While we only got to spend two hours with the game, we found that we wanted to spend a lot more, because this game is absolutely huge. Anyone who has played through the previous Elder Scrolls games will undoubtedly be familiar with the scene, but even they are likely to be impressed by the world that has been created here. We didn’t really stick to the story, because we spent a lot of the time playing with the world at our disposal. Still, there is a story – and a rather big one at that. The only gist that we got was that you started in a prison. Suddenly, the Emperor and his elite guard jump into your cell and open up a secret passage way. Your lucky day? Well if you consider that the Emperor ends up getting killed by a mysterious assassin and you need to go a find the last remaining heir, maybe it’s not so lucky.
Even the meagre beginnings were impressive.
It quickly becomes apparent that things aren’t as simple as that. There is so much beneath the surface that it’s almost inconceivable. You start off by creating your character. A lot of these processes have become by the numbers but Oblivion felt good on this level, simply because of the subtlety that mixed well some of the outrageous (and ordinary) characters that you could create. You can pick from both genders and many different races – each of which will dictate how you play. It was amazing to find ourselves in a cell and that we play with some of the amazing physics that were built into the structure of the cell. We could pick up and play with chains that were hanging from the ceiling or the cup on our desk, simple by holding down on the left shoulder button.
The first part of the game requires you to make your way out of the prison. This part acts like a bit of a tutorial and is about as linear as the game gets. You’re walked through your basic combat and in-game actions. Quite a lot has been crammed into a very basic control scheme. At the beginning, you start by practicing your sword skills on rats and your bow and arrow skills on hanging buckets. The path that was followed was fairly linear but it was interesting as to how it progressed. You started off in a castle like setting, then you end up in some make-shift tunnels and caves, only to head back into the castle back rooms. We ended up in some sewers and eventually, outside. It looked like this was setting up the nature of the rest of the game.
Thankfully, the game very quickly kicks into gear and throws you straight into the action. After the fearsome rats and buckets, you’ll soon face off against zombies and goblins. The game’s initial sequence also allows you to pick your star-sign and class – each of which are critical to your stats and will reflect how you play the game. Getting out of the dungeon doesn’t take very long at all and soon you get to step out into the open environment. It’s truly an amazing sight, especially if you’re seeing it for the first time.
As we started to explore the world, we found that the initial dungeon sequence was cleverly done, so that it really doesn’t show you anything at the start. Amazingly, the game is almost constantly kicking into action showing you something new and potentially exciting. Obviously, the game has a fantasy setting and this leaves it open to a multitude of scenarios, settings and places. At one point we found ourselves up a snow-capped mountain fighting off wolves, followed by a descent into an abandoned mine being guarded by goblins then the infiltration of a bandit camp. We found that you really can lose yourself for long periods of time just doing what you want or very little at all.
Thankfully, we never came across this guy
We then took the liberty to explore what the townships and social life was like. We started in the Capital and it happened to be nighttime. Only the tavern was open and there were very few people on the streets, other than Imperial Guards. When no body was looking, we went and broke into a house after carefully picking the lock. We proceeded to steal that persons most valuable axe, threw all their books all over the floor, messed up their wine collection and raided the basement for goodies. We went back to the tavern to rest for the night and visited the same place the next day. It happened to be a heavy weapons shop run by an Orc. Funnily enough, the books were still scattered all over the floor.
There were many interesting and diverse characters to meet, each of which had quite a bit to say. In one town, we found quite a large number of cat-like humanoids. Oddly, they spoke with Russian accents and had disturbingly communistic tendencies, namely with “helping the brother”. One of them could even train you to pick locks. People had quite a lot of layers to themselves as well. They would whine about disturbing them while others would beg for money. If you talked to them with regards to a wanted criminal, the guards would say one thing and the bums would say another. This was especially apparent in the way that guards received you, both before and after you’ve been performing felonies. The best thing is that it is simple and effective to do so and that virtually everything was voiced. 2K Games have confirmed for us that everything in the game is voiced out, there is not a single line of text, which is very impressive.
Combat will obviously play a crucial role in the game. We found it to be simple to pick up but challenging to really master. There are three forms of attack – melee, ranged and magic. We spent most of the time with melee weapons, with everything from swords to axes to staffs, though there was a bow and arrow. As far as magic goes, we only really had heal and fireball spells. Played from a first person perspective, you sword swipes would subtly change with the direction that you attack from or how long you hold the attack button. This meant there was a lot more strategy and thought than what initial impressions may lead you to believe. Given that most enemies will fight back quite ferociously, there is a great degree of timing and placement required. However, even with this in mind, general difference in strengths and equipment still did come into play. Victory over a greater opponent was sweet, especially when you stole their iron armour so that you could replace your leather armour.
Third person pespective
It took a little bit of time to get used to the controls but they ended up feeling quite comfortable. For those who don’t know, the game is played from a first person perspective. The right-trigger controls your attacks, the left-trigger blocks and the right shoulder button controls your spells. The face buttons had the simplest of tasks – A was your basic interaction button, B opened the menu, X drew your weapon and Y was jump. Initially, the menu seemed like it had a lot to it but once we knew exactly what went where, it became like second nature. Handily, there have been numerous hotkeys saved for the d-pad, so that you can use a potion or equip an item or what not with the simple press of a direction. The game now gives you the option of playing in third person but other than for observing you character, it lost a little perspective and just didn’t feel the same.
The thing that is likely to make the biggest impact on the gameplay in Oblivion is likely to be the little things. Little things like a tiny enemy health bar that curls around the top of the cross hair, or the indicator that showed whether an enemy could see you or not when you attempted to sneak up on them. Little things like walking into a person’s house and freaking them out or the new ability to buy your own house and being able to completely decorate it as you wish. Little things like the consistently detailed mini-games that include lock-picking and persuading people to do things, or how differently the game will play, based on what attributes you choose at the beginning. Little things like the constant gaining of new abilities and things to do. It’s these things and many, many more, on top of the already top-notch world that has been made that will make the game what is likely to be a true open-ended experience.
Now for the part that a lot of you have been wanting to know. Since the inception of gaming, there has been stiff competition between the graphical prowess on console and PC games. PC’s have jumped away over the last decade or so but it seems that things are actually back on a level playing field. Despite the fact that we were playing an incomplete build, everything about the visuals in Oblivion was absolutely stunning. Couple in a presentation in HD, and you have visual bliss.
The attention to detail is amazing
At the start of the game, you’re forced to traverse some dull locations. Prisons and sewers aren’t the most exciting place but the attention to detail was absolutely superb. It’s almost as if every brick and every hanging, rotting vine was specially nurtured into reality. It happens to be that this is only the start, as you first lay eyes on the radiance of the real world that lies outside the dungeon. You only needed look down to see the quality of the texture work and detailing of the grass, then look up and try and count the hundreds of trees that stand in the distance. Take a moment and watch them sway in the gentle breeze. The environment isn’t the only thing that looks stellar. Most of the architecture is distinct and it really makes you feel that you’re in a fantasy realm, not to mention that it looks like something you could actually go and visit. When talking to a person, you can see whether they like you or not by the expression on their face.
Pure graphical grunt is not the end of the matter. It’s clear that with the extra processing power, the developers have been able to enhance many aspects such as the physics and animation. Pick-up one bottle and you can use it to know off the others that sit on a table. Or you can watch as the body that you just defeated tumbles down the stairs. It doesn’t just stop at dynamic day-to-night changes but also dynamic weather conditions. Almost everything that we saw, was a part of easily one of the most impressive graphical presentations ever seen in video games. Watching the sunset in the game, felt almost (and disturbingly) as gratifying as it would in real life. Especially if you’re in the grounds of the Capital and you can watch the spectacular reflections on the water.
Given that the build we played was not final, we are confident that the minor errors, such as rare pop-up and inconsistent load times will be sorted out when the game is released. One other minor concern is one that has beset a few 360 games so far. That is, the people sometimes look like very detailed plastic figurines and oddly enough, it would have been barely noticeable had it not been for the immaculate detail of everything else – especially the clothing of the person.
The game doesn't look this good... It looks better!
If there was one thing clear from out play through, it is that we have seen absolutely NOTHING yet. There is obviously so much more to the game that it is difficult to imagine. The best part is that we can look forward to there being something new constantly along the journey and the ability to play the way you really want to play – if you’re willing to accept the consequences. However, if there are a few doubts, they would have to be leveled at the fact that these kinds of huge, expansive fantasy set games aren’t for everyone. Not everyone likes fantasy settings and some people actually have a real-life that they need to be present in. We’re confident that a lot of the minor technical issue will be ironed out before final release but we don’t know how the game will fare on standard TV sets. That, and we don’t know what else is waiting for us to be explored yet.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion looks like it will be taking huge chunks out of peoples lives with one of the most immersive and open-ended experiences ever made. Our impressions so far are nothing but positive and have shown us a great deal of the potential of this, the next generation. If there is one thing that can be taken from the visual presentation, it’s that this is one of the first games to truly showcase how the presentation can affect the immersive nature of the gameplay. And that’s just based of how little we’ve seen. While it’s fair that you’re still awaiting the final verdict for the game, we can finally lay claim to the fact that the next generation will soon begin.
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