Tag Archives: Bethesda

When it’s back again – And yet another look at RPG gaming

Posted on January 16, 2012
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Alright, I admit, I have gone back to playing Oblivion. Even with the last updates that I added in the last post talking about how I would have finally wanted to stop playing Oblivion, I’ve come to end up playing it yet again. After MikeOn314, along with a few other people that I know that have played Oblivion when it came out along with the subsequent DLCs, I’ve come to understand now that it’s all about constantly questing while peppering your quests wayside travels. This involves getting lost in some areas to end up finding shrines of some deities of questionable morals and ethics, making potions out of herbs that you find at random around your environment, raising your acrobatics, athletics, and what have you while getting into fights all the time and looting.

There is so much more to add to that list but it’s definitely constantly about going around and meeting objectives that allows you to really feel that the pacing of the game is accelerating to a particular direction and manner where you don’t feel like you’re just mining through a game needlessly or mindlessly. The sense of purpose is the drive of the game along with exploration. So what then of the main quest of the game? Well it turns out from what many tell me is that the main quest is….not very interesting. And given the descriptions of how many have played the game before me, the best way to play oblivion – and Skyrim if you happen to be playing that game as well – is to allow detours to “happen” along the way. It’s sort of like doing what happenes in Lord of the Rings, where you have your starting party and you think that the story is going to continue in the particular pace and direction when suddenly something happens or a decision is made where your character ends up following a great detour or a set or two of detours. And all of this may seem, when observed in detail, as isolated obstructions, but then allow you to witness the building of the character(s). Which then all comes together once you come back to the “main course”, if you will, and you then realize that all the trails and detours really helped put a zest to the main quest overall – from start to finish.
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When it’s over: Another look at RPG gaming.

Posted on September 8, 2011

After finishing the main quest line of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, I’m finding that the game is not exactly what I’m used to as far as role playing games are concerned as far as format. Usually, given my history of playing Japanese RPGs, I’m used to having a story for which I’m to work my way to finish the game to get to the ending; to follow a simple story structure where you have your introduction, conflict, climax, and finally ending. Such as is the usual way of telling a story in other game genres such as in first person shooters (another genre of games that I’m more used to playing).
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A second look to rpg gaming…ugh

Posted on August 8, 2011


I could not help it. I had to try and give Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion again now that I’m not playing as much as I used to. After a few hours or so I found out that my initial impressions were a bit wrong. Sure, the game is still as slow paced as ever and it drags on but after finding out some in-game mechanisms that allow you to traverse the world a bit faster to get the objectives in the game done – one in particular is the map “fast-travel” feature which is a nice saver. Then there are the manners that one can increase the statistics of your in-game character in terms of hit-points, magic-points, and fatigue-stress levels. For this you can always choose not to map “fast-travel” and side track to caves, underground mausoleums and other things of the like where you can level up a lot faster and find some cool items along the way.

As far as graphics go, I can’t complain. The graphics are very good and are still as impressive as they were back when Elder Scrolls IV was released back in 2006. Music is alright and can almost remind of you of the score for Peter Jackson’s Lord of the Rings film adaption. A nice use of the music is whenever you are near an enemy that is searching you or someone you’ve seen, you’ve got the “battle music” play, letting you know that it’s time to unsheathe your weapon and start hacking away.

I think I’ve changed my mind: maybe I’m not retiring from gaming after all （/ω＼）。。。