Ok, so I am about 30 hours into the game and decided to write down my thoughts so far. The first word that comes to mind when trying to describe the game is “massive”. The world is so large and there are so many things to do its crazy. The world itself seems alive as you explore it. Everything from wildlife walking around, storm fronts that roll in, and people going about their daily lives creates a game world unlike anything before. The world is so beautifully crafted; it gives you a sense of awe just walking around.
I decided to create a warrior for my first time. I plan to play again as a mage or some other class that uses a lot of magic. The game would play a whole lot different depending on what class you are. My friend Tom has been playing a ton just as a master thief. He has already made a massive amount of money. I am sure he has made lots of progress in the thief’s guild as well. My other friend Jeff is playing as some magic class I believe. He is also getting pretty good with the bow, shooting people from a distance. My warrior prefers to get in close and cut up fools with his one handed glass sword while blocking with his shield. I have a few magic spells to back me up too.
From the start of the game there were many quests I could have done, and I did a good number of them. Right now I probably have more active quests then I have completed quests, and I plan to do every one of them. Each quest is completely unique and interesting. Not one of them has been boring so far, and they have all been worth doing. Getting quests feel natural. Some you get from overhearing dynamic NPC conversations while others (like the main storyline quests) are directly given to you by NPC characters.
The amount of dialog in this game is impressive. Absolutely everything is spoken (except for books) and the voice acting is excellent. The characters look great and have a good amount of facial expression. You can even tell how much someone likes just by paying attention at how they look at you.
So far, the main quest story line is excellent. There is a good set of well developed core characters and the quests are very fun to do. However, I have been spending most of my time doing side quests. I spent a good amount of time fighting in the arena and eventually became champion. It’s definitely worth it and I suggest everyone to give the arena a go. I have also been doing a lot of quests for the fighter’s guild as well as the mage’s guild.
I have also gone into a lot of cool dungeons that I randomly came across while walking around the beautifully rendered and animated forests. All of the dungeons are unique and have some pretty good loot to be found if you go looking for it. I have also closed quite a few oblivion gates and have gotten some pretty cool stones for it.
I think I am getting somewhat close to the end of the main quest, but I plan to be playing this game much longer even after I am done with the story. This is just one of those games that are fun to live in and go exploring. When I finally finish the game (well more like the main quest) I will post a review.
Oblivion is the best Xbox 360 game so far and is reason enough to buy the console. I can easily recommend this game to just about anyone.
If you want some more information on Oblivion, check the video below. It starts off with the E3 trailer of the game followed by a demo of the game with one of the developers narrating. It shows off everything from the forests and dungeons to how the impressive AI makes the world seem alive.
Also, if you have been playing this game, I would love to hear your impressions of it so far.