The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion [X360]

If you had anything particularly pressing to be doing at any point over the next few months, it's time to cancel it. Bethesda's much-anticipated fantasy action RPG Oblivion is every bit the game it promised to be, with stunning visuals and vast amounts of engrossing, well-designed gameplay. Lovers of its predecessor Morrowind will be delighted; new addicts will find it as easy to play as it is to like. The only problem with Oblivion is putting it down.

If you played Morrowind, you'll find many aspects of Oblivion's character system familiar. Both at the game's start and throughout your character's development, you'll see the same themes -- Oblivion takes the flexible, level- and skills-based system from Morrowind, makes a few delicate cuts and simplifications, and delivers a streamlined system that's flexible and easy to grasp.

Taking your first steps into Oblivion's outside world, which you'll do about half an hour into the game, you could be forgiven for adopting a certain look of slack-jawed astonishment. Screenshots don't do this engine justice -- seeing it in motion will impress the most jaded of gamers. Sumptuously detailed and full of vivid, rich color, it puts even the most graphically detailed of FPSs to shame, let alone the rest of its typically drab genre. Even after many hours of play, you'll still find yourself looking around in awe at a particularly dramatic view, or captivated by a morning glory plant climbing a wall.

Although it's a staggering-looking game, nothing's perfect. Oblivion is a little heavy-handed on the bloom effect, which tends to underline the fact that the game's faces are decidedly on the ugly side. If you're really picky, you'll notice characters can't always move around each other and end up nudging each other with an unrealistic sliding motion. But out of doors it's nothing short of stunning. Oblivion shows off the 360's potential in a way that no other game has done.

This comes at a price -- all that complexity pushes the 360 a little hard on occasion. As scenery comes into view, it tends to "pop" into existence rather than fade in smoothly. Framerate issues are pretty standard for most outdoor Oblivion excursions, too. It's nowhere near the issue it would be with a first-person shooter or other pure action game, and as most combat takes place underground or indoors, you shouldn't have too much trouble dismissing it. We certainly didn't.

What of the plot? The story starts as Emperor Uriel Septim (deliciously voiced by Patrick Stewart) is offed by assassins, along with all his known heirs. Your task is to find and protect his son, who, in well-trodden fantasy cliche, has been brought up in secret and knows nothing of his heritage. The expansive plot will take you all around the game's world, a province of Tamriel called Cyrodiil, and even into the eponymous land of Oblivion, which is pretty much the game's version of Hell.

It's much better paced than Morrowind's plot, and does an improved job of guiding you from point to point; you're unlikely to lose interest or abandon it altogether. Best of all, you're not traipsing from place to place to follow it, as Oblivion introduces a "fast travel" feature that lets you jump straight to any landmark you've previously visited.