The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - A Traveller's Tales

What with The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim coming up soon, I'm all hyped up about its ancestor, Oblivion. But I've completed all the quests mentioned in the GOTY Prima guide, and I've only got two more skulls to find for the uncharted quest, The Hills of Suicide. Am I bored? No.

This is just a minor case of devestation. The rest of the game offers a lot more!

I've been playing this game for years now, a few months after its release. This was probably the first RPG I'd ever played, and you know what they say about first impressions. This game had awesome material, mostly original, the graphics really emphasized were extremely appealing, the soundtrack emphasized everything you saw, heard and read. Every little detail was taken to account - whether it be the moss in between cobblestones or the hidden messages written into the bark of trees. But what else is there to do apart from look at this marvellous scenery? Nothing.

But who says it's a bad thing?

Mods. They make wilderness exploration better than it already is

OK, so you might not want to go around, killing wolves for pelts, boars for meat or various other roles as a RP Hunter. I have nothing against you for that. Even I - as a role-player - still like to go and fight with the odd Imperial City guard, bring down an Oblivion gate or nick a few spoons from Kvatch....

But what if you are a role-player? You're stuck to very few tasks which can get repetitive and boring. On MMO's, you have to pay to do this. C'mon, any closer to reality and we'd be playing as gimps for our very real Mistresses. But on ES4:Oblivion, it's free to play. When you have the game you can do whatever you want. Me? I'm a traveller. I prefer to use my bow, and sometimes hurl a few spells when necessary.

I like to see the world, not be shut away from it like I was at the beginning of the game. I've left the game on pause, roaming around the Chorrol planes, hoping to find a mountain lion and a worthy challenge at my level. But while I'm loading my bow, aimng for the perfect shot, scheming menacingly, I take in the surroundings. The area. The view. The peace.

No Oblivion Gates pulsating in the background. No other players filling up a text-chat box on my left. No other reason for this animal to die other than an arrow from my quiver. On a single-player game, you are the one who chooses what lives and what dies. And as a traveller, you'll find more oppurtunities to kill, save and destroy. It's just a matter of looking around.

So, while I wait patiently for the beast named Skyrim, I look around Oblivion, lurking in waist-high grain, holding my bow, ready to strike at it like the hand of God. I'll clutch it, and exchange its life for money.... in a store.... called Gamestation....

 Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Also known as Vikings .VS. Brown Bears with Tentacles.