Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Previews
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The Elder Scrolls titles have always offered vast lands and incomparable freedom and Oblivion is no different. An impatient player might choose to focus on the story tasks and set-off in search of the Emperor's lost son. If you do opt for this course of action be prepared for an interruption about three chapters in. On arriving at the gate of the Demon-ravaged city of Kvatch, Lawton will probably appear and request that you turn back (Previewers are not permitted to pass this point). Fortunately there's a wealth of other activities available. You could simply explore the massive game world for instance. With the new ability to teleport instantly from location to location, there's less reason to roam than there was in Morrowind, but those that do decide to wander will be rewarded with numerous interesting wilderness encounters. Self-contained cave systems and dungeons litter the countryside, as do NPCs and roaming wild beasts. Mounted explorers can expect to have creatures like wolves and mountain lions snapping at their heels as they gallop from place to place.
The second is at Game Revolution:
Oblivion is also a much better looking game than its predecessor. The indoor environments are particularly impressive, with flames casting flickering shadows against walls, stones glistening with moisture, and strange blue lights ominously illuminating alien temples. Outside, things get a bit more rugged, as the terrain detail level drops sharply after only about a hundred yards. Don't get your hopes up for many scenic vistas, but do expect to enjoy richly detailed character models, fearsome enemies and some extremely elaborate and atmospheric dungeons.
And the third is at GamePro:
Judging by our experiences, the menus are a bit much for the Xbox 360 controller. Though the interface is smartly laid out overall, it was easy to get lost while flipping between multiple inventory screens. You flip between "pages... with the L and R triggers, then cycle through various inventory types with the directional pad. It's effective, but not as effortless as you might have hoped. The PC version, on the other hand, looked to have a clean, simple, point-and-click system. Ah, the advantages of PC gaming...
