Latest news with #Khajiit
The Guardian
30-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
I had a passionate crush on The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Could it still thrill me 19 years later?
For a 10-day period the summer of 2006, in between handing in my resignation at my first job on a games magazine and returning to Scotland to start university, I did almost nothing except eat, sleep and play The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion on my Xbox 360. I hauled my TV from the living room of my small, unpleasantly warm flatshare into my bedroom so I could play uninterrupted; it was all I could think about. My character was a Khajiit thief, a kind of manky lion in black-leather armour with excellent pickpocketing skills. One afternoon, I decided to see whether I could steal every single object in the smallish town of Bravil, and got caught by the guards a couple of hours in. I did a runner, dropping a trail of random plates, cheese wheels and doublets in my wake, and the guards pursued me all the way to the other side of the map, where they finally got entangled with a bear who helpfully killed them for me. I bet a lot of you will have had a similar experience with a Bethesda game – if not Oblivion, then Skyrim or perhaps Fallout 3. There's something intoxicating about these role-playing games, the way they lay out their worlds for you like a buffet, inviting you to gorge. Go where you like! Learn some weird spells and try them out on bandits! Nip into a cave to fight a necromancer and end up getting ambushed by vampires! Open-world games such as this are exhaustingly common now but Oblivion was the first one I ever played. Lately I've been devouring it all again, after Bethesda surprise-released a remake last Friday. I say it was a surprise. In fact, the Oblivion remake/remaster has been one of the games industry's worst-kept secrets for months, just behind the Switch 2. Nonetheless, I am thrilled about it. Oblivion has, over two decades, become at least as famous for its technical weirdness and amusing glitches as for its pioneering design, and I was relieved to find Bethesda has not tried very hard to fix it. Characters still get stuck in walls, repeating their asinine lines of dialogue. The facial animations are still off. The game crashed on me two minutes into Patrick Stewart's opening lines as the soon-to-be-murdered emperor of Cyrodiil, and I have twice fallen through the world into the endless void beneath. Weird stuff happens all the time, and it's rarely intentional. They've even preserved an infamous voice-acting blooper. It is a perfect time capsule of 00s accidental gaming comedy, and I wouldn't change it for the world. I remembered Cyrodiil as enormous and picturesque, full of gently glowing magical ruins and rivers that caught the light in just the right way. By 2025 standards, though, it is weeny, perhaps the size of the opening section of any current game's gigantic map. (I'm thinking particularly of Avowed, the recent Elder Scrolls-alike from fellow Microsoft studio Obsidian.) The imposing-looking Imperial City at the centre is a village of tiny interconnected districts with around 30 people in it. I don't know how I managed to spend more than 100 hours in such a relatively small space as a teenager, but as I rode around last weekend I found, unexpectedly, that I still knew it intimately. I'd meet a new character and remember details of some quest I hadn't thought about for years, or ride around a corner on my armoured horse and know exactly where I was from the view. In Oblivion, your character develops according to what you do with them. You don't meaningfully have to choose between magic, stealth and strength; pick up a greatsword and start using it and your heavy-weapons stat will start increasing. (The trick back in the day was to crouch into a sneak position, use a rubber band to pull the controller's analogue sticks together, and spin around in circles until your stealth stat hit maximum.) This is part of what makes it feel like a buffet: you can become a master thief, run the mages' guild and be a combat arena champion all at once. It is a game of choice with no consequence, beguilingly frictionless and generous. A small world that revolves entirely around you. I have a theory that the Bethesda RPG spell only really works once. You get one life-consuming experience with an Elder Scrolls, and then whatever you play next feels like a repeat; I played Skyrim and Fallout 3 for ages but never finished either. It turns out Oblivion is still my game; I can lose myself in it for hours where newer, more sophisticated open-world games start to get on my nerves. I still hate the Oblivion Gates, portals to a generic hellscape where you have to spend a tedious 20 minutes fighting demons in towers with flaming corpses hanging from the ceilings; their vibe is very 00s metal album art. But the beauty of a game like this is that you can effectively ignore the entire plot and fool around as you please. The Oblivion remaster illustrates that old games don't always need fixing. It looks different, but it's got the same soul. I imagine my teenage self would say the same about me. If you haven't yet played Blue Prince, stop whatever you're doing and download it now. You are the teenage heir to a giant mansion, with one catch: if you want to keep it, you must find its secret 46th room. Also, every time you go to sleep, the mansion resets, so your route through it will be different every day, drafting each room from a random selection of blueprints, occasionally finding a chamber you've never seen before. I spent 40 hours playing through this with my eldest son, who acted as note-taker, and it is up there with the best puzzle games I've ever played. Even after you've found Room 46, there are deeper mysteries to probe at; a couple of people I know have truly gone off the deep end with it. Its sedate pace and intellectual challenge were both ideally suited to playing during a period of convalescence. Wonderfully, your reward for playing is always more knowledge. Available on: PC, Xbox, PS5 Estimated playtime: 30-plus hours Sydney Sweeney is to star in a film adaptation of Hazelight's co-op game Split/Fiction. How is that going to work? My partner and I are halfway through this game and, though it's a blast to play and enjoyably bizarre when it wants to be, the plot and characterisation are … not the most complex. Via Video Game Chronicle, some details on October's Ghost of Yotei, the sequel to the gorgeous but bloated Ghost of Tsushima. 'The game will see the player hunt down the Yotei Six, a group of warriors who have caused death and destruction across Japan,' they report. 'As the player hunts them down, a sash worn by the protagonist, Atsu, will display the names of the Yotei Six that she is pursuing.' How very Arya Stark. Call of Duty's Warzone has become famous for it's odd celebrity tie-ins, which have allowed you to, say, gun down dozens of peers as Nicki Minaj or Lionel Messi. The latest choice? Seth Rogen, as part of a new (lord help us) 'weed-themed' content package. A very important essay here from Gizmodo: isn't it past time we got a good Predator game? Sign up to Pushing Buttons Keza MacDonald's weekly look at the world of gaming after newsletter promotion Playing to win: are video game movies replacing superhero blockbusters? Why novelists are becoming video game writers – and vice-versa Atomfall might have been an apocalyptic classic if it weren't for all the walking | Dominik Diamond Creepy Redneck Dinosaur Mansion 3 – reality-bending daftness | ★★★☆☆ Until Dawn – efficient, if unscary, video game horror | ★★★☆☆ This week's question comes from reader Toby: 'Video game movies and TV shows are all the rage, and I'm curious to see how they adapt The Last of Us Part II. I thought the interactive medium really enhanced its emotions and themes. Can its story still have the same impact in a passive medium? On that note, what great video game narratives do you think absolutely cannot be adapted into a movie or a TV series?' I have just watched the third episode of the second season of The Last of Us, and it's clear that they're diverging more from the game's plot this time than they did in season one. They kind of had to, because as you point out, the game's impact largely comes down to playing it from both points of view, which won't necessarily work on TV. That said, the first game also owed a lot of its emotional heft to the fact that you, Joel, were the one doing terrible things, whether you as a player agreed with him or not. The TV series couldn't pull those same levers, so it expanded The Last of Us by showing new perspectives, going into deeper detail on things that wouldn't have been practical or fun to play through; I'm thinking particularly of that wonderful episode about Bill and Frank, which would never have worked in a game. This is the art of the adaptation: finding something fresh to offer. On that basis: there is no great video game narrative that couldn't be adapted for film or TV by a sufficiently talented and understanding writer. The key word there is adapted, not transliterated – because a film or show has to offer a new interpretation or perspective. That said, there are plenty of games whose plots are simply too bad to ever make for a good TV show or film. It'd take a true visionary to get anything worth watching out of, say, Heavy Rain. If you've got a question for Question Block – or anything else to say about the newsletter – hit reply or email us on pushingbuttons@
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
How to make and play the Best Assassin Build in Elder Scrolls Oblivion Remastered
Image via: Bethesda Softworks An Assassin build provides the seasoned player with a deadly combination of precision, speed, and invisibility into Cyrodiil for the first time in its remastered version. This is not just playstyle, it is a philosophy of commanding death. Let us rethink the way of treading the knife's edge as a top assassin in Oblivion. Why would you select Assassin? Unless you want to turn it into a fancy color fight, the choice of race sets the stage for the entire journey. Wood Elves and Khajiit seem most convincing, great agility and stealth bonuses are their calling cards. Bretons make for a more magical solution, one in which durability blends with versatility for players who want to engage in some Illusion or Poison enchantments. Oblivion Remastered - This Is The BEST TIP That Every Beginner Player Needs To KNOW! Attributes to prioritize: Speed – Get in and out. Agility – Maps the actions of Sneak and Marksman; a perfect combo for quiet takedowns! Luck – Softly and soundly increases critical hit chances and greatly boosts the effectiveness of poison. Must have Skills to make the build Sneak – The very foundation of your craft. Higher levels allow you to walk by enemies or backstab them with a critical hit. Blade – For speed kills with no fuss. Marksman – Otherwise, a silent arrow to the neck would be preferable to bloodshed at arm's length. Alchemy – Poisons turn a simple dagger into a deadly tool. Light Armor – Move fast and stay quiet; heavy armor clinks for the ignorant. Security & Acrobatics – Open an airtight lock silently; run along any barriers in your way. Weapons to use Assassins eschew raw damage -They rely on timing. Good friends of an assassin are the Daedric Dagger: fast, enchantable, and suitable for delivering poison payloads. The Daedric Shortsword is heavier but deadlier when speed is not enough. Get creative with your combination - Use daggers to enter stealthily, and when pads fail, pull out your shorts word. Oblivion Remastered: Easy Weapon and Armor to Get Started (Fin Gleam Helm) The true power control An Assassin doesn't just fight; he chooses when to fight and whether to fight at all. They tiptoe through entire packs, eliminate high-value targets, or sow dissension among an enemy before he reacts. In the open world of Oblivion, the Assassin becomes a solver of puzzles: how to dismantle an entire room of enemies using only silence and shadows. No Assassin build is rich without immersing oneself into the depths of the most iconic faction in Oblivion: the Dark Brotherhood. These particular quests did not only cover the Dark Brotherhood's purpose, but they also provided you with the tools to enhance it. From highly specific gears to items that would supercharge stealth, the Brotherhood is your premiere training ground. So, you are prepared to be a ghost in Cyrodiil? Build well, strike fast, and leave your enemies to wonder what just happened if they ever get the chance. Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India , including match schedules , team squads , points table and IPL live score for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Don't miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap .
Time of India
23-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Time of India
Best race to choose in Oblivion Remastered
(Image Via Virtuous and Bethesda Game Studios) To pick the right race in The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion Remastered can shape a player's entire adventure. Whether you want to crush the enemies with devastating spells or want to sneak through the shadows, the choice matters. But with the 10 available races to pick from, which is the actual race that truly is the best? Let us break it down for you. Best race to choose in The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion Remastered The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered - Official Reveal If you are looking for a race that offers you the strongest starting advantages, Bretons and Orcs will always dominate. The massive 50% magic resistance of Bretons, apart from the extra Magicka , makes it perfect for the mages who do not wish to die in just one hit. On the other hand, Orcs make the best tanks that come with higher endurance, strength, and the berserk mode that will turn them into a killing machine. It allows you to survive the most difficult enemies in the drawn-out battles. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like The Most Beautiful Women In The World Undo For stealth lovers, Wood Elves and Khajiit will be the best choices. While Khajiit comes with night vision and bonus Sneak, the Wood Elves get the archery boost and are resistant to disease. However, if you are a fan of versatility, Dark Elves will balance the melee and magic for you, making them great hybrid characters. Choose a Race that works for you While there are some races that clearly come with certain advantages, the choice is really dependent on how you wish to play. The massive Magicka pool of the High Elf is great for the pure mages, but if you consider their weakness to the magic, it means they are just glass cannons. The Redguards, on the other hand, are amazing warriors. But if you hate melee combat, they are just useless. Even the weaker races, like the Imperials, come with some perks. Their Voice of the Emperor ability helps avoid fights, and it is ideal for the pacifist or the roleplay-heavy runs. As for Argonians, their ability to breathe under the water and resist the poison makes them perfect for the explorers. The key here is to match the race to the player's preferred combat style. What should you pick? If you want the raw power, choose Bretons for the unshakable mages or Orcs for the melee dominance. The Stealth players would thrive with the Khajiit or Wood Elves, while the hybrid builds would shine with the Dark Elves or the Argonians. In either case, no choice is truly bad. Just make sure to pick the race that fits your playstyle and then dive into Cyrodiil your way. Get the latest IPL 2025 updates on Times of India , including match schedules , team squads , points table and IPL live score for CSK , MI , RCB , KKR , SRH , LSG , DC , GT , PBKS , and RR . Don't miss the list of players in the race for IPL Orange Cap and IPL Purple cap .
