What I'm playing: The Elder Scrolls Oblivion

So I finally got my copy of The Elder Scrolls Oblivion (TESO) and wasn’t too sure it would run on my system, since I don’t have the bleeding-edge type. After tinkering with video settings for a while I was able to achieve the sweet spot and was pleasantly surprised to see the game running smoothly. In TESO, the character you create from scratch has to save the land of Tamriel from the forces of evil unleashed through the portals of Oblivion. While the story is standard RPG stuff - the forces of Good vs. the forces of Evil - the sheer magnitude of this game is staggering. Once you finish the tutorial, you’re free to do exactly as you please. Want to join a Thieves guild? Go right ahead. Feel like maxing out those fighting skills? Join the Fighters Guild. Enjoy sorcery? Join the Mages guild (there is something for everyone). I’ve been playing this game for 20 hours straight and I’ve barely finished two story-based quests, not because I suck, but because there’s a plethora of stuff to do. The highlight of this game without a doubt is its mind-blowing graphics. The land of Tamriel is so beautiful and picturesque you’ll never want to leave and return to reality again. On an AMD +3200, with a ATI 9800 pro and a gig of ram I was able to run the game with everything on medium (2AA) and the game still looks drop dead gorgeous. Depending on the card you have, you’ll even be able to activate HDR (High Dynamic Range lighting) or Bloom to blanket the game in that Sands of Time-ish dreamy look. If you’re the patient type who loves exploring stuff and have a good enough rig to handle this game, go and get this game… NOW!