April 11, 2007 - While it is quite possible as a reviewer to write paragraphs, if not books, on the merits, improvements and details of Oblivion, it would simply be a disservice to anyone reading it. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is, simply put, the most complete and most amazing experience to be had in videogame form, bar none, and everyone should be playing it rather than reading about it. Everything that you may have heard about it is true. Everything you knew about Morrowind has been bettered and perfected. And yes, Oblivion is one of the best reasons to own a next generation console or a high-end PC. As a reviewer, I can't recommend a game more. As a fan of the series, I have a lot more to gush over.

I first reviewed Oblivion a year ago for the Xbox 360 console and PC. It's odd, yet not entirely surprising, that a year later, I am still reviewing Oblivion, now for the PS3 and also the latest expansion (The Shivering Isles) for the X360 and PC. Even stranger though is that even after hundreds of hours spent with the game and it's many expansions/add-ons, I never grow tired of wandering around and discovering new things to see and do. While the main quest does come to an end, there are so many factions, areas and side-quests to undertake (as well as Oblivion Gates to close) that the journey is almost endless. I've also found that starting new and different characters makes the game seem new, even while replaying it, simply because each character you can create will (and should) play differently. Most gamers reading this particular review however, will want to know what exactly has changed for the PS3 version. First, it should be stated, that if you haven't played Oblivion yet (on any console/PC), you are missing out. What are you waiting for? If you are thinking of purchasing a PS3, the addition of Oblivion is a no-brainer. For those though that have multiple consoles (and a high-end PC) the choice may not be as easy.

Content-wise, the PC version is far superior to both the 360 and PS3 versions. This is simply because it features user-created content. Note however that you'll need a behemoth of a PC to run the game smoothly. The Xbox 360 version has aged well and has received many add-on packs with various fun quests, as well as patching (for optimization and bugs/glitches/exploits) and premium content in the forms of The Knights of the Nine and The Shivering Isles. The PS3 version, the newest of the bunch, features the entire original core game as well as The Knights of The Nine expansion. Unfortunately, there is no "downloadable content" option anywhere in the PS3 version, so it's unclear if The Shivering Isles (as well as other/new content) will be added to it eventually.

Of all the versions, it's hard to pick a clear winner. The PC has lots of content but has very long load times, requires massive resources and the user content isn't always up to Bethesda Standards. The Xbox 360 version features a nice bevy of add-ons, has been patched to fix loading issues as well as draw distances and features Achievements which is always encouraging. The Xbox 360 is also the easiest version to add content to from an end-user perspective. The PS3 version ships as a beefier game with the Knights of The Nine well integrated into it. Its load times are very short (in comparison to the 360 version) and the draw distances look even better. On my television however, which only support 480i/p and 1080i and not Oblivion's optimized 720p, the game defaults to 480p, which I must still say, still looks amazing. Some tweaking may have been done to the graphics and textures though since even in the dungeons, things look brighter and much nicer. Which version you pick will eventually depend on your console preference, but picking up Oblivion (now that there are no excuses left) should not be a question for anyone.

Oblivion begins, as expected, with a powerful monologue delivered by a King very much disillusioned by his fate. As he flees his own castle through the underground prisons, fate also binds him with our hero. Soon, the King shall be dead and you will be tasked with not only finding his heir, but saving the Tamrielic Empire from the grips of Oblivion. And this is, quite simply, how our quest begins. Before it is all over, we will have entered and closed Oblivion Gates, joined Factions and Guilds, fought in the arena, spied on people, killed others, trained, journeyed, escaped vampires and disease, bought houses, become a hero, stolen a few things here and there, and even spent a night or two in jail. Oblivion is a videogame, but make no mistake about it, it is also an experience like none before it. From its level of interactivity, pacing, detail and depth, you never just play Oblivion. You live Oblivion.

As with Morrowind, your first step is creating a hero for your adventure. All previous races and classes return along with a character editor (which is a lot more responsive on the PS3) not unlike Tiger Woods' PGA Tour. You'll also choose your birth-sign, attributes and specialization. After the prison tutorial, and the jaw-dropping awe of leaving the underground tunnels, you'll begin to realize how different Oblivion is from its predecessor.

Combat, which felt like a dice roll in the previous game, has been changed to behave more like a true hack 'n slash title. You hit what you hit and block what you block. All the combat is now physics based and so much better. The controls are perfectly mapped and responsive (don't worry, even on the PS3's "looser" controller, actions feel nice and tight), and combat when it must be done, feels like an extension of itself rather than a chore. Magic, which is sometimes even more fun than a sword, not only looks amazing, but seems less clunky than in Morrowind. The addition of hotkeys (much better implemented on the PS3's D-pad than the X360 since corners aren't as twitchy) which can be mapped out and assigned to anything in your inventory also helps changing spells easy on the fly. And, as with Morrowind, the magic, combat and leveling up can be abused early on which, like in the previous title, adds even more incentive to experiment. It should be noted that all characters/monsters in the game level up accordingly to your character's level, so there is never an area that remains off limits until later and the main quest can be completed at any time.