The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Review (Xbox 360)

This review will include The Knights Of the Nine and Shivering Isles expansions.

Graphics:9


Story:10


Gameplay:9

Sound:9


Overall:9.25




Well to start off, before you even create your character and such, the video shown in the beginning is inspiring and makes you want to just jump in and start hackin' and slashin'.

Then comes the ‘create-a-character.’ While you choose from 10 different races, each with their own special set of skills, there is a race for everyone to play with. Whether you like to sneak and shoot, mage and rage, hack and slash, or like to mix it up a bit, there is a race and a class just for you. Well after you make your race, there is a short little part where you go through the tutorial and learn your skills.



Then, off to your own start of an adventure. The true beauty of this game is that you don't have to do the quest prescribed to you. You are free to explore, fight and play through a totally open world where you do what you want to do. Believe there are a lot of quests in this ever changing world. You can go loot a random castle, fight through a cave to claim its treasure, join a guild, slay a malevolent being, or go buy a house and relax, the possibilities are near endless.

Another great thing: the game levels up as you do. The equipment you find will increase in durability, value and strength as you do. It makes it all the worthwhile to level up your Destruction to get that spell that does 100pts of fire damage. And the end of the game? Trick question it never ends. So my overall view of the game? Great! A must buy in my book. So go try it out and start your own epic adventure worthy of song by the bards, or how about go be one? It’s up to you. The fate of Tamriel is in your hands brave adventurer.

Now with the Knights of the Nine, I won't reveal any secrets, buuuut, it adds a whole new twist to the gameplay. You get new access to a brand new set of armor, weapons and spells. Even a cool new place to call home complete with blacksmith and beds. Plus an intriguing story on the first ever warrior to slay a demon-god. Get to it young Paladin.

The Shivering Isles. Home of the Daedric Lord Sheogorath, King of Madness. His realm is split into two warring sides of madness that you will have to explore, unite and tame. Why do this array of quests? For the Ultimate goal: to become a Daedric Prince. But there is an epic battle and grand adventure to go through to claim this right, so be ready for anything.

News: Upcoming Reviews (Revised 3/2/10)

Upcoming reviews and their planned publish dates-

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Armored Core: For Answer (3/6/10)
Too Human (3/20/10)
Dead Space (3/27/10)
Batman: Arkham Asylum (4/3/10)

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Halo 3 Review (Xbox 360)

Graphics - 10

Sound - 9

Gameplay - 10

Multiplayer - 10
Story - 9

Overall - 9.6





Well, it's the final game in the Halo Trilogy. Of course we know now that it isn't the final game. But it is the end of this story. I can honestly say this is the best Halo game to date. Not just because it's the newest one, sometimes the older games are better (Red Alert, anyone?) I got this game the day it came out and still play it a couple times a week. Still working to beat Legendary, getting closer every day :)


The story is wonderful. If there is ever a time in which our planet meets an alien race and unites to fight a greater enemy, I see it being done Halo style. If this were a movie, it'd be a box office hit. You begin having crashed on our planet, falling out of orbit. You immediately jump into battle, following the Arbiter through fierce firefights. The story takes you through saving comrades, defending your home base, to eventually having to come back and blow up your own home to prevent the flood from getting information out of it. If you follow the story, it can get emotional at some points. I won't ruin it for anyone who has somehow not played it yet, but trust me, it's amazing.

The graphics are GREAT. The level of detail in the game is simply amazing. Many designers nowadays are really stepping up on the visual aspect of their games. But it comes down to little things, like the shotgun shells expelled from the gun after shooting. Take a look in theater mode, zoom in on bullets. The shells have ridges, look blown open, and even have the logo and gauge number. That's right, Master Chief uses an 8 gauge. Some rifle bullets have 'Chief' inscribed on the ends of them. Check out the rocket launcher which bears two messages, "Point this way," and "Not a toy." While not significant to the gameplay at all, this is still pretty cool. But besides that, the graphics are downright gorgeous. Each map and landscape are beautifully detailed, and the days of falling through a map are long gone. You can still fall off, yes, but no longer through the ground. Another nice touch is the changeable armour style for your online character. All armour styles and colors translate nicely onto the Spartan and Elite's bodies.

Multiplayer in Halo 3 opens up a whole new method of gameplay. Or several new methods. Of course there's matchmaking where you can competed in ranked matches or unranked social matches. There are a few basic modes in each, from Big Team Battle to Swat Team to Team Doubles. But custom games add endless possibilities. You can play Rocket Races, Zombie, Catch the Ninja, and many more player made matches with custom rules. Multiplayer gets a nice 10 because you can always find a match, people will almost never quit a match, the ranking system is crystal clear, and theres never any connection issues at the fault of Bungie. If it doesn't work, its because your internet needs a check up.

Halo 3 controls/gameplay are awesome. The controls have been changed slightly to accomodate the new Xbox 360 controller, but it still feels natural to play. Left trigger shoots left gun, right trigger shoots right gun, etc. I personally don't dual wield weapons, but that's just me. You will probably find yourself dying along with your enemy many times until you learn to play at a faster pace. By this I mean changing your camera sensitivity so you turn and aim faster. Until you do this, most of your PvP battles will end in both of you being beaten down. There are many sites that offer advice on how to improve your online Halo skills. Just Google it, you won't be disappointed.

Overall, Halo 3 is more than worth the buy. It's not just a game, it's the end of an epic storyline that everyone loves.

News: Upcoming Reviews

Just a quick post. Within the next week we hope to have Halo 3, Dead Space, and Armored Core: For Answer posted up. Check back daily for them!

~Game Query Team