The fantasy setting is no stranger to the gaming community. Swords, spells and shields make up most gamers favorite scenes. With no really big titles for the fantasy setting currently released, the gaming community had a stale area of life where magic and monsters played a little part. Thankfully, this era has ended with the Electronic Entertainment Exposition’s -that’s E3 to those who know – 2005 best of show, “Oblivion.” The newest addition to Bethesda’s award-winning “Elder Scroll” series, “Oblivion,” is a game that holds its promise and delivers what gamers want. With massive maps, realistic details, and a very open story line, players may find themselves getting sucked into a fantasy realm like no other, and enjoying every second.

The emperor is about to die. Assassins nip his heels as he flees with his select imperial guard, the blades, to a secret passageway in a prison cell. The prisoner inside this cell is the one the emperor has been dreaming of, the one to save Tameriel, and is allowed to escape after he is told by the emperor to find the last son of the royal throne and make sure he safely makes it to the imperial city. The quest is long, the path dangerous, and the plot sinister, but with quick wits and an even quicker blade perhaps the hero can save the day.

Or maybe he doesn’t want to save the day. Perhaps the player wants to be evil and manipulate people to gain power. One of the greatest assets that “Oblivion” has is its openness to anything the gamers wants. Want to be evil? Fine, join the dark brotherhood and murder your way to the top. Want to be a champion? That’s fine too. Help out the people who need it and make sure the wicked get what is coming to them. Gain fame and respect throughout the land. “Oblivion” is such a huge game story-wise, that if a gamer sat down and played every single quest available he would log on roughly 200 hours of gameplay.

With all the gameplay offered, it is only natural to support a huge world to explore as well. “Oblivion” boasts an entire world or rivers, mountains, forests, and towns that a gamer can walk to and discover that are completely beautiful to behold. “Oblivion’s” visuals are so stunning that Xbox.com called it “the best-looking game I have ever seen in my life.” Graphics are smooth and dialogue is well voice acted, making “Oblivion” an easy game to lose yourself in.

Problems with the game are that the game is so big the gamer can sometimes feel overwhelmed. Some quests take as long as two hours of gameplay to complete and they seem to just pile on one after the other. Leaving the gamer that wants to do everything very stressed and confused.

The shear size of “Oblivion” is both its strong suit as well as its own downfall. “Oblivion” is certainly a game worth buying if you have the time to put into it. Just know that if you decide to start playing “Oblivion” it is hard to get out, the game is so easy to lose yourself in. To those who crave hit points and mana; “Oblivion” is the game for you.

Final Score: 8.5/10