Oblivion: Up close and personal

Getting to know the latest in The Elder Scrolls at X05

October 7, 2005

Bethesda Softworks, creators of the Elder Scrolls series, are pretty good at generating hype. But when it comes to The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the marketing almost speaks for itself.

The company has released another peek at Oblivion in a demonstration at the X05 conference in Amsterdam. Now, if you want to hold onto your money and you're not interested in losing any will power you might have holding you back from pre-ordering multiple copies of this game, stop reading now.

Don't say we didn't warn you.

The game begins as Emperor Uriel Septim VII (voiced by Patrick Stewart of Star Trek: TNG) describes nightmares of a portal opening, unleashing evil into the world.

After the opener, you begin the character creation process. Those familiar with Oblivion's predecessor — The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind — will recognize the basics of the system, but will be impressed by the advancements in ease of understanding. In Morrowind, it's tough to make choices without playing the game first. In Oblivion, the process is made clearer.

Getting into the game, you're going to notice that the world is more fantastically alive than that of Morrowind. The non-playable characters which roam the streets, alleys and trails are more dynamic than in previous installments. And there's a good reason. Oblivion sports a new system called Radiant AI — a means by which NPCs can interact with each other in unpredictable ways. They have feelings about you, and about each other, and their opinions can effect your business.

And all that is said without even mentioning graphics. But with the power of modern graphics cards, and the Xbox 360 system, this game is beautiful.

If you liked Morrowind, you'll probably love Oblivion. If you like RPGs, you'll probably love Oblivion. If you like video games, you're going to have fun with Oblivion. If you're a blind, three-legged donkey, you're still going to enjoy this game.

The Elder Scrolls III: Oblivion comes out shortly after the launch of the Xbox 360, which is on November 22 in North America. We expect it before Christmas. And we're excited about it. Can't you tell?