The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion (PS3)

 ONE OF THE BEST GAMES EVER. A MASTERPIECE. A MUST OWN GAME IN EXCELLENT CONDITION WITH COVER AND BOOKLET.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is an unequivocal role-playing masterpiece of epic proportions. After strong showings on the PC and Xbox 360, Oblivion is now available for the PlayStation 3, and it's still every bit a fantastic game. That said, if you've already played Oblivion, you won't find much of anything new in this version. The graphics are slightly better, the load times are shorter, and there is a bit of new content in the form of the Knights of the Nine add-on, which is available as a separate purchase on other platforms. However, if you own a PlayStation 3 but haven't played Oblivion yet, this is one game you won't want to miss.

Once you create a character, the world is yours to explore. The main quest involves closing a series of gates to the hellish alternate dimension of Oblivion, which is spawning hordes of evil creatures that are attacking the cities of Tamriel. You can stick closely to the main story quest, which will take about 40 hours to complete, but the majority of the content in Oblivion is entirely ancillary. This is one role-playing game that does a fantastic job of nailing that feeling of truly being in control of your own destiny. Something as simple as picking herbs or hunting deer in a forest can suddenly turn into a dashing adventure as you're attacked by bandits or stumble upon a secret cavern that's just begging to be explored.

The world is full of hundreds of characters, each with unique names, personalities, and problems. It pays to talk to these characters because you never know when one of them might send you on a lengthy and rewarding side quest. You might have to spy on a suspicious person, assassinate someone, collect rare plants to create a potion, expose a crooked merchant, and much more. There are also guilds for each of the basic classes, and each guild has its own elaborate quest for you to complete. If there's a problem with Oblivion, it's that there's so much to do in the world of Tamriel that the scope of it all can feel daunting at times. Rather than trying to experience everything the game has to offer, you might find yourself simply walking about the countryside taking in the beautiful sights, which can be every bit as enjoyable as fighting for your life on the fiery planes of Oblivion.

Fighting is one of the more exciting aspects of Oblivion because the combat is fast and frantic. The tension is also heightened by the game's default first-person perspective. Fighting is as simple as pressing a button to swing a sword, shoot an arrow, or cast a spell, but the adaptability of the combat and the solid artificial intelligence of the enemies ensure that no two battles will ever feel quite the same. You can approach combat head-on, go for a stealth approach and stab an enemy in the back, stay back in the shadows and fire arrows, cast spells to inflict damage or status effects on your enemy, or even conjure up other monsters to do the dirty work for you. If you're averse to confrontation, you can simply make yourself invisible and sneak past enemies, avoiding combat altogether. No matter what strategy you choose, the combat is satisfying because it's quick, dynamic, and challenging enough to make you feel as if you're really fighting for your life rather than slogging through an endless stream of obligatory battles. You're rewarded for your efforts with piles and piles of glorious loot.

As you play the game, you'll get stronger. You don't earn experience points as in a traditional role-playing game. Instead, your skills become stronger as you use them. This means that if you stick to using a sword, you'll get better with blade weapons. If you primarily use magic, you'll become a stronger caster. It's an intuitive system that eliminates the need to go out of your way to train and strengthen your character, which lets you focus on the more enjoyable aspects of the game. No matter how strong you become, you'll never feel invincible because all of the enemies that you fight in the game also level up with you. This does deflate the ego a bit because even after putting hours into the game, on the default difficulty you'll often find a respectable challenge fighting even the most common enemies. But there is a difficulty slider that you can adjust at any time, just in case you find yourself having a hard time staying alive.

Not only is the world of Tamriel massive, but it's also a gorgeous, organic place full of spectacular sights and experiences. There's plenty of variety to the landscape as well, and you can do everything from scaling a snowy peak, to taking a horseback ride up a rugged mountain path, to going for a swim in a crystal-clear lake, to searching an ancient tomb. The draw distance in the PlayStation 3 version of the game is a bit further than in the Xbox 360 version, which means that when you're looking out across the world, you'll see huge castles, lakes, and mountains perfectly clearly in the distance. When you're exploring the world, you will notice some objects and textures pop into view a bit late, which looks a bit awkward but is certainly forgivable because the rest of the game is so pretty. The cities are also thoughtfully designed and arranged as if each place you visit is entirely unique. The claustrophobic dungeons are vast and deep, full of fearsome enemies and abundant treasures. When you enter these cities or dungeons, you do have to look at a loading screen, but on the PlayStation 3, the load times are thankfully brief and usually last only a few seconds.