Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Preview

ActionTrip has put together a three-page preview of Oblivion, Bethesda's recently announced fourth installment to the Elder Scrolls series. Here's a little something to get you started:
At the beginning of the game, our main character finds himself in a dungeon (just as the very first game, Arena, started) without any recollection of how he got there or who he is. The idea with this is that players shouldn't be burdened by having the hero's past actions influence those in the present. The team wants to give players the freedom to mold their character in any way they see fit (morally speaking). The player can become an arch villain or a valiant hero that will travel the land doing good deeds and ultimately saving the world of Tamriel.

Unbeknownst to our hero, while he's rotting in his dungeon, an assassin has entered the Imperial city on a mission to kill the Emperor of Tamriel. In an effort to save the Emperor from the assassin, the royal guards decide to evacuate him through a secret passage that, as fate would have it, leads directly through your prison cell. One thing leads to another, and before you know it, you're out of your cell, outfitted with guard weapons and running alongside the Emperor with the assassin hot on your trail. Alas, the assassin succeeds in mortally wounding the Emperor. With his last few breaths, the Emperor in his utter desperation entrusts you with the Amulet of Kings and instructs you to "find him and close shut the marble jaws of Oblivion."