Elder Scrolls: Oblivion 2006/04/01

As the most ambitious PC RPG in years - the fourth entry in the Elder Scrolls series, Oblivion has an uphill battle ahead of it according to 1up.com.

Their feature on the game is actually a pretty in depth analysis of Western vs. Eastern RPG styles, that also explores the limitations of both the MMO and (single player) RPG models and the potential for the former supplanting the latter.

Could MMO’s replace RPG’s?

Well, for me they already have (Eldred on Warsong…) - but that’s not to say they go unmissed.

Something about a world where you have to wait in line behind exhalted heroes with god-like powers at the bank, sort of makes being one a little less exciting than it used to be in Dragon Warrior. (The fact that I was 8 years old then might be part of the reason, but I don’t think that’s all of it.

For this reason, while they might be early frontrunners, I think ulitmately, Sword’s and Sorcercy won’t prove the best traffic for the massively multi-player stage - Spore may be a lot closer to what the genre really calls for.