. Repairing my own armor and equipment, negotiating the price of an item with a merchant, creating potions and poisons, hunting and fishing, tossin' down a cold brew at the pub after a long mission from the guild; just to name a few more.

No review would be complete without a criticism, and I have just one. The leveling system sucks. It's a scaled leveling system, so a wolf that was tough to kill at level 1, is still just as hard to kill at level 10. I have better equipment now, and am more skillful, but how is it that a mudcrab can still inflict substantial damage? Why is it that I was only able to find the nice Elven armor after I hit level 10? Even if I couldn't afford it when I was younger, I'd still like to have been able to see it and aspire for it.

Additionally, it's quite difficult to actually get the attribute bonuses I wanted before leveling, because I had to train a certain skill that's tied to a certain attribute by a certain number of points before being eligible for the bonus. To me, I found this very counter-intuitive to the nature of the game, because I began thinking more about what skills I need to train to progress my character in a beneficial way, rather than being able to just play and let my character's skills progress naturally. This distracted me somewhat from the total immersion of the game.

Some people may like this system. I don't. But the thing that is great about Oblivion is that it is totally open-ended, and open for modification. There are numerous free third-party modifications to the game that have been released, and continue to be developed. Everything from minor things like adding a few new hairstyles to choose from, to major graphics upgrades (don't even THINK about them unless you've got a blazin' system!) I found a modification that re-vamped the leveling system to address all of my concerns with the regular leveling system. The mod is called "Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul" and I think that with this modification installed, the game is just right. Not everyone will like this mod either, but that's the real beauty of this game: it can be exactly the game that you want it to be.

I have only played one other game that was as open-ended as this; and that was a text-only role-playing game known as DragonRealms many years ago. Like Oblivion, one could customize their character and train certain attributes to develop their strengths and weaknesses, choose their general character class (thief, paladin, ranger, etc.) and go from there. The difference? Well, that was all text-based only, and Massive-Multiplayer-Online. Oblivion is single-player only, unfortunately. I look forward to the day when a game of this caliber is made available to MMO markets.


Here's my numerical evaluation of TESIV: Oblivion:

Graphics: 10/10 (11/10 with some graphics and textures modifications)
Plot and character development: 8/10 (it's interesting, but not stellar)
Gameplay: 8.5/10 out of the box, 9.5/10 after "Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul" modification
Replayability: 9.8/10 (50 hours into it, not bored yet!)
Odds 'n' ends: 9.5/10 (the modifications, expansions, and customability of this game are great!)
Overall: 45.8/50 out of the box, 48.3/50 after modification.

The XBOX 360 version of the game is nearly as good as the PC version, but it is not as open to modification, and the graphics aren't quite as good (still incredible, though!) I do feel that the in-game menus (inventory, maps, etc.) were more oriented for the XBOX 360 controller than the PC's keyboard and mouse, but that's nothing that can't be fixed with the right modifications; and it's not a detrimental consideration anyway.

Overall, this is an excellent game for the price. So far, excluding the cost of the computer, I'm at about $1/ hour of play, and that will continue to drop as I'm not even close to finishing the game yet, and not bored of it either. The absolutely amazing graphics are almost worth the price alone, add in the captivating gameplay (especially after modding), and the open-ended nature of the game, and it becomes a must-own game; if you have the hardware to run it. Bethesda Softworks did a stellar job on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, and it deserves every bit of praise it has received to set it apart from their competition on the retail shelves. Go out and buy it, now!

Happy gaming!