TES: Oblivion Preview from GameSpot

[NewHampshireDem]

Here's the link:

http://www.gamespot.com/pc/rpg/theelderscrollsivoblivion/news.html?sid=6144923

It sounds like Morrowind, only even more so ...

If you make an enemy out of someone, or manage to get on the bad side of the local town watch, look out, because your reputation will precede you. Even little things can make you a bad guy in the law's eyes, from the items that you may pick up from your adventures (the guard may constitute that as theft) to the things that you do. We brazenly picked the lock on a residence in one town and while we were busy picking the lock on a bedroom, the town watch came up from behind us and ordered us to surrender. You can do so, which means that you'll have to spend some time sitting in a jail cell, or you can try and fight your way out. This wont' be easy, though, as the town guard comes at you in force. In our case, we ran through the streets of the town being chased and shot at. Once outside the walls, we bounded down a steep hill, only to come across a guard on horseback. He dismounted to challenge us, we ran around him, jumped on his horse, and rode off, only to stumble into a highwayman down the road.

:salivates:

[Hatalles]

1. Have you played Fable: The Lost Chapters?

I never played any of the Elder Scrolls games though this one (Oblivion) has caught my eye. I understand they're massive and very immersive games. Judging by some of the screenshots, Oblivion looks like it may have detailed character customization (a huuuuge plus in my book) and those graphics look wonderful. I only hope the storyline and characters are just as good.

Anyways, I bring up Fable because it had some of those elements described in your post. The game is the only RPG from Lionhead Studios (Peter Molyneux, the man known for "God games" like Theme Park, Theme Hospital, Black and White, The Movies, etc) so you know you're in for a unique experience. It's an action RPG, very linear, but what makes it intersting is all the other things you can do in the game -- buy houses, rent them out or call 'em your own, get married, get drunk, get a haircut, tatoo, boast about your quests, etc etc. Your character ages (you can suspend this by dling a trainer) and can obtain a variety of different scars over the course of the game.

Another thing I love about it is that you have the option of continuing after you have completed the storyline of the game. Definitely worth a look if you want to try something new. A sequel is also in the works.

I've strayed a bit though... anyways, are the storylines of the Elder Scrolls games connected in any way? Will I miss out if I start with Oblivion... ?

[jayfish]

2. Fable Was Cool...

but the Elder Scrolls are much, much deeper. The stories(of at least Morrowind and Oblivion)are only connected by the world in which they inhabit. It's insanely fleshed out, almost to the point of distraction. It's really good stuff.

Jay

[NewHampshireDem]

3. I haven't but it sounds interesting

The TES games have focused more on developing the character's abilites rather than his/her history, which it sounds like what Fable may emphasize. Morrowind did afford the ability to have a place to live/store your swag, but it was just a room. However, people used the construction set to build massive castles and such for download. Though time did pass, I don't think there was much of an effect on the player character.

That said, Morrowind's characters were completely customizable, so the replay factor was very, very high. I played through the whole game 3-4 times, which is a lot considering it was about 80-100 hours of game play each time, plus the expansion packs. :)

I also really enjoyed that the way to build up a character's abilities is to use that skill. This can be an advantage or a disadvantage, depending on how you see it. If you just play through the game normally using a long sword and light armor, those abilities will improve accordingly. However, you can also spend a lot of time grinding if you wish. For example, if you want to develop your sneaking ability to its highest degree, you can literally spend hours just sneaking around the towns at night, or develop your ability to cast fireballs by standing in the woods and firing off the fireball spell for hours on end. (Uh, not that I ever did either of those things ;) ) However, you really don't have to do that to play the game--though if you do, you can build an uber-character capable of easily killing just about anything you'll encounter in the game.

Another nice thing about Morrowind was that everyone had stuff you could take off of them. So if you saw a character walking down the street with elite armor, you could kick his butt and take it from him. Again, this is an advantage or disadvantage, because again you can become a demi-god by killing progressively harder NPC's outside of the storyline and thereby ruin the challenge of the main quests themselves.

You can pick up the complete Morrowind series for like $20--a bargain indeed. However, I don't think you'll need to have played Morrowind to understand the storyline. I think all they have in common is the world.

[jayfish]

4. Some Of The Mods That Came Out Were....

very cool. There was one in particular that allowed you to buy a haunted house. Very creative and well done. I just wish I had found them before I burnt out on the game.

Jay

[jayfish]

5. Ya Know What, I Have A Copy Of...

Morrowwind (for PC and totally legal) that you are welcome to borrow if you want to pay for the cost of shipping. The only thing I ask is that when you are done with the game you uninstall it from your PC. Lemmie know.

Jay

[Hatalles]

6. Don't know if I would play it though... =(

Ah, thanks so much for the offer, jay! I'd take you up on your offer if I could find the time to commit to the game though. I may give the game a try somewhere down the line when I have some more time... by then it'll probably be in the ol' bargain bin. :)

[jayfish]

7. Cool.

Make no mistake, if you enjoy it it will suck the hours from your life.

Jay