Review: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

[CoolOtaku]

Check out our review for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for PC!

I'm actually pretty curious about one thing. What Elder Scrolls titles has everyone here played?

[Phakiel]

Skyrim.

[Ges]

Skyrim, then tried Obliv. Holy shit balls, it's hard to go backwards and still like it.

[Phakiel]

Yeah, I have been wanting to try out Oblivion but I just imagine that there are a lot of advances in Skyrim which I will miss quite a bit. Its funny how this is a bit general these days. Like when I was younger and started playing FF, I began with FF8 and then tried out the previous ones an although some new stuff was missed t didnt detter me from playing.

Now I look at Oblivion's reviews and videos and I am like, holy shit thats quite a difference. Also the whole face thing is Oblivion is creepy.

So, I think I am gonna end up getting Dragon Age Origins because it seems like fun.

[Priest4hire]

Since I wrote the retrospective, this shouldn't be surprising. Still, I've played:
Arena, Daggerfall, Battlespire, Redguard, Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim.

[CoolOtaku]

Originally Posted by Priest4hire

Since I wrote the retrospective, this shouldn't be surprising. Still, I've played:
Arena, Daggerfall, Battlespire, Redguard, Morrowind, Oblivion and Skyrim.

Our very own Elder Scrolls guru!

I'm playing around with some more intrusive mods right now in Oblivion. What I mean by "intrusive" is simply mods that have more obvious effects on the experience, such as equipment changes, new buildings, and the like. The setup for the few I installed last night was a bit different from what I was used to with the previous mods I had played with and it gave me such a hard time. Took a good few hours to get everything sorted out (partly because I made mistakes and partly because the directions often forget to include the most basic things). It's pretty crazy to me how much the game changes when you start using some of the mods out there. It feels fresh again and I love it. Also, I installed a UI mod that makes it immensely easier to navigate through all the menus. It's kind of shocking to me now that I played through the whole game with the default UI.

Priest, since you're experienced with both titles, do you think Oblivion is worth going back to for those who have only played Skyrim? Playing Oblivion has made me want to play Morrowind even though I know I tend to have a hard time going backward through almost any series. If you have any thoughts on that shift as well, I'd be very curious to hear your thoughts.

[Priest4hire]

I'd generally think it would be worth it to check out Oblivion. Especially if one gets the PC version and can take advantage of the massive amount of user content. One thing about Oblivion is that it's a transitional game. Bethesda was still working on making the series more console and modern gamer friendly. If you try out Morrowind, you'll see what I mean. That game still has a lot of carry over from the older PC style RPGs.

[Cyrus the virus]

I've played Oblivion and Skyrim, though I remember being really interested in Morrowind when it came out. I can't remember why I didn't play it - I probably didn't have an XBox, or whatever.

I wasn't too big on Oblivion, but I forget why specifically. I struggle with open-world environments if there isn't one BIG, OBVIOUS main thing to do that I can totally avoid, but begin whenever I please. I didn't like the leveling system, either. Plus I am generally a mage in every game, ever, and was finding it really difficult to aim my spells for some reason.

Could always give it another shot, sometime. It's not like it's expensive.

[Ges]

I miss Skyrim already. I need DLC!

[CoolOtaku]

Originally Posted by Ges

I miss Skyrim already. I need DLC!

Looks like somebody should have gotten the PC version

Cyrus, you could always try waiting for Steam's next big sale to get Oblivion at a good price (Morrowind as well if you're so inclined), assuming you have a PC that can run it.

[Cyrus the virus]

I most certainly do not

[CoolOtaku]

You should be as sad as that frowny face then because mods are amazing in Oblivion and I imagine in all the other TES titles as well. Keep it in the back of your mind the next time you get a computer

[Priest4hire]

Skyrim certainly has any number of very cool mods even if it's still pretty early in the development of them. Morrowind also has plenty of mod support, but the prior Elder Scrolls games didn't really have mod support. It was something that wasn't typical in RPGs from the 90's.