Oblivion: PC Gamer Praises in Preview

[~Di]

Just got my Feb issue of PC Gamer with a hands-on preview of Oblivion. To say the guy who wrote it (Desslock, btw) is stoked would be an understatement! He raves about the graphics, the gameplay, the realistic NPC AI, and ends his long article with this statement: "... I think Bethesda may be on the brink of releasing its masterpiece."

 

Pretty strong stuff! Sure got my juices flowing. I've been looking forward to Oblivion for years, and if it lives up to this preview it very well may be the RPG masterpiece some of us have been waiting for since BG2.

 

I found the PC Gamer website but the article itself apparently cannot be accessed online.

[Atreides]

Could you summarise what Obilivion's about and why it's so awesome? Googling said it's the Elder Scroll IV's title.

[Kaftan Barlast]

Yes, its not like the big gaming mags and sites have grossly overgraded a game in the past, is it? "

 

 

 

I sincerely doubt that Oblivion will appeal to anyone else but Morrowind fans. Sure, I could be wrong and Bethesda could have done a 180degree turn and made a CRPG that isnt just a singleplayer MMO without roleplaying or substance.

[karka]

I really can't understand this Bethasda fanboism.

[Hurlshort]

I can, Daggerfall and Arena were way ahead of their time. When it comes to graphics, RPG's usually get the short end of the stick, but Bethesda has consistently pushed the envelope.

 

Now Morrowind came out at the same time as NWN. I bought them both, but Morrowind captured my attention first. It was a beautiful game, and I enjoyed a good 30 hours of it. It had flaws, like no real compelling story or characters, but I don't regret buying it. NWN had the same flaws in my eyes, but it wasn't as pretty. Eventually NWN convinced me otherwise, but that was more because of the user made mods that were released and the expansions. NWN had legs.

 

Bethesda, in my eyes, is a company that keeps RPG's as a viable genre. RPG companies are few and far between, and many can't survive. Bethesda has a solid track record and they've pushed the envelope with every release. That's a good thing in my book.

 

If Oblivion has interesting characters and an engaging plot, it will make me happy, but even if it doesn't, it raises the graphical standards of the RPG genre. That seems worth getting excited about.

 

PS - I don't trust PC gamer at all. They are the biggest sell outs in the industry. I'll wait for the Computer Gaming World preview.

[~Di]

Good God, I just shared information about a glowing preview of what will clearly be one of the biggest RPG releases in 2006. There's no need to turn this into yet another sour Bethesda bash, particularly when the game isn't even out yet. There are plenty of other threads for that.

 

 

Atreides: Oblivion is the sequel to Daggerfall and Morrowind. If it follows the basis of the predecessors, it will have a very large non-linear world in which the player can wander freely, doing myriad quests (some of which are optional, some of which are required to advance the story line). Many folks had complaints about Morrowind, some preferring more action-oriented games, others just wanting a deeper story and more interesting quests, combat, etc. According to the preview I read, Bethesda has apparently made some signicant strides in improving all of these areas.

 

We won't know until the game comes out, of course. I just thought those who were interested might want to know that there was an indepth article available on the topic.

 

Edit: @Hurlshot: I get Computer Gaming World as well. So far I haven't seen much on Oblivion there, but if I do I'll post it here so certain forum-goers can waltz in and accuse me of fanboyism for having mentioned it!

Edited January 13, 2006 by ~Di

[GhostofAnakin]

I read the article. *IF* it can live anywhere up to the hype this guys seems to praise it for, it could be a rather surprising game.

 

Some of the things he talked about did sound interesting, but I'm taking a "wait and see" approach to see whether the general masses agree with his assessment of those features first before salivating.

 

Good read, regardless.

[Ellester]

Desslock is an old time rpg

[~Di]

Anakin: Me too. I enjoyed Morrowind... enjoyed it, didn't utterly love it... but saw the flaws all too clearly to put it up in my list of favorites. But it had potential to be the kind of game I had always wanted; it just... wasn't.

 

Some of the features mentioned in the article really piqued my interest, particularly the new NPC AI that (according to a couple of really amusing acedotes in the article) has apparently surprised even the developers! I just hope it doesn't end up being such a buggy mess that nobody can even play it, ala Dungeon Lords. I'd rather looked forward to that game as well, but after reading the howls of agony from those who weren't smart enough to wait a few weeks before buying, I saved myself a bunch of time, money and pain.

 

I'll probably read forums for a couple of weeks to make sure that the game has a fairly low tech-problem rate before I buy. I hope the article is a fair representation of what to expect, though, because the guy really makes it sound appealing.

[karka]

I really have no problem with Bethesda. Because they ara making crappy games, and i am not buying them. Everyone is happy, right? Yes, but until Fallout 3.

 

Please Bethesda, don't touch my game, don't touch my memories...

Edited January 13, 2006 by karka

[~Di]

Hey, let's not turn yet another Oblivion thread into a Fallout 3 rant, dammit. Every time the word "Bethesda" or "Oblivion" is mentioned does not automatically become an invitation to spam the place with Fallout gripes and moans, ok? Go start your own thread, and leave my sweet little Oblivion thread alone!

 

Grrrrrrr.....

 

/rant

 

:D

[Kaftan Barlast]

I can, Daggerfall and Arena were way ahead of their time.  When it comes to graphics, RPG's usually get the short end of the stick, but Bethesda has consistently pushed the envelope. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Actually they werent. I played both Arena and Daggerfall on release. Daggerfall was just the same same as Arena so I wont take on that but Arenas sole selling point was the huge world with lots of random loot. In all other aspects, it was the same as the rest of the First-Person CRPGs of the time (FP dominated over Top-down then) like Ultima Underworld or Menzoberranzan.

 

 

Neither Daggerfall or Morrowind were cutting edge games graphicswise but they did keep up to their time and so does Oblivion, you cant make an AAA list game and not have an engine that supports normal maps today. (well ok you can, but not a first-person 3D game for the PC)

[Llyranor]

I've read the preview. I can understand the dude's enthusiasm, but I'm not impressed.

 

Of particular note is "In one Dark Brotherhood quest, for example, I infiltrated a dinner party and used various means to isolate and eliminate guests one at a time. The remaining guests dynamically reacted to the assassinations - accusing each other or equipping themselves for battle."

 

"I found the populace gathered at their local church. Angered by the frosty reception, I tossed their holy book aside and gave the priest a knuckle sandwich. As expected, most of the citizens rallied to defend their preacher, but I was surprised to see one unarmed citizen bolt out the door. Once I had worn out my welcome, I casually left the church (...). The cultists didn't abandon the chase, and more amazingly, the "coward" who fled the church returned brandishing a sword retrieved from his house."

 

Strictly speaking in terms of AI, that does sound neat, but AI is not a substitute for actual writing. I can imagine how fans of Morrowind would be enthusiastic, though.

[~Di]

Hehe, yes it's kind of exciting to know that you will be evoking more realistic responses in a game where what you do and say, in fact your very presence, will change NPC reaction notably. That could really be great fun (although assassinating innocents, even in a game, isn't my bag).

 

I much preferred the ogre-with-a-rake story!

 

"... ... As a result, NPC behaviors are somewhat random and occasionally surprising, even to the developers.

 

When a domesticated Ogre was assigned the condition to hoe a field, but was accidentally given a rake, he tried to steal a hoe from a tougher Ogre. But the tougher Ogre actually wanted a rake, so he clocked the would-be thief, picked up the rake, and happily tended his field.

 

I also got a kick out of this:

 

On another occasion , a developer was wielding a special Daedric weapon that can generate malevolent clones of any enemy, forcing foes to fight dopplegangers of themselves. But when he accidentally dropped the artifact, the enemy sheathed his sword and grabbed the artifact. He then created a perfect clone of the develoepr's player-character, which promptly bashed the avatar senseless."

 

So yes, I'll confess that unexpected actions such as those listed do kinda make my RPG juices flow! IF... and it's a big if... such descriptions are accurate and routine within the scope of the game.

[Darque]

I'm looking forward to Oblivion

 

I better be able to make a drow though, or I'll be unhappy (or whatever they're called in the morrowind setting)

[GhostofAnakin]

I better be able to make a drow though, or I'll be unhappy (or whatever they're called in the morrowind setting)

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Morrowind isn't the same setting as the BG or NWN games?

[Darque]

Nope, but it still has dark elves.

[GhostofAnakin]

Nope, but it still has dark elves.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Dark elves will always be drow to me.

[Darque]

Works for me

[GhostofAnakin]

I really need to expand my horizons. I only know the FR setting.

[alanschu]

I really have no problem with Bethesda. Because they ara making crappy games, and i am not buying them. Everyone is happy, right? Yes, but until Fallout 3.

 

Please Bethesda, don't touch my game, don't touch my memories...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

 

Fallout 3 isn't your game. And since you have never played it, you won't have any memories of it.

 

 

Actually they werent. I played both Arena and Daggerfall on release. Daggerfall was just the same same as Arena so I wont take on that but Arenas sole selling point was the huge world with lots of random loot. In all other aspects, it was the same as the rest of the First-Person CRPGs of the time (FP dominated over Top-down then) like Ultima Underworld or Menzoberranzan.

 

Actually, if you're talking about the timeframe of Ultima Underworld, then FP did not dominate over the Top-Down perspective. Two games made by the same company (Ultima 6 and 7) came out just before and just after Ultima Underworld and were definitively top-down. You'd also have to ignore every other JRPG out there (which was a time long before anyone disputed whether or not they were "true" RPGs...so don't go playing that card). When Ultima Underworld came out it was a decided different approach to game design for Origin in recent years.

Edited January 13, 2006 by alanschu

[karka]

Oh thank you! I was thinking that i played the game. You showed me the right direction.

[Llyranor]

Yeah, jerk.

[Darque]

I really need to expand my horizons.  I only know the FR setting. 

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

Yes, yes you do

[alanschu]

Oh thank you! I was thinking that i played the game. You showed me the right direction.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

 

You were the one worrying about your memories being tainted. If playing a bad game in a series taints your memories of previous, excellent games, then I guess that's your loss.

 

I still love Ultima VII despite the dung that was Ultima 8 and Ultima 9. And I still love Fallout 1 & 2 despite all the spinoff games that came out.

 

 

 

Appreciate the games for what they are...not for the games that come after it.