The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is Bethesda's crowning achievement. An RPG that does everything Morrowind couldn't.
Gameplay: Much improved over the 3rd game in the series, the gameplay in Oblivion feels much more polished. Each weapon has its own various rankings and abilities. Most of them feel similar but that's because they should be. Steel weapons will be mostly the same low damage, as will iron, but they are abundant. The real treats lie in the special weapons, the Daedric, glass, elven, and named weaponry that covers the gameworld. There are even references to Morrowind's universe. Without spoiling anything, somehow a mystical sword once help proudly by a battle-weary orc in the mountains behind Suran has traveled all the way to Tamriel, and it is just as powerful as before. Most of the abilities in Morrowind have been removed from the game. Things such as enchantment and spear have been removed, but not entirely. You may still enchant items as you did in Morrowind, but at special alters only. My best guess is that the developers thought that item customization got to such an insane level with players figuring out loopholes and such, that they decided to limit it extremely. The missing skills do not detract from the game though, as combat is a blast to play. The quests are also pretty varied, though there are nowhere near the amount that were in Morrowind, only diehard fans will notice any difference.
Graphics: This game was touted for its graphics and believe me, it delivers. Quite possibly one of the most beautiful games ever to grace my computer. People with low-end systems need not apply here. Oblivion is a smorgasbord of sprawling hills and mountains leading to snowy mountain tops. Quaint little towns dot the countryside while the Imperial City is visable from almost any point on the map. Inside the main city, the architecture gleams in the sunlight, birds fly in between buildings and NPC's go about their daily lives. There are no odd looking things here, except the occasional woman with manly features. No, Bethesda did quite a good job rendering this fantasy world. Even the flora and fauna benefit nicely from the graphical upgrades. The entire game makes wonderful use of FACEGEN technology, as well as HAVOK physics. Kick a bandit off of a mountain and laugh as he plummets all the way down, bouncing and bending in ways thought possible only in real life. The real awsomeness of this game lies in its various planes of "Oblivion" the word in Tamriel for Hell. The scorched landscapes and dark creepy dungeons all look great. The enemies are beautiful and the art is outstanding. The only part of the game that beats Oblivion is the garden in the final stages of the main quest. Truly a beautiful spin on the main world's art. One more thing, for a true treat for the eyes, find a quest where you must rescue a painter from inside his painting...I spent 1 hour on this 10 minute quest just simply taking it all in. Find it, you will understand what I mean. Oblivion delivers upon all hype with its graphics.
Sound: Another low point of Morrowind was the sound. It seemed like every weapon sounded and felt the same. The atmospheric noise was great but the personal sounds were pretty average overall. I am more than happy to announce that Oblivion fixes this problem. One swing of a claymore will have you fearing it (As much as you can fear a virtual sword). The NPC's all recieved voice acting and it sounds great. There are some parts that will make you groan, such as when Martin is leading you through Bruma and you are greeted by a VERY ugly crowd noise. These instances are few and far between thank god. The atmospheric noise was taken to a whole other level in Oblivion. The environment could literally put you to sleep were it not for the fantastic orchaestral score. Birds chirping, people talking to each other, bustling in the bigger towns, the sounds of farming in the smaller ones. Oblivion's sound effects draw you in almost as much as its graphics do. If it weren't for some of the voice acting being just completely off, the sound would be among the best I've heard.
Value: Oblivion has finally given us a true representative of Western-style role playing games. We can proudly bring it up in conversation when comparing our styles and likes, to Japan's styles and likes and compete evenly. Bethesda Softworks have completely outdone themselves this time and I absolutely love it. With over 200 hours of gameplay EASY if you decide to finish every quest, and even more if you close every Oblivion gate and search the entire map, the game is one of the biggest I've ever played as well. I do miss some of the skills from Morrowind. I miss the faction war too. In Tamriel it is quite possible to do EVERY single quest, that takes away from the immersion from those of us who know what it means to have decisions truly effect your game world. That is only a minor point though, with mods, construction sets, and plenty of expansions headed out way, Oblivion is a crowning achievement of American gaming, and one of the most important titles in years.
Tilt: In case you decided not to read my review, I love this game. I love it very much. I've logged easily over 260 hours into it with plenty of game left for me to do. The leveling is easier than the first, but you can't go as high either. That disappoints me as I never want to hit the level cap in an RPG like this. However I can see why Bethesda made it this way, as I dominate everything on the map. All problems aside, this game is yet another classic I've added to my library and strongly feel that you should do the same.