Best Game of All Time
The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
Introduction
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is an action role-playing
video game developed by Bethesda Game Studios and published by Bethesda
Softworks and the Take-Two Interactive subsidiary 2K Games. It is the fourth instalment
in The Elder Scrolls action fantasy video game series, following The Elder
Scrolls III: Morrowind and preceding The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Oblivion was
first released in March 2006 for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360. It is known
best for its intricate RPG elements and open world. It was revolutionary in its
use of A-list actors as Patrick Stewart and Sean Bean play pivotal characters
in the game.
Story
A prophecy is being fulfilled and the human world and the
world of oblivion are being melded together. The story follows the protagonist,
who the player creates themselves, as he tries to fight the forces of Oblivion.
Assassins are attempting to kill the emperor and so the emperor flees with his
royal guards. You start the game in a prison cell and fortunately for you, the
emperor is travelling through a secret passage that leads through your cell.
The emperor tells of you being an important part of visions that he sees. That
you will help save the world from the forces of oblivion. The emperor is
murdered by a cult called the Mythic Dawn and you are thrust into the world of The
Elder Scrolls.
Characters
Emperor Uriel Septim
Uriel Septim VII is the emperor of Tamriel. Uriel gives the
Hero the Amulet of Kings, before he is killed by a dagger wound inflicted by an
assassin named Andrew of the Mythic Dawn cult. The emperor, having heard of the
recent assassinations of his other sons, was attempting to make his escape
through a network of passages underneath the Imperial Prison. As he is dying,
he entrusts to you the Amulet of Kings, which is a royal heirloom of incredible
power. The emperor is voiced by Patrick Stewart.
Brother Martin
Brother Martin is the illegitimate son of Emperor Uriel
Septim VII. After the emperor's death, Martin is the only remaining member of
the Septim bloodline. At the beginning of the game he is a priest in Kvatch,
unaware of his lineage. After saving the city of Kvatch from an oblivion gate,
you convince him to take his rightful place and he becomes a pivotal character
in the game. Brother Martin is voiced by Sean Bean.
Grand Master Jauffre
Jauffre is the Grandmaster of the Blades. He lives in cover
as a quiet monk in a place called Weynon Priory. The player takes the Amulet of
Kings to Jauffre at Weynon Priory and so begins the main quest to save the
world from oblivion. He assists the player and Martin in trying to stop the
Mythic Dawn from bring Mehrunes Dagon, an oblivion lord, into the human world.
Music
The main theme is an engrossing and epic piece of music. It
really brings back nostalgic memories for me. I have also thought that it
sounds very similar to the Pirates of the Caribbean theme song. It gives a
similar feel as both pieces of music create a feeling of adventure and this
fits very nicely with the open world and emphasis on exploration.
The music changes when the player is in battle, which
creates a feeling of strong tension. Often times when playing, I would hear
this music before I could see an enemy and would immediately tighten up and
search carefully for an instigator. Here are some of the soundtracks that are
used when the player is in battle.
Themes
Exploration - The
game features a huge open world that you can explore at your leisure after the
introduction to the game. It has several unique areas, monsters and wildlife
that really immerse the player in this fantastical world.
Adventure – There
are hundreds of different quests that the player can do and many hours of fun
are available even without completing the main storyline. There are whole
individual quest lines for each of the four guilds in the game. These guilds
are the Fighter’s, Mage’s, Thief’s and the Dark Brotherhood. Some of the most
fun I’ve had in this game is from joining the Dark Brotherhood assassins and
slowly working my way up to become the most feared assassin in Tamriel.
Heroes – The game
gives you a chance to become a hero of legend and gives you the freedom to
write your own story. You can create a sneaky thief or a powerful master of the
arcane. I myself usually made a warrior and tried to level up all my skills to
the maximum level of 100.
The Hero of Kvatch
This is an incredible section of the game fairly early on
that really engages the player and adds vital story elements. Kvatch is a city
that is under attack from the forces of Oblivion. An Oblivion gate has opened
up at the city’s gate and the player must assist the guards in closing it. The
player has to go through the gate and journey to the centre of the plane of
Oblivion. The player must then remove the Sigil Stone that is powering the
Oblivion Gate. Inside the chapel, you will find Brother Martin who is the last
heir to the empire of Tamriel. Brother Martin agrees to leave with you if you
help to save the city from the remaining Oblivion spawn. So the player must
assist the guard in trying to find the ruler of the city and kill the remaining
demons. This event is referenced many times by NPCs that you meet throughout
the game and is personally my favourite section of the game. I have never felt
such a keen sense of dread when stepping into the Oblivion gate and travelling
through that nightmarish world.
Ratchet and Clank
Introduction
Ratchet & Clank is a series of platform video games. The
franchise was created and developed by Insomniac Games and published by Sony
Computer Entertainment for many different PlayStation consoles, such as
PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3. It focuses largely on the gadgets and guns
that are at your disposal throughout the game.
Story
Ratchet and Clank follows an unlikely pair of heroes.
Ratchet is a Lombax mechanic of the planet Veldin. He is building his very own
spaceship when Clank, a unique robot from a nearly planet, crash lands on
Veldin. Clank is being chased by robots from the factory that created him. He
saw sensitive information about the main antagonist Chairman Drek and so they
want him dead. The duo meet up and Ratchet agrees to take Clank to find the
galaxies hero, Captain Qwark, if Clank starts his ship. The game plays out as
the duo try to find Qwark and stop the evil Chairmen Drek.
Characters
Ratchet
Ratchet is a Lombax mechanic from the planet Veldin. He is
not a typical hero and cares more about interesting new gadgets and weapons
than saving the galaxy.
Clank
Clank is the name that Ratchet gives to the robot, serial
number B5429671.
He is a unique robot that occurred from a malfunction at a robotic production
factory. He is selfless and heroic despite being small of stature. His quest in
the first game is to try to find Captain Qwark and save the galaxy.
Captain Qwark
He is the galaxies hero and TV star. Known more for his
portrayal of heroes on TV than his actual heroism, he is not exactly what he
seems. Ratchet and Clank find out that he is actually working for Chairmen Drek
and foil his plot to eradicate the pair.
Chairmen Drek
Chairmen Drek is a Blarg Dictator. His home planet is
overpopulated and polluted so he has hatched a plan to steal parts of other
planets and putting them together to create a prime piece of real estate.
Unfortunately this means that each of the planets that are stolen from will
spin in to the sun and explode.
FTL: Faster Than Light
Introduction
Faster Than Light is a game originally crowd-funded on the
website KickStarter. It a pseudo turn based strategy RPG game that is possibly
the most fun I’ve had with a game as a fully grown adult. I remember
discovering this game and doing an all-nighter to try and get my first victory
in the game. To this date I’ve only completed the game around 5 times and every
time it has been on easy mode. The normal mode is incredible. Most people cite
Dark Souls as the archetypal “difficult is fun” game, but personally FTL is
better.
In the game you command a space ship and must progress
through the different sectors whilst running from the evil rebels. The game has
rogue-like and RPG elements throughout and most of the fun is the multitude of
different ways you can play. There are several different ships that are
unlocked from various objectives. Also with the recently released Advanced
Edition there are many different ship loadouts, more alien races and new
systems.
Story
The story is fairly simple. You are part of a military
organisation that is fighting against the rebels. Your job is to make it to the
last section and defeat the rebel flagship. It sounds simple but it is actually
a monumental task. Most of the game is spent trying and failing to reach this
goal.
GamePlay
The game runs in real time with a pause button available to
switch to a more turn based feel. Your ship has several systems that you can
upgrade and use in battle. Your main systems include Weapons, Shields, Engines
and Piloting. There are various other sub-systems that can equally be upgraded and utilised in different ways.
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