G-pinions

I decided to finally come right out and say what everyone has been thinking in the back of their mind - Oblivion is one of the most overrated games around. Yes, that's right. Overrated by quite a large margin. We're talking Vice City levels of overratedness over here. It's a shame too because it has so much going for it. This is one of the most beautiful games I have ever played. One of those experiences that really feels "next generation." I never touched Morrorwind but I can't imagine it had the same sense of jaw-dropping scale. More important than that, it's a really fun game. But let's be honest here, I think most games are fun. What does Oblivion have going for it other than a huge world and pretty graphics? Honestly, not that much.

Here's the thing: Oblivion was always been described as a Role Playing Game, at least in the circles I run around. An RPG means you assume the role of a fictional character. It means you can shape your avatar to look and act just like you. Or you can make them completely different. I usually go for something a little different since I can't use magic in real life. And while Oblivion lets you customize your character in many ways, you don't actually have any choice over what kind of person you become. Isn't that the whole point of a RPG? This feels like a less linear version of one of those ultra dated Japanese RPG's we've all grown to hate.

Remember when I used to praise Knights of the Old Republic? It was the first RPG I had ever played that really understood what it meant to assume the role of another person. The choices you made - and there were many choices to be made - actually affected your character. Though the depth was sorely lacking (you could be good, evil, or a mixture of the two) there were very different results depending on what you did. Most importantly, you were able to constantly make choices. Every conversation featured many different dialog trees. When given a quest to kill someone you didn't actually have to do it. You could speak to the poor bastard. You could choose from a number of dialog options how you wanted to handle this matter. Maybe you would lie to them, gain their trust, and then hit them in the lead with a light saber when they least expected it. Maybe you would hear their side of the story, decide their death warrant is unreasonable, and protect them instead. Or you could leverage their life against their enemy's. You want to live? How much are you willing to pay? These are actual choices that affect what kind of character you become. There are no choices like this in Oblivion.

In fact, as far as I have seen, you aren't given any dialog choices at all. How is this possible? Even worse, you aren't even allowed to talk to many characters. You are commanded to "Hit A" when entering a battle if you wish to talk to the enemy, but I have never actually had the option accepted. Remember, I have played about 40 hours so far and not one person has let me talk to them instead of fight.

Though Nick and I have joined the Dark Brotherhood and Thieves Guild, it doesn't actually feel like we're evil characters. We're killing people, sure, but we were doing that anyway in the Fighter's and Mage's guild. Now we're killing "good" people, but it all feels the same. It's hard to justify being a good guy when you're still killing indiscriminately. And there's the whole law system which is quite poor. If you commit a crime such as murder or theft you can pay a fine, go to jail or fight to the death. Going to jail usually lowers some important stat so it's hard to justify that choice. Choosing to fight mean's you'll be beaten down by a swarm of guards. So that means you either pay the fine or reload your last save. Quite lame. And if you do go to jail or pay the fine - essentially confessing to your crime - you don't receive any horrible punishment for being a deviant. People don't whisper when you walk by, "There goes the thief." They treat you like a hero still. What gives?

I still really like the game, but it is severely limited. I wish I could actually choose my own course through the game. Other than decided what mission to do I have no choices at all. It's not like you can excuse the problems by saying this is an adventure game either. The action is not good enough to stand up on its own. The combat is plagued by poor controls (switching weapons is a real pain in the ass) and repetitiveness. KOTOR had average combat as well, but as a pure RPG experience it didn't take away from the overall fun of the game. Oblivion doesn't have that to fall back on. It's so unfocused that the missions themselves feel like a series of unconnected fetch quests. There is no cohesive element. No one seems perturbed that you are off killing Goblins instead of closing the Oblivion gates. Heck, people live and sleep a mere stone's throw away from rampaging demons. But there is no pressure of time tying you down.

This is why I am much more excited for Mass Effect than the prospect of a PS3 version of Oblivion. Elder Scrolls IV is neither a great action title nor a great RPG, but a half assed version of both of them. Mass Effect, made by Bioware, should show how a next gen RPG should be made. Oblivion may be really fun, but it can hardly be considered great. I have higher hopes for EA's Lord of the Rings-themed Oblivion rip-off because it can't possibly offer a worse role playing experience than the title it is ripping off.

What it comes down to is this - if Oblivion had average graphics would people still be drooling over it? There comes a time when you have to separate the technology from the rest of the title, and Oblivion just fails when its (lack of) depth is exposed. Do not interpret this post as a plea to avoid Oblivion. If I owned an X360 I would only have this and Perfect Dark Zero right now. However, looking at it in an objective light, it just isn't a great title. It makes me really excited for a real next generation Western RPG, though, I'll tell you that much.