Hot Mods 07/01: Oblivion

07 Jan 2009 at 13:16:33 by Spanner Spencer

There are lots of reasons to be impressed with Oblivion (well, the entire Elder Scrolls series, really), but the game's most outstanding aspect isn't necessarily its most obvious one.

Oblivion is mind-bendingly huge, of course, and that alone is reason enough to boost it onto a reasonably high pedestal, though the amazing world of fantastical culture at your mouse pointer is equally significant. But what really brings Oblivion to virtual-life is the depth of choice and intellect permeating every pixel and line of code.

Even the NPCs were given control over their own actions and the direction they take through the game, and that level of choice profoundly altered the way in which we followed what was essentially a straight forward ‘explore and rescue’ tale to its far reaching conclusion.

Naturally, this depth of play (coupled with the sophisticated game engine at the core of Oblivion) provided the perfect foundations for modders to build upon. So let's take a look at a few of Oblivion's hottest mods, though fans of the game should definitely keep digging if they want to uncover more Elder Scrolls jewels in the mod-rich earth.

Middle Earth Role Playing

http://www.freewebs.com/merptc/

Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest inspirations for the modding community, regardless of the actual source games. The lack of decent, official Tolkienian games and the scope of mythology ensures well-made Lord of the Rings mods are always very welcome – and Middle Earth Role Playing is no exception.

Although its development has slowed down recently (possibly even stopped – but that's the danger of total conversions) the remit the mod team set themselves with Middle Earth Role Playing was a pretty monumental one, which involved recreating the entire map laid out by the original fantasy stories. They also aimed to recreate Middle Earth and its races from the novels, rather than the films, which meant full redesigns and thick slices of imagination to bring those iconic characters to life.

The Shire, Rivendell, Bree, Weathertop, the Ruins of Agmar, Isengard, Lothlorian, Helm's Deep, Mirkwood, Gondor, Minas Morgul, Mordor and a host of other famous locations are included in Middle Earth Role Playing, as are the inhabitants of these wonderful places. The Elves, Hobbits, Rohirrim, Dwarves, Uruk-Hai, Easterlings, Wraiths and more are all ready to take to war in the name of the One Ring, so this is looking to be as complete a journey through Middle Earth as anyone could hope, and with the Oblivion engine at its core, it's more than capable of bringing the Third Age to life.

Hopefully it'll kick back into life before long, so keep your great eye (wreathed in fire) on this mod if Lord of the Rings is your bag.

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