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We had dreams and songs to sing |
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It's so lonely round the fields of Athenry.
I waited, and finally, sweet, sweet release. The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion has hit, and it is good. So very, very good. I think I'm an addict. It has consumed me. I tend to dive into new games with wild abandon, quickly racking up hours.. But this is different. This is the kind of game that makes me browse the FAQ forums while I'm at work, looking for new ideas to try out when next I play. I'm rolling character sheets in my head. Planning out enchantments while I watch TV. Examining map layouts for escape routs for the next big heist.
I played morrowind, and it was quite entertaining. I never actually finished the main quest. I had characters that were very powerful, but had never done any of the main quests. I never actually finished it, because there was no desire to. I didn't have that palpable sense that I was really accomplishing anything. I failed to see the reason in my killing of rats. It, on the whole, had no real impact on the way the world worked. I was just killing rats. My avatars were notlarge, prominent figures. They simply existed in this morrowind world, killing things, stealing things. Oblivion has a cohesive storyline that you don't just forget about while you wander the wilderness. The sidequests actually give you a sense of accomplishment. The guilds hold the world together, and give you a sense of purpose, even of defined style.
Let me put it this way. I started much like I had in morrowind, rolling a standard character with a wide smattering of skills, just to see what it was like. Pretty basic, nothing fancy. Then, i dove into the central quest line to get a feel for the game. Kind of like slipping a toe into a bath, just feeling the temperature of this new, uncharted world. It took me several hours of scrabbling about and meaningess sword-swinging to get a good grasp of what I needed and wanted from this brave new world. Back to character creation. The dark elf race. An evil countenance. (The face customization alone is intriguing. With enough time and a mirror, you can put yourself into this game.) A build more athletic, sneakier, better with a bow. The dark brotherhood awaited.
Now, it's 22 hours of play-time later, and it has come together. I'm an apprentice spell-slinger. A notrious, eternal thief. The Guiding hand of dark assassinations. The savior of a town. One of the guardians of the last heir to the throne. A wily merchant. A vampire. I ride a black steed, with blood-red eyes. Two guilds call me master. I'm all these things, and there's still more to do. The main quest is still waiting, unfinished, but it calls me back to save a doomed world, and tread upon the planes of hell. This is what gaming should be. This is playing a character to the fullest. I'm hooked, down to my very roots.
Not to mention, half the time I'm also laughing my a** off. The game itself isn't funny, but the events this strange little world creates.. Well, it's sometimes ******** hilarious.
I've ridden my stolen horse out into the wilds, looking for a cave. There's a bark and a growl, and a wolf attacks from the underbrush! I dismount from my steed and draw my blade to deal with this pest. During the short fight, I strike my horse through sheer accident. My horse, apparently, does not like this. He kicks me in the face. Repeatedly. Not wanting to slaughter my now less-than-faithful steed, I run away. Give the beast a chance to calm itself. Queing up a calming spell, I return from hiding to cast it on the horse.. The horse is gone, and I'm in the middle of nowhere, miles from town. Goddamn horse. Oh well, onward! The cave awaits. I'm strolling away, looking for this cave on foot, when my health takes a drastic plunge. To my surprise and pain, the goddamn horse had snuck up behind me and kicked me in the back of the head. I apparently had stolen a goddamn NINJA HORSE. I killed him, most angrily. The horse is lying there, dead.. And I'm laughing my a** off. I mean, who gets hit by a sneak attack from a ******** horse?
I've just been busted for murdering a townsperson. It's a contracted hit. I can't just let the guards take me to jail. No siree. The silencer for the brotherhood does not go to jail. However, even I cannot handle 4 angry guards with bashing on their minds. Time to flee. I ran away, leaping over obstacles and across a bridge. On the other side of the bridge, there's two more legion soldiers to compliment the four behind me. Trapped like a rat. Well, screw surrender. I leap off the bridge, as the legion closes in on me. Thank sithis for good acrobatic skills. I've taken some light falling damage, but nothing that I can't recover from. And what's this? The idiot guards are following my example, and leaping from the bridge.. Only to die on impact. Wankers. Just for their stupidity, I take their gear, intent on selling it at the next town. It's good being an assassin.
And here I am, at work, just waiting to get more time to wander about cyrodil, causing mayhem. I am an addict.
 Twistex · Mon Mar 27, 2006 @ 06:14am · 3 Comments |
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