The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Whats cookin' n00bz? (Term of endearment, don't get all touchy.) This week we're looking at probably the best console RPG (at least for the 360) that I've played thus far. The Elder Scrolls series has been renowned for it's massive environments and unparalleled character creation processes for some time, but with Oblivion they stepped everything up. Let's start off with the character creation, I won't usually devote a whole paragraph to this, but Oblivion deserves special treatement due to how much of it goes into the gameplay. The aesthetics customizer is nothing short of overwhelming. When I first got the game back when the 360 first came out, I got lost in the first steps of character cretion for about forty-five minutes. I was impressed to say the least by the sheer volume of options available to tweak the look of your character. The only problem I had with it was the strange lack of facial hair. One step further, I can't think of another game that lets you design your own class. If any game can lay claim to the saying of "Customize your style of play to unprecidented heights." it's Oblivion. What with all of the skills and attributes to consider for your choice, there's a lot of fun to be had by those who enjoy crafting their heros from the ground up and pouring infinite amount of detail into them. Still though, people who aren't familiar with the game are better off going with one of the pre constructed classes. Why? Because if you don't know what you're doing, and you pick a bunch of skills and attributes that don't compliment eachother, even in a loose sense in the sake of versatility, your character will quickly find himself being tea bagged.
That aside, the game is quite exponential in other senses as well. The first being the story. I am a sucker at times for a bad fantasy story, but Oblivion is legit. It follows the classic hero's journey plot, and applies to literal archetypes quite well. The beginning of the game is also one of the best beginnings in any game that I have ever played. First you are in jail, not knowing what you did to get in there, then, you become involved with an elaborate assasination plot, then the emperor himself is dead at your feet (no thanks to you frozen controls) and you're shoved out into a vast world that you know next to nothing about with barely a penny to your name. Then there's that moment that everyone has after playing through the intro for the first time. That moment being the "What next?" moment. You feel that you should get on doing the main quest right away, but the more adventurous part of you wants to go and explore the world, literally. Bethesda crafted a masterful begining that plunges a hook so deep into the mind of the player that it never fully comes out. Damn, now I want to go start a new character. The quests not involved with the main story are also very well done, and fun to play with their variety of mission types and the stories that go along with them.
Next, is the gameplay. The act of playing the game (all parts including combat, interacting with NPCs, and exploring the world) is extremely well polished and executed. It isn't clunky or burdening in any way. The hot key system, which a lot of RPG's don't have for some reason, helps hugely when in the midst of a fight. The control layout (although fully customizeable for the sake of people who want something different) is easy to memorise and fairly logical in layout. The combat is fast paced and fun, what with all of the fun spells to cast, and special moves you can perform with melee weapons. My only complaint about it is that it is too easy to accidently kill your comrades in the middle of battle. A friendly fire system would have been nice. The versatility in combat provides so many options and so much freedom that it made me feel guilty to stick to the basic tank and spank tactics. Then there is again the customizeability within combat. At a certain point you can make your own extremely powerful weapons, armor, and spells. This I have never seen in any other game. Okay, with the equipment you can't make it from the ground up, but you can enchant it to do anything you want. (Huuuu chameleon +20) Same with spells, they have the same animation and look, but you can get them to do just about anything. Such as a spell that makes people like you, and sets them on fire as well. "I like you friend, and my flesh is peeling off like that of a roasted pig!"
Graphics and look is next. The graphics, even though the game is going on several years old now are still impressive with their meticulous texturing of rock and metal. The aesthetics of the game are rather impressive as well, with their rampant usage of small forrest entrenched settlements haunted by strange monsters. Their costumes and armor are also rather striking, such as the Daedric armor suit, my personal favorite. The weapons that you come across in the world are also fairly deadly looking, with protruding barbs and intricate carvings on them.
Leveling system, here we go. It took me a little while to figure it out at first, and I don't like that about a levelling system, what with only gaining experience for your marked skills. It's a good system, but just a little too far byond conception of a more casual player of games. Also, the one part that confuses me about the process is actually gaining the level. You have to go to sleep in a bed, and then you assign attribute points. I find this a little infuriating, because you might not know where to go to find a bed in certain situations where you would really need the level up.
Last but not least, added on content. Bethesda has released a plethora of DLC's for Oblivion, each adding at least one new quest line and area to the game. A few of them were a bit repetitive like the housing downloads, but the Knights of the Nine pack, and the Shivering Isles pack were both very well thought out with good stories and awsome gear to collect. We can only hope for The Elder Scrolls V, and not that I have a problem with Fallout, I really like it, but I enjoy Fantasy more than Sci Fi, but I hope that Bethesda get's off the Fallout band wagon after New Vegas. Next week it's going to be hammer time as I start smashing the more shit filled side of the RPG genre. May Death close his eyes to you my friends.