Do most people like it for everything all together and it's virtual no end?
I mean, I came into this game looking for stealth and I found that it was really not a major part of the game, same with fallout. It honestly seems more or less the kind of stealth available in modern warfare 2. You get some stuff that helps with stealth and that's pretty much it. Not really much of a storyline with a lot of stealth missions (the dark brotherhood missions and thief guild missions don't take that long). So, the people that play rpgs really aren't looking for a specific thing and just like the whole diversity of it all? I find splinter cell, Thief, assassin's creed 2, even Deus Ex though it is an rpg has more things pertaining stealth. You can increase your stealth by increasing different things, not just upgrading stealth as a skill.

thanks

The thing that makes Oblivion great is that you can do whatever you want. If you want to sit in front of a waterfall, walk around town, or do the main quest you can do that. The other games they make you do the main quest, Oblivion doesn't do that at all.

Ummmm MW2 is a good game but its an FPS while Oblivion is an RPG. Two completely different type of games so I don't really see where you're making this comparison from. I play it because its real fun to roleplay my character and the graphics are insane among many other reasons.

I'm talking about the amount of stealth implemented in both games. In mw2, you can choose to be stealth by equipping some perks and using snipers and the like. In oblivion, you can also choose to be stealthy by getting sneak as a major, having all those enchanted items with sneak stuff. And the amount of going into sneak mode and sneaking around is similar to how you can do it in mw2 by using cold-blooded pro and crawling around. It's pretty much the same ratio of stealth imo.
Basically, what I'm trying to say is that I think that stealth is not a major part of oblivion, and saying that it is, is like saying that stealth is a big part in games like uncharted 2.

Of course that Splinter Cell, Assassin's Creed or the Thief series has better stealth than the Elder Scrolls'. Because it's the main feature of the game. The main feature that the game focuses on.

The Elder Scrolls series has stealth as one of the features, as one of the characters you can make, but it's main feature has always been "Freedom". So Stealth will never be as detailed as the games above. It's better to have all aspects of the games at least enjoyable than focusing on one in particular while having the rest look/play odd.

Though Oblivion has been a major update on the stealth system. Daggerfall's was very basic and buggy, Morrowind's was also very simple and odd. (You can sneak in front of NPCs in full light). I always enjoy playing Stealth characters in most games and I was most pleased with how Oblivion handled it.

Now if they made an Elder Scrolls Adventure game focusing on the Dark Brotherhood faction, for example, that'd be a different story. (Ahh I wish!)

So basically, if I like stealth, I should be looking for stealth games right? And should I not be looking at rpgs at all and only look at stealth action games? It's just that deus ex looked liked a stealth game and it's an rpg >.>

Like other people just said, the beauty of Oblivion is that you can really do anything you want. The world is so big and you can completely customize your character. You don't have to play the game any specific way.

Well if you're looking for a game where you'll play only a stealth character with all the additional features games not specialized in this genre contains, then indeed.

But if you enjoy freedom, exploring wide lands and doing quests that are not necessarily associated with Stealth, the Elder Scrolls series is your game.

I have not yet played Deus Ex, (I plan on buying it soon though, now that it's on Steam), but I believe Freedom is not Deus Ex's main feature. You are a specific character, that already removes Freedom. I believe it focuses much more on the storyline.

This is very true, yes. It's an extremely linear game (more so even than a Bioware game), but one that offers multiple ways to progress through the story. It is an interesting hybrid of first-person shooter (which is what I think it mainly is) with quasi-roleplaying features (i.e. augmentations) added.

Well Oblivion didn't market itself as a stealth game. That's what's so awesome about it, is that it isn't focused on anything in particular, but a whole world.

Very interesting.
I really like those kind of RPGs. Like System Shock which focuses on first-person horror/scary game with the skills/stats and experience features.

I admit, I completly missed Deus Ex when it was released. With a lousy 56K internet connection, I had no knowledge of the game's release and only discovered it years later. Deus Ex and Arx Fatalis are on my "Must Play ASAP" list. I already bought Arx Fatalis, but it doesn't work on Windows 7. As soon as I get my old computer up and running, I'll give those two a shot.

To the OP: Stealth is not a major part of the game unless you make it so. That's the beauty of Oblivion: you have a choice. I have a couple characters now who never use stealth, and I have others who rely on it quite a bit.

On-topic: What I really like about it is the freedom. Like I've played so many games where there will be (let's say) a path going thru a forest. I'll look at the forest and say "wow, I wonder if it'll let me go that way". So I go that way and hit the inevitable invisible barrier. NO! YOU MUST STAY ON THE PATH, WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING SILLY GIRL! These games seem to scream.

Oblivion has invisible barriers, too, but it takes ALOT of exploring 'til one is found.

I also like the fact that I've been playing this game on and off for almost 2 years, and I'm STILL finding stuff I've never found before. Quests I've never come across. Ruins I've never explored.

Indeed. A lot of games feature the "forest trail with impenetrable shrubbery and small rocks." Very linear. Oblivion's invisible barriers are on the very edges of the entire map. You can go virtually anywhere on the map between the borders...which is awesome. If you can see a place, you can get there, even weird places way high on top of rocks and stuff if you're good enough at acrobatics. I almost make a point trying to stand on top of high structures and in places where I think I wouldn't be able to go in other games and I can't recall having come across any invisible barriers. Also there are few (if any) places where you get stuck (I haven't gotten stuck anywhere...even the few times when it appeared I might be there was always a way out)...it all just seems very well done.

Anyway yeah, if you want to play a stealth game Oblivion gives you the option and gives you some good gameplay...but if you want a full-on stealth game Oblivion isn't it. You can roleplay and steal and assassinate people and do the Thieves Guild and Dark Brotherhood quests, but the game isn't centered around stealth because it's a fantasy world RPG. Might and magic have the main roles and the quests and stuff reflect that.

I love Oblivion for it's freedom and beauty. Those two things make me able to immerse myself in the world and roleplay a wide variety of characters.

I guess I'm not understanding the "lack of stealth" part of all this. It's all I play besides a mage. I hate upfront fights and don't do well in melee at all. It's just not my thing. So if I'm not a mage and blasting you from afar. I'm a stealth based character and use it ALL the time.

The beauty of the game is, if I LIKED melee and wanted to play such, I could do that too. Which is what draws me. No one is left out. The beauty and "never-endingness" is frosting on the cake!

I personally usually combine all three in my character builds...even my Knights and Battlemages master Illusion.

well, there are three major factors:
1. The game is sandbox-like, you don't have a linear gameplay or plot (unlike most RPGs) you must follow. Instead you can do pretty much everything you like and freely roam the world.
2. Versatility, you can play different chars or styles and you aren't bound by classes (unlike NW).
3. Good modability thanks to the modular game files architecture and a official mod kit.

Despite criticism, whose points can be fixed via mods, Morrowind and Oblivion are the best games in the open-end RPG genre. Because of that you can achieve a very high immersion factor. Even more freedom can only be achieved via MMORPG because of the content generation.
An even more open-ended game (because of automatic content generation) Buggerfall Daggerfall is just not so fresh anymore, although this can be fixed.

That being said I also enjoy other RPGs, which are not open ended like NW, non-3D like Fallout or Arcanum or even more FPS like Vtm:B, because they too have something unique and interesting.

I like that there is a huge game world to explore. There are alot of npcs and they have unique names and schedules. I like the customization. I like the first person view. I like the fact that the game is really long and there are tons of things to do after beating mq. I like that there is history recorded in ingame books. I like the leveling system. I like that I can kill a random npc, steal his clothes, items, etc. I like it that dead npcs are gone forever after killing them. I like that I can go in any building with a few exceptions. I have been playing this game since the ps3 release and I have never got bored of it yet. It's the only game besides San Andreas, vice city, resident evil 4 that I have purchased more than 1 copy of. It has drove me to buy expensive computers, and computer parts. It is a major reason why I am going to buy a 360. The only game I daydream about, the only game I dreamed I was in. The only game I made role played in. There's more things I could list but the list would go on for miles. Simply it's the best game ever produced by man.

Im a big stealth game fan and I find the stealth in oblivion quite good.

the best stealth game is MGS3 hands down.

splinter cell 1+2 second.

deus ex.. I made it through the game using only the stun prod and silenced pistol. good stealth if a little dated.

hitman 2... classic.

far cry 2.. an excellent stealth game.

avoid velvet assasin like the plague.

:tops:

If you want to go for stealth, look toward Illusion spells Invisibility and Chameleon. Chameleon is a bit more stealthy as it's more consistent, whereas invisibility will immediately wear off if you attack or open a door/box/etc. Combine that with light armor, marksman, and a dagger for a blade, and you've got yourself a pretty well-rounded stealth character. ESPECIALLY with marksman. Can't get up close with arrows really.

Not a whole lot of quests are based around stealth, but MANY quests can be made much, much easier with stealth. Even dungeon crawling and general combat plays differently with the character style I described above.

no offense but, if a stealth game can be called fun because you can go into "sneak mode" and move around enemies, then that's pretty boring >.> I'm comparing it to stealth in Thief series, tenchu, splinter cell.

LOL at comparing Oblivions stealth to COD, or any FPS for that matter. I didnt even know craptastic games like that had stealth.

Stealth in Oblivion>the stealth in most game

Can you pick anyone's pocket in most stealth games?
Can you break into any house or building and rob it of its content?
Can you hop onto the roof of a house and sneak jump attack unsuspecting guards below?

Oblivion's stealth is better than most games on the whole.

I actually do enjoy freedom. But I prefer action-adventure sandbox games like just cause 2 or assassin's creed 2 more.

So lately I've been going online, reading about some of the RPGs available on PS3. I really dig Oblivion for its roleplaying aspect, but I'm curious as to what else is out there.

Came across a game called "Sacred 2". All the reviewers are saying the same thing: it's great for grindng (exploring, fighting, looting, repeat) and it's got an even bigger and more diverse world than Oblivion, and it's a sandbox. But the reviewers also say Sacred's storyline is weak, alot of its quests meaningless excuses to do what you usually do (explore, fight, loot, repeat). That's so 1999!

Sacred 2 sounds great for old-fashioned grinding, but is it worth $49.99? Plus, the svckiest thing is there are only 6 races, and if you pick one of them, you'll only get to be a certain six. So if I want to play a male elf-blade or whatever, I'm out of luck because Sacred 2 only supplies females of this race.

I'm so hooked on Oblivion. I'm hearing lots of good things about Dragon Age: Origins, plus I looked at some You tube vids of Dragon AGe..it looks alot more mature and detailed than Sacred 2, but I really can't compare it to Oblivion...both games look totally different. So I may get DA to balance out my Oblivion addiction.