Common Sense Note
Parents need to know this role-playing game isn't appropriate for younger players because of violence and gore, strong language, use of alcohol, and sexual references. For instance, any enemy you slash with a sword will bleed. You will also see corpses in the game. When it comes to alcohol, gamers' characters can consumer wine or ale (as they can with potions) and experience its effect, such as increased fatigue or decreased intelligence. Sexual references take place mostly in books or in dialogue, but most players' characters in this world can be stripped down to their underwear.
Families can talk about why fantasy role-playing games are so appealing. Is it because the game presents a world so different than ours? Is it because you can become someone completely different from who you are? What about your special powers? Families might also wish to discuss how kids feel about playing in such a huge world with so many characters and missions. Is the scope part of what makes this game so good?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Marc Saltzman
A word of warning to those who pick up this latest Elder Scrolls fantasy role-playing game (RPG): Don't bother making plans until, say, June. The ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION is so huge, it could take up to 500 hours just to see and do everything in the game, say its creators from Bethesda Softworks.
As with its popular predecessors, Oblivion is an ambitious single-player RPG epic that lets you create a hero from scratch -- by first selecting from a countless range of physical attributes, skills, and races -- before exploring open-ended cities, dank dungeons, and heavily forested areas. While interacting with more than a thousand characters, many of whom will give you quests to fulfill, you will sharpen your skills over time as you battle a plethora of vicious foes, including giant poisonous rats, ax-wielding skeletons, and colossal ogres.
The story begins as you escort the emperor of Tamriel (voiced by Patrick Stewart of Star Trek: The Next Generation and X-Men fame) through a labyrinth of underground caverns, but evil goblins kill him. Before he dies, however, he asks that you find the lost heir to the throne and help protect the land from the demons released from a hell-like plane called Oblivion.
The game can be played from either a first- or third-person perspective. The former lets you see these worlds through the eyes of the main character; the latter view, while less immersive, allows you to see your character at all times, as well as what may be lurking behind you. You can also choose your fighting style: hand-to-hand melee combat, range attacks (such as using a bow and arrow), spell-casting, or a combination of all three.
You can accept most missions in any order you like, plus you can also join one of the many guilds (Mages Guild, Thieves Guild, etc.), each of which unlocks even more objectives.
Other RPG mainstays found in Oblivion include picking locks, finding treasure chests, and picking up items to store in your inventory -- such as better weapons, stronger armor, healing potions, and food -- but if you're over-encumbered, you won't be able to move your character and will be forced to dispose of heavier possessions.
Graphically speaking, Oblivion is a treat for the eyes on both the PC and Microsoft Xbox 360 versions. From the lifelike towns and rural areas to the creepy enemies and special magic effects, the game easily outshines its predecessors, 1994's Arena, 1996's Daggerfall, and 2002's Morrowind. Another visual delight is the game's real-life physics, such as seeing a store sign sway back and forth after you shoot an arrow into it, and then being able to remove the arrow to reuse it later.
The only unimpressive effect is the character lip-synching that doesn't seem to match their words, but it hardly dampens the otherwise awe-inspiring experience. Oblivion features more than 60,000 lines of spoken dialogue.
As if this mammoth game wasn't big enough, Bethesda Softworks has made its Elder Scrolls Construction Set available as a download from the company's Web site, allowing PC gamers to create and share their very own worlds.
Oblivion successfully straddles quantity and quality; this groundbreaking fantasy RPG not only offers a huge game world in which to live in for months on end, but it also proves to be one of the finest role-playing games ever crafted.
Note: the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions of this game cost $59.99, as opposed to $49.99 for the Windows PC version.
Other recommended fantasy role-playing games include Atari's Neverwinter Nights 2, Aspyr's Gothic 3, and NCSoft's Guild Wars Nightfall. For younger kids choose Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire.
Reviewed: 12/15/2006
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Sexual ContentSome suggestive themes in books and in some dialogue; players can be stripped down to underwear. |
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ViolenceWhile typical for this type of game, creatures and NPCs (non-player characters) can be hit with weapons and will bleed and die. Corpses are shown. |
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LanguagePlayers may hear curse words such as "damn", "hell," or "whore." |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoCharacters can drink alcohol, but negative effects will likely kick in, such as fatigue. |
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