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Man, I don't know about you guys but I haven't played a game ever that moved me in the way that Oblivion did. Before I played Oblivion I was just a pretty casual gamer with very little expectations. I can still remember the first time I walked out of the imperial prisons with my Kahjit. Ever since that moment it completely changed the way that I look at video games. I just recently started playing Oblivion again after pouring time into Skyrim. Oblivion showed me that video games are more than a way to kill time, but are a genuine experience. Thanks for having a place to post with likeminded people!

Awesome! I'm glad you had an amazing experience, because Oblivion is a great game. I have to say, I got into the series with Morrowind, but there was something really special about Oblivion, and it's the only TES game I've really put countless hours in of just walking around and enjoying the scenery, too. In fact, I just started replaying it myself!

And welcome to the forums as well. Feel free to go and introduce yourself in our welcomes thread!

Oblivion changed my life, too. Before Oblivion I was cool, had tons of friends, average, and had 20/20 vision. After Oblivion I needed to wear glasses, I became reclusive, I began harder classes, and essentially changed complete. Is there a correlation? I like to think so. It was defiantly worth it, to think a video game that makes you think. Sure Morrowind made you think, but I was too young to do things like learn, I only chopped up innocent townsfolk.

Thanks for the replies guys! I have thoroughly enjoyed the entire tes series but none of the games captivate me in the way that Oblivion did. I think this is due to the fact that I didn't get to enjoy Morrowind until after playing Oblivion, so the lack of voice acting was a little awkward for me. The lore is awesome in Morrowind though! I have pumped hours into Skyrim as well, and its an excellent game (gameplay is much better than Oblivion) but I just don't enjoy the land of Skryim as I did Cyrodil. I don't think Skyrim would have been as good of a game if I enjoyed Skyrim though, because according to lore it's a pretty inhospitable place, and Bethesda certainly captured that. Anyways thats my rant, Thanks Guys!

Well, it got me into TES. Does that count?

I won't say it changed my life. I've been very much into gaming way before I played the game. But it did change me significantly in terms of what I perceive to be a good game and my standards for video games are very much raised after playing Oblivion. I find it hard for me to highly appreciate other game series other than TES after this experience.

I say Elder Scrolls made me much more interested in RPG gaming. Without it, I probably wouldn't have played half the stuff I play now.

I absolutely agree, Oblivion moved me in a way that no other game has ever moved me before! It was all such an adventure, I was making my own epic tale, from rags to riches. Nearly three years after playing it for the first time, and over 1000 hours sunk into it, I still find now things to do and find!

I've been plying video games for a long time now (almost 30 years), I don't remember ever playing a game quite like Oblivion before. The moment that you first step out of the Imperial City Sewer and the world is yours to do what you want, how you want it, when you want it. It probably did change my life a bit, it led me to Fallout, Skyrim and UESP (now I'm going to kill something before I get really mawkish) and it certainly changed what I was looking for in a game.

Oblivion is probably on the top of my "Games that I played a lot" list.
It really is an awesome game. When I started playing it I left the disk inside the X360 tray for like 3 months.

I just think the MQ could've been better but oh well.

As the people just said above I dont enjoy the skyrim landscape as well. The dungeons are pretty nice, but the land is very boring (thanks for some mammoths falling from the sky). Cyrodiil is the BEST set for these games, its beatiful and has snow, forests, swamps etc. Besides, in Oblivion you are free to choose your race, in Skyrim it seens that Beth has forced you to be a Nord.

I was going to write my critique of Oblivion in the 'Return to Cyrodiil' thread, but I noticed that it was closed. So I'll simply post it here because I do not wish to waste ten minutes of my life.

In its quest design, Oblivion may have been better in several aspects than Skyrim. But the 'it's repetative' argument against Skyrim's quest are just ridiculous. Surely, alot of quest are fetch-and-deliver quest, but nothing like the ridiculously repetative, boring, but-havo-to-do 'shut that gate!' quests in Oblivion. It sucked alot of momentum out of Oblivion and actually made me want to avoid the main quest altogether. Not to mention the 'cure-my-vampirism' quest. Ugh.

The world of Skyrim feels much more natural. And by that, I don't mean that Oblivion looks like a child's color book - because you get used to that - I mean in its immersion. Oblivion was multiculteral baloonie to be honest. Dark Elf counts. Orcish castle servants of an Imperial count. Kahjiit shopkeepers. Argonian merchants. No racial tensions whatsoever. Skyrim gives a more honest representation of relationships between the races. Nords don't allow Kahjiit in their cities. They dislike the Dark Elves. They don't trust argonians, while in the proces they have little to no problems with redguards or Bretons. It gives a much more 'realistic' feel to the game.

My second problem with Oblivion is the way the game itself works. The leveling mechanism is ridiculously complex and couldnt've been worse. It's ridiculously hard to create a pure mage-character when you auto level athletics and acrobatics anyway, you are forced to lock-pick your way through the game, and you have to donate several coins in order for a person to like you, automatically leveling speechcraft. Skyrim could've learned alot more from the overhauls made for Oblivion, but atleast it allows you to control the way your character levels alot better.

Finally, leveled enemies merge flawlessly into the game of Skyrim, while in Oblivion they simply gave ALL bandits Daedric armor after you've reached a certain level. That was the biggest immersion breaker EVER.

Not saying Oblivion was a bad game. But the initial 'wow!' factor wore off after two weeks of playing and then the design flaws took over the amazing aspects. I've only did a single playthrough in Oblivion before. I've tried to work my way through the game like five times in total, but every time I stopped after 5 - 10 hours of playing because I got annoyed.

Most people aged around 20 around here like Oblivion better, because they grew up with it. Most people aged around 25 like Morrowind better because they grew up with it. The 'new' generation will like Skyrim better because they grew up with it. As a child, you simply enjoy computer games more I guess, and your memories of it are far better than newly created games. Just my two cents on that matter though.

I still think Oblivion is better than Skyrim in many ways, Skyrim obviously has the best graphics and Morrowind had the best choice, but Oblivion had the best Ambiance.

It was the only Elder Scrolls game I could play for hours straight, I hated the dungeons but the overworld was great. The issue I had with Morrowind after playing a couple years was that the scenery was terrible and just a blasted wasteland, after buying Oblivion I was like Woah! There is actually grass!!!

I actually liked the main quest as well, I found closing Oblivion gates to be a bit of a filler chore but the quests were quite fun. I actually liked Baurus as well and was sad when he died during the battle at the great gate, I'm glad he at least survived as long as he did instead of Glenroy because I hated that guy early game.

The funny thing is that I actually remember at least 75% of the things I did in Oblivion, When it comes to Skyrim I have nowhere near the same interest in the NPC's. Also, The Shivering Isles dlc was awesome, it was seriously the best DLC I have ever played in any game, including Fallout 3.

I mean I remember talking to an NPC that was afraid of roof's falling on him so he avoided buildings, that's what you call great dialogue!

This is probably true for "some" people, but I wouldn't necessarily say "most". I mean, have you seen what computer games looked like when I was a child?

I've owned consoles for the past 15 years: PS1, PS2 (two - one European, one Japanese), Dreamcast, GameCube, Wii, Xbox 360, plus accompanying GameBoy Advance SP, DS, and 3DS. I've got used to graphics getting better and better; and to game worlds getting bigger and bigger. Frankly, the only game I played as a child that I'd ever want to go back to is Imogen - because I was too young at the time to deal with the logic puzzles. While I have a small stash of "old games" that I might play again, they're pretty much limited to games that were completely unique: The Misadventures of Tron Bonne, Space Channel 5, Okami. The only games I've kept for purely sentimental reasons are the Dragon Quest games: DQ8 in particular remains the only RPG that I've finished completely, and then started over and finished again.

My first Elder Scrolls game was Skyrim, a year ago. Got it over the Christmas break, played two characters to death, loved it. Then, in May this year, while waiting for Skyrim DLC to be released, I borrowed Oblivion from a friend. 6 months on, there are two Skyrim DLC packs, neither of which I have - because I'm still engrossed in Oblivion.

Sometimes, the game you like best is the one you played first. But generally, it's the game that's closest to your heart. Oblivion looks like crap in comparison to Skyrim. The NPC "radiant AI" conversations are laughable (SO MANY MUDCRABS!), and there are so few voice actors that often it sounds like a person is talking to himself. But there's charm present in Oblivion that Skyrim doesn't have. Skyrim feels, to me, like a big, empty, cold world, full of bitterness and hatred. None of the factions really appeal - the Empire tried to kill me, I believe the Stormcloaks are fighting the wrong enemy, what's left of the Mages Guild is a disaster, the Companions have honour but Although the NPCs have more to say in Skyrim, I prefer the ones in Oblivion. Cyrodiil at the time of Oblivion feels, to me, like a place where I could live and make friends.

There's enough bitterness, hatred, and war in the real world. In my gaming, I want to go to a place that is fun. And Oblivion is, for me, more fun. The guilds are delightful - I much much much prefer the Thieves Guild in Oblivion that can be played as a "good" character to the one in Skyrim, where the thieves are only interested in making money for themselves. I enjoy the fact that I can sit down to play the game and get several quests done in 2 hours. It feels like I'm achieving something with my gameplay time. Even the Oblivion gates, which you're criticising as being repetitive - if you just run for the Sigil Stone, it takes about 20 minutes per gate, x I believe 9 gates. (Is that right? Kvatch, Bruma, the six cities where you get Help for Bruma, and the Great Gate at Bruma).

A typical Skyrim quest takes an hour and a half even if you already have the location in your map and can fast travel there. Fetch quests are quicker - but sometimes it's a dungeon that you've already been through twice, and sometimes there isn't a handy back door that you've been able to leave open from your previous entries. I, personally, find that far more repetitive - especially considering how many locations there are in Skyrim! I swear they shouldn't repeat as much as they do!

There's no one right answer to "which Elder Scrolls game is best", and people like the games for different reasons.

Absolutely. Because Daedric Princes who work to destroy tamriel, Necromancer cults who desire to exterminate the mages guild and daemons hell-bent on killing you sounds like much more fun than Skyrim, right?



There are dozens of gates scattered throughout Cyrodiil. You obviously don't have to close them all, but they are still repetitive nonetheless.



True, in its quest-design, Oblivion may have been better than Skyrim in some cases. The huge amount of fetch-and-deliver quests feels like the developers didn't put much effort in developing alot of side-quests other than the companions, CoW, Dark Brotherhood or the thieves guild.

Yep! For me, anyway. If I have to fight a war, I'd rather it was against genuine FORCES OF EVIL than against other people, rather similar to me, who are simply wearing a different coloured uniform. Honestly, the Empire and Stormcloaks have more in common than they realise. You get to choose a side in the Skyrim civil war, if you want to get the Achievements for it - but there is no genuine third way other than "don't play either questline". Personally, I'd like to see the Empire and Stormcloaks unite to drive out the Thalmor.

Suffice to say, I don't play Medal of Honor, Call of Duty, or any other war games. All depress me too much. You're more likely to find me playing happy games like Katamari Damacy or brightly-coloured RPGs with cute monsters like Dragon Quest.



My point was that the only Oblivion gates you have to do are those nine that I mentioned. All others can be avoided. Of course, the gates spawn, along with 1-4 daedra, but you can simply run past them.

In my current playthrough, I haven't even taken Martin to Weynon Priory yet. He, I, and a posse of 5 other follower characters are roaming the countryside, doing everything but the Main Quest. No random Oblivion gates, since they don't start until you return to Weynon Priory. Definitely no random dragons (which I personally find repetitive - especially the ones that WON'T LAND!) .

I'm not criticising your opinion. You're allowed to like Skyrim better than Oblivion. Indeed, you're allowed to love Skyrim and hate Oblivion. You're even allowed to think that Morrowind is the best game ever and everything that came after it sucks. I'm just expanding on my reasons for preferring Oblivion. *shrug* *smile*

Im with Baratron, i loved Oblivion, it just has that special something that makes me love it

im also the kind of guy who would rather play a bright and colourful game to one of those ''Dark'' or ''Gritty'' (2 words which have lost all meaning to me) games

This is EXACTLY the way I think....(robin hood rules..lol), Why the Hell Bethesda decided to put racism in Skyrim....the real world is already full of it. I simple get furious when a Nord says "What do you want little elf", Im an Altmer not Bosmer you fool...I like the beast folk, but simple cant bring myself roleplaying one because it not fits the land. If Bethesda wants to FORCE you to be a Nord, why there are 10 races....

Besides, the "mudcrab argument" about Oblivion dont have a point, because Skyrim has also some other annoying things like..
"Do you come to the cloud district very oftten". "Being old is not so bad, daughter keeps me fed...", EVERY TIME you come close this NPC's....

It is for lore reasons.

The second paragraph you wrote explains why Oblivion is "better" than Skyrim in that department. It is true that their are alot of racial tensions, and the annoying war adds even more to it. However, as you stated Kajhiits aren't allowed in Nord cities, yet the one you create is, and is allowed to live in their city...why? It makes for a terribly annoying Roleplaying experience. Even assuming the role of a mage is pretty frustrating in Skyrim due to the fact that EVERY city in the game looks down upon them. The beauty to Oblivion was that each culture and race was well represented in the game. There was plenty of racial tensions in Oblivion by the way. (You must not have spent much time in Leyawin) The area Skyrim blows Oblivion away in is the combat, and overall realism of the game, which it should. Oblivion is nearly 10 years old. The leveling system was very annoying in Oblivion, but it was kind of neat to have a single focus, however I'd give Skyrim a huge advantage in this category. My final and most strong win for Oblivion is the depth and overall experience of the GUILDS. The guilds in Skyrim are pathetic. The only one enjoyable at all is the Theives guild. No fighters guild ( The Dark Brotherhood was alright, and No mages Guild (The college was a waste of time). The guilds in Skyrim all suffered one similar fate. They were so Rushed!! They through you right into the climax with no build up. ie become a member of the circle in the companions after a couple quests, as well as becoming Listener in the DB almost immediately. Well I've rambled enough, overall I think Oblivion is the better game. I just hope next time Bethesda makes an elder scrolls game, they give us a finished product instead of something half ass.

You forget to mention the "rain of mammoths/deers", its very good for immersion in Skyrim...lol..you are just stroll around whiterun and gets a creature falling from de Sky...lol...there's no patch to fix this. The modder community must have a share of Bethesda's $$$ from the game...because all the effort to make it finally playable.