TES IV: Oblivion: What is the opinion about it?

[Stewie Plisken]

I hated it, when I first played it. It was bland, it was repetitive and the only highlight was the same as any TES game: occasionally veering off the intended path and finding something half-way exciting, before yet another Oblivion gate smacked you in the face.

I have tried to go back to it since then and perhaps my opinion on it could've changed-- if each and every single time I've retried it the main quest didn't bug out or my save didn't get corrupted. Every. Single. Time. Without fail.

 

[sonicneedslovetoo]

The big problem with Oblivion is that the setting is very very vanilla. As in it has one of the most boring over-worlds in Elder Scrolls history and the Elder Scrolls games date back all the way to early dos super low poly 3d games. It's also the first iteration of customizable faces for a Bethesda game so they look like crap. The game is very moddable so you can fix some of this stuff, but its kinda left in its own space between Morrowind which is more complicated and has a FANTASTIC setting, and later Bethesda games which have larger modding communities and generally better base games.

 

[Poetic Nova]

All I remember from that game are these:
A) Every NPC belongs in the uncanny valley,
B) It has some very nasty gamebreaking bugs, even moreso than other titles (and Arena was already prone to crashing)
C) It's setting was honestly the least interesting, and for me personally, the land mass was too small.

 

[Willinium]

I honestly think that it is a really good game and belongs in Bethesda's best showcase, however if I had to put forth any dislikes? . . . . . . .The Potato faces and the horrid character face customization.

 

[Asita]

Skyrim's Thieves Guild was awful by every measure, so bad I genuinely hope that whomever worked on it is not working on TESVI. Oblivion's Thieves guild however was fantastic. The last parts are brilliant fun, great adventure, utterly tense and very memorable.

What in particular didn't you like about Skyrim's TG? I actually really liked it.

As someone who also enjoyed the Thieves Guild questline...narratively speaking it's a hot mess which starts falling apart almost as soon as you start applying scrutiny to it. Shamus Young had a pretty decent 5 part writeup on the matter (starting here), but the TLDR version was perhaps most succinctly put on Reddit.

 

[Sizzle Montyjing]

Pump it up with a load of mods for graphics, levelling and combat first, but really the quests are pretty damn cool, can't speak about Morrowind, but far above the level of Skyrim's randomly-generated-fetch-quest-a-thon. But seriously, them quests, even the smallest quests have a little personal feeling to them, like one where you kill a monster for an inn-keeper and get a special recipe for potato bread. And factions actually have progression, so you don't immediately become King of the Universe 2 quests in.

The nice thing about Oblivion, quite a few of it's flaws can be fixed via mods, whereas Skyrim can't really do that.

Also, people really ***** on about the story, it's actually pretty solid and fun to play through.

 

[Evonisia]

The great thing about the last three Elder Scrolls games (the ones that matter anyway) is that opinion is pretty much equal on them. I'd say all three get equal amounts of love and hate, for bizarrely different reasons for each.

"Oblivion" has some great quests, some of the quest lines are fun (Dark Brotherhood, Shivering Isle DLC), the world is quite varied[footnote]A lot of the land is repetitive but there's plenty of different terrains[/footnote] and the music is fantastic, albeit awkwardly included.

But the gameplay is a bit of a mess. People have brought up levelling, the stealth being really finnicky and vague, the repetition of assets making quests ultra samey. It's hard to play as some classes. Archery, for instance, becomes useless by a certain level because of the scaling being so ridiculous and the arrows just not catching up damage-wise, making many fights just end up with you backpedaling and hoping to not die. Only the Oblivion Gates you have to do tend to be worthwhile, a lot of them turn out to be a chore.

Bethesda games really don't tend to have good gameplay, so I can't exactly bemoan "Oblivion" not having good gameplay when comparing it to its predecessor and successor.

But I love it with all my heart. I played "Morrowind" first, then "Oblivion", then "Skyrim" and "Oblivion" is the one that stuck with me.

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Skyrim's Thieves Guild was awful by every measure, so bad I genuinely hope that whomever worked on it is not working on TESVI. Oblivion's Thieves guild however was fantastic. The last parts are brilliant fun, great adventure, utterly tense and very memorable.

What in particular didn't you like about Skyrim's TG? I actually really liked it.

The story was utterly absurd. It made barely any sense and had nothing whatsoever to do with thievery. The player instead became embroiled in a ridiculous, convoluted plot of a personal nature and revenge. The characters involved were thoroughly dull, and the rewards generally sucked. You get 4 standard vendors, a sword you can't enchant, a nice enough bow, you don't get to even keep the one artifact worth a damn and all the powers are rubbish or mediocre at best. Even modded so they can be used multiple times per day, they're still poor and better for an assassin than a thief. Only Chillrend is semi decent and even that is probably outclassed by the time we find it.

The premise of a guild down on its luck could've been something good; I think if they'd had that plot and made it about the Summerset Shadows and Nocturnal's "favour" or something, it could've been quite cool. I did like the tailing mission and the one in Markarth, but the rest of it was terrible. In Oblivion, you had the Grey Fox and the build up to the heist of an era. The last mission, the heist itself, was magnificent in every detail, the setting and level itself were awesome (and having played it, made meeting the Moth Priest in Dawnguard that little bit more special), the story was personal, epic and guild-related at once and the ending was great. The Cowl was a great reward too AND we got to keep the skeleton key. So yeah, nonsense plot, dull characters, terrible rewards, nothing to do with thievery. It doesn't come CLOSE to oblivion's guild quest line.

And the Brotherhood quest line in Oblivion was similarly great. I mentioned the Whodunnit level as an honest-to-Heaven masterpiece of gaming, but it also introduced the lore about the Night Mother and the Listener, etc. IT was the reason Skyrim's brotherhood was half as good as it was.

Overall I'd say Oblivion's factions had the edge over Skyrim (and Morrowind had both beat), mostly because Skyrim's factions barely had any quests/missions, but I thought the TG was quite interesting, bordering on surprising.

I don't remember them well enough, except the Morag Tong which was great. The Great Houses were really cool too. I did like the faction system in Morrowind with the multiple ranks and interesting missions along the way. I don't remember much about the Fighter's or Mage's guilds. I like the Curse of Hircine quest line in Skyrim tho it was very short. Mage's Guild was fun to play but a forgettable story. The most interesting parts IMO were finding the artifacts of the great wizards of old as they had a grander Elder Scrolls vibe. Again, wasted potential with the introduction of the wonderfully mysterious Psijic Order and the Augur, both cool ideas but used as nothing more than plot devices.

In Morrowind, IIRC there were two sets of Daedric armour in the entire game, the pieces scattered across Vardenfell.

Yeah, I loved that. I dimly recall a glove was found shoved into some corner in one of the major Sixth House caverns, and it feeling like an absolutely standout find... 'cause it really was.

I know! Finding any one piece, be it on an NPC's person, in a vault or what have you was exciting. Putting one complete set together was a major challenge. Having it worn by anyone and everyone, loot to be left on the ground, turned something powerful, unique and special into vendor trash. And then in Skyrim we simply craft it ourselves...

 

[Smygskytt]

I will always remember my first playthrough of Morrowind, especially my arrival at Balmora. Early night and not a single cloud in the sky, I've been trekking across the Imperial road from the south. My only possessions are a flimsy iron dagger and an enchanted ring. The long track there was boring, boring rats, boring combat and boring swamps. But I see these weird, sandy-brown low homes of the dark elves. I look up and only now realize that this world has two moons. I'm instantly reminded of Star Wars, and I know that this game has me hooked for a long time.

Oblivion had none of that. There is so much they could have done with a setting based on the Roman empire, they did nothing at all that wasn't a fantasy clich? allready.

 

[CyanCat47_v1legacy]

DISCLAIMER: My first TES game was Skyrim so an older fan of the series will probably disagree with me
Oblivion got the atmosphere right. once i got out of the tutorial dungeon i saw a wild deer in the distance and felt compelled to chase it into the foggy woods. an hour later i found myself in a village full of invisible people. where it falters is in how stiff and tedious it feels in so many systems. the sell casting is rubbish. you select a spell, point in the vague direction you wish to cast, press C and then ope to Sithis that your character finishes deploying the landing gear that is their spell arm before the target moves. sword combat is alright but the enemies very quickly gained tedious ammounts of health on normal. they aren't that hard but you have to hit them so many times it gets quite boring quite fast. the imperial capital doesn't really feel like a place where people live, nor like much of a capital. it might have been better ot give us less space outside of the city and instead make the city the lions share of them map. when you are making an homage to the city of Rome it feels wasted for it to be a modestly sized, unusually pretty fortress. in skyrim and morrowind the nature was the selling point because it was varied and beutiful. in oblivion you explore green hills all the time

 

[Trunkage]

-The "YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE" theme for the player character, unlike the more ambiguous interpretations of earlier titles.

Are you though? You do most of the heavy lifting, but Martin is the one who defeats Dagon. So I wouldn't say your character is the chosen one.
Skyrim has the chosen one character.

Also, I remember in Morrowind that you are born under the right stars. I.e. chosen one again

 

[Trunkage]

In Morrowind, IIRC there were two sets of Daedric armour in the entire game, the pieces scattered across Vardenfell.

Yeah, I loved that. I dimly recall a glove was found shoved into some corner in one of the major Sixth House caverns, and it feeling like an absolutely standout find... 'cause it really was.

I know! Finding any one piece, be it on an NPC's person, in a vault or what have you was exciting. Putting one complete set together was a major challenge. Having it worn by anyone and everyone, loot to be left on the ground, turned something powerful, unique and special into vendor trash. And then in Skyrim we simply craft it ourselves...

Isn't that more because of the internet? For example, in Dark Souls they still try to hide things like Morrowind. But I get annoyed search for things now because I can just look it up. I still like going to interesting locations like you can find in Elder Scrolls and Dark Souls, but that exploration wasn't there for games with boring locales like Far Cry 4 and Witcher 3

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

-The "YOU ARE THE CHOSEN ONE" theme for the player character, unlike the more ambiguous interpretations of earlier titles.

Are you though? You do most of the heavy lifting, but Martin is the one who defeats Dagon. So I wouldn't say your character is the chosen one.
Skyrim has the chosen one character.

Also, I remember in Morrowind that you are born under the right stars. I.e. chosen one again

Morrowind we were the Nerevarine. Oblivion we were simply Hero of Kvatch (the least "chosen one" of the three). Skyrim we were the Dragonborn. Two of them were prophesised, the middle one was dreamt of by Captain Picard.

I think the Nerevarine was the most interesting of the three. The real tragedy being that I believe being Nerevar him/herself would've been better to play as. You folks ever hear the adage about telling the more interesting story? IMO the story of Nerevar and the three who became the Tribunal, the Dwemer, their tools and their disappearance and of course Dagoth Ur's role in the events was a very interesting tale, I think much more interesting than that of the Nerevarine, great as that was. Touching on what made the tribunal into living gods, the existence and sudden disappearance of the dwemer THAT is the story I would love to play out. It did make Morrowind more interesting for sure, seeing Dwemer outposts with things left the way they were, with the whole race disappearing in an instant, as tho they might come back any moment. I sincerely hope in TESVI they reveal SOMETHING about the dwemer. It's been 15 years already which is multiple eras in gaming time!

Hero of Kvatch was a little boring in comparison. But Shivering Isles let us be a Prince so it wasn't all bad

 

[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

In Morrowind, IIRC there were two sets of Daedric armour in the entire game, the pieces scattered across Vardenfell.

Yeah, I loved that. I dimly recall a glove was found shoved into some corner in one of the major Sixth House caverns, and it feeling like an absolutely standout find... 'cause it really was.

I know! Finding any one piece, be it on an NPC's person, in a vault or what have you was exciting. Putting one complete set together was a major challenge. Having it worn by anyone and everyone, loot to be left on the ground, turned something powerful, unique and special into vendor trash. And then in Skyrim we simply craft it ourselves...

Isn't that more because of the internet? For example, in Dark Souls they still try to hide things like Morrowind. But I get annoyed search for things now because I can just look it up. I still like going to interesting locations like you can find in Elder Scrolls and Dark Souls, but that exploration wasn't there for games with boring locales like Far Cry 4 and Witcher 3

No, it's not really an issue of having the information on tap. I appreciate dark souls wiki as much as anyone and there's a place for guides and getting answers.

The issue was one of immersion and uniqueness. In ALL of Morrowind there were two sets, many of which were carried by named NPCs. The only way to obtain some of those was to kill them and loot it which might affect relationships or questlines of the different guilds/Houses. Even if you knew where they were AND were strong enough to get to them, you might not want to because of the cost involved. They were, within the context of the game and excepting for enchanted/modded gear, among the best, if not the best protective gear. Finding each piece came late in a given quest line and might require genuine work to obtain. One piece (greaves IIRC) was in the vault on a Hlalu plantation that you might never visit but for chance or a quest for example. Another piece was worn by a very important Telvanni wizard. You want the piece, but you don't know if you can, or should, kill him.

Having all the bandits wear it in Oblivion was absurd. Not only did the scaling negate the entire point of "levelling up", it a) made what should've been trash enemies late game much tougher than they should've been and worse b) totally unfitting to the game's lore. How could a common bandit obtain something so powerful? And if they had the power/wealth necessary to obtain it why would they still be practising banditry?

I think the main thing to keep in mind is that the getting of these things isn't the goal of the game. It *is* the game. These games are all about the journey...it's the spending of the time, and the challenges and player-made situations along the way to getting them that is the joy and the "meat" of these games.

 

[The Ditz]

Oblivion is the best... to mod. It's bland base is like a blank canvas. I heard Cyrodile was more of a jungle then a forest, so I mixed and matched a few mods. the combat bland, so I downloaded new spells, animations ,and overhauls. The NPCs were ugly so I downloaded mods to make them look better. I was tired of like 15 white human/ elf "races" so i made like 30 beast races.

Spoiler: just look at my copy of oblivion

You'll get your best enjoyment out of oblivion if you can not only use mods, but make your own.

The only things I don't like is it doesn't work with multi-cores and it can get rather unstable the more you mod.

 

[Ryan Minns]

I disliked it a great deal which is odd because on paper it had everything I wanted. I'd say the quest are better than Skyrims and I disliked Skyrims removal of things and yet I find myself saying Skyrim is easily the better game. Sadly I never played Morrowind as when I finally got it my PC went to shit whenever I got it running for awhile and I haven't gone back to it.

 

[Windcaler]

From my point of view, that being a person who didnt play oblivion till recently (last year), I can say Oblivion is a pretty good game and with some minor modding can be made extremely playable similar to more modern titles. That said, IMO oblivion was held up to a Morrowind standard and never really given its own shot since it was a game that was an indirect sequel to one of the greatest games ever made.

I would say play it and mod it in such a way that makes it more playable for you. It really is a good game on its own merits and being part of the elder scrolls series IMO helps it even more. Just dont think its going to be Morrowind or skyrim. Oblivion is its own game and should be judged as just another chapter in the elder scrolls universe

 

[Darth Rosenberg]

Snipped re the TG

I can't argue against any point, as things that bugged or disappointed you simply didn't bug or disappoint me. Your experience of it was no more or less 'true' or authentic than my own. I'm fortunate in that I enjoyed it more than you, though. ;-)

You get 4 standard vendors, a sword you can't enchant, a nice enough bow...

The Nightingale sword was one of my favourites in the game. It perfectly suited my character, and being a bit of a stickler for weapon-y authenticity, it was a design that - proportionally, and in the profile of the actual blade - felt fantasy yet still functional.

And the Brotherhood quest line in Oblivion was similarly great. I mentioned the Whodunnit level as an honest-to-Heaven masterpiece of gaming, but it also introduced the lore about the Night Mother and the Listener, etc. IT was the reason Skyrim's brotherhood was half as good as it was.

Would the whodunnit mission really hold up now, though?

I enjoyed the gameplay in Oblivion and Skyrim of the DB questline (in terms of pure gameplay, TES's only really have any skill demands in stealth, and only up to a point until it arguably breaks the game), but frankly I felt both were just horribly cartoony - all of the characters just seem drawn from pantomimes. Or, going from the outfit designs in Skyrim, the circus... Some liked that OTT tone, and that's fine, but it was never for me.

I don't remember them well enough, except the Morag Tong which was great. The Great Houses were really cool too. I did like the faction system in Morrowind with the multiple ranks and interesting missions along the way. I don't remember much about the Fighter's or Mage's guilds.

What I particularly loved about Morrowind's factions were just how each gave a different insight in the culture and history of Vvardenfell/Morrowind. Plus how you had such a range of options to suit all kinds of RP's.

Factions like the Imperial Cult and Temple were fascinatingly idiosyncratic, and the pilgrimage that requires a vow of silence is a superb piece of quest design that still stands out to this day.

Mage's Guild was fun to play but a forgettable story. The most interesting parts IMO were finding the artifacts of the great wizards of old as they had a grander Elder Scrolls vibe. Again, wasted potential with the introduction of the wonderfully mysterious Psijic Order and the Augur, both cool ideas but used as nothing more than plot devices.

I found Skyrim's [curiously miserable and bleak] Hogwarts dull for the most part, but then those elements kicked into gear and I felt it was picking up.

...then it ended, and suddenly you're Big Boss Man/Woman, and those nifty plot elements amount to bugger all. Bethesda's lore is incredibly rich, yet after Morrowind they've just wasted it.

I think the Nerevarine was the most interesting of the three. The real tragedy being that I believe being Nerevar him/herself would've been better to play as. You folks ever hear the adage about telling the more interesting story? IMO the story of Nerevar and the three who became the Tribunal, the Dwemer, their tools and their disappearance and of course Dagoth Ur's role in the events was a very interesting tale, I think much more interesting than that of the Nerevarine, great as that was.

To me that would entirely undermine one of the most intelligent and well crafted aspects of the game.

I'd say one of Morrowind's major themes is the malleability of history. The Nerevarine represents something different to each group who wishes to 'claim' (or deny) them. To the Empire the Nerevarine's a potent symbol that - if loyal to the Emperor - could be the deciding leverage in provincial upheaval. To the Ashlanders, the Nerevarine could mean a rebirth for their dwindling culture. To the Temple? He/she is a threat, that risks pulling a thread that'll undo generations of tradition.

The 'truth' of Nerevar and what happened at Red Mountain is an event that only exists as history, and it's that history which gives the Nerevarine power and potential influence. Vivec has his truths, as does the Temple hierarchy, as does Dagoth Ur. History tends to be written by the victor/s, but it is used and abused by every party with an axe to grind.

Arguably, the Nerevarine denies them all. The Big Bad's defeated, sure, but is Vvardenfell a safer, stronger place? The Blight is ended, but the province isn't in the Empire's pocket. The Ashlander's aren't delivered. And the false gods fall, as an entire religious order and culture is upended.

I think Morrowind's MQ uses the lore of Red Mountain brilliantly, and to me playing as Nerevar would make it just another mundane fantasy adventure. Vvardenfell felt like an authentic land because of its history and its many subjective truths. History is complicated, and beyond a certain point obscured. Take that away and the game's IQ drops significantly.

I sincerely hope in TESVI they reveal SOMETHING about the dwemer. It's been 15 years already which is multiple eras in gaming time!

Don't you want some mysteries to always remain as such?

 

[SmallHatLogan]

Hideous character models, bad dialogue, bad voice acting, idiotic persuasion game, tedious combat, broken levelling, levelled enemies, levelled loot. But I could've forgiven all of that if the game world wasn't so fucking boring. There were two moments in Oblivion that stood out to me. Going inside a painting to kill some trolls, and going inside a dude's dreams to rescue him from... something. Everything else was just so much white noise. Can't recommend.

I think the Nerevarine was the most interesting of the three. The real tragedy being that I believe being Nerevar him/herself would've been better to play as. You folks ever hear the adage about telling the more interesting story? IMO the story of Nerevar and the three who became the Tribunal, the Dwemer, their tools and their disappearance and of course Dagoth Ur's role in the events was a very interesting tale, I think much more interesting than that of the Nerevarine, great as that was.

To me that would entirely undermine one of the most intelligent and well crafted aspects of the game.

I'd say one of Morrowind's major themes is the malleability of history. The Nerevarine represents something different to each group who wishes to 'claim' (or deny) them. To the Empire the Nerevarine's a potent symbol that - if loyal to the Emperor - could be the deciding leverage in provincial upheaval. To the Ashlanders, the Nerevarine could mean a rebirth for their dwindling culture. To the Temple? He/she is a threat, that risks pulling a thread that'll undo generations of tradition.

The 'truth' of Nerevar and what happened at Red Mountain is an event that only exists as history, and it's that history which gives the Nerevarine power and potential influence. Vivec has his truths, as does the Temple hierarchy, as does Dagoth Ur. History tends to be written by the victor/s, but it is used and abused by every party with an axe to grind.

Arguably, the Nerevarine denies them all. The Big Bad's defeated, sure, but is Vvardenfell a safer, stronger place? The Blight is ended, but the province isn't in the Empire's pocket. The Ashlander's aren't delivered. And the false gods fall, as an entire religious order and culture is upended.

I think Morrowind's MQ uses the lore of Red Mountain brilliantly, and to me playing as Nerevar would make it just another mundane fantasy adventure. Vvardenfell felt like an authentic land because of its history and its many subjective truths. History is complicated, and beyond a certain point obscured. Take that away and the game's IQ drops significantly.

Another thing I love about Morrowind's story is that you're not even necessarily the "chosen one". Fulfilling the prophecy (uniting the people, killing Dagoth Ur, and ending the blight) doesn't require any supernatural powers. All you need is for everyone to accept you as the Nerevarine so that you can acquire the tools to kill Dagoth Ur. Whether or not you are actually the Nerevarine doesn't matter. And alternatively you can completely ignore all of the political machinations and the prophecy and kill Dagoth Ur on your own terms.

 

[Arnoxthe1]

Here's the problem with Oblivion. Anything that it does better than Skyrim, Morrowind does even better. And anything that Oblivion does better than Morrowind, Skyrim does even better than Oblivion.

^ That pretty much sums it up perfectly right there. BUT, if you're willing to mod Oblivion a lot, it can be even better than Morrowind and Skyrim. But only in some ways.

The nice thing about Oblivion, quite a few of it's flaws can be fixed via mods, whereas Skyrim can't really do that.

Think again. Actually, Oblivion, in terms of mods, has it much worse off than Skyrim since the engine is hard-locked to only use 1.7 GBs of RAM, MAXIMUM. Once it passes that limit, it immediately crashes. No ifs, ands, or buts. This sometimes severely limits how many mods Oblivion can have going at once.