The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Reviews

Three more glowing reviews of Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion are now available for your viewing pleasure. The first is at Gamers Europe with an overall score of 9.0/10:

If I tried to write about everything you can do in this game, this review would be the size of a small novel; but what I will say is that everything on offer here from picking locks to becoming a vampire via setting off Indiana Jones-style traps in a dungeon whilst nicking treasure is an absolute joy brilliantly realised. Nitpicks? Well you will see the loading screen a fair bit, and there is the occasional stutter as a new area loads in on the fly too while you’re out exploring. Some of the storyline speech is pretty lousy sub-Tolkien cobblers that is bordering on embarrassing as well. And the sheer size of it all might genuinely be too daunting for some; to get the most from this game, you’re looking at multiple play-throughs and game times of 50+ hours per run. But despite the few little niggles and the gargantuan commitment needed, it’s all absolutely worth it and his just has to be played to be believed. When you have a game so open that it makes Grand Theft Auto look stunted and limited in comparison, you know you’ve got something really special. Oblivion is not only a new benchmark for the RPG genre; it’s one for games as a whole too. Superb.

The second is at ZTGameDomain with an overall score of 9.5/10:

There is no doubt in my mind that The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion is the best title on the 360, and that it is the most groundbreaking title in its genre to come down the pipe in a while. With its enormous amount of quests, the beautifully expansive environment, and a degree of subtlety that most games don’t even dream of, Bethesda has created a gaming masterpiece that will be hard to knock off come Game of the Year voting. But hey, why are you still reading this? If you already have the game, get back to it. If you don’t, go get it. Right now, I’ve gotta go. Those Oblivion gates aren’t gonna close themselves.

And the third is at WorthPlaying with an overall score of 9.8/10 for the PC version:

It’s not often that I gush over a game, but I find it hard to find a critical word for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion when it works like it should. It’s not safe from a small list of issues, like mis-rendered water, the very rare corrupted save, and the rarer still misfire in the scripting system (from which the main plot seems to be able to recover). I’ve had a few crashes and some glitches, but much of this seems related to graphics drivers (get the best drivers you can find, trust me, especially if you have a 6000 or 7000 series GeForce card) and task switching (a cardinal sin in any game of this magnitude, and one I commit regularly, even with the consequence). All of that added together does not diminish this game. Oblivion is one of the best packages of the past several years, with no element even average; everything is as close to perfect as can be expected, and even a few odd bits here and there can be dealt with well enough. Anyone with even a passing interest in this title should get this game as soon as humanly possible. You will not regret it. Bethesda, you may only release a few titles and release them with huge gaps between, but you are a superstar nonetheless. I salute you.