Time now for a few very minor gripes. One of the qualms we've always had with previous Elder Scrolls games is that of the interaction with and between NPCs, the number of NPCs, and the lack of wildlife. Sadly, these are areas that Oblivion still falls down on. Interaction with NPCs is very limited and can be very frustrating at times. We seem to spend most of our time looking for someone or a particular location. Why can't you just ask someone where something is and they give real directions, or place a mark on the map?
Plus if you hear a rumour from a NPC, why can't you question them more about it? Also, it's important to note here that every character has their own opinion of you and will only share knowledge if they like you. So to raise their disposition, Bethesda has introduced a mini-game for sweet-talking NPCs where you have to boast, praise, coerce and joke in a certain combination. A clever idea no doubt, but one that soon becomes frustrating due to its erratic outcomes. Plus it makes no sense to why you have to carry out all four actions when you know which ones will annoy the NPC.
The lack of NPCs and wildlife is also a bit of a let down. Towns and the surrounding environment can feel exceptionally soulless. We appreciate that the number of characters on screen can slow the game down, but surely there must be a way to make the environments more alive. SPOnG wants to see birds soaring through the sky, rabbits and squirrels running across the grass, fish swimming in the sea, children running through the streets, muggers, guards arresting rogues... We could rant about this for ages and suggest a whole host of ways to make near-perfect A-rated gaming experience into a perfect A+ one. But we won’t.
We are perhaps being a little harsh on Oblivion. The number of NPCs in Oblivion is far greater than any other Elder Scrolls title. The modelling for the characters, monsters, and animals is really impressive. Every character has their own voice with lines that are excellently acted – an impressive feat in itself. Plus every NPC has a role; a set routine that governs their daily activity. This is a great touch, making the NPCs much more real. They will sleep, eat, interact with each other NPCs in a basic manner, such as creating conversation or practising their fighting, work, paint, farm. It really is fascinating to watch them go about their daily lives. Monsters, as well, look incredibly real and the time it must have taken to develop them was really worth the effort.
Other minor gripes worth noting are the loading times between dungeons, buildings and the world, the odd location where you get stuck and can't move, the time it takes to get off your horse when you're being hacked, the odd screen freeze during loading, etc. However, none of these are too serious and if you save regularly, pretty much anything can be reversed.
Time to put my weapon away and crash at the local inn...
There is so much ground we still haven't covered, so much more we could say. There’s alchemy, magic and spell making, house buying, enchanting, horse riding, thieving, pick-pocketing, politics, jail, the range of monsters. All we can really say is that you need to play this game. And if you don’t think you like RPGs then we assure you this one will change your opinion. Oblivion is one beautiful beast of a game that brings the best out of your 360 and the only real way to experience is to buy it yourself and play play play. It's a must for every discerning gamers collection.
The very last thing we want to say is that this game pushes the first person RPG back to the forefront of the gaming industry. Following the advent of MMOs, it's important that first person RPGs are not forgotten and retired to gaming history. Very few games are able to let you lose yourself in a virtual world where you are the centre of focus. Whilst SPOnG is a huge fan of certain MMOs, the bottom line is that nothing can beat a game that makes you the real hero.
SPOnG Score: A
[i]Beautiful
Captivating
Endless
Consuming
Daunting
[/i]
