The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

The Good
1. Extended Gameplay. Yes, the main storyline is on the short side (esp. when compared to RPG classics such as FFVII). However, the side quests and faction quests provide 100+ hours of extended game play. As well, purchasing the 'Game of the Year Edition' provides the Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles extensions to further propel the main quest.

1. Graphics. Simply stated, the graphics are beautiful. It is no longer a monotonous burden to wander through the gaming wilderness.

2. Customization. The character customization is ridiculously expansive. If you don't fall under a pre-made design, simply create your own character.

3. Sound. The score is amazing.
   
   The Bad
   1. Leveling. If you use (and abuse) the character's main skill sets, your character will level insanely fast...and so will the monsters. Good luck to those who prefer to use pure-magic characters.

4. Bugs. Yes, the 360 will lock up if played for 5+ hours. Save often. It is possible to jumble the quest lines. For instance, I forgot to ask for advancement following every quest in the fighter's guild story line and ended up not being able to be promoted to Master rank because of it. Tip: Buy the Prima Guide.

5. Addiction. This game is ridiculously addictive.

6. Oblivion Gates. There are too many of them and conquering them becomes a chore after closing 2 or 3.
   
   The Bottom Line
   I'm a graduate student who recently purchased an XBOX 360 "for fun." Thus, I own the system to play games like Halo 3, Call of Duty 3 & 4, and NCAA Football. However, this game caught my eye in Best Buy one day, so I started flipping through the Prima Guide. I really enjoyed the Final Fantasy series for Playstation 10 years ago, so I thought I'd give Oblivion a shot. What I didn't realize is how immersed one can get in the game. You start on the main quest line, but is so, oh so easy to get off track with one of the Guilds or Misc. quests. A great game, but make sure you clear your social calendar for a while.

The Good
This is the best RPG I have ever played, and I am an RPG nut. The expanse covered in Oblivion, while not as big as the world in Morrowind, is still quite sizable, and the game developers used the space assigned to them to the maximum. This means that, while there is less land, there is more to do, and more to have fun with. Also, you can spend hours just trying to customize your character and his house - I spent an hour and a half trying to put my armor on display the right way! I used to be a Morrowind fan, but Oblivion definitely puts it to shame, not only expanding character customization, but allowing for a world that completely immerses the gamer. One could sit down and start a game at nine A.M., and the next time they look up, they will see it's night time. A surefire way to enjoy your PC or 360.

The Bad
...? not... like... oblivion???

The only problem was that it froze a few times, and that is not a problem if you save a lot.

The Bottom Line
This game is possibly THE best game I have ever played. It has consumed my life, and will continue to do so until they make an Elder Scrolls V.

The Good
The graphics were insane (but there is a downside to it... possibly)

the music score to this game is insane it fits perfectly with the game.

The beginning of the game had an actual... for a lack of a better word... introduction to the controls. unlike Morrowind that basically said "well pick up the knife... press R to attack... well you broke the law... good luck with that" while oblivion gives an explanation and a through walkthrough of everything you will do before you are released into the world.

The quests are very fun to do and when you finally finish them you (sometimes) feel like you actually did something very good.

Combat is good but will get better as you progress in the game.

Horses are cool to ride on and the fast travel system is very good (WAY better than paying some guy and a bug to take you to a city that is still just as far away from where your supposed to be... damn morrowind... why do i keep playing that?)

a whole lot of factions make the game very fun and will keep you busy for... at least 48 hours straight ... don't get any funny ideas your 360 will just freeze like mine does but that might be from different reasons.

very good lay out of controls. but if you make the jump of morrowind to oblivion... just as a heads up the controls are different.

The Bad
graphics are way too good... it sometimes made my xbox 360 freeze (this may be because i played around six hours straight, or the fact that i just got the game and the system at the same time)

also the story line seemed extremely short... i won't spoil anything for you but in the end it just seems like you went a long way to almost nothing.

Sometimes quests are just real b.s. and are there to piss you off... or require a patch (don't drop the ring of burden... WHAT EVER YOU DO DON"T DROP IT UNTIL THEY TELL YOU... IT DOESN"T COME BACK!).

no horse combat

no creatures like in Morrowind (i just like comparing the two games even though they are on two different sides of the world the fact is this make the game more in depth and shows how different the worlds of each uhh province are).

Oblivion gates... i really hate them ... just as a little tip you don't need to close any that you pass in the world you could just complete the story line and they will all just close.

The Bottom Line
very good ... don't play it too long or else ... well lets just say "good-bye" to your social life ... and everything else!

The Good
Everything about this game is lovable. Bethesda has kicked it up so much. The environments are as beautiful as the character's themselves. They cleared up the fog that was forever looming in Morrowind and now you can plop up on top of a mountain and just see what you can see. The combat system is wonderful. You can hit,block,fireball and hit again. The NPCs are now voiced, so your not just talking to a mute person with paper and pencil writing their conversations. And the new mastery of your skills is incredible. New moves to learn and skills to master make this game a perfect gaming experience. Also, the addition of a compass make traveling easy, so now your not running around in circles look for a cave that's miles away from you. And the ability to ride a horse does make traveling faster.

The Bad
The only things I didn't like about Oblivion are many common problems, I guess. First, all of the characters are voiced by the same people. So you talk to a guard with a really deep voice then you go talk to a midget with the same voice. Second, the story line could have been more plentiful. You play a few very simple missions and you win. These are the only problems I see.

The Bottom Line
A must have for any and every RPG fan boy/girl. Once again Bethesda knocks us dead.