The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- Platform: PC, Xbox 360
- Published by: 2K Games
- Developed by: Bethesda Softworks
- Release Date: March 2006
- Genre: RPG
- Multiplayer: No
- Online: No
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Preview Continued..
-- February 24, 2006 by: Chris Remo
The Xbox 360 Version
First things first: the Xbox 360 version of Oblivion looks great. What I saw looked just as good as the PC build I was playing with the options cranked up. From an audiovisual presentation perspective, the game is essentially identical. Where it different most, of course, is in the controls. Much to my surprise (I've never played a "computer RPG" style of game on a console before), it controlled very well. The movement and aiming obviously use your standard dual analogue stick setup, with attacking and blocking controlled with the triggers and basic functions assigned to the face buttons. The PCs eight hotkeys translate into assigned to the eight directions (cardinal and diagonal) on the Xbox 360 controller's d-pad. Again, any spells, items, or weapons can be mapped to those eight slots.
Bethesda will be releasing additional content over time, and anything they release for the PC version will be made available for 360 as well through Xbox Live. Hines said the team is not prepared to detail exactly what sort of content there will be, as it's all still subject to change, but they plan to release it on a regular basis. One thing he did mention is that as soon as possible after launch there will be a horse armor plug-in allowing players to match their horses' barding to their characters' armor. Like most Live content, plug-ins will cost "a buck or two" and both versions of the game will follow the same cost structure.
Oblivion features 50 Achievements adding up to the usual 1,000 Gamerscore points. Only the first half dozen or so of those Achievements actually pertain to the main quests, which gives you some idea 
of how much else there is to do. Those other 40-some goals certain aren't high scores. Many of the goals deal with moving up in the ranks of the game's various guilds: Fighter's Guild, Thieves' Guild, Dark Brotherhood of Assassins, and Mage Guild.
I did notice the load times were better on the PC, which stands to reason. That said, I didn't feel they were particularly bothersome on either. When entering cities, the game usually cuts to a loading screen for several seconds. While traversing the world, there are brief loading messages that appear on the screen, but at least on the builds I played they did not interfere with gameplay.
One element the PC version will have that the 360 version will not share is the TES Construction Set, which allows users to create or modify content in the game. Oblivion's apparently works very similar to Morrowind's in terms of the plug-in system, though I didn't get the chance to try it out myself. A few weeks ago, Microsoft's J Allard mentioned wanting to bring a "the open-source model" to games in respect to player created content, so I asked Hines if he foresaw content created with the TES Construction Set ever coming to Xbox 360. He pointed out that one problem with that is simply how open-ended the construction set is, with the possibility of diligent hackers using it as a way to find back doors into the 360. The decision of whether to allow that sort of content onto the system is Microsoft's. Still, he said, "If there's a point when it becomes an available option in the future, then we will be there on day one to work with them on doing it."
Packaging
Both platform versions of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will ship in a regular edition and a Collector's Edition. Each of the four possible SKUs comes on one DVD, thankfully. So if you're somehow a hardcore PC gamer who plays games like The Elder Scrolls but doesn't have a DVD-ROM drive, then you probably don't deserve to play this game anyway. Go buy one. The game ships with a manual 
(surprise) and a nicely detailed map.
The Collector's Edition comes with all the regular components as well as a bonus DVD containing concept art, screenshots, and a behind the scenes documentary. The package also includes a replica of a Septim coin, the currency used in the world of Tamriel, and a 112-page "Pocket Guide to the Empire" containing backstory, history, and lore.
Fallout 3
I got nothing. Bethesda does not wish to spill any beans on Fallout 3 until they're good and ready, and they're not even spilling any beans about when that will be. The only thing even remotely close to a bean that I could get Hines to spill was that "I've seen it, and it looks awesome." You heard it here first, folks: Fallout 3 looks awesome.
The End
There were a few minor bugs I encountered during my playtime. The "combat music" that is initiated when an enemy sees you skipped almost every time it queued up for me. There were some odd cases of NPCs having body skin tone that didn't match up to their faces. Finally, there were two NPCs whose accents were entirely different depending on what sentence they were speaking.
Well, that was definitely one of the longest previews I've written. And yet I'm sure I left out the most crucial thing you needed to know, that one question you had about Oblivion that simply cannot wait until release day. Well, feel free to ask it in the comments and I'll try to answer it, but no promises.
And speaking of release dates, the game's release date is still "spring 2006," though most seem to be expecting it in late March. Bethesda plans to announce a solid date soon.
