The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was something of a showcase for the new generation on Xbox 360. The player starts as a nameless prisoner in the Imperial dungeons and within a few dozen minutes finds themselves in the open world of Cyrodiil, a land of dense deciduous forests, stone ruins, and cities where you can go practically anywhere. The main plot about closing gates into the Oblivion dimension is just one of many paths. Just as much time can go into joining the thieves' guild, the mages' university, or the fighters' arena in the capital. The character system is built on skills that improve through use, so the player becomes a swordsman, archer, or mage based on what they actually do, not on a sheet filled out at the start.

Technically it was a leap that couldn't be overlooked at the time. Lush vegetation, a dynamic day-night cycle, and landscape lighting gave the world a scale consoles hadn't offered before, and fast travel between discovered locations kept the pace bearable even on a gamepad. The interface was for the first time designed directly for a controller, with radial menus and large text readable from the couch. Not everything aged equally well: character faces look rubbery today, the enemy level-scaling system was criticized even in the year of release, and loading between interiors can drag. Jeremy Soule's orchestral score, however, carries the entire atmosphere, from wide vistas while traveling the land to tense loops the moment something unpleasant emerges from the bushes.

At the time, Oblivion raised expectations for Western RPGs on consoles and opened the genre to an audience that had mostly played action games until then. Without it, neither Fallout 3 nor the later Skyrim, which mainly streamlined and simplified its structure, would probably look the same. Today it's mainly revisited by players who prefer games that don't hold your hand: quests are often solved through notes and conversations rather than an on-screen arrow, and plenty of the best moments arise by accident from wandering off the path. On Xbox 360 it remains one of the most expansive offerings the console ever had on disc.