By now, you probably know all about Oblivion. Bethsoft’s hit RPG isn’t exactly a cult sensation, and it was in the running for most Game of the Year contests. Days ago it celebrated its first birthday, which happened to coincide with its release on the PS3. Rather than go into all of the details and nuances of the game itself, I’m mostly going to focus on what’s better/worse in the PS3 version; if you want to know all about the actual game, go ahead and check out our original Oblivion review.
Many PS3 owners I’ve spoken to have asked me if Oblivion on the PS3 is worth it. On one hand, it’s a game which is now over a year old, and which many gamers already own on either the PC or 360. On the other hand, it’s one of the few titles out for the PS3 which may justify the purchase of the console for some gamers. On the PS3, Oblivion has plenty of strong points, and is a great buy if you’ve never played it. If you do own a previous version of Oblivion, whether or not you pick this up depends on how desperate you are to justify your PS3, and how picky you are when it comes to having "the best" of something. Is it better than the previous iterations, though?
Basically, it all boils down to what you’re looking for. The first major problem with the PS3 version of Oblivion is that right now, no one’s completely sure when we’ll see the Shivering Isles expansion. This gives the 360 and PC versions an inherent lead over the PS3, as the expansion looks to provide a lot of entertaining gameplay which will make an already stellar game better.
You may not be concerned about the expansion, though. Maybe the incredible amount of depth and replayability in Oblivion is all you really care for. In that case, the PS3 is superior to the 360/PC in certain areas, but limited in others. The major difference between the versions is obviously the modding capability of the PC title. On the PC, you can download user mods for Oblivion, which provide even more depth to the gameplay; ranging from performance tweaks to new weapons and quests, you can find a wide variety of mods. On the PS3 and 360, this isn’t possible.
When it comes down to comparing the 360 and PS3 version, if you ignore the fact that the 360 version is getting the expansion now, the PS3 version beats it in almost every category. On the PS3 the graphics are more polished, the framerate is steadier, load times are shorter, and the draw distance is greater. While playing on the 360, during hectic fights and other movement-intensive portions the game stutters and slows down a bit; on the PS3, this is much rarer. Sure, there are times when the game has a slight hiccup, but it’s much less noticeable now, and a lot of your journeys will be free of any slow-down.
The world of Oblivion has also never looked better, as the draw distances are much improved over the 360 version (and the PC, unless you have an extremely high-end computer). Combined with the quicker loading times, this makes the game seem more immersive, and much more fluid.
While the PS3 version of Oblivion is superior to the 360 one, the PC still reigns supreme due to the customization possible. If you want the best-looking version of Oblivion and don’t have an amazing PC, then the PS3 is easily the route to go. However, if you already own the 360 version and were thinking of trading it in for this, there’s really no need to. The PS3 version may look and run slightly better, and it may include Knights of the Nine from the get-go, but the status of the expansion is something you have to consider, and the fact that there’s really nothing new should convince you to stick with what you have. As long as you have Oblivion on any of the available platforms, you’re already good to go with hundreds of hours of possible gaming excellence. Then again, if you really wanted to justify your purchase of the PS3, you may want to pick this up.
