by David Aaron White

Created on: November 23, 2008   Last Updated: July 28, 2010

The Xbox 360 is one of the most powerful gaming consoles out there in the present day. It boasts advanced graphics, extra memory, and, most important of all, amazing games. Sure, graphics may look nice, but will seeing each individual pore of skin on an enemy's face make a game any more fun? Maybe it makes the game more attractive, but attractive and fun are two entirely different things. The best console games are the ones that simply give the player the most enjoyment and bang for his or her buck, and the game that fulfills this criteria to the utmost is The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

The fourth installment in the Elder Scrolls role-playing series takes place in the province of Cyrodill. The game begins with the player standing in a prison cell; the reason for why the player is in jail is completely unknown at this point. However, this is the point in which the player creates his character, which can be considered a whole game in itself. The player can choose from ten races ranging from a traditional Imperial, which resembles a Caucasian human, to the lizard-like Argonian, each having its own special abilities and attribute bonuses. For example, the Redguard is a race of dark-skinned humans that excels at combat, whereas the Wood Elf is a race of small elves that has a great deal of speed and agility, making this race ideal for a stealth role.

The possibilities for your character are endless. The game includes twenty-one skills, seven of which are chosen as your class's major skills (or which may already be defined by your player's class, as it is possible to either customize your own class or to pick from a set of pre-generated classes). There are three specializations that your character's class can fit in to: Combat, which focuses on skills associated with fighting with swords, axes, hammers, as well as making effective use of armor; Magic, which includes the set of seven magic skills such as alchemy, restoration, and conjuration; and Stealth, which includes skills such as marksmanship and lockpicking for a character who is geared towards breaking, entering, and assassinating without being seen. Although your character's race will help you decide which class he or she fits best into, any race can really fit into any class; in fact, it makes for an interesting challenge by trying to raise a weak Wood Elf into a mighty and powerful gladiator.

After you have chosen your character's race, the plot of the game begins to unfold. Using a secret escape route

• 1
• 2
• 3
• 4
• 5
• 6
• Next Page >>