Critical-Hits pwns Video Games : Oblivion

Welcome, Ladies and Gentlemen to the first installment of Critical-Hits pwns Video Games with Bartoneus and Joshx0rfz. We present to you here something that will mystify, mesmerize, sanitize, maximize, hypnotize, prioritize, and in every way satisfy your senses, a tangental review of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion!

The following is an e-mail correspondence between Bartoneus and Joshx0rfz reviewing the new Bethesda Soft game – Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. This dialectic style of review is infinitely superior to all other reviews because it sounds deep and meaningful with a word like “dialectic” attached to it. Each review will have tangents which will examine the world of video gaming and its myriad aspects as they relate to each game.

Inside we talk about Oblivion, modifications, haphazard features, and Bartoneus’ narcissism.

JOSHX0RFZ
So, by now most people have read the reviews on Gamespot, Gamespy, and sundry other sites. Through our mathematicotronicocyclical process it scores: DAMN HIGH!

I have a tendency to get caught up in hype. Oblivion was the subject of a great deal of hype. I was caught up in this hype and unfortunately that tends to make me hypercritical (gosh I’m clever) when the game screws up.

I posted my very ludicrously worded review (after which the meaning of dearth and lexicographical commentary was discussed) in which I pointed out a few what I think of as glaringingly ugly things in an otherwise gorgeous game.

Earlier this week an “official” mod that cost $2.00 came out giving the horses armor. This had no effect other then visual appeal and that didn’t help much. It had the effect of putting a transparent plastic bag over an ugly girl’s face. You can still see her, now she is just suffocating, and that’s just sad and wrong. What do you think of some of the glaring graphical errors and this new (to my mind worthless) mod?

BARTONEUS
Well, first I’m going to completely sidetrack everything and comment further on your earlier, medieval-banter review. You are basing a graphical analysis on the concept of playing the game in third person, which I only know one idiot who did this right off. One guess, it’s you! The game was very clearly designed for the first person perspective, and it functions very well from that view. The third person view is properly called the “Vanity” camera angle, where you can look at your character existing within the gorgeous environment. You don’t check yourself in the mirror while you’re jogging down the street, do you? Maybe you do, you sick bastard.

However after spending 3 hours perfecting my character’s chiseled jaw line and sensual brow line, I’d be downright pissed if there were not some way to see that character. It was nearly enough that you could see your character while browsing your inventory, where you can try on various outfits and see which one matches your sweet new shield the best. I equate this to playing Warcraft III while zoomed all the way in, you just can’t do it. The view is simply there to let you ogle at the sweet visuals they’ve programmed.

Now on to the current subject matter, the “horse armor” for Oblivion. I would not call this release a proper “mod” as it lacks any useful content. On the other hand I do consider it official since it was released directly from Bethesda, and as we all know I work right near there. Anything that comes from within thirty feet of me is bound to be great! It’s good that they’re still generating content for the game, but I do agree that this seems like they are just trying to cover something up. Valve may be onto something with Half-Life 2 in that they are releasing smaller episodic expansions more frequently (or at least they say they are), and each episode promises to be a substantial amount of content. This example should definitely be followed by Bethesda, release an armor pack that adds tons of new armors that look cool, or an expansion which adds a whole new dungeon that happens to have a subterranean town which opens up a whole new line of quests. One of the caverns could be blocked off by a landslide, only to be excavated and opened up in a later expansion with more quests and even more content. This would lead to a game which really extends its longevity indefinitely.

Today’s hype is focused on modability, if you can’t mod a game then it’s obviously worse (this is especially true for PC games), but it really seems like the game companies are putting this off as simply a consumer/player based concept. I’d say that was already proven incorrect with Counterstrike, a fan mod of Half-Life which ended up being retailed and even became more popular then the original game’s multiplayer. Why not look at the game in the sense that Bethesda are also able to mod it. This provides so many advantages they are almost too many to list, continuing profits, playability, more content to attract players of more varied interests, and so forth.

If you let players add drapes to their cottages, and even customize the color and embroidery of said drapes, you attract a whole new branch of society that could have been untouched. The Elder Scrolls: Homemaker Edition?

JOSHX0RFZ
Well, you have to look at other things right from first person right? They use the same modeling techniques for NPCs as they do for PCs so, you get the same sort of ugliness in movement from the other models. None of them jump or any of that hoohah which is actually a bit of a shame. Wouldn’t it be neat to have to fight the assassins guild master who wall walked and was crazy ninja fast? Probably not because he would look ridiculous when he jumped since it is really just levitation and anti-levitation (your legs don’t move man!). My point in saying that is that it is a glaringly ugly facet of the game which unfortunately I see as important. Character modeling is difficult and getting natural movement is as well, but it is doable with modern technology.

Just because it may be a “stupid” way to play the game doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be seriously considered. I wandered around in WoW for a while in FPS just because everything was pretty and you got a better sense of scale that way. Oblivion does that brilliantly. However, WoW made 3rd person a reality because it was necessary to have a bit of a top down view to keep track of a battle. Oblivion that isn’t as necessary, but there is no lean key! How do you look around corners without going into 3rd person? Another major oversight as it is VERY common to have that functionality in FPS these days, and as you point out it is designed to be an FPS, shouldn’t they have a lean key?

The horse thing is just a haphazard addition to the game which is also ugly just because of the good design and execution in the rest of the game.

As to the modability of the game, I’m all for mods. Should a game be deemed of greater “quality” because it is modable? No, the quality is in the artistic execution of the game, but that’s just my opinion. Should official mods that you have to pay for be quality mods in that they further the artistic execution of the game, yes. The horse mod is stupid because the horses in the game are so damned ugly! The game would have been better if they were just removed in the initial release and then added in later on when it was actually finished. Imagine releasing a mod which opened up a new land which had a lot of plains to roam across, a horse archer would be great! Horses in the ridiculously confined area of this game are useless (this is a design and playability issue incompatibility here more then anything else). So, don’t add features that aren’t complete, they will make your game worse! For that reason I have to drop Oblivion in my arbitrary point giving capability.

As to drapes and interior decorating, gay gamers do exist, and so do straight gamers who need guidance. Straight elf for the queer orc anyone?

BARTONEUS
The ideas you posit about retaining the horse aspect of the game until later on, when it can be added with a large amount of content and even become thematic and interesting in design seems brilliant to me. It would literally be like adding in a ‘Rohan’ expansion which introduces cavalry as an important and effective element of the game, and provides the player with quests and characters all relating to horses and mounted combat. I am at least pleased that the guards dismount and attack random enemies, rather then the World of Warcraft option where the mount disappears in a cloud of smoke. I really do not get why mounted combat was completely left out of many recent games like these, where it could really justify the value and coolness factor associated with mounts.

I suppose that in any game, especially one as fantastically designed as Oblivion, there are things that will be overlooked or undercooked. This only lends credit to your argument, that these elements should be left out and saved to be refined, perfected, and added on later. There is an issue, however, with the ability for large game companies to actually provide this kind of support. It is already a financial nightmare to create a game, much less market it and pray to high heaven that it actually sells well and you might just break even. Can a production studio really stay afloat by releasing mods like this after a game’s release? Will it actually inspire more people to buy their game? I think so, but what cost will they have to charge for these mods? Will it be worth it in the end, or is it simply better to let the community inevitably provide these mods for free? Are there any other elements you think will be addressed or simply covered up in future releases?

JOSHX0RFZ
I think if Oblivion had focused on it’s key elements (first person action RPG) instead of trying to add in superfluous bits of fluff it would have been a much better game. They spread themselves too thin it seems and it shows.

As for modability, I think it’s an important economic step for a company to take. They’ve spent all this time building this engine/game/world and now they should capitalize on it. If it is popular (like Elder Scrolls is) then it should work. Basically, episodic content would be better for the business side of things and for the quality of the game. It would fund patches and provide an expansive experience.

My final word on the game (after playing it for FAR too many hours now) is that it is excellent. The quest system is excellent, the problem of travel has been solved, the story is interesting, and the world is embracing. The action is well done and feels solid and satisfying (especially when I take my Akavari warblade and backstab a necromancer with it). The spell system I haven’t gotten to do too much with yet as I haven’t been playing that type of character really. The game is also rife with humorous moments, some intentional, some not so intentional. The AI can behave oddly at times as has been noted in other reviews (breaking into someone’s house and then waking them up to talk to them, they are quite happy to see you!). There is a small lack of functionality as to the FPS side of things (lean key mostly) and the 3rd person model looks pretty awful when it interacts with the environment. I also wish the grab key that allows you to manipulate the environment were used more; all I’ve used it for is tossing bodies onto traps. All of these issues are minor to the overall excellence of the game, I give it three thumbs up!

BARTONEUS
Overall, I agree with you that the game is excellent and we share many of the same opinions on what could have been better about it. The spell system is as well done as the hand-to-hand combat, where you can load up with spells and still carry a staff around that shoots fireballs from its end and effectively use both at one time. The best points for me are that you can really get lost in the world, there is a forty hour main quest that you can completely ignore and run off to delve into dungeons, join a guild, or even live a life of crime. It really works as a Fantasy world life simulator, and after a month of living you can go and do the main quest line if you like.

Even within the primary plot, you can choose to be a beastly warrior that rends foes with melee attacks, a skilled marksman, a wizened old mage, or a thief who makes a living off other people’s possessions. Obviously, the third person view is a disappointment but for me that is not something which subtracts from the game, it just prevents the game from going up in quality. Within a week there were several mods released which could do anything from improve the environment rendering to turning King Uriel Septim into the visage of his voice-actor Patrick Stewart. I can only see Oblivion getting better as times goes by, and I recommend it to everyone who loves fantasy adventures and a genuine roleplaying experience.