Nou ik had niks te doen dus ik heb de hele review maar zelf overgetikt. Ik kon zelf ook niet alle woorden lezen dus het kan zijn dat ik soms een foutje heb gemaakt.
The elder scrolls: Oblivion review OXM
’’Are you in or are you out?’’
One of Oblivions myriad of non-playable characters (NPC’s) poses this question to your character during the spectacularly epic fourth chapter in the Elder Scrolls series (and the first since 2002’s Morrowind on Xbox). And its the same question you’ll have to ask yourself as you contemplate whether or not to purchase Xbox 360’s first true RPG..
Think carefully, because once you feed the Oblivion disc into your Xbox 360, your new console is going is going to want to chew on it for a long, long time. Oblivion is that good. It’s also mind-bogglingly grand in scope and colossally huge in size. Fortunately, its breadth does not require the hundreds of hours of commitment (or tedium) the way a massively multiplayer RPG does: indeed, its main story can be completed in 20-25 hours. But the heaping 100-hour helping of gameplay is there if you want it. And you likely will because the primary story arc is not what you’ll remember most about Oblivion. In fact, it’s the least awesome part of the game. The driving plotline (which involves the search for a new emperor and the simultaneous race to stop hell itself from spilling into Tamriel – y’know, RPG stuff…) does, to its credit, feature its share of great moments. For instance, once you find the heir to the throne, you’ll embark on a 20 minute horseback caravan with the heir and his bodyguard, trekking north, into a sanctuary into the mountains, trough the snow, and past danger. Another quest has you traveling to all nine of the land’s architecturally unique and culturally diverse cities to recruit aid from each respective govenor in advance of a monstrous clash between Tamriel and Oblivion.
However, it’s the rest of Oblivion’s detailed, fleshed-out world that will keep you hooked for months (you can keep playing after the primary plotline is concluded). The vast landscapes are visually breathtaking and unlike anything we’ve ever seen on either xbox, resplendent with dynamic, region-specific weather, gorgeous lighting 24/7, and diverse geography. Speaking of geography, it genuinely takes a long time to hoof across Tamriel. In fact, were it not for the “fast travel” option (select any visited area from your map to transport there instantly), Oblivion would be a 400-hour bore. Still, don’t neglect the wilderness entirely. As you explore the great outdoors, you’ll discover all kinds of suprises, including shrines you can pray at for stat buffs, caves to plunder, mines to clean out, forts to investigate, and even entire hidden towns to explore. Fortunately, both required and optional quests do a decent job of occasionally forcing you out into uncharted territory. But these pilgrimages only scratch the surface of what’s out there.
That same depth is applied to all aspects of Oblivion – even your character. Ways to customize your avatar are endless. Cramming in enough skills, specializations, and combinations to satisfy any roleplayer (you can even create a custom character class and give it a unique name). And layers upon layers of activities ensure you that you always have something to try your hand at. How about joining a mage’s guild and following its entire quests arc, crafting your own spells (in one or more several schools of magic) and staves along the way? Or becoming a master in all things mercantlle, wooing shopkeepers, honing your social skills, and sweet talking your way to incredible wealth? Perhaps, like us, you could take the larcenous route, perfecting the art of lockpicking and thieving your way to a big bank account, selling your stolen wares to fences who will move them for you (then buy your own house in each city with the profits)?
For a quick but relevant aside, it’s worth noting that because of its exclusive nature, we did not evaluate Oblivion by traditional means. Rather, we went to Bethesda’s studio to play the game literally just as the finished touches had been applied – microsoft hadn’t even gotten their hands on it yet. This meant going on a gaming binge over our four-day stay during which we clocked in 44 hours in Tamriel. We didn’t think we could take any game for that long, no matter how good it was, but delightfully, the hours and days flew by. There was always something to do – our quest log asually had dozen of more active tasks avaiable – and somehow it never felt overwhelming. There never was a dult moment, Unless, that is, you count loading screens as dult moments. Though never unforgivably long individually, the sheer amount of them you’ll look at during a 40-hour adventure adds up. Some like when you venture between rooms in a house, are quick. When you enter a city or fast-travel, however, consider having the collector’s edition’s Pocket Guide to the Empire novella handly.
A couple of other minor – primarlly technical – issues keep Oblivion from being truly legendary, but they certainly don’t strip it of must-buy status. While you won’t find any of the crushing bugs or head-scratching glitches that have always plagued the series, the aforementioned loading times are joined by noticeable framerate choppiness in large or busy areas, as well as quest “quirks” that manifest themselves out of the NPCs’ otherwise laudable 24/7 schedules. Yes, the world is populated with folks who live their own lives, but sometimes that makes your quest more annoying to complete, such as when a countress won’t take her ring off and put it in her jewelry box so you can steal it – even at bedtime! (Hint: just come back some other night when her routine is diffrent.) Furthermore, the latter portion of the main quest – particularly the last boss – gets controller hurlingly tough, though to the game’s credit, you can adjust the difficulty on the fly.
But to hink wishfully about an Oblivion that’s loading time is free or has a locked 60 frames per second would be to take for granted the envelope-pushing marvel that is ultimately is. Oblivion raises the bar so high that most RPG’s would be (and have been) satisfied with a fraction of what’s here. After 44 hours with Oblivion, what higher compliment can we pay it say we can’t wait to play it again, create a new character with an entirely diffrent skill set, and visit every nook and cranny there is to see in Tamriel? So take heed when staring at Oblivion on a store shelf. Your $60 will go farther than it ever has, but prepare to get hooked for the long haul
-Ryan
McCaffrey
9,5
Laatst bewerkt: 9 mrt 2006
