GAMING REVIEW

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for PS3

RATINGS Quality Geekness

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion takes perhaps the best Xbox 360 title and somehow improves on it. This game is--bar none--the best looking, best sounding, deepest, most innovative, and completely overwhelming title I've ever played. You can plunge hundreds of hours into it and there always seems to be more to do, a different character to play, some new nook to explore, etc. It takes all the elements that make up the best MMOs and the best sandbox RPGs and cranks them up a notch. Oblivion won plenty of awards when it first arrived on the Xbox 360 last year, and with good reason; now, it's the PS3's turn to take it for a spin ... or a million.

You start out in a character creation screen where you choose your race and your look. All 10 races have strengths and weaknesses, as anyone who's ever played an RPG would know. It's probably worth looking into a player's guide, because the vast amount of choices can be somewhat overwhelming. You don't want to get 10 hours into the game only to learn that you should have chosen a Red Guard instead of a Dark Elf.

I was able to create a Nord who looks just like me. Your actual look probably shouldn't consume too much of your time, however, because it's possible to spend most--if not all--of the game in first-person mode.

The story opens in a prison cell, with a fellow prisoner insulting your appearance. You can walk around and pick things up if you'd like. Then Uriel Septim VII (voiced by Patrick Stewart) comes in with a few of his personal bodyguards. Without spoiling the amazing story, I'll just tell you that you wind up in the prison's underbelly in a dungeon crawl.

During this time you will pick up some basic items, like potions, armor, and weapons. At certain points the help screen will suggest that you try something. All of your skills increase with use, so it's worth trying out everything. You may go into the game thinking you will want to be a mage, but you may walk through the sewers to find that you would rather be an archer or a fighter. The possibilities are limitless because you can even create your own class.

At some point, after slaying rats and other little baddies, the computer will guess which class best suits you. Although it's certainly possible the computer would get it right, it's probably worth customizing your character. Some of the skills overlap a bit, and others seem misplaced. One hopes you like the character you've created, because you may be spending several weeks to months of your life in this skin. It's not a big deal to start over and make a new class character, but it's worth considering that you may not want to redo it. Of course, that's all in your hands.

Anyone who's ever played DnD or any other RPG will know the basic skills. Again, it might be worth looking into a guide because there are just so many options.

You can also choose what sign you are born under. This gives you another strength and possibly another weakness. You can choose someone who can paralyze an enemy once a day with a kiss or someone who can restore health but who has a natural weakness to fire. Choose wisely.

Eventually, somehow, you make it out of the prison and into the world of Cyrodil, which is approximately 16 square miles. It is the most expansive game world I've ever played in. While it's possible that there are far bigger worlds, it is hard--if not impossible--for me to imagine that all the characters and locations would come across as if they were real people, as is the case in Oblivion.

To say the game is gorgeous does not do it justice. Colors are vibrant when they need to be and dusty or rusted appropriately as well. Day looks like day, night like night. It is, for all intents and purposes, a fully living, breathing game world that one can easily get lost in. You can wander around killing wolves and other small critters; you can get right on the main quest; you can explore towns. I don't want to sound like a broken record, but you can really do anything you want to.

Fighting is an important element in RPG titles, and Oblivion's is a system that works perfectly. You fight in first-person or third-person mode. L1 blocks, R1 attacks. Hold down R1 a bit longer for a heavier attack. You can use swords and other slashing weapons or maces and other smashing weapons. You can use a two-handed weapon or a one-handed weapon with a shield. Each of these weapons is fully upgradeable, from weapons that can barely kill rats to ones that can kill some truly frightening beasts.

If you slash an enemy, blood will spurt and the enemy will wince in pain. If you catch him, her, or it with a glancing blow, the enemy will likely mock you. You always have a decent idea of where you stand in the fight, so it's not a big shock when you kill your enemy. It's often a thrill, though, especially in some arenas. As for your own health, you have a health meter and can boost it with potions and spells, as you might expect. I built a custom tank class character who is pretty much a meat shield. I noticed definite advantages and disadvantages to this creation, but overall I'm happy because it's the way I wanted to play the game.

Magic is another possibility, though I barely explored it. I know some people play these RPG titles almost exclusively to be a wizard or mage class character. For those people there are plenty of spells to purchase and upgrade. Additionally, you can map the spells to different D-pad keys.

Armor can be heavy or light. As I mentioned earlier, the skills advance as you use them, so fighting and absorbing blows with different kinds of armor improves those skills. Depending on the type of character you pick you will have different kinds of skills. Regardless, you'll be able to try your hand at lockpicking and stealth.

If you've played the Xbox 360 version of Oblivion, you may remember that the characters look amazingly life-like. In the PS3 version, Uriel Septim's wrinkles are more defined, stubble seems more lifelike ... everything just seems smoother. The team at Bethesda Softworks did have several months longer to hone the 360 version, but I still credit it for being able to build on the 360 version, which apparently took four years to make. Do not be misled into thinking this is a simple port.

You may also remember the loading screens. Sometimes during the game the 360 version would pause and load some trees or buildings that were further off in the distance. Perhaps making use of the PS3's hard drive, this version's loading screens are merely a formality. You can keep strolling through the world doing any of the things you'd normally do virtually uninterrupted. I remember dozens or more times when there would be a loading screen, but the game would continue at a fully smooth framerate. All this adds to the realism in a way that surpasses the 360 version.

The music sets the tone perfectly as well. It becomes tenser when you are about to get into a fight and eases back when you are just wandering the countryside. It may be somewhat of a spoiler to know when bad guys are approaching, but I think it's a good thing because otherwise you'd get completely lost in the game and enemies would be attacking you without warning.

The voice acting is unmatched. Not only are there venerable actors such as Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean, but there are also hundreds to possibly thousands of extras. There may be some overlaps in terms of what they'll talk about with you, but isn't that also a reflection on real life? More surprising, perhaps, is that there are third-party conversations. The townsfolk will chat with one another about places to find the best deals as well as other gossip.

I know the sixaxis doesn't have rumble, but for a game like this I prefer its light weight to the heavier, rumbling Xbox 360 controller. I was able to put in longer time in my sessions without getting tired. It may seem like a minor point, but I think it's worth mentioning if you are trying to decide which version to pick out.

Conclusion
There are not enough superlatives in the English language to describe how amazing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is on the PlayStation 3. It combines everything that is great about videogames: fighting, thinking, story; and it does it better than any game I've ever played. It can be overwhelming at times, but it's totally worth every minute. At US$50 you are getting an amazing bargain, and the game is due for future upgrades as well. Buy it now!

Ratings Defense
For Quality, I gave The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the PS3 the full 5 Geekheads. It completely blew me away. This is a must-own title on the Xbox 360 and now on the PlayStation 3. I actually prefer the PS3 version because I think it looks somewhat better and I like the lighter controller better. You can't go wrong with either, though. There's no question you will get your money's worth.

For Geekness, I gave The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 5 Geekheads as well. RPGs are the geekiest of all games because they all spawned from pencil and paper RPGs such as Dungeons and Dragons. Oblivion's graphics, wondrous coding, and immersive storyline all make this game perfect for any Geek. If you wanted another excuse to stay inside, here it is.

I gave The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the PS3 a Geek.com Pick because every gamer should play this game. Just make sure you set aside a lot of time because you are not going to want to leave. It's a whole new world, and playing it is like being born again.

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