As with all previous Elder Scrolls games, you start as a nobody with just the clothes on your back. The first choice you are given is your character's race. There are ten in total, each offering different characteristics and skills. Amongst others these include the 'civilised' Imperial who specialise in warrior and social skills, the Khajit, a cat-like race that are intelligent quick and agile, or the High-Elf, a race gifted in the arcane arts. Once you have chosen your race, the game turns into a nip/tuck mini-game. For the first time in the series, Oblivion has a Sims style character creation tool that allows you to manipulate every feature of your hero's face allowing your hero to don the cheek bones of Dolph Lundgren and the hair of Hulk Hogan. The only thing missing was a moustache tool – come on Bethesda, what kind of hero doesn’t have a moustache?! The last thing to do is to give your hero a name. Then the story starts...
You wake in cramped, cold, damp cell. A hard featherless bed, grey claustrophobic bricked walls, stale urine and the odd skull are all that greet you. A fellow prisoner prophesises untold doom for you, leaving you to wonder how the hell you ended up incarcerated in a rat infested hell hole. After searching the cell and finding nothing of use, you hear approaching voices discussing assassination and escape. Your cell door opens and the guards tell you to stand back to allow the Emperor of Tamriel to enter. The next few moments shake your very soul as Emperor Uriel Septim VII explains that his life is to end very soon, that his realm is in impending danger from Oblivion and that you are the saviour he sees in his dreams. Within seconds a secret passage is opened to the right of you. The Emperor's guards usher him through the door and beckon you to follow. Taking a deep breath, you nervously follow, anticipating what will happen next.
Once you follow the Emperor (excellently voiced by Patrick Stewart) and his guards through the passage the game's tutorial kicks off. This is no ordinary tutorial though. Firstly, and most importantly, this is a tutorial that is actually fun. Secondly, depending on how you complete the tutorial Oblivion helps you to decide the class that best fits your method of playing. There are 21 classes in total (warrior, thief, mage, etc.) that fall under either combat, magic or stealth. Each class is governed by eight attributes, such as strength, agility and intelligence, and seven major skills, such as athletics, hand to hand combat, sword specialisation, stealth, and so on.
For a character to improve and gain levels, the player must improve the major skills by using them as you play. Once you have improved these skills ten times, your character gains a level which in turn allows you to improve your attributes. So for example, by using a sword for combat, your blade skills improve which in turn allows you to improve your strength once you gain a level. This may sound complicated, but in truth its dead easy and you hardly ever think about it while playing the game.
At the end of the tutorial you are given a quest by the Emperor and designated a suitable class. The best bit is that you don't have to accept the class Oblivion suggests. There is a custom class option which gives you the ability to customise your character to the maximum. This is what SPOnG did every time. Why shouldn’t we be allowed to be a kick-ass warrior who can walk on water?
After leaving the Emperor, you leave the dungeon to emerge into the land of Tamriel, more specifically the province of Cyrodiil, the most beautiful gaming world ever devised. The graphics are simply astounding. The way the trees and grass gently sway in the wind; the reflections that shimmer across the water; the soft fluffy clouds that gently move across the sky; the bright beautiful flora that covers the land. And the draw distance... WOW. The trees, hills, buildings, animals... all of which can be seen from simply miles away. Wherever you look, the view could fit on any postcard or feature in any holiday programme. In fact all Oblivion needs is Richard Attenborough commenting over the top and it could be a BBC wildlife programme. Believe SPOnG when we say, this is the first title to really push the 360, to show what this awesome machine is actually capable of.
