The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition (2009)

Save this for a slow walk or an easy spin, because Oblivion has plenty of time where you’re choosing a road instead of reacting to something. The gates and city trips make it easy to keep moving, but the PC controls make this a workout with some setup.

Gameplay

I think Oblivion works best when you treat the main quest like a suggestion and let yourself get distracted. You can leave the Emperor’s escape route behind and wander toward a Fighters Guild job, a cave, or a town where someone has decided their problem is now your problem. That freedom is lovely, and it also means you can spend a while walking around without much happening. I’d be fine with that on an easy workout.

The combat has a nice basic rhythm, with swings, blocks, spells, and the occasional potion when things get messy, but I wouldn’t call it the reason to play. A lot of the fun is deciding what kind of person you’re building and then seeing whether that plan survives contact with a bandit who apparently lives in a cave full time. The leveling system can make those decisions feel a little odd, so I wouldn’t worry about making the perfect character. I never had a perfect plan for anything.

Oblivion gates are the part I’d be most likely to put off when I wanted a calm workout. Going through one means dealing with hostile creatures and a more direct objective, which is a welcome change from strolling around, but it asks more attention than the roads do. I’d close a gate when I felt focused, and spend the easier stretches visiting towns or doing guild work. You don’t have to be heroic every minute.

The conversations and menus are where the pace can drag. There’s a lot of talking, and the persuasion minigame can feel like a small chore you have to do before you get back to the part you wanted. I don’t know that I’d want to manage inventory or read every bit of dialogue while I was running, because the game often asks you to stop and make a choice. On a bike, that kind of pause is less annoying. It’s still a pause.

The Game of the Year Edition also includes the Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles expansions, so there’s more to wander into once the base game has already given you a lot to do. I like that the world can take you away from the main plot without making it feel like you’ve missed the only worthwhile part. Just don’t expect the story to keep your legs busy every second.

Category Score: 2 out of 3

Treadmill and Bike Compatibility

A long walk through the countryside sounds like the right pace for this game, but I’d keep the difficulty comfortable and avoid trying to sprint through fights while jogging. You can pause when you need to think, and there’s no match timer pushing you to make every decision right away. That gives you room to slow down, take a drink, and figure out where you’re going.

The PC version doesn’t have native controller support, so I’d plan around keyboard and mouse unless you’re willing to set up a controller mapping yourself. You can try mapping the controls through Steam Input, but I wouldn’t assume it’ll feel as natural as a game built for a controller. I know that’s disappointing for this site. It’s a lot of buttons.

If you do get a controller setup working, I’d avoid relying on precise aiming in the middle of a run. Melee combat is more forgiving than trying to line up a spell or arrow, and there’s usually room to stop and handle a fight carefully. The trouble is that turning, aiming, and selecting things from menus all become harder when your hands are moving. On a bike, I’d expect the menus to be easier to manage than on a treadmill, but that’s not enough to make the controls disappear.

I’d skip fiddly inventory sorting while moving and do it when you’re standing still or taking a break. The same goes for reading long conversations or trying to decide which quest to follow next. You can make progress during the quieter stretches, but you’re likely to spend a lot of the workout navigating menus or giving the game your full attention. I’d use this for walking or easy cycling, not a hard run where the controller is bouncing around.

The game’s open world is a good fit for stopping and starting, which helps, but the lack of built in controller support is a serious obstacle. If you already know how to set up custom controls, you may be happy to tinker. I’d want to test that setup before putting the treadmill belt in motion.

Category Score: 1 out of 3

Computer Requirements

The listed minimum requirements are very old, so a modern computer shouldn’t need a powerful graphics card just to run the game. I’d check that the game behaves on your version of Windows before worrying about performance, since the listed operating systems are from the game’s era.

Category Score: 3 out of 3

Conclusion and Score

Oblivion is a good choice for an easy workout if you want a big world to wander through and don’t mind stopping to manage menus. I’d skip it if you need plug and play controller support or want a game that keeps your hands busy every minute.

Overall Score: 2 out of 3