Zero Punctuation: Oblivion
- Thread starter Yahtzee Croshaw
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Awesome review, you mixed up Night Elves with Dark Elves though, as there are no NE's in Oblivion. Now excuse me whilst I go praying you're not playing World of Warcraft.
NO WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!!!!!! I was hoping secretly in my heart he would review Oblivion *___*
I must agree with Yahtzee. I though Oblivion was quite disappointing and I liked Morrowind much more...
I must agree with Yahtzee. I though Oblivion was quite disappointing and I liked Morrowind much more...
It makes some of the enemy's just beastly and since it can be controlled so the enemy's will just stay a low level while your skills continue to improve the game can be made stupidly easy.Kayevcee said:
The problem with the leveling system is that the enemies are always easy.
If you fight the Big Boss at level 1 he still will be defeatable (levelled) so there is no real challenge or motivation to improve :S
If you fight the Big Boss at level 1 he still will be defeatable (levelled) so there is no real challenge or motivation to improve :S
Some good points there but it's a shame he either missed out (or not commenting it for the sake of the console version) the modding community.
Most of these problems have been either just patched or in some cases pathed to the point perfection. There are mods that spice up the combat (decapitating and throat sliting), the lore (at least 100+ new books with interesting stories), the quests (some worthy of an Oscar), the landscape (most of the map regions now have at least one large and unique patch of space) and the enemies (60+ new ones that varie in personality and size and the original ones now also vary in personality and size).
Although the problem with bland common NPC's still remain there are some mods that add really interesting personalities and i think he missed out the dark brotherhood questline since he specialized in maiming things instead of stealth. The original oblivion is boring but the modded one makes it so much better than any other RPG.
Most of these problems have been either just patched or in some cases pathed to the point perfection. There are mods that spice up the combat (decapitating and throat sliting), the lore (at least 100+ new books with interesting stories), the quests (some worthy of an Oscar), the landscape (most of the map regions now have at least one large and unique patch of space) and the enemies (60+ new ones that varie in personality and size and the original ones now also vary in personality and size).
Although the problem with bland common NPC's still remain there are some mods that add really interesting personalities and i think he missed out the dark brotherhood questline since he specialized in maiming things instead of stealth. The original oblivion is boring but the modded one makes it so much better than any other RPG.
he's right you know, that is EXACTLY what glastonbury is like.
and i could never immerse myself in oblivion, partly as its shit, partly because my graphics card couldnt handle the painfully lively scenery, as soon as i get an XBOX 360 for my birthday i'll not be buying this installment of the rancid gaming history, but i will definately be buying bioshock, the orange box and a number of other games that i cant run on my, although new, computer, maybe i shouldnt have got a laptop... oh and as for those commenting on the side-quests, and how he didnt review them, you need to remember that when you play a game, the game needs to have a direction. Thus, playing a SIDE-QUEST doesnt further the main progress, which is what most people like doing, the main progress bit, unless its some kind of porn, like DOA: Volleyball. although, i am forgetting that MOST people these days are pricks, or incredibly boring, or have no life, so allow me to point out that normal people want to play the main storyline. Although with morrowind, it never really points out the main storyline, it just leaves you to do as you please. Thus, allowing normal people to play the side-quests and enjoy the full experience, unlike oblivion, build to melt your computer from the outside, in.
and i could never immerse myself in oblivion, partly as its shit, partly because my graphics card couldnt handle the painfully lively scenery, as soon as i get an XBOX 360 for my birthday i'll not be buying this installment of the rancid gaming history, but i will definately be buying bioshock, the orange box and a number of other games that i cant run on my, although new, computer, maybe i shouldnt have got a laptop... oh and as for those commenting on the side-quests, and how he didnt review them, you need to remember that when you play a game, the game needs to have a direction. Thus, playing a SIDE-QUEST doesnt further the main progress, which is what most people like doing, the main progress bit, unless its some kind of porn, like DOA: Volleyball. although, i am forgetting that MOST people these days are pricks, or incredibly boring, or have no life, so allow me to point out that normal people want to play the main storyline. Although with morrowind, it never really points out the main storyline, it just leaves you to do as you please. Thus, allowing normal people to play the side-quests and enjoy the full experience, unlike oblivion, build to melt your computer from the outside, in.
Well, aside from being stupidly easy, the monsters leveled with you. Because of that, I really had no fear of going into new places, worrying if there's gonna be something that'll kill me in one hit (like in Morrowind or Gothic) because the monsters would be easy no matter where I went.Kayevcee said:
Edit: For a laugh, check this out: http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:Roleplaying
I don't know about samey, since every large real-world area that's roughly equal in size to the Oblivion environment is pretty much rubber-stamped for a few square km, whereas Oblivion has variety. I guess it seems samey locally, but running from meadows, to redwood forests, to forest glades, to swamps, and then back up to the frosty mountains helps. Throw in a desert, a huge underground cavern or rocky gorge, a thriving techno-metropolis, a sky fortress, and a space station and Oblivion would have touched pretty much every environment. Regardless, I was just happy that the towns, albeit way too few for the goddamn capital province of the world, and pretty un-lively, weren't copy-pasted. They each had a subtle "flavor" in architecture.
He was right about "seeing it all" though. As soon as you step out, you can do a quick 360 and have seen every last corner of the world. That's it. No exploration necessary. No point in running off the beaten path if you've seen where that path takes you.
He was right about "seeing it all" though. As soon as you step out, you can do a quick 360 and have seen every last corner of the world. That's it. No exploration necessary. No point in running off the beaten path if you've seen where that path takes you.
I find it hard to get lost in a fantasy world where every country seems to be hit by a different natural disaster and being inhabited by a completely different culture (with the same language) than their 2km neighbors. But, well... that's for logical reasons. As long, as the game is intuitive and there I think Oblivion really scores, it is enough for me to get lost in (as well as good work on the atmosphere). Strangely though, I did not really have this addicted-feeling I get with other games and I was bit disappointed of not being able to apply a lot of the learned "virtues" in the different sects.
For instance: I deeply enjoyed the thieving quests and from a certain point onward, one has to collect stolen item value - no matter if you steal the queens jewels or a poor chaps last food, as long as the selling value matches the asked amout. Great! I wanted to repeat that during the game and become the merchants nightmare, trying to steal hard items, trying to solve my quests via stealing, but there where no consequences and I could not apply all my thieving skills to the amount I wish I could because the quests were over (but then, maybe, I should have picked a sole thieving game).
I also really enjoy about oblivion the fanmade mods and addons that really enrich the game. And I love the games that allow their fans this kind of freedom.
I am sorry now for the conservative part: I do not expect and actually do not really wish a all new all improved next part. The whole Sheagorath(?) business was a fun idea but it was not what I expect from this kind of game. Oblivion is not, well... as kinky as other RPGs. More... traditional and I would be happy if the next one still targets the same audience (and heeds the repeated critique).
Thank you very much for that great review. I am very happy, that you did not shred it to pieces (I would have seriously doubted my own taste) and were entertaining again. I was surprised that you took this game.
... but you could not have played it in one week... or?
For instance: I deeply enjoyed the thieving quests and from a certain point onward, one has to collect stolen item value - no matter if you steal the queens jewels or a poor chaps last food, as long as the selling value matches the asked amout. Great! I wanted to repeat that during the game and become the merchants nightmare, trying to steal hard items, trying to solve my quests via stealing, but there where no consequences and I could not apply all my thieving skills to the amount I wish I could because the quests were over (but then, maybe, I should have picked a sole thieving game).
I also really enjoy about oblivion the fanmade mods and addons that really enrich the game. And I love the games that allow their fans this kind of freedom.
I am sorry now for the conservative part: I do not expect and actually do not really wish a all new all improved next part. The whole Sheagorath(?) business was a fun idea but it was not what I expect from this kind of game. Oblivion is not, well... as kinky as other RPGs. More... traditional and I would be happy if the next one still targets the same audience (and heeds the repeated critique).
Thank you very much for that great review. I am very happy, that you did not shred it to pieces (I would have seriously doubted my own taste) and were entertaining again. I was surprised that you took this game.
... but you could not have played it in one week... or?
Oblivion was hideously badly written. I like the idea of being able to make your own way in a huge fantasy world, and to some extent you can do that in Oblivion. But... It's just not free enough.
*SPOILERS*
Take for example the Dark Brotherhood quest. In the end you become the de facto leader of the brotherhood, and what do you get for it? Well, some cash... I was hoping to be able to command a guild of assassins, but sadly that was not to be. The Colliseum was pretty fun too, but apart from that the fighting is generally quite boring.
Yathzee may hate customization, but personally I enjoy tweaking my character at the start of a game like this because it often makes a great difference as to how the game plays out. But in Oblivion the game is so over-simplified for console-users that most of that joy is gone
*SPOILERS*
Take for example the Dark Brotherhood quest. In the end you become the de facto leader of the brotherhood, and what do you get for it? Well, some cash... I was hoping to be able to command a guild of assassins, but sadly that was not to be. The Colliseum was pretty fun too, but apart from that the fighting is generally quite boring.
Yathzee may hate customization, but personally I enjoy tweaking my character at the start of a game like this because it often makes a great difference as to how the game plays out. But in Oblivion the game is so over-simplified for console-users that most of that joy is gone
I'm apparently one of the few people who liked Oblivion, but that's probably because i played it on the 360. Yahtzee made good points, but that doesn't break it. you don't need to be immersed to enjoy a game, unless your own life is dull enough that you need to, but that's your own problem. I also have low expectations for fantasy stories in general, but that isn't really needed in Oblivion.
When I first discovered ZP some time ago I was genuinely disappointed that I'd never hear Yahtzee review Oblivion.
And now I've heard it I'm still disappointed. Not nowhere near vitriolic enough for the festering pile of Norman Lamont that is this game and has missed at least 5 zillion appalling design decisions.
It's an Action RPG that fulfils neither of those epithets. Meh.
And now I've heard it I'm still disappointed. Not nowhere near vitriolic enough for the festering pile of Norman Lamont that is this game and has missed at least 5 zillion appalling design decisions.
It's an Action RPG that fulfils neither of those epithets. Meh.
As ive said before the only method necessary to determine if a game is good or not as far as im concerned is how you answer the question "Did I have fun?" after playing it. For Oblivion the answer was yes! Ive had the game for almost a year I think and I still play it from time to time. There are still quests I havnt finished. Yes the leveling system should be replaced with a mod almost immediately after the game is installed and yes the characters do repeat themselves alot but that last one is just being nit picky (Incidentally most of the Beggars work for the Gray Fox and speak normally usually when talking about him or the Thieves Guild. Im guessing the beggar voice is supposed to evoke sympathy. Oblivion is a game that can be played many times and many ways before it finally becomes boring and then the mods help to extend its lifespan.
Once again Yahtzee's reviews are humorous and it really brightened my Wednesday yet again.
Once again Yahtzee's reviews are humorous and it really brightened my Wednesday yet again.
Ah awesome, I was just looking for someone who could voice the opinion of every soul on the face of the planet that's capable of reading, and along came you. You're a true hero. Granted, it's a nitpick, but since when is Zero Punctuation not about nitpicking? I find it disturbing that he's mixing over Warcraft races with Oblivion races. And to be a jerk: you spelt nobody wrong.Arkitext said:
Funny review, even though I like Oblivion. I play it on my PS3, incidentally. My girlfriend recently picked up Morrowind for her XBox, and I actually perfer Oblivion over it thus far.
The game does have its flaws, to be sure. As has been stated already, the leveling system is a joke. You only level up when the skills you specialize in go up, and everyone else in the game from NPCs to enemies level up with you making it largely pointless. And easy to exploit simply by grinding a non-specialized skill. Say you don't specialize in Destruction magic, for example. You can grind the Destruction skill all the way to maximum without leveling up at all. Suddenly, you have powerful Destruction magic up the ass and a bunch of piss easy low level enemies that you could kill by farting on.
Still, a fun game, even though I've never finished it. Probably for the reason Yahtzee mentioned, not immersive enough. I've probably restarted the game so many times I've lost count by now. I have the urge to start again and make my character an Imperial that resembles Rowan Atkinson's Blackadder. Perfect for the Dark Brotherhood, although I'd like to complete the Nine's Pilgrimage first.
Incidentally, in my last game of Oblivion, I was a Dunmar (Dark Elf) with neon blue hair named "Garet Gobelcoque" (Gareth Cobelcoque wouldn't fit).
The game does have its flaws, to be sure. As has been stated already, the leveling system is a joke. You only level up when the skills you specialize in go up, and everyone else in the game from NPCs to enemies level up with you making it largely pointless. And easy to exploit simply by grinding a non-specialized skill. Say you don't specialize in Destruction magic, for example. You can grind the Destruction skill all the way to maximum without leveling up at all. Suddenly, you have powerful Destruction magic up the ass and a bunch of piss easy low level enemies that you could kill by farting on.
Still, a fun game, even though I've never finished it. Probably for the reason Yahtzee mentioned, not immersive enough. I've probably restarted the game so many times I've lost count by now. I have the urge to start again and make my character an Imperial that resembles Rowan Atkinson's Blackadder. Perfect for the Dark Brotherhood, although I'd like to complete the Nine's Pilgrimage first.
Incidentally, in my last game of Oblivion, I was a Dunmar (Dark Elf) with neon blue hair named "Garet Gobelcoque" (Gareth Cobelcoque wouldn't fit).
First reaction at seeing Yahtzee reviewing the game that The Escapist community loves to poke fun at: "Holy Crap!".
Reaction at finally seeing the finger being pointed at beggars going from decrepit hags to well civilized persons between lines: "Oh Frecking God Yes!"
I can't believe that after months of seeing this game being made fun of for these things, Yahtzee can still make me laugh for them again.
Reaction at finally seeing the finger being pointed at beggars going from decrepit hags to well civilized persons between lines: "Oh Frecking God Yes!"
I can't believe that after months of seeing this game being made fun of for these things, Yahtzee can still make me laugh for them again.