The world of Oblivion (or at least the land of Cyrodiil), may seem bland and generic to some people who played the earlier TES games, but it holds it's own well enough. While the traditional fantasy rpg theme seems to stick on the surface, it's anything but your normal medieval/European middle ages fantasy land. The game has a surface appearance that is unassuming enough, but once you dig deeper, you find there is so much more to see and explore. With some of the best guild quest lines in the TES series, this game will have you going from feeling like you're king of the world one moment, to feeling like you let down your mother the next. That's a good thing though, because it shows that you are not the all powerful, unstoppable, perfect hero that many games make you out to be. Some quest lines have a very hard/emotional part to them, that makes the player feel like they failed somehow, even though you did everything right, and that's really good! It gives the game some great depth. The expansions are amazing as well, with the Shivering Isles taking the cake as hands down the best TES expansion period. Do you want a game where you're free to explore the world, own a home, a horse, and feel like a brother in a cult of murderous maniacs? Do you want a game where you can learn absurd things from absurd (and possibly mad) people? Do you want a game where you can go on epic adventures with great stories and wonderful game play? Then I strongly recommend Oblivion. The only flaws I have with this game are the limited magic system, how all npcs level up with you always, and the lack of variety in Oblivion gates. Those are all personal nitpicks though, and mods can solve that problem, so really don't let that hold you back. This is a solid game with a great tales to tell, and a wonderful world to explore!
It's not often a game just tosses you out on your own with little instruction and no sense of urgency to do some "super important main quest", at least not in rpgs. Of all the RPG games I've played, this one is hands down the best. Morrowind provides the player with all the tools they need to succeed, and it does so in a subtle and natural way. For example, people often have trouble finding their way around, but if you talk to Sellus Gravius about how to get to Balmora (your first "quest") he tells you to speak with a scout. Once you learn that there are scouts that can tell you where things are, you start to look around for them. In talking to other people, you learn about trainers, but they aren't always called trainers. In some rumors they are referred to as some "guy or gal who knows a lot about something you might want to learn about". Then you start hearing rumors about lost items, strange groups of "pilgrims" in certain regions, and suddenly you find yourself lost in a world full of wonderful little surprises. Morrowind was made with time and hand crafted. The creators showed just how much they loved this project by how many little details they put in. Nothing was randomly generated, even the landscape was hand crafted and textured. It's a game that has been made with care and attention to detail, and it shows. Sure the graphics aren't the best in the eyes of some, and the combat can be difficult to get into if you don't understand it or how it works, but the game itself is full of things to do, places to explore, books to read, and you are encouraged to come up with new and creative ways to play. Make crazy pointless spells, learn all the melee fighting techniques, be a stealthy orc with a massive hammer and a knack for magic! Push the boundaries of the world! Serve gods, or destroy them and all those who love them. The adventure, the main adventure, is yours to make, and yours to have! -Gabe the N'wah
