Product Details
 | The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition |
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Product Description
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (GotY) for Windows is a compilation of this classic RPG game. Oblivion GotY will include the original version of the award-winning RPG Oblivion along with the official expansion, The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles, and the downloadable content, Knights of the Nine. This new product allows players who have never played the 2006 Game of the Year to experience Oblivion for the first time with additional content. In addition, gamers can continue their existing games of Oblivion and experience the new quests and areas offered by the expansion and downloadable content. Oblivion features a powerful combination of free-form gameplay, unprecedented graphics, cutting edge AI, character voices by acting legends Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, Terrance Stamp, and Lynda Carter, and an award-winning soundtrack. Gamers can choose to unravel Oblivion's epic narrative at their own pace or explore the vast world in search of their own unique challenges. With more than 30 hours of new gameplay, Shivering Isles allows you to explore an entirely new plane of Oblivion - the realm of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. Shivering Isles features a bizarre landscape split between the two sides - Mania and Dementia -filled with vast, twisting dungeons mirroring the roots of the trees they are buried within. Sheogorath himself looks to you to be his champion and defend his realm and its inhabitants from destruction as you discover all new items, ingredients, spells, and much more. The Shivering Isles features a bizarre landscape split between the two sides - Mania and Dementia -filled with vast, twisting dungeons mirroring the roots of the trees they are buried within. You'll encounter more than a dozen new creatures including hideous insects, Flesh Atronachs, skeletal Shambles, amphibious Grummites. Throughout your adventure, you will discover all new items. KnightProduct Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #756 in Video Games
- Brand: Take 2
- Model: 710425312953
- Released on: 2007-09-10
- ESRB Rating: Mature
- Platform: Windows XP
- Dimensions: 1.00 pounds
Customer Reviews
Outstanding, well deserved GOTY categorization
Oblivion most certainly lives
up to its reputation as a Game of the Year for 2006/2007.
The
interface is very easy to manipulate. The combat system is intuitive,
and I found the regeneration of fatigue and magicka/mana to be quite
unique to the RPG environment. I often found myself lugging around
potions for regenerating mana and hitpoints in other games. This is not
the case with Oblivion! My dark elf character regenerated fatique and
magicka, while it was extremely easy to cast spells that restored
health.
The game crashed to desktop only a handful of times out
of the dozen or so days I spent playing, so I'd say it was above average
in terms of reliability. The game runs smoothly at 800x600 with a P4
3.0 GHz CPU and an ATI Radeon X1950 GT 256MB AGP video card.
The
most noteworthy aspect of this game is the sheer number of quests and
the "sandbox" aspect of exploration and character development. I did not
have to stick with the main quest, but I often found myself sidetracked
with various quests that lead to additional quests! It is not uncommon
to have a dozen or more active quests in your log!
The second
most intriguing component of this game is the ability to manufacture
potions, spells, and enchantments for your items. This is quite a unique
feature! No longer is the player restricted to cookie cutter items and
equipment. You can enchant armor to provide chameleon (invisibility),
while you can enchant weapons to suck the life out of your opponents
with each strike.
One "mini-quest" even allows you to play as a
vampire, whom must feed on sleeping victims or else you begin to lose
hitpoints under the sun (complete with smoke rising off your skin).
I
must say that Oblivion is one of THE most innovative games I have
played in the recent years. This special GOTY edition includes Knights
of the Nine and the Shivering Isles expansion, providing months upon
months of playability. I have spent over 50 hours and have not even
started the main quest.
Pros: Intuitive interface for
exploration, enchanting items, and making spells. The combat interface
is exceptional for a RPG. I recall the days of text-based RPGs and RPGs
like Final Fantasy II for the SNES where you were always forced to take
damage during turns. Oblivion is a mix of a first-person shooter and
RPG. Godfather fans will probably see quite a resemblance, with the
exception that Oblivion is far more fleshed out and involved than
Godfather.
The GOTY edition includes the latest patch and I have
not run into any problems with the quests that were previously found in
earlier versions.
Cons: The voice acting gets repetitious since
they keep recycling voice actors for the minor NPC's. This is also a pro
because this allows for a bigger budget in developing the game itself. I
find myself reading the text more than listening to the NPC's whining
that someone stole their ring, or they need some special wine.
I
found that not being able to fast travel to marked locations was
annoying. Fast travel is useful because you can go from one location to
another without being forced to ride a horse or run on foot.
Unfortunately, fast travel only works if you have explored the region
and found the location. In addition, fast travel only works if there
aren't enemies attacking and if you are outside in an open area. You
can't fast travel from the inside of a cave or inside of a building.
This can be get rather boring at times.
While you can develop
your character by improving his or her skills, there isn't much
development in character interaction. For example, when you join the
Dark Brotherhood, almost everyone is open and receptive. It felt like
this was the friendliest faction. Antoinetta Marie seemed to have more
than a friendly disposition towards your character, but it never
developed any further than typical banter with NPCs. I feel this is a
major flaw in many of the games today, but it is most likely a technical
limitation more than anything.
Bottom line:
Oblivion Game of
the Year Edition gets a 10/10 rating from me based on being an overall
excellent game. Very rarely does a game get almost everything right, and
still be able to run smoothly on budget PC hardware. There is simply so
much to accomplish in this game.
The
Future of CRPG (computer role-playing game)
What can I possibly say about
this revolutionary computer RPG that hasn't been said?
To me this is
arguably the best computer game in the history of video game, period.
'Oblivion'
is a non-linear, free-form, 1st-person RPG, colored with beautiful next
generation graphic that enhances the immersive gameplay set in the
gigantic gameworld, where you can do anything anywhere anytime you feel
like it.
There are over 20 cities and settlements, 300 quests,
300 dungeons, caves, ruins, tunnels, and whatnots available in the game
(combining 'Knights of the Nine', official DLCs, and 'Shivering Isles').
Then
there is TES Construction Set. Using this amazing toolset used by
Bethesda to create TES IV Oblivion, there are literally over 2000 mods
made by gamers like you and I, available for free and still coming out
on a daily basis.
I spent close to 200 hours with over 50 mods
installed and I only covered less than 70 quests. I was too busy
crawling underground, fighting monsters, retrieving loots, selling them
for better equipments and houses, decorating.
To hell with saving the
world. I only finished half of the main quest, and I have no intention
to finish it in the foreseeable future.
The production value is
simply stratospheric. From character design, character model,
environment, grass, tree, flower, water, animal, item, monster,
building, right down to single pebble and stone, Bethesda paid so much
attention to details that it is breathtakingly marvelous.
Music
by Jeremy Soule and sound effects are another praise-worthy
achievements.
No other RPG in the history of video game gives the
gamer so much freedom in gameplay as it is so evident from the very
beginning in character creation.
If you spend enough time, you can
virtually create any actual person's face both living or dead in uncanny
resemblance.
Whether you like it or not, I think 'Oblivion' has
set the standard by which all future CRPG, and even other genres to some
extent, will be measured for a long time.
To Bethesda's credit,
'Oblivion' successfully streamlined the CRPG mechanics from its beloved
franchise into more accessible mainstream game that became a runaway
success; or dumbing down for console kiddies as many describe, depends
on how you look at it. I know many of people were turned off by the
changes made from older TES series, and 'Oblivion vs Morrowind: Which is
better?' is still one of the most fiercely-debated topic in the
official forum. Since I have fond memories of all previous TES series, I
won't get into the flaming war. I just don't see any constructive point
of insisting one game over another. They all have pros and cons, and no
game is perfect.
I couldn't read single review of new CRPG
called 'Two Worlds' without comparing it to 'Oblivion'. What a burden
and curse it is for 'Two Worlds', which has been brutally trashed by
critics and users alike. I really love that game, too. Although I really
enjoyed that game, it was ultimately not enough to erase the memory of
'Oblivion'. If 'Fallout 3' becomes anything close to the success of
'Oblivion', Bethesda Softwork will become the next formidable RPG Giant
like 'Blizzard' / 'Black Isle' / 'Bioware' trinity once achieved back in
the days. You can be sure Bethesda will come out with TES V, and its
success is pretty much guaranteed no matter which direction it will
take.
Now I think far too many game mechanics from the past CRPGs
such as 'Ultima', 'Baldur's Gate', 'Wizardry' or 'Diablo' series
stemmed from the limitation of technology at the time rather than game
design choice. I still have the original copies of 'Baldur's Gate' and
'Diablo' series along with 'Ultima' series, 'Wizardry 8', 'Planescape:
Torment', 'Fallout 1, 2', and of course 'Daggerfall' and 'Morrowind'.
Except
for 'Morrowind', I don't see myself playing and enjoying those game as I
once used to anymore.
I tried them recently and was pleasantly
surprised how pathetically they are outdated now. The vidio gaming
asthetics have grown exponentially since those days.
Even
'Morrowind' took some adjusting time to re-immerse myself. When I say
technology, I am not just talking about graphic but the scope and
possibilities that was just not feasible in the past. The improved
technology doesn't always result in better game but it immensely helps
to create immersive gaming world, and the technology lifted all the
barriers for game developers to realize their vision into games. This
will result in new convergent games that crossover the genres. Upcoming
games such as 'Mass Effect' and 'Fallout 3' are the evidence of new
gaming asthetics being formed right now.
What would you like to
see in the future Bethesda RPGs in terms of game mechanics?
For
me, one thing I really like to see is the interaction with NPCs
improved. Radiant A.I. is the right direction for the NPC interaction,
but I like to see more detailed implementation. In 'Gothic' series, NPCs
actually perform various activities, which player character can also
performs. NPCs react when weapons drawn upon or intruded by. I know
these reactions in 'Gothic' are scripted events but the presentation
makes them as if the NPCs were alive. NPCs in 'Oblivion', while acting
on dynamic schedule, sometimes look like pantomiming. Many times I've
witnessed the awesome NPCs interaction only possible with 'Radiant A.I',
but many times NPCs walks around aimlessly in circle, too. The
character deposition drops when weapon is drawn during conversation, but
it would be nice to hear more distinctive reaction from NPCs about the
fact. Daily routine could be more detailed in animation. Fishing,
chopping woods, forging metals, making weapons, eating and drinking, the
lists go on. I like to have more dialogue choices and right to refuse
any quest. Many times you are given just one choice in 'Oblivion'.
Another
thing is consequences of player character's action and its influence to
the persistent world such as guilds. In 'Oblivion', your deeds, either
good or evil, hardly create impact on the gaming world. Although there
are more than one method to solve many individual task, and more than
one result in outcome of the quest, it really doesn't change the grand
scheme of the game. I heard 'Bethesda' is really working hard on this
for the upcoming 'Fallout 3'. Multiple endings and various intricate
political stands among different factions would be greatly appreciated.
Next
thing is different combat mechanics for 3rd person perspective. 1st
person perspective is outstanding in 'Oblivion' but it would be sweet to
have the alternative combat mechanics in 'Vanity Mode' also. That way,
gamers have choice between realistic 1st-person combat and more arcady
3rd-person combat. Accurate jumping mechanics like the one in 'Metroid
Prime' would be awesome compared to the unrealistical moonwalking in the
air in 'Oblivion'. More acrobatic combat moves like rolling and dodging
would be fantastic additions.
Havoc engine is great, but I hope
the object manipulation becomes more useful in the actual gaming world,
quests, or combat in the next iteration.
And my pet peeve of the
game, it's so difficult to fight the enemies while NPCs are around,
especially the essential characters that you must protect.
These
are merely the positive suggestions rather than pointing out the game's
flaws.
New ideas to improve the immersion for too much
open-endedness would be great idea to narrow the gap between linear RPG
and non-linear RPG.
Making RPG and simulating more life-like
world is the ultimate holy grail Bethesda has been working for since
'Arena', I am sure.
No matter which TES game you like the most, the
pathetic reality is that the choice of CRPG is very scarce in the market
right now, and we need more refined game like 'Oblivion' to embrace
mainstream casual gamers without alienating the hardcore RPG gamers so
that market will once be crowded with good CRPGs.
The newly
released GOTY (Game of the year) edition of 'TES IV Oblivion' contains
the original 'Oblivion' along with 'Knights of the Nine' and 'Shiverilg
Isles'. Unfortunately, the rest of the official DLCs (Downloadable
Contents) are not available in the package. You can either purchase them
to download from the official website(www.elderscrolls.com) or you can
purchase the retail version of 'Knights of the Nine' at the store, which
also contains all the DLCs except the new 'The Fighter's Stronghold'. I
strongly recommend you to purchase the retail version for you can
freely install and uninstall anytime you need. The precedure of
downloading through the website is such a pain.
This game
literally never ends. You'll spends hundreds of hours and one day,
you'll simply quit at your own device. 'Oblivion' is the one game truly
non-linear, free-form, open-ended to the bitter end, indeed.
Oblivion, Fun but Dumbed Down To Appeal to More
Relative to Series
Trying to be as objective as
possible so let me explain why I'm giving this a 4/5 star rating even
though I liked it a lot.
First, the game has a lot of
'improvements' which seem like they were put in place because they would
make the game more appealing to the masses. These include things like
the idea of fast travel (I wish I could do this to work every morning),
the auto leveling of the enemies, and so on. I'll explain more on those
subjects further on. Generally though these 'improvements' break the
atmosphere of the game some and, while you can ignore the fast travel,
don't seem realistic. Your character just ran into what could be the
equivalent of hell for the Elder Scrolls world, he came outside and
suddenly every single mercenary is wearing glass armor (really nice
stuff) and using top of the line swords? Oblivion gates opening must
have really boosted the economy.
The visuals are beautiful though
and the voice acting really gets you engaged in the story. I also love
how the NPCs all have varying looks to them (even if most have the same
vocal track). It's a somewhat realistic environment.
Now my
biggest complaint would have to be the auto leveling, as I mentioned
above. The reason for this is that the enemy's levels are driven by a
few things such as your level and the level of the magic in your
inventory. This can noticeably become a problem if you play a mage, buy
one really nice spell which drains all your mana in one use, and then
notice while you can easily kill one enemy every other enemy in the
world now is 10 times your own level to auto balance making it
impossible to continue. You have to be careful about buying spells close
to the level your mana can support rapid which seems weird being that
you'd think you could just do whatever is in your capability. Also for a
class like a thief you'll find yourself leveling up quickly using your
main skills and find that many of the enemies will be way too strong for
you so you have to focus on leveling up secondary skills and not using
your main skills quite as often to stay on par which forces how you play
the game.
The auto leveling somewhat removes the whole nature of
the RPG aspect of leveling from the game if you think about it. What's
the point of becoming super strong if the enemies are just as hard when
you start as when you finish? Yes, it adds to gameplay and I'm sure with
your new skills if you use them correctly you do become stronger than
the enemy but it removes the ability to destroy a legion with a powerful
spell or the chop through a group of weaklings once you deserve to have
that power.
Regardless, it's a fun game though and the
environment is interesting to explore. The story also is interesting
considering many Action RPGs tend to have trouble tying the main
character into the story because of the nature of them but Elder Scrolls
has always been strong in this area.
The dungeons can be
repetitive (besides the core ones) because often the auto leveling will
cause the dungeons to just have the same enemies all around. The
dungeons are auto respawning and while they do have treasure chests
which also auto respawn they lack a real unique feel (although they are
setup differently they generally will give you a similar experience as a
whole). There are four types of enemies you'll generally find and
they're usually exclusive to their own dungeons: animals, humans, the
undead, and daedric beings. I have to give credit to the developers
though in this area because unlike Morrowind there are a plethora of
creatures to encounter which was one of its pitfalls Oblivion does not
have.
I'll leave my review at this, and I'm sure most people have
said everything else, but I'd say get this game regardless, it's worth
buying and playing through. I'm only giving a somewhat mediocre review
because I figured I'd point out where the series went wrong this time
around. It's an all around great game and probably the best Action RPG
on the market today but still has a lot of room to improve on which
hopefully we'll see with the next iteration of the Elder Scrolls series.
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