Fragment: On Oblivion

One of the unique pleasures of the video game is that it is very rare for a sequel to not surpass its predecessor. Consider Knights of the Old Republic II, Halo 3, or, if you haven't sat at a console in a few years, Super Mario Bros. 3. In this case, the predecessor in question is The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind (Xbox); the sequel, and subject of this review, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (Xbox 360).

Oblivion begins by continuing the "reformed criminal" theme from Morrowind for your character. The emperor and his sons have been assassinated, but before the emperor's death he recognizes you from a dream he had, gives you the symbol of his right to rule, tells you he has a bastard son, and sends you off to visit the commander of his guard/Secret Service. Then, of course, linked directly to all this is the business of portals to Oblivion (or, Hell) randomly popping up all across the continent and wreaking their evil havoc. Zoinks.

The improvements over Morrowind are substantial. For one (big) thing, the combat engine is not a hack 'n slash. Blocking is now something you control, you can disarm opponents (and be disarmed), you can dodge blows, etc. This comes courtesy of a neat little system called Skill Mastery. There are five levels of skill mastery - Novice (0-24), Apprentice (25-49), Journeyman (50-74), Master (75-99), and Expert (100) - and bonuses that accompany each. Nice ones, too. Speaking of skills, big improvements in the Alchemy area! Remember how in Morrowind you could make poisons, but all you could do with them was sell them or drink them yourself? Oblivion lets you poison your weapons and arrows with effects like elemental damage, health and magicka drains, and paralysis. Very handy!

In other news, the world of Oblivion feels nice and full because it is nice and full. A medieval setting, it's packed with creatures including bears, wolves, mountain lions, trolls, will-o-the-wisps, and goblins. The game even contains a lone unicorn and, if you set conditions up just right and have a bit of luck, you can watch that unicorn duke it out with a minotaur. I kid you not, it's awesome. Villages, farms, caves, mines, forts, wayside chapels, camps, geographical landmarks, and elven ruins cover the continent, full of plunder and quests alike. Which brings us to the absolute best thing about Oblivion: the quests. I can't say enough about how fun and well-plotted the quests are. The main quest and Mage's Guild quests follow such a realistic progression that they continue four or five quests past where earlier games would've ended it. The Thieves Guild is an enormous step up from Morrowind, and when they call the final quest "The Ultimate Heist", it isn't hyperbole. In addition, most if not all villages etc. have a quest attached, aside from the numerous ones you can pick up across the seven major cities. Oh yeah, and the Daedric quests - many more than in Morrowind; on the downside, as far as I know only four of them aren't ones I feel uncomfortable doing. But that's not necessarily a bad thing. The game takes clear stances on evil and perversion, in particular as pertains to the practice of necromancy. There are necromancer lairs all over the continent, and what's inside them is as disturbing as it should be. In an interesting and well-done twist, you must become the Arch-Mage before you have the option to practice necromancy yourself. However, the options for perverse gameplay are there: you can join the Dark Brotherhood, and most of the Daedric quests are, as I mentioned above, quite unsavoury. But that's just not my style, man.

But the single biggest (in my mind) change over Morrowind is the flavour of the game. Morrowind is a fantasy through and through, from the look of things to the dreamy music to the fact that you're the ultimate hero, and has an overall triumphant tone - your world is pretty black and white, and very few situations don't end well. Oblivion has a distinctly medieval flavour that applies to far more than the art and monsters. This is most evident in the quests. Whether main quests, guild quests, or side quests, a lot of them begin and/or end in tragic, morbid, or bittersweet fashions - few if any victories in Oblivion are not tempered by some form of loss. As well, your character is not the hero of the story. Sure, you're important, and will play a significant role in helping someone else save the world - but, to use a very Canadian analogy, you provide the assist, not the goal. I though this was just great; it was lots of fun, and very refreshing after playing through hero-fests Morrowind, Knights of the Old Republic I & II, and Mass Effect. It also helps that the character you're assisting is a great character.

At any rate, you shouldn't need to read anything to know what a brilliant game this is. The thought and care put into its development is evident just from the title, which contains the numeral "IV" - the game's place in its series - with an equal number of letters framing it on each side. With the Game of the Year edition now going for $30, and at least two hundred hours of gameplay contained therein, it's also the best bang for your entertainment buck, hands down.