by Aaron Harris

Created on: January 21, 2009   Last Updated: December 06, 2011

I picked this game up a few short months after buying Oblivion. So needless to say, I had some high expectations. Unfortunately, the game didn't really meet that expectation. And here's why:

Graphics: The graphics of this game are really spectacular. Well, when it comes to landscape, weapons, armor, and spells effects. The creatures you fight in the game are very detailed as well. The only downside is the people in the game. They all look similar with minor differences in hair style/color, clothes, and facial hair. And most of the time, the people you meet and talk to will look out of proportion.

Sound: They do a decent job with sound effects. Though I could be wrong, but from what I've noticed thus far into the game that all melee attacks make the same "thud" sound. Whether you're using a club or a spear, the same sound rings when an enemy meets the business end of your equipped weapon.

Gameplay: The controls are pretty easy to pick up and play. Though it's recommended you look over the controller layout in the manual or in the game settings. The camera angles can be a little frustrating at times though. Though, the upside is when you start a new game, you go through a mini-tutorial to get a hang of the controls.

Voice Acting: The voice acting in this game is horrible. It seems like they hired about 5 different people off the street without any prior acting experience to read a script (read, not act). The communication in the game is drab and boring. And the continuity is broken up as well. I'll run up to a merchant and talk to him and he'll talk with one voice. But then when I leave he'll say "Farewell" in another. I've gotten numb to this bad aspect after about an hour of play. Learned to accept it and pressed on.

Features: The game has a few interesting features. If you have a sword and end up picking up another just like it. Instead of bogging down your inventory to try to sell it later, you can merge it with your current weapon (armor works in the same matter) to make it stronger. They also took the Diablo II feature of gems that you can add to your weapon to deal a specific type of damage. You can't add these stones to your armor though, and once you add one type, you can't add another. The game also features a lot of spells that you can pick up, though you can't cast them all until you meet the training requirements. And, just like the weapons, you can stack them as well for stronger effects. Problem is, you can only have 3 active spells at any given

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