The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion First Impressions

Several more websites are offering up their first impressions of Bethesda's The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. A snip from IGN PC's latest article:
These examples yet again show how extensive Oblivion's gameplay options are. I've only scratched the surface of what the Mages Guild offers and haven't even checked in with the Fighters Guild, Arena, Thieves Guild and the sinister Dark Brotherhood. Despite the massive array of options for play, the NPCs possess an uncanny ability to keep track of it all. Moving from town to town for Guild recommendations often had lasting side effects. In some cases a Guild chapter leader would leave after I completed a quest, or one would be cured of some illness. It was impressive to see that some chapter leaders were snickering on a prank pulled on a particularly dimwitted colleague a few towns away; in this case a prank I participated in.

A snip from GameSpy's article:
I think one of the reasons that the game is so compelling is that there seems to be so little between you and the game world. The interface on the PC version is excellent, with controls similar to most first-person shooters. The intricate process of using alchemy to make new potions and creating new spells could easily have been a confusing nightmare, but the interface makes it a snap to pick up.

A snip from Atomic PC's article:
Every part of Oblivion - the characters, the story, gameplay and graphics - come together like the three pieces of the Triforce, if it was in fact the Quadforce and had four pieces. It's a gem of an RPG, an experience of proportions grand and you'd be doing yourself a disservice by not playing it.

And a snip from Killer Bettie's article:
Though I'm only a few hours into the game, it already feels like a good purchase to me. Of course, these are only some first impressions, so things could change after a few more hours of gameplay, but as of now I'm happy with what I've seen.