The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion review

Year-old port or not, this huge role-playing epic is one of the most cutting-edge, immersive games ever made

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Speaking of real, this world teems with life. Weather changes, people go about their day, plants you pulled potion ingredient from regrow, animals, undead, and monsters roam about – it’s all automatic, dynamic, and totally going on whether you’re there or not. It’s not uncommon to see a hunter tracking a deer in the wild, or to run into crooks who ambush you on the roadside, but aren't always there.

You might even stumble across the loot-able corpse of a knight who ended up on the wrong side of a Minotaur Lord, or find yourself chased halfway across the continent by a saber-waving piratess whose boat you walked too close too. She can swim, by the way, so don't expect that lake to throw her off. If only your fellow soldiers were that tough - they do okay, but their tendency to always attack regardless of health can make missions in which you have wingmen frustrating.

Oblivion 's world is ultimately an awe-inspiring quadruple threat: open-ended, packed with real people and creative missions, humming with realistic activity and staggeringly full of things to see and slay - all of which make it nearly impossible to put down.

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GenreRole Playing
DescriptionThe fourth Elder Scrolls entry is utterly brilliant and should not be missed by any adventure-spirited gamer.
Platform"PC","Xbox 360","PS3","PSP"
US censor rating"Mature","Mature","Mature","Mature"
UK censor rating"","","",""
Release date1 January 1970 (US), 1 January 1970 (UK)
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Eric Bratcher
I was the founding Executive Editor/Editor in Chief here at GR, charged with making sure we published great stories every day without burning down the building or getting sued. Which isn't nearly as easy as you might imagine. I don't work for GR any longer, but I still come here - why wouldn't I? It's awesome. I'm a fairly average person who has nursed an above average love of video games since I first played Pong just over 30 years ago. I entered the games journalism world as a freelancer and have since been on staff at the magazines Next Generation and PSM before coming over to GamesRadar. Outside of gaming, I also love music (especially classic metal and hard rock), my lovely wife, my pet pig Bacon, Japanese monster movies, and my dented, now dearly departed '89 Ranger pickup truck. I pray sincerely. I cheer for the Bears, Bulls, and White Sox. And behind Tyler Nagata, I am probably the GR staffer least likely to get arrested... again.