Oblivion Review
Posted: Fri May 26, 2006 6:24 pm
I almost didn't read the review for fear that it would be like every other review i've read about oblivion so far. Most of them stating how great everything is, and not pointing out a single thing the reviewer disliked besides maybe the system requirements. Your review was a breath of fresh air for me. I think many reviewers simply jumped the gun on this to get their review up faster, before they really got into the game and had a chance to experience everything.
For me, the biggest disappointment with oblivion is the fact that items level with you, and there are far fewer unique items than there was in morrowind. Most of which you get through shrine quests. I hate the fact that rare suits of armor like ebony and daedric just start showing up eventually. That really brought down the whole experience for me. One of the best parts of morrowind was hearing about a daedric cuirass or something like that, that was at the bottom of a waterfall in some remote cave. Then thinking to yourself, "wow, i've got to check that out!" The you'd hear about a powerful sword or shield or something, and go check that out. You'd then be able to walk around the world with extremely rare equipment while most everyone else had chainmail or leather or something. Now once you start finding the cool stuff, everyone seems to have it. All the unique items found in RPGs is one of the main reasons I got into the genre in the first place.
When I first started playing the game I would explore caves and ruins with the hope that there may be a chance of running across a unique sword or something. Given that happened a few times, I quickly learned that most of the items I thought were unique at the time ended up showing up again in another cave. I agree with you that there is really no point in exploring other caves and ruins once you've found a decent one. Just go back in a few days and find some more leveled loot, raise a level, then repeat the process in hope at finding better stuff.
Given all that, I still don't regret buying the game. It's given me hours upon hours of enjoyment. Even given it shortcomings it's still an amazing game. I had a good time playing it, but now that i've beaten most of the quests, I really don't have a huge urge to keep playing. This is the complete opposite of what happened after I beat most of the quests in morrowind. Oh, well... Maybe next time they'll rethink that kind of stuff to make the game more enjoyable for us veteran RPG gamers, and not just throw in a bunch of stuff that appeals more to kids...
For me, the biggest disappointment with oblivion is the fact that items level with you, and there are far fewer unique items than there was in morrowind. Most of which you get through shrine quests. I hate the fact that rare suits of armor like ebony and daedric just start showing up eventually. That really brought down the whole experience for me. One of the best parts of morrowind was hearing about a daedric cuirass or something like that, that was at the bottom of a waterfall in some remote cave. Then thinking to yourself, "wow, i've got to check that out!" The you'd hear about a powerful sword or shield or something, and go check that out. You'd then be able to walk around the world with extremely rare equipment while most everyone else had chainmail or leather or something. Now once you start finding the cool stuff, everyone seems to have it. All the unique items found in RPGs is one of the main reasons I got into the genre in the first place.
When I first started playing the game I would explore caves and ruins with the hope that there may be a chance of running across a unique sword or something. Given that happened a few times, I quickly learned that most of the items I thought were unique at the time ended up showing up again in another cave. I agree with you that there is really no point in exploring other caves and ruins once you've found a decent one. Just go back in a few days and find some more leveled loot, raise a level, then repeat the process in hope at finding better stuff.
Given all that, I still don't regret buying the game. It's given me hours upon hours of enjoyment. Even given it shortcomings it's still an amazing game. I had a good time playing it, but now that i've beaten most of the quests, I really don't have a huge urge to keep playing. This is the complete opposite of what happened after I beat most of the quests in morrowind. Oh, well... Maybe next time they'll rethink that kind of stuff to make the game more enjoyable for us veteran RPG gamers, and not just throw in a bunch of stuff that appeals more to kids...