Morrowind and Oblivion

[Azreal]

I've played this game for about two months, on and off, and have got a feel for what it's got to offer.

First impressions were very favourable, I have to say. I had expected a lot during the run-up to release, and all the euphoria in the media served to fuel a frenzy of expectation and anticipation. I loaded it up on my somewhat under-specced machine, and gritted my teeth as I performed the setup configuration procedure, completely expecting the game to run like the proverbial dog. After fighting my way through the Mickey-mouse development phase, and exiting the prison, I was more than a bit surprised to see that the luscious scenery that everyone had been raving about actually looked quite realistic as it swayed around in the light breeze of a beautiful sunny day in Tamriel.

I wandered around a bit, revelling in this stunning environment, and said to myself - I probably don't need to spend a grand on a new machine after all. Now, having said that, I certainly wasn't playing with all the bells and whistles turned on, and the resolution I had set was only 800x600, but it still looked remarkably good and reasonably fluid to be a worthwhile proposition. So, I pressed on towards the Imperial City with eager anticipation of what was to come.

My first view of the city as I crossed the bridge, then entered through the large gate, was one of wonderment and awe. The implementation of this world is truly awe-inspiring. The streets, and the people, seemed to go on forever, and there appeared to be numerous shops, taverns and other delights around every corner. I eventually decided to enter one of the shops and try a bit of bartering, to get a feel for how well the character interaction and animation worked. I spoke to the proprietor, a big female orc, and was somewhat taken aback by the brash american accent (definitely not knocking americans here - I would have felt the same if it had been broad cockney), and the liberal use of sarcasm and attempts at humour. This was unexpected, and somewhat disturbing. I know that we've moved on a bit from the days of Morrowind, and that the producers of the game wanted to try some novel enhancements, but for me, this was a backwards step. I know that orcs are meant to be civilized in the Imperial City and throughout Cyrodiil, but this was far too cozy and corny for me, like something off the set of a tv soap.

It was getting late, so I decided to leave mamma orc in peace and go get a bit of shut-eye at the local tavern. I walked into the joint and immediately got my first look at novelty number two - people sitting down, eating and drinking. Well, that appeared to work pretty well, something I have tried to implement in my Morrowind mods for a while, with little success. Then it got to the time when everyone had finished their meals and it was time to go and walk it off. Oh, what hilarity, as they followed each other around and around and around for about five minutes solid before deciding to leave. It was just like a load of drunk people at a party doing the conga. That surely was AI at its lowest ebb. I got to my room but couldn't get to sleep for laughing my sides sore, it was just soo.. funny.

Well, I'll leave the rest of my Oblivion critique for another day, and when I write again, I'll get down to the nitty-gritty of what it's like to go adventuring in Cyrodiil.

Until then..
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Dave Foster

[rAzOr]

like it. your right as well, those orks an some of the other races sound damn awful!! an what happened to the dark elves?? they sound jus brill in morrowind - now they sound like they went to finishin skool.

don't get me wrong though. i seriously like this game, an i'm still playin it now after 6 months. it's one serious time-waster, that's for sure. I think the landscaping's fantastic an the assassin's guild is great. that guy that doesn't like me says the weirdest things. he really cracks me up.
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the switchblade kid..

[relic]

Best thing for me in Oblivion is how big the game is. I've only played it for about three months and I've not found any of the gates yet. I've just been wandering around looking for Nirnroot and enjoying the wonderful scenery. One of these days I'll start trying, and put in some serious effort to make a dent in this game.

Until then, I'll just sit down on this bank and enjoy another beautiful sunset..........

[Azreal]

If you have nothing to say, then don't bother posting...
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Dave Foster

[Thunderwolf]

The game itself is great, but i think that there are to few main quest. you can easily play through the main quest in a few days if you want to. However, the large number of side quests (guilds) make the game great to play. the beautifull scenery is to be noted as well.