Tell me about Oblivion

[Platypus]

So I've exhausted just about everything you can do in Fallout 3 and I can easily say it was one of my favorite games I've ever played... but it's strange for me because I'm not an RPG fan at all and never have been. Fallout 3 seemed to be a perfect mix of RPG elements with a shooter combined.

Everyone I talk to about Fallout 3 says 'yeah that's great, but Oblivion is way better'

I have read a bit about it and it seems a lot more RPG centric.. that isn't to say I wouldn't like it but I just find them incredibly boring most of the time. Fallout 3 however completely enveloped me from start to finish. I like the concept of leveling up but I find most RPGs that I've observed (past roommates have been obsessed with everquest, warcraft and final fantasy) to be horrendously tedious and not very exciting.

Is Oblivion for me or no?

 

[tatteredpotato]

Really it's hard to tell, but do realize the only shooting you'll be doing in Oblivion is with a Bow. I'm not big into hardcore RPGs (like FF), but Oblivion is one of my favorite games. There are a lot more side quests in Oblivion IMO, with Fallout 3 it seemed like every quest had an achievement linked to it (Xbox version) so I got the impression there were fewer quests.

 

[CKDragon]

I'm only about 8 hours into Fallout 3. I greatly preferred the green hill/shimmering water/bright sky environment and setting in Oblivion compared to the post-apocalyptic landscape of Fallout 3, but that's a subjective point. I do remember the Oblivion Gates getting repetitive, but I'd still give the edge to Oblivion overall.

 

[Platypus]

Thanks for the replies.. can you guys tell me about the game play itself?

 

[tdawg]

Originally posted by: Platypus
So I've exhausted just about everything you can do in Fallout 3 and I can easily say it was one of my favorite games I've ever played... but it's strange for me because I'm not an RPG fan at all and never have been. Fallout 3 seemed to be a perfect mix of RPG elements with a shooter combined.

Everyone I talk to about Fallout 3 says 'yeah that's great, but Oblivion is way better'

I have read a bit about it and it seems a lot more RPG centric.. that isn't to say I wouldn't like it but I just find them incredibly boring most of the time. Fallout 3 however completely enveloped me from start to finish. I like the concept of leveling up but I find most RPGs that I've observed (past roommates have been obsessed with everquest, warcraft and final fantasy) to be horrendously tedious and not very exciting.

Is Oblivion for me or no?

How about Mass Effect? Is this more in line with Fallout 3 (Action RPG)?

 

[oznerol]

Oblivion isn't a shooter - and it has very little shooter elements - so if the guns were what you were into, it will be a bit of a change. Though there are bows - and aiming is done manually instead of through VATS.

Instead of missiles and lasers, though, you have magic. So you can cast fireballs, move objects around, etc. Also, since it's not a gun-based game like Fallout is, melee combat is much better. In Fallout, just about all the enemies have guns, so getting close to them and beating them to death with a pipe isn't the best course of action. In Oblivion, it's the opposite. Ranged weapons are used as a tactical advantage - generally for stealthy characters. Much of the combat is close-range and done with swords, knives, and magic.

The story is better in Fallout, I think - but neither are incredibly compelling. I really enjoyed the guilds in Oblivion - which you can join and do guild-specific quests to gain ranks. That alone made Oblivion a better experience for me.

Leveling is similar, but skills are upgraded through use, not through new levels. So agility advances by running and jumping a lot and magic increases by casting spells, rather than increasing a number every time you level up.

I enjoyed Oblivion more. I liked my character more. I really like the environments - they are bright and colorful, and the quests were more enjoyable - and most importantly for me, I enjoyed playing as a stealthy archer thief - and I found stealth to be far more useful in Oblivion than Fallout - mainly because there were more dark areas to hide in and since combat was already melee-focused, the levels were designed to allow you to get close.

Edit: Also, I forgot to mention - in Oblivion, the enemies level-up with you. So even if you're a maxed-out badass, rats in caves become maxed-out badasses, too. That was one of the things everyone complained about and got fixed in Fallout to an extent.

 

[coldmeat]

I cheated through the Oblivion Gates. They were so annoying. Typing TCL and TGM into the console made it easy to get them over with. I don't know if it's possible in the console version though.

Besides the gates, I really liked the game. I'm no where near finishing the game, but I have finished the story and I have most of the really cool items, so I quit, but I still go back every now and then and play some more side quests.

It would have been cool if there was more weapons and armour.

As far as leveling, Oblivion is different than Fallout 3. In Oblivion, the world levels with you, so you could beat the story without leveling up once.

 

[Dumac]

Oblivion is horrible, unless you have it on PC so you can fix everything that was wrong with it.

I thought Fallout 3 was decent, as they fixed everything that Oblivion did wrong.

 

[Platypus]

Thanks for the tips, any other opinions?

 

[Platypus]

How does Mass Effect compare with Fallout 3? How about Bioshock?

 

[BlueWeasel]

I'm only about 20-30 minutes into Bioshock (got it off Steam for $5), but I'd say it's a typical shooter with some minor RPG elements mixed in. Maybe things will change as I progress, but the RPG part seems non-existant at this point.

I've seen it compared to System Shock 2, but SS2 was much more of a FPS/RPG hybrid than Bioshock is so far.

 

[iamwiz82]

I am about 15 hours into Fallout 3 and had well over 100 hours in Oblivion and I enjoy both. Oblivion felt bigger though. Both are incredibly buggy, but not as buggy as Daggerwind (OMG, that game was evil).

 

[Dumac]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Daggerwind (OMG, that game was evil).

?

 

[DarkThinker]

I am not into Warcraft or any such game, matter of fact I hate such games. I never thought I would like to play Oblivion. It just happened that I once had a $10 off coupon emailed to me by GameStop and I was like what the heck, so I dropped by a GameStop store, but didn't really find any PS3 game that I liked. But as I was walking out, I saw a used Oblivion copy for $26 (now it's like $17 used) and I remembered my previous room mate playing it on PC and telling me it was amazing. So I picked it up for $16 with the coupon figuring it was worth a shot at least. I knew nothing about Oblivion I just wanted to try something new. I was AMAZED by the size of the world you play in NICE! And as everyone mentioned already, the world is so bright and colourful and peaceful (for the most part) it feels a lot like an exploration game at some occasions. And you are not bound by the main mission. I, like everyone else, got bored by the repetitive Oblivion gates so I stopped doing them and focused more on guilds and side quests. I still want to do the Prophet mission but COD 4 makes me busy every time I think about the long quest.

I have easily put 150 hours into this game. I am no where near done and when I am, guess what? I am picking the Shivering Isles expansion for the PS3 which promises a 100 more hours of playtime!

Oblivion and especially for how cheap you can get it is the bargain of the year, from what I have experienced, Oblivion is a bit more interesting and more enjoying to play than Fallout and yet it's older and cheaper. Go for it you will not be disappointed

 

[Kromis]

Originally posted by: Dumac

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
Daggerwind (OMG, that game was evil).

?

He either meant Daggerfall or Morrowind.

Lol.

 

[erwos]

Originally posted by: iamwiz82
I am about 15 hours into Fallout 3 and had well over 100 hours in Oblivion and I enjoy both. Oblivion felt bigger though. Both are incredibly buggy, but not as buggy as Daggerwind (OMG, that game was evil).

Eh, the patches to Oblivion mostly fixed it. But, in general, I agree - you really won't go wrong with either game.

 

[vi edit]

I suggest Mass Effect as it is a nice compromise between shooter & RPG. Definitely worth a rental (or a use buy bargain for under $20).

Bioshock is more of a traditional FPS with some ability to customize/upgrade your character. It's way more action than either Fallout or Mass Effect. It does have one of the most creepy/intense atmospheres of any game I've ever played.

My wife wouldn't even come into the room when I was playing.

 

[Platypus]

Hmmmm... so with the magic and what not, what are some of the attacks you can do?

I'm all about the lush world thing, esp with 40 inches of HDTV action.. is the game 720p or 1080p? I would guess 720 since that's all Fallout could do.

 

[Garou24]

I also will vote for you to try Mass Effect. I played it on the Xbox360 and I had a blast playing it. I have played through it 4 times now. Trying different classes and changing between a good character and an evil one. It has a nice mix of shooter action with RPG elements. The graphics were nice and with all the cut scenes and dialog choices its like an interactive movie. If you enjoyed the RPG/Shooter action of Fallout 3 then I would think Mass Effect would be a game you would also enjoy

 

[Queasy]

Originally posted by: Platypus
Hmmmm... so with the magic and what not, what are some of the attacks you can do?

I'm all about the lush world thing, esp with 40 inches of HDTV action.. is the game 720p or 1080p? I would guess 720 since that's all Fallout could do.

It is 720p.

There is a ton of magic spells. Everything from the standard fireball and iceball attacks to chameleon and invisibility (great for sneak attacks) to summoning beasties to fight for you to turning enemies over to your side. Here is a Gamefaqs faq that has a list of the spells.

 

[sanzen07]

Originally posted by: Platypus
Hmmmm... so with the magic and what not, what are some of the attacks you can do?

I'm all about the lush world thing, esp with 40 inches of HDTV action.. is the game 720p or 1080p? I would guess 720 since that's all Fallout could do.

Yeah it's 720p. But if it's the lush world thing you're into then get Oblivion. I have the GOTY edition for PS3 (running on a 50" HDTV) and it's still one of the best looking PS3/console games out there even at 720p. As far as the types of attacks go it's pretty standard fantasy RPG type attacks - fireballs, lightning, energy draining attacks etc. That's the limit of my knowledge on those types of attacks as my class is scout and I'm using mostly melee weapons at the moment. Plus this game has enough gameplay to last for a very long time. I've logged probably 40hrs in the game so far and I'm a little past the middle of the main quest and haven't started Shivering Isles yet. Of course you could get through the main quest much quicker if you don't do any optional side quests.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Without the ability for user created mods, is the 360 version very buggy or lacking compared to the PC?

As I finally have a system that can play it well, I'm torn between getting the PC or 360 versions.

 

[Queasy]

At this point, the 360 version is not very buggy. It has been patched more than a couple of times.

There are also expansions for it such as The Shivering Isles which will give you hours of more play times (though at a cost).

Obviously though, there are more user created mods for the PC because those just aren't possible on the 360. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with either route.

 

[HomerSapien]

I spent way to much time in morrowind. Enchanting your items is awesome. My favorite was taking the boots of blinding speed and enchanting a ring to take away the blindness. Traveling was never a problem and guards could not catch me.

 

[BlueWeasel]

Originally posted by: Queasy
At this point, the 360 version is not very buggy. It has been patched more than a couple of times.

There are also expansions for it such as The Shivering Isles which will give you hours of more play times (though at a cost).

Obviously though, there are more user created mods for the PC because those just aren't possible on the 360. Honestly, I don't think you can go wrong with either route.

Thanks. I'll probably pick it up on the 360.