Dangerous mountainsides, deep dungeons full of unknown loot and terror, thriving cities with lively characters, weapons and magic galore, and endless quests taking across all of Tamriel. This was my first impressions when I took to the keyboard and mouse on Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion.
This was the first Elder Scrolls game that I had ever played, let alone the first game produced by Bethesda, and it honestly shocked me. I was blown away by the complexity and lively interactivity. It was the most “multiplayer” feeling singlerplayer game I had every played. Skyrim had just been released but I didn’t have the money nor the computer to run it, so I played Oblivion, and I am so glad I started there. In hindsight, I wish I had started on even an earlier game because I am beginning to realize just how wonderful the history of these games are. In short, I will spend the rest of this post talking about why I believe Elder Scrolls 4 is an absolute classic, and why it has stood the test of time.
First, Elder Scrolls 4 was released in 2006. That alone should tell you something. The game and it graphics way exceeded that current year’s expectations. Let alone the fact that the gameplay far exceeded any other games during that time at least in the genre of Role-playing games. Let’s talk about some of it’s strengths during it’s time.
Strengths
- A True Open World
- Other games had open worlds, but they paled in comparison to the life that permeated in this one.
- There were bandits, dungeons, mountain trolls, mud-crabs, hunters, traders, guard patrols, villages, kingdoms, witches, and vampires.
- The world was also large with varying landscapes and weather regions. One minute you would be fighting snow trolls in the mountains, then completing a quest in spider infested swamp lands.
- Not only could you explore Tamriel, but also the hell-bent world of Oblivion, and the the Strange Lands found in a hidden portal. So three worlds (Tamriel being the biggest) that
- Deep Character Design and Leveling-Up
- From the first opening scene of the game, you imputed your preferences. The game let you customize your character down to his eyebrows. This was ground-shattering at the time.
- As you level up, you can customize you physical abilities like strength, stealth, dexterity, and stamina. Or you can customize and upgrade your magical abilities.
- You can also find awesome loot all across Tamriel, some containing magic imbued weapons or armor.
- The World is Yours, The Choices Are Yours
- While the main quest is exhilarating, the side-quests are just as fun. In the main quest you are to stop the hellish forces of Oblivion from sweeping across the lands, and it is truly exciting! The endless amounts of side quests will boggle your mind. Just a couple of them are: Joining the gladiator arena, joining the thieve’s guild, joining the fighter’s guild, become affiliated with the Dark Brotherhood, and so much more!
These are just a few of the things that make Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion one of my all time favorite games. Like any game out there, it is not perfect, but it was far ahead for it’s time and it took many adventurers on unforgettable quests!
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