The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, a personal look back.

[Metalcorpse]

**This is not a review of the game but a personal experience, memories from my past when I was introduced to the game and how it affected me, what I compare it to and how it changed my look into video games. All of this is subjective and completely based on my personal opinion.** This is a short story of my experience, enjoy!

Hello EG and welcome to my new thread. I dont often make things like this if not ever, so I humbly apologize if this seems out in left field. However it may be I feel compelled to make a short article on my personal thoughts of what this amazing game has left behind years after its launch. Starting off Id like to thank this community for its welcoming feel and being inclusive in all ways. Always nice to see people with the same interests and hobbies.

The Beginning

So as many games are introduced to us in our childhood and beyond they leave great impressions or are usually forgotten all together, little in the way of middleground in most circumstances at least to me. Even as I write this now I can still recall may great memories of amazing games I had the honor to play when they were still new to everyone. One such game was Oblivion. This game had a big impact on my opinion of open world games and large scale games in general. I had not heard of this game until a friend told me about a game where you could go anywhere and to just about anything you wanted. My first thought was simply disbelief. This is mainly due to the fact that I have been playing PlayStation 2 for years and grew very used the technological limitations of games at that time. I was however never able to be a part of new console releases and new games so I always felt the after shock rather than the initial explosion so to speak. A close friend of mine had the Xbox 360 when it was first launched and showed me all these new games that blew my mind. Oblivion was one in particular that I had been attracted to.

It didn't take long for me to get my hands on the controller and finally start it up for the first time myself. It felt so surreal considering what I was used to. I feel almost angry that everything I have ever played was long after others have moved on from it. This did not however change my mind on playing the snot out of this game. Starting it up for the first time was beyond anything I had felt playing a videogame in my life. The music, graphics and the general atmosphere hit me like a ton of bricks the second I exited the sewers and saw the visual beauty of Tamriel for the first time ever.

Getting lost on purpose

I chose to wander aimlessly through the enchanted world of Oblivion as though I was a wanderer without a reason to exist. I ended up buying a 360 from my best friend that got his many years prior, to this day I still use the same one. I found a reason to play more than ever. I wanted to really be a mage and sneak around with my bow and arrow but clearly I was not up to the task of being both patient and waiting to level up my character in that manner, so I ended up with a swordsman. As I journeyed to through the game, mostly skipping the main quest I had found my quest list expanding rapidly and before I knew it, I was traveling back and forth across the map just for fun constantly finding new places and objects. I made it a task to make a potion out of everything I could physically use. It was well worth it as I would end up making money or using them for my quick pot-and-run escape plan.

I cant be the only one that would jump all the time to increase acrobatics as I traveled!? True enough the game had its flaws but the sheer amount of content and how realistic the game was for that time had me in a trance that I refused to fight. I absorbed the game like no other. I became addicted and ended up reaching every corner of the game just for fun. Just to say I did it. Lets also not forget the Shivering Isles, a game within a game and probably the best DLC I have ever played in my life to this day. The most memorable part I have to say was the soundtrack, constantly putting me in a state of euphoria while a ran through the woods or ransacked a house. The game despite having been out for over a decade has not lost its charm to me, as I still get lost in it from time to time to this day.

The game changed me

Over the years I have moved from the game for the most part, still looking back from time to time. Each game we put into our console is unique to one another and should be noticed but of course not without each player having an opinion of their own. Oblivion seemed to have a good hold on me for years as nothing I would play seemed to give me that kind of satisfaction that Oblivion did. Other games such as Halo and Gears of War were also amazing and were defiantly respected in their own category but that drive for a medieval fantasy couldn't be satisfied until Skyrim was released. Now of course years later I have a wider range of games to play but for that time period where my funds and gaming options were limited, I knew that there was a game that would always let me get lost in its world. This game always remained faithful and even now I look back and recall its glory days as if it was yesterday. This game may not be a timeless classic but to me it always is a faithful go-to when my library seems dull.


Thanks for reading hope you enjoyed!

[aileron]

Thanks for sharing. I had a similar experience with its predecessor Morrowind. I got it for free with a new video card and didn't play it for a while because I didn't know what it was. When I finally did it was the feeling of limitlessness that got me as I too "got lost on purpose" and tried to make potions from everything. For me Oblivion and Skyrim were echos of that earlier Morrowind experience.