New Oblivion Preview on Gamespy that you'll just LOVE

[ExMonk]

Apparently Oblivion is being demoed at CES and a Gamespy rpg specialist watched the demo and wrote up a short but amazing preview. It reads like it was written by someone on the Codex. You will absolutely LOVE it. I especially like this line:

Oblivion features only spoken dialogue, so you won't have to waste your time with any of that messy "reading" that plagues other RPGs.

Enjoy!

http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/the-elder-scro ... 360p1.html

 

[Lumpy]

Dual wielding?

Iffy: A first-person RPG that takes 50 to 100 hours to complete might be a bit much for some people to swallow.

This is truly a sandbox game, where every action will result in some sort of reaction. During the demo, our hero accidentally set an innocent villager on fire, prompting a local guard to rush up to us. Our demoer said that he usually paid the requested fine, but he actually listened to me when I said, "Screw that guy, kill him!" After battling for a few moments, we ducked into the local mage's union. According to the guy manning the controller, in every previous demo, the hero was able to join the union.

This time, however, the union's leader refused to let us join because our hero was now "a wanted criminal." Even better, the guard miraculously didn't forget about our trangressions, actually following us into the building, slashing at us until we killed him. This turn of events caused the demoer to proclaim, "Oh wow, I've never seen that happen" a number of times, which is always a good sign that a game will have a lot of surprises (and even better, replay value) for those players who enjoy unpredictability. After seeing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in action, we want it more than ever.

Truly amazing.

 

[Sol Invictus]

Reading is messy? That's a new one.

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

No dual wielding. I don't know where the guy got that idea, but since the demos at CES are being given by Microsoft representatives, it's possible they just assumed you could do it.

As far as reading goes, every line of dialogue is also present as subtitles. If you read faster than the NPCs say their lines, you can even skip the rest of the voice. There's a huuuuuge amount of text in the game to be read.

 

[Twinfalls]

Is there an option for 'switch off audio voices for incredibly badly voice-acted characters, like the Bard in the e3 demo, and the female Blade guard at the start of the game'?

 

[LlamaGod]

This time, however, the union's leader refused to let us join because our hero was now "a wanted criminal." Even better, the guard miraculously didn't forget about our trangressions, actually following us into the building, slashing at us until we killed him. This turn of events caused the demoer to proclaim, "Oh wow, I've never seen that happen" a number of times, which is always a good sign that a game will have a lot of surprises (and even better, replay value) for those players who enjoy unpredictability. After seeing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion in action, we want it more than ever.

Truly amazing.[/quote]


aaaaaahahahaha

 

[obediah]

As far as reading goes, every line of dialogue is also present as subtitles.

I remember you mentioning this before. kudos again, it is the Right Thing(TM).

If you read faster than the NPCs say their lines, you can even skip the rest of the voice. There's a huuuuuge amount of text in the game to be read.

The fact that you don't assume everyone can read faster than the NPCs say their lines is more proof that you're targeting console idiots. In fact until the reviewer quote to lead off this thread, I assumed everone that can read does so much faster than a normal person speaks.

 

[HardCode]

"magician"?
"mage's union"?

I really wish that a Morrowind player could review Oblivion. This does nothing more than tout the graphics, and state the obvious (guards attacking after not paying fine, nothing new).

And wouldn't it be about time to state what kind of machine the demo was played on, if it was a PC? I doubt at this point the PC specs are subject to radical change.

 

[Section8]

Oh dear.

The game's first-person melee combat works very well, as you'll need to time your swings and move out of the way of your opponents' strikes.

Is that it? All we've heard about the incredible "kinetic" combat is that you have to move in and out of attack range. What if you're big, fat and slow? Would the combat then be practically identical to Morrowind, since you just stand in one place swinging and taking the pain?

And this one bears quoting again...

Oblivion features only spoken dialogue, so you won't have to waste your time with any of that messy "reading" that plagues other RPGs.

I love the quotation marks around "reading." They make no sense whatsoever. It's the cherry on the icing on the cake that is that sentence as a whole.

This turn of events caused the demoer to proclaim, "Oh wow, I've never seen that happen" a number of times, which is always a good sign that a game will have a lot of surprises (and even better, replay value) for those players who enjoy unpredictability.

Oh! My! God! An innocent was attacked, one of the constabulary became enraged, and pursued the wanton criminal after he brazenly refused his due punishment! How thoroughly unpredictable! How boldly avant garde! Never in my five and twenty years have I seen such fiendish surprises! Such amazing things this interactional picture box has in store! I really ought to consult that chap who can bring the miracle of electricity to mine own house so that I too, may witness such wondrously random events! O, the chaos! Shall we never know what is to be next? O, woe be it that we all must wait until 1806 for these supremely unforeseen events!

Too much?

Never.

Oh! My! God! Never before have I heard words turned in an ironic fashion, such to impishly criticise the foolish words of another! And posted here! Of all places! Surely, the many ladies that read these pages must be fainting; swooning with sheer surprise! This new form of wit must be the highest!

Ah fuck it.

 

[MrSmileyFaceDude]

The game is being demoed by Microsoft representatives at the Consumer Electronics Show. They're showing the press a few of the significant Xbox 360 titles that are being released this year, since Xbox 360 is Microsoft's primary consumer electronics device. Neither Bethesda nor 2K Games are exhibitors at the show.

 

[kathode]

I really wish that a Morrowind player could review Oblivion.

Like Desslock?

 

[Vival]

I really wish that a Morrowind player could review Oblivion.

Like Desslock?

Like Jeff K., of course.

 

[kingcomrade]

Gamespy is like a high school newspaper. The writing quality is poor and uninspired, and usually gushing for no good reason.

So, Oblivion's "kinetic" gameplay is like that sword mod for Unreal Tournament?

 

[LlamaGod]

The game is being demoed by Microsoft representatives at the Consumer Electronics Show. They're showing the press a few of the significant Xbox 360 titles that are being released this year, since Xbox 360 is Microsoft's primary consumer electronics device. Neither Bethesda nor 2K Games are exhibitors at the show.

So not only are the people that the game is targetted at and the people that preview it retards, but also even the people carting it around are retarded.

 

[bryce777]

The game is being demoed by Microsoft representatives at the Consumer Electronics Show. They're showing the press a few of the significant Xbox 360 titles that are being released this year, since Xbox 360 is Microsoft's primary consumer electronics device. Neither Bethesda nor 2K Games are exhibitors at the show.

So not only are the people that the game is targetted at and the people that preview it retards, but also even the people carting it around are retarded.

Don't leave out the game designers!

 

[HardCode]

I really wish that a Morrowind player could review Oblivion.

Like Desslock?

Link?

 

[ExMonk]

I really wish that a Morrowind player could review Oblivion.

Like Desslock?

Link?

Desslock's preview is in the most recent copy of PC Gamer that just hit the newstands. You might find an illegal scan of the article close by somewhere, but you won't get it from me. :wink:

 

[Imbecile]

Its already posted under this thread

http://www.rpgcodex.com/phpBB/viewtopic.php?t=10550

j'accuse STASKO with the fifth post in the forum.

 

[Human Shield]

I'm not going to "read" the article until its voice acted.

 

[galsiah]

So not only are the people that the game is targetted at and the people that preview it retards, but also even the people carting it around are retarded.

True to an extent, and I agree that it's a depressing state for the world to be in.

However, bear in mind that if the marketing people for Oblivion have any sense they'll be spending all their money targeting the "retards" (or indeed retards). Why spend money putting together well thought-out presentations for RPG enthusiasts? RPG enthusiasts will do all the research themselves and will look past the hype (and possibly even past any harsh premature judgements - eventually). RPG people will buy the game if it has the features they want, and not otherwise. Targeting them with marketing is an inefficient use of funds.

Rather than comparing Oblivion's marketing to what you'd ideally want it to be, why not compare it to past games' marketing that you've ended up liking. Was the marketing for those games always to your taste? Were your favourite features hyped? Personally I can't say I've paid much attention to pre-release game marketing in the past, so I don't really know what it was like. I imagine most companies usually aim for the mainstream rather than for hardcore gamers - whatever the eventual product features.

I strongly dislike some of the features of Oblivion (in particular, sticking with the one character fighter-thief-mage master of all trades model). I'm still hoping its better than the PR suggests though, and have high hopes for the CS.

 

[obediah]

So not only are the people that the game is targetted at and the people that preview it retards, but also even the people carting it around are retarded.

I can't excuse the target audience or the reviewers, but the demo people at CES is another thing. Anyone that could spend 12 hours a day for several days playing the same bit of video game over and over while hyping the hell out of it and feigning interest, excitement, and discovery for every dick that strolls by, is going to be messed up. Expected them to know or care about the game is like expecting the booth bunnies to help you do your taxes.

 

[Twinfalls]

I really wish that a Morrowind player could review Oblivion.

Like Desslock?

Like Jeff K., of course.

:D

for anyone who hasn't:

http://www.somethingawful.com/jeffk/tomorrowind/

 

[kingcomrade]

I'm not going to "read" the article until its voice acted.

I'm putting this in my sig, it's gold.

 

[damaged_drone]

I really wish that a Morrowind player could review Oblivion.

Like Desslock?

Like Jeff K., of course.

:D

for anyone who hasn't:

http://www.somethingawful.com/jeffk/tomorrowind/

thnx, good times.

 

[HanoverF]

I really wish that a Morrowind player could review Oblivion.

Like Desslock?

Anyone who enjoyed Morrowind enough to write a 500 page guide isn't the kind of person I'm going to bet makes a rational unbiased review.


Or simply Anyone who enjoyed Morrowind for that matter...