Eighteen months following the initial release of 2K Games and Bethesda Software’s The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the Game of the Year (GOTY) edition was released for both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 (PS3).
By Kevin McGinnis
Staff Writer
Eighteen months following the initial release of 2K Games and Bethesda Software’s The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, the Game of the Year (GOTY) edition was released for both the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 (PS3).
The story remains the same in the GOTY edition as it was in the original, but with some fun new quests. The game begins by selecting appearance, race, and gender of your character and leads directly into the plot; you are locked in a prison cell for unknown reasons and are approached by Emperor Uriel Septim, voiced by Patrick Stewart. In only a matter of minutes, the Emperor has been assassinated and you are given the charge to save Tamriel by closing the gates of Oblivion. In addition to Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, Terence Stamp and Lynda Carter also lend their voices to characters.
The main quest – with only minor explorations of caves, ruins and shrines – will provide an average player with approximately 40 hours of play, whereas those who like to explore can reach well over 100 hours of play time. In addition to the main quest, there are sub-quests and missions to be accomplished, such as joining various guilds and sects, each having some effect on how the world perceives your character. For example, members of the Thieves Guild or Dark Brotherhood are seen as an outcasts of society, whereas those who join the Arcane University are provided immense respect and vast access to magical theory.
The GOTY edition also provides expansions which had previously been sold as add-ons to the game, including The Shivering Isles expansion, which had only been available for the Xbox 360, and the “Knights of the Nine” quest, which was available for the PS3. These two expansions, if purchased separately, would cost the same as the entire GOTY version of Oblivion. As with other side-quests, these can provide upward of 50 hours of gameplay.
Comparing Xbox 360 version to the PS3 version is much like comparing two apples. The differences are very minor, such as the Xbox version coming on two-discs, whereas the PS3 version fits all on one disc. The PS3 version, too, has slightly better graphics (draw distance, transparency, mapping, etc) and quicker load times. I cannot recommend this game highly enough, especially if you missed out when it first launched, as this is one amazing deal – and almost 200 hours of total gameplay for only $60.