This is also contributed to by the AI, complex and impressive for the time, but often having its NPCs behave in very bizarre ways, or displaying comically short attention spans. As high-profile as many of the voice cast were, that sadly doesn’t mean that every performer was bringing their A-game, a fair few instances of stiff or just flat-out strange line delivery bringing plenty of moments of unintentional comedy to the game. What can’t be avoided on revisiting Oblivion now, however, is the meme status that parts of the game have acquired, an online comedian rather hilariously using one particular NPC’s dialogue for a prank phone call being one that springs to mind. Inevitably, on a technical level, it comes up a little short compared to games of today, but that’s rather to be expected. With that said, how does it stack up after 15 years? The tried and true Elder Scrolls sword and sorcery gameplay that still survives in Skyrim is there in spades and is still engaging even now, however, other aspects of Oblivion have rather started to show their age. All of this combined to make a hugely varied experience, keeping Oblivion fresh and exciting, with vast potential for repeat playthroughs.
Players could take up a variety of fighting styles too, brandishing a sword and running straight into battle, sneaking around and striking from the shadows, or keeping their distance and peppering foes with arrows or magic.
