On May 3, 2006, the Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) in North America changed Oblivion's rating from T (Teen 13+) to M (Mature 17+), citing game content not considered in the ESRB review, i.e., "the presence in the PC version of the game of a locked-out art file that, if accessed por using an apparently unauthorized third party tool, allows the user to play the game with topless versions of female characters".[106] In response to the new content, the ESRB conducted a review of Oblivion, showing to its reviewers the content originally enviado por Bethesda along with the newly disclosed content.[107]
The ESRB reported that Bethesda Softworks would promptly notify all retailers of the change, issue stickers for retailers and distributors to affix on the product, display the new rating in all following product shipments and marketing, and create a downloadable patch rendering the topless skin inaccessible.[107] Bethesda complied with the request but disagreed with the ESRB's rationale.[108] Although as a result certain retailers began to check for ID before selling Oblivion,[109] and one California Assemblyman used the event to criticize the ESRB's ability,[110] the events passed por with little notice from the public and gaming journalists.[106]
The ESRB reported that Bethesda Softworks would promptly notify all retailers of the change, issue stickers for retailers and distributors to affix on the product, display the new rating in all following product shipments and marketing, and create a downloadable patch rendering the topless skin inaccessible.[107] Bethesda complied with the request but disagreed with the ESRB's rationale.[108] Although as a result certain retailers began to check for ID before selling Oblivion,[109] and one California Assemblyman used the event to criticize the ESRB's ability,[110] the events passed por with little notice from the public and gaming journalists.[106]
Oblivion features the voices of Patrick Stewart, Lynda Carter, Sean Bean, Terence Stamp, Ralph Cosham, and Wes Johnson.[49] The voice atuação received mixed reviews in the gaming press. While many publications praised it as excellent,[50][51][52] others found fault with its repetitiveness.[53][54] The issue has been blamed on the small number of voice actors and the blandness of the dialogue itself.[55] Lead designer Ken Rolston found the plan to fully voice the game "less flexible, less apt for user projection of his own tone, mais constrained for branching, and mais trouble for production and disk real estate" than Morrowind's partially recorded dialogue. Rolston tempered his criticism with the suggestion that voice atuação "can be a powerful expressive tool" and can contribute significantly to the charm and ambience of the game. He stated "I prefer Morrowind's partially recorded dialogue, for many reasons. But I'm told that fully-voiced dialogue is what the kids want".[56]
