This Week In Cheap Gaming – Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Hey you penny-pinching gamers out there! I’m back this week with another edition of This Week In Cheap Gaming! This week’s cheap game: Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion from Bethesda Softworks! Oblivion is available for the PC, PS3, and Xbox 360 for under $20! This game is a huge RPG with plenty of open-world exploration, a deep storyline, and fun side quests that keep the game interesting for what seems like forever!
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion follows the story of Uriel Septim, the Emperor of Cyrodiil. You find yourself in a cell as Septim is attempting to escape from some assassins who have murdered his three sons. During the escape, you find out that Septim has long since held true to a tradition that has kept the land safe for many years. All heirs to the Septim family must wear the Amulet of Kings – an amulet which holds the power to light the eternal Dragonfires, keeping the gates of Oblivion closed. IF the gates were to ever open, demons and other hellspawn would roam the land, turning the beautiful land of Tamriel into a nightmare.
During the escape yourself and the Emperor make it to a dead end. At this point he asks you to take the Amulet of Kings to a man named Jauffre. Septim confides in you and tells you that he has yet another son, who now bares the responsibility to take the Amulet and relight the Dragonfires in order to keep the world safe from harm. Soon after this conversation, assassins break in and kill the Emperor. It is then up to you to fend of the assassins, and make it to Jauffre with the Amulet.
The Emperor’s death has left the Amulet in the hands of someone who is not of the Septim bloodline, thus opening Oblivion gates across the land. Now the real game begins as you escape the underground tunnels through sewers that lead you out into the land of Cyrodiil. From this point on it is your destiny to get the Amulet to Septim’s only living son.
Or you can go wander off and do whatever you want, disregarding the story.
Oblivion has a very expansive character creation system. Players can choose from races such as Orc, Imperial, Wood Elf, and more when creating their own hero. You can decide how wide their nose will be, how close their eyes will be to each other, how prominent of a chin they have, and much more with the character creation system. With the addition of guilds, players can easily choose whether they want to be a fighter skilled with blades, or join the Mage Guild to cast powerfully wicked spells. To be honest, your character can be a bit of everything if you take the time to level up the correct skills, and Oblivion is definitely a game that you can devote tons of time to.
Characters can have secondary skills like acrobatics, speechcraft, alchemy, and many more. You really don’t even need to follow the storyline in order to enjoy Oblivion, which makes it that much more enjoyable to play. Players can create their character, make it out into the open world, and just go dungeon-diving for months of play time! There are lots of places to explore with magnificent items to collect, such as sweet armor and weapons. Exploring will provide plenty of experience for characters as well, so you can always stay on track with the skills you chose, and the equipment you pick up.
A great feature of Oblivion is the fact that enemies scale to your character’s level. You won’t find yourself in a fight with an ogre that is fifty times your level, and get smashed before you can blink. Bethesda wanted to provide players with a great experience that they will love to play, and never be overwhelmed with.
Combat in Oblivion is where the intensity lies. There are many ways to defeat a foe, whether it be smashing it with a blunt weapon, slicing into it with a two-handed sword, tossing fireballs at it, or a combination of tactics. Oblivion is a game that is tiered to any player’s combat strategy. Your characters can be made to tackle any sort of combat situation you wish.
Throw in the ability to create your own magical items and spells, and you’ve got millions of options at your fingertips just waiting to be explored. There really is no wrong way to play this game.
Oblivion is an RPG that I think everyone can enjoy. With a price tag of about $13 – $19, the game fits perfectly and easily into anyone’s collection. If you’re looking for a cheap game that will provide hours upon hours of fun for many months to come, Oblivion is the choice you need to make.
