Almost Perfect
Even with a game this impressive there is still room to grumble. Of course it's not a perfect gaming experience in every sense, but no game is. If I had to complain it would be that the A.I. can be downright dumb. It's doesn't arise in all areas because at times the NPCs can be cleaver, but mainly in combat they have no clue. Using the old running around strafe technique is the best way to deal with the enemies and it comes down to, are they more powerful then me, and not do they have more skill. I wouldn't go to the point of saying it's easy, but you can definitely exploit flaws. Like leading enemies off edges for easy an easy kill. Also they AI can have problems distinguishing real situations.

In one instance two guards where hunting deer in the forest which was really cool, until the one guard accidentally hit the other one with an arrow. They proceeded to have a marksmen war right in front of me until one died. It was obviously an accident, and the other character was a friendly, but still it was a duel to the death. Mostly I laugh at these situations and they really don't truly affect game to any great extent. Sure, more fine tuning could be done and some adjustments to the system that determine allies and enemies.

Fine tuning is the extent of Oblivion's gameplay flaws. Sure, it might not be that different from Morrowind, but if it was we would probably be complaining. The Elder Scrolls is a great franchise and I'm looking forward to more content from Bethesda. Patches have already been announced, so hopefully some of the glitches, and questionable A.I. is fixed. Along with the patches and the controversial Horse Armor add-on we will have access to other new downloadable content which should extend the life of Oblivion well into the future.

The graphics and sound in Oblivion covers such a wide scale on a level we haven't seen in game before. The amount of landscapes and dialog lines is astronomical, it's a remarkable developing achievement. Most impressive even over the exceptional graphics and lighting is the dialog for each NPC. The amount of pre recorded dialog is unmatched, and must be hours long if pieced together. The quality isn't always at the top, but when you consider the scale of the game, it measures up. Oblivion does have some Hollywood help most notably with Patrick Stewart (Star Trek, X-Men) and other stars like Lynda Carter (Wonder Woman), Sean Bean (Flightplan, Lord of the Rings), and Terrance Stamp (Star Wars: Episode 1, Elektra). You'll be able to notice them right off the bat and not because of their voice timber (minus Stewart) but because of the material they draw from being in the main cast. The audio also impresses with some excellent sound effects from the environments, to the creatures noises, to the sound of metal on metal in a vicious battle. Then it finishes off the package with a fantastic musical score by Jeremy Soule (Baldur's Gate/Morrowind) for the background music which appropriately changes depending on the in game situation.

The graphics in Oblivion have become the games greatest criticism. This is not so much because of long loading times, but the constant loading times for the environments. To cut down on large load times Bethesda implemented a system that draws large sections of the map in a more basic display which increases in quality for the immediate area around your character. It mainly affects objects like patches of trees, grass, rocks, and other objects. It's something that couldn't of been avoided while keeping the framerate at a steady pace. The formula works well and only loads when entering a new building, or town area. Oblivion does have the tendency to slow down, but in now way does it hinder the experience. Overall Oblivion plays smoothly even with a few graphical hiccups. You really have to put the game in perspective with the size of the world and the level of detail Bethesda is trying to achieve. Graphically, Oblivion is awesome and an obvious next generation title.

Besides the questionable flaw of the loading times, Oblivion is a graphical achievement. The design of the world, the architecture, lighting, and special effects are on the top of their game, and although it can get old visiting different houses with the same layout, it's no different then real world suburbia. One walk through a forest in the day then the night will be enough to faze the hardest critic. The other stand out feature in Oblivion is the creature/animal animations and physics. Bethesda did an excellent job capturing the real life movements of the animals in the world from Mountain Lions, to Bears. They also made the creatures more believable given them their own distinct movement patterns. Bethesda also utilizes the Havok 3.0 Physics Engine so you can toy around with ever object in the world from the small forks, cups, and rats to big green Trolls. Rag Doll has never been so much fun.