Oblivion Is A Bizarre Masterpiece (2023 Review) 

Regardless of how many times I sing the praises of Morrowind, I will always cherish Oblivion as my favourite!

There's just something about the simplicity of oblivion's world and it's ambient music that makes it a very comfortable and warm game to me.

The more stuff becomes overly cinematic, the more I find the vibrant and cartoonish atmosphere of Oblivion refreshing.

Oblivion is still my all time favorite game. This game captured the wonder and mystery that makes fantasy great, and I hope to see another first person RPG that does the same

"You can join a group of expert Vampire Hunters, who are oblivious to the fact that they're being led by an arch vampire" the perfect encapsulation of the perfect and intricate absurdity of Oblivion quests

star field was an absolute mess. I have stage IV Cancer and Oblivion is my Favorite game. as I kid I could play this game at 30 fps and below cause I loved it so much. so much to do, so much exploration. I could get on my Xbox360 every day or night and have more to do in Oblivion, it was just a never ending game for me. Well its basically safe to say that i wont be around for the next game in the Elder Scrolls series but I hope for all the people out there that will be able to play the game, that it is just as amazing and touches the people who play it just as Oblivion had done with me. I would do anything to return to the school filled days and Oblivion filled nights and weekends on my Xbox360. God bless you for the video and I hope that another elder scrolls game will come along to bring joy and memories to everyone that plays it especially kids who dont know how lucky they have it. I remember getting the Large guide book and it was awesome, I could read and look at the giant guide book by itself all the time. Awesome game, skyrim didnt even come close to the time Oblivion gave me, though I did still enjoy it very much late night on my ps3.

The thing that made Oblivion so fun to play was the NPC dialogue. "Snow. We need more snow. Can't get enough snow!" And then there was that elf with his head sticking out of said snow: _"Indeed."_

I’ve replayed Oblivion multiple times and earned all the achievements on multiple systems. I’ve only beat Skyrim once and didn’t even get all the achievements. In fact it’s the only major Bethesda RPG that I DON’T have all the achievements for. Not saying it’s BAD. Far from it but there is just a charm to Oblivion that keeps me coming back. It’s EASILY my favorite game in the series.

I love Skyrim, but Oblivion will always be my favourite. Just walking around and talking to the Imperial Guards or some other random npc while listening to Ariel's Ascension is so amazing.

The story of everything in Oblivion is so good. I played the first 20-30 hours just doing side quests and guild missions bc they were so interesting.

Im currently doing a play through of Oblivion, I played it as a kid but not as much as Skyrim, I only did the main quest and that’s it. Im very immersed in Oblivion rn. I’m starting to like it more than Skyrim. Story is a lot better there’s more quest to do, and you actually have to work to become a leader of a guild. It’s a fantastic game.

A major part of the weird and wonderfully bizarre charm of earlier Elder Scrolls games was the massive amount of wild, yet surprisingly deep lore, created by early Bethesda writers, especially the near psychedelic acid trip tinged lore written by Micheal Kirkbride. All the wild religious stuff, the planes of oblivion, the Daedric Princes, the fact that the stars and the moon and the other celestial bodies were in fact other planes of the Princes, the ideas of CHIM and The Godhead (which is literally that the entire Elder Scrolls universe is in fact taking place within the DREAM of some exterior entity that we never meet in the games). It's super weird yet strikingly fascinating stuff. Morrowind alone is proof of how weird and alien Bethesda was willing to go in a "fantasy" world. Hints of Dune, tribal religions, racism, Imperialism, drug use, all taking part in weird jungles and islands with giant mushroom houses and giant towns inside of gargantual crab shells. Weird shit, but amazing. We'll see if Starfield has any of that charm. I am a bit pessimistic that they'll sort of screw it up on this one. Hope I'm wrong!

I doubt I'll ever replicate the feeling of wonder I got when I first saw my brother play Oblivion. I'd never seen any game like it. From the world, the characters, the quests, the music (ahh, the music), I was hooked immediately, and I played it pretty much daily for years until Skyrim was released. But I've always went back to it, and it's never lost that feeling of wonder.

Oblivion has that charm that no other Elder Scrolls has best characters and story and gameplay and factions. I actually made up a song for the Arcane University many years ago and I still remember every word of it.

Probably because oblivion isn't just the best TES game its the best game that Bethesda have ever made and every likely too make

Skyrim's easier to get in to, but doesn't hold me as much. Oblivion repays your time investment incredibly. Spellmaking alone is an absolute joy, i was very disappointed that it didn't make it into skyrim.

I recently bought a Xbox 360, just so I could replay this game and damn, the nostalgia hit hard. This and Fable 2 will always hold a special place in my heart.

calling Oblivion AI primitive, you couldn't be more wrong.

My favourite game ever, wish I could go back in time and experience it all again.

Oblivion is my favourite TES game! I think you described its appeal well, I like that it's not too serious. Skyrim's atmosphere was a bit too dark, so many npcs were unfriendly, and I didn't really feel at home in any of the cities. I can't wait to get to know all the people in Starfield, and steal their forks!

man...i remember going from dark messiah to oblivion whenever it came out...and my mind was blown...even the fact that i can pick up a cup from a table...the setting, and the customization, the questlines, just everything...also, to me, it aged well graphically, and i can imagine doing another playthrough of this, rather than anything bethesda has done afterwards...tried starfield, but it just seems they made absolutely no progress in terms of game design, no innovation, and the setting is very boring

It's better than Skyrim, because it actually has good writing, quest, giulds and better character creation. Skyrim requires a mod just to add more than 2 weapon slots, Oblivion has 8 lol. It also has Bethesda's best DLC ever.

Oblivion has always been my favorite never understood the hype about Skyrim It wasn't as immersive as oblivion Nor as memorable

Bethesda stopped caring what the fans want a long time ago when they kept selling the various versions of Skyrim.

I love everything about it. Still remember how amazed I was at the graphics and general silliness of the Shivering Isles. _Cheese! For everyone!_

The best word I can use to describe Oblivion is that it’s charming. Utterly and absolutely just such a charming game and the first game I put serious time into.

I finally beat Oblivion's main quest earlier this year, after nearly a decade of starting new playthroughs. I need to go back and finish Shivering Isles.

I love Oblivion

Still waiting and hoping Bethesda brings back their dynamic npc conversations in some way, all we get in Skyrim is scripted dialogue that plays between the characters, over and over At least in oblivion the citizens talked about stuff going on in the world and if I remember correctly as you progress in the world and quests people start talking about those topics too, just seems more realistic representation of citizens in a town interacting, even if it was clunky and at times hilarious

There is 2 points you didn't talked about in oblivion, 2 areas where oblivion did better than other elder scrolls: music ambiance and factions quests and especially the last quest of thieves guild and the last moment when you realise that all quests i did for the TG where only preparations for the ultimate heist. In skyrim, my favorite character is Cicero (who comes from cyrodiil)

This was my favorite game a long time ago, but when i played skyrim recently i couldn't make it through 10 hours. its so dull and bland and the dialogue and story is embarassing. pointles quests. Oblivion was fascinating

Oblivion is my favorite game of all time. I thought we would get a remake/remaster due to the Microsoft acquisition but sadly still has not happened yet.

I can definitely agree that story and characters of any media should take precedence over the visuals. Probably why I didn't care much about the Avatar movie franchise. Quality graphics and VFX are to be expected, if you throw enough money at it. A compelling story can cover a multitude of issues, even poor visuals.

I loved how free I felt in oblivion too. Wanna kill that random npc that’s tied to a later mission? Sure, just scrub him and the quest dies with him 😂 The thieves guild quests were so good too! The Skyrim quests felt so glum with the low-pace nord tones. The dialogue was so funny. Eratic, cringey, but yet so charming.

I would venture to guess that much of Oblivion's quirkiness came from lead designer Ken Rolston, who started out with the classic TTRPG Paranoia, and served the same role in Morrowind. Unfortunately, the only RPG he's worked on since then was Kingdoms of Amalur: Reckoning, which never made it out the starting gate.

i would honestly kill for a new bethesda game with a quarter of the detail and storytelling that was in oblivion....there was so much depth and lore behind every thing, even mundane quests were literally so enjoyable it made you stoked for another playthrough JUST to do those quests again because they made you think, or had a lot of different ways of handling it and were always so satisfying to complete......modern bethesda games just make everything into a chore....do this...cuz reasons...reward i guess...thanksohwowyouweretheonlypersonwhocouldadonethisimpossibletaskethatwe'llhaveyoudoinfinitymoretimes.....feel like that last bit was a chore to read? feel like it was a little lazy of me to not even bother with the spaces? bethesda.....that is the modern experience... don't get me wrong, skyrim was fun, but you didn't play it for the lore...it's new combat system is what carried the game....sure there was some intrigue in the world and story, but once you notice that the game has 1 common theme? for EVERY single major questline? it becomes so unlikable to play it has virtually killed any reason for me to ever pick it up again... don't believe me? see if you can spot the pattern: College of mages questline: the collage and town is a shadow of it's former selves and is under attended and is really down on their luck and need YOU to fix everything. the blades are a shadow of their former selves and nearly extinct, boy howdy they are really down on their luck and need YOU to fix everything. the companions were a once well respected and organized warriors guild, but have since fallen from grace and are kinda down on their luck and need YOU to fix everything to bring back honor to their guild and find the lost or stolen axe of wuthrad pieces and break a curse. the dark brotherhood is a shadow of it's former self and is nearly extinct because of how down on their luck they are and need YOU to fix everything. the bards college (if you could even call that a questline) oh boohoo, the queen has canceled their party...gosh oh golly, they sure are down on their luck and need YOU to fix everything. the thieves guild..............literally...... that is literally the plot...they are down on their luck and need YOU to fix everything because they are a shadow of their former selves... the civil war: the empire is a shadow of it's former self and is at a stalemate with the rebels of skyrim and need YOU to fix everything, the rebels have ground to a halt and can't seem to get an advantage over the empire, they were also down on their luck enough that their leader was captured and now they need YOU to fix everything. and if i REALLY wanted to be an asshole? the main quest: boohoo, the world eater dragon has just so happened to return....gosh oh golly blow it up my own ass gee the world is REALLY down on it's luck and as ALWAYS needs YOU to fix everything NEVER in any playthrough of oblivion, through ANY quest i ever undertook did i ever ONCE feel so obligated to be the worlds f*cking maid like you are made to feel in skyrim....and that is just so unbelievably unrewarding it actually makes my stomach turn.

I remember my first time playing Oblivion, it was such a rollercoaster of fun and madness. I get back from a quest with a lot of loot, I go to sleep and *now I'm a vampire*

Just bought this game for 3 dollars on steam. I am already playing it tons

This was one of the first games I ever played. I remember near the start doing this random quest & ending up in someone’s home in the Capitol city, and you fall through a painting in the wall into another world. It felt like I easily could have missed that adventure, and it made the world feel big & interesting & mysterious. It will always be my favorite gaming experience too.

Oblivion is timeless. It’s by far my favorite game ever.

You nailed it with your premonition about Starfield!

To this day I consider the Shivering Isles to be the best DLC ever made.

I am terrified that Bethesda saw No Man's Sky's launch in 2016, said "I want that," and has been developing Starfield ever since, ignoring the aforementioned's atrocious launch state and valid criticisms.

I love oblivion so much. I got into it back in like 2008 or 2009 can’t really remember what year it came out. I replay the game every year. It’s just such a beautiful game. I think it aged perfectly. I come back to this game more than Skyrim, and I put countless more hours into Skyrim as a kid than I did with oblivion. I can easily get so lost in the world of oblivion.

As others have said, I loved Skyrim but Oblivion was my favourite. I had literally played remotely like it beforehand. I lost myself in the game, it was awesome. Along with the last of us, it’s probably the best game I’ve ever played😊

why do the models for objects look better in oblivion than skyrim?

Oblivion A.I radiant system is to this day , the most advanced system ever made in any video game.Maybe RDR2 also is very close ;]

Yeah Oblivion's NPCs are pretty colorful and charming compared to most of Skyrim's cast and the side quests feel like more effort was put into the 4th entry as well. But this is coming from someone who also greatly enjoys Skyrim as well regardless of some of that games faults. However I can say Morrowind and Oblivion and Skyrim all have fantastic OSTs by Jeremy Soule and I hope he returns for 6 whenever that game finally releases.

The funniest thing about "Oblivion Faces" is that, with minor tweaks to the default face models, you can turn *everyone* into a model. I did it in the Construction Kit and I'm... not great at modding, to be honest. I found a better one on Nexus mods from someone that actually knew what he was doing. It's so weird that Bethesda released this game with everyone looking like putty when it took some random dork a few minutes to easily make everyone look hot. I do love this game, though. Especially the Dark Brotherhood questline.

One of the greatest games ever made. Morrowind and Skyrim both felt slightly less modern for their time, than Oblivion, IMO. I just sunk right into it, it was one of the last times I remember feeling like a kid gaming. From Super Mario in 1992 to now, Oblivion is definitely one of the most memorable games I ever played. 34 now, maybe its partially me getting bored, maybe the exponential improvement of games and their tech is starting to slow down... But games will never feel like they did back in the day!

Couldn’t agree more with your closing sentiments. Starfield boasted so much about how big the game was, but in the end there are only 4 main cities and none of them have the variety of quests and things to do that oblivions cities had. I beat all the main quests and factions, and many of the smaller side ones. About 4 days gameplay and don’t think I’ll be playing much more. Oblivion I played for over a year in and off.

slight note - Hackdirt is south of Chorrol, not Cheydinhal

I first played Morrowind back in the early 2000s and loved it. Then the Xbox 360 came out and I was blown away by the graphical upgrades (yes, at the time the water dripping on the walls, the shadows and lighting plus the facial animations looked for better than the grainy older look of Morrowind, not to mention the vibrant colors of the overworld). I never beat Oblivion. But I sank hundreds of hours in just dicking around, completing the Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood and the Mage's Guild, with the encore of the magnificent spell crafting of the Arcane University. Then Skyrim came out and I was bummed at how limited the in-game options were, such as killing NPCs and such, as well as the dull grayish brown look of the map. Oblivion will always be my favorite Elder Scrolls game.

Oblivion is my favorite fantasy game of all time. Starfield is my favorite scifi game of all time

Now I’m not gonna lie to you, this was my first elder scrolls game yet I like Skyrim more. Now maybe that's because Skyrim is more straightforward, stuff like the UI is better in Skyrim, and I’ve had more experience with Skyrim, but I never enjoyed this as much. I can play through this game and explore the world and play, but other small things I don't seem to figure out well like how to get a house or make a whole butt load of money fast. And some quests are just boring to me like closing oblivion gates or finding something in a boring ass dungeon. And sure, Skyrim Dungeons are pretty repetitive we all can’t lie that Dungeons are repetitive in most RPG games, but in Skyrim, I guess it was a little more interesting to me. Dark creepy hallways, zombies with ancient weapons and armor with glowing eyes like CoD Zombies, and usually they had something like a Dragon Priest or Draugr boss fight at the end sometimes with a new shout to learn. In Oblivion, to me, it just felt boring and not very rewarding. Hell, even Houses in Oblivion felt more like dungeons than actual houses to me. Something about them lacked the sort of coziness Skyrim houses do, they felt empty, other houses were so big they seemed hardly lit up. It’s almost as if Oblivion cities and houses being larger than Skyrim are a problem. But again, I haven’t played this nearly as much as Skyrim, and I’ll probably get better at it since I’m doing the main quest again. Like Fallout New Vegas, I used to think it was too complex and I got bored with it quick, but now Fallout 3 and 4 just take up space on my Xbox and I estimate probably 20 days of gameplay or more. I still try to also see the good in this game and I love the Lord and environment to explore. Sometimes for fun, I just walk across the map without fast traveling and I realize how large it is.

Oblivion is fucking weird. And that's what makes it awesome.

I don't think it's better then Skyrim overall. But I will say that the expansion shivering isles and the dark brotherhood are hand down the best storytelling in video games. But 90% of the rest of it is trash

By Azura By Azura By Azura!

Whilst I wouldn't say it's the best ES game to date, Oblivion will always have a special place in my heart. I remember playing it as a kid going through some difficult times, it provided a much needed distraction. I'll always be thankful to Oblivion for seeing me through my childhood

Skingrad has yet to be surpassed.

Oblivion was the first elder scrolls game I played and while I find a lot of aspects of Morrowind and even Skyrim to be better, nothing can ever compare to the coziness and unintentional hilarity of Cyrodiil.

I love oblivion. The bright vibrant world, the crazy quests and how you can break the character skills in terrible ways.

Oblivion is in my top 3 games of all time, and out of those, is the one I come back to the most. The others, NieR Gestalt and Lost Odyssey, are incredible singular experiences, Oblivion however, is an incredible experience time and time again.

What makes it so good, apart from the horse armor controversy. Was you bought the game, turned on your console/pc and just played it. No online, no micro-transactions, no forceful multiplayer, just everything for you and only you to get lost in and actually play the game and fully emerse into it

Oblivion was the best game they have ever made.

What would I give to play Oblivion for the very first time 😭 my all time favourite game. You could call me a Oblivion fanatic even ❤

The music blended so perfectly with the world, that's what keeps me coming back! :)

Starfield sucks. It made me go back to playing modded skyrim and watching videos on morrowind and oblivion.

I remember being absolutely blown away by how this game looked way back in 2007. I wasn't lucky enough to get it at launch but even a year later it still blew me away. It's the only game on the 360 that I got every achievement. Including the DLC. I wish the PC version had controller support. I've been wanting to replay it.

and now we all know to not be hyped about anything Bethesda is putting out besides Doom these days.. cuz starfield is utter shite

Oblivion was the first game to capture my heart and I honestly think it is still the most immersive game Ive ever played

I have always loved Oblivion. I remember going to the midnight launch and picking up my physical PC copy along with the guide book. One thing I appreciated about Oblivion’s story was that you are not the main character. This allows the player to go down any road they wish without feeling like they need to still be the type of character the story calls for. 10/10 game for me

That was the most perfect tribute to shivering isles. Brought a tear to my eye

This is the best elder scrolls game to date. The perfect combination of serious and silly. Great level building and just a game you can get lost in.

Everyone I know got started with Skyrim except for one friend who showed me Oblivion bank in middle school & honestly to this day Oblivion is my favorite Bethesda title bring the first game I ever put hundreds of hours into playing! Every Bethesda game after went with quantity over quality and why I do not know because Oblivion’s guilds/quest are 10 times better because they chose quality instead!

I still find Oblivion has beautiful graphics today

Recently replayed Oblivion and man I had a blast, finally got to play the dlc's too. I was worried the shivering isles was gonna be a bit to "oh this is so wacky look at me" *cartoon sfx, but man. We've made such a joke of Todd, but in Oblivion, well and truly. It. Just. Works.

Oblivion will always have a special place in my heart

I'd love to hear your thoughts on a rpg inspired by the Elder Scrolls series, Dragon's Dogma. It's my personal favorite RPG.

its funny that unmodded oblivion graphics beats every modern game there is in 1 aspect: night sky. i have not yet seen a better looking night sky in any video game ever than oblivions. prove me wrong if you can !

Oblivion is that Rpg that embodies what Shrek is to the fantasy movies.

PewDiePie did NOT do a playthrough of oblivion lmaooo

Oh, this is before Starfield. Poor guy.

I do love this game. I've been playing it a lot as of late and have been loving every minute of it. IMO Oblivion deserves a remaster.

It’s just special in a way nothing else is.

No need to worry, at least from my point of view. I am absolutely loving Starfield, hope you are too. However you have piqued my interest. Think I will buy the Deluxe version of Oblivion and Mod it before playing it again. Thanks

much much better than Skyrim

And don't forget the imperial guards had Spidey sense when you stole something

I kinda like Skyrim more. I think Oblivion is better at character stats and class alignment... but the whole "Oblivion gate thing in the beginning quest of the game" is not as fun as its to walk through snow or the stuff you do in Skyrim is all

Meh maybe I'll give oblivion another shot. I hit that oblivion gate glitch

Morrowind > Oblivion

Oblivion, you'll always become a mage whether you like it or not.

I’ve been playing a lot of Bethesda titles again recently, one of which was oblivion

Oblivion was my first Elder Scrolls game and I loved every moment of it on 360, minus the crashes or game save data corruption issues a side. It was such a fantastic adventure there supposed to be remastering it and I can't wait for that Skyblivion mod to come But Shivering Isles was probably one of the best DLC ever and worth it

Thank you for this great review. Oblivion is my most favourite game ever. And I know it always will be. I must have played it through 30 times and I'll keep on dozens of times more, at least.

Oblivion is the single most impactful game of my life. I love that it's community is still so active. I was surprised people even gave my vids a look. Well made video, brotha!

And Oblivion had every classic RPG trope you can think of: sprawling sewers, varied towns, a big capital city, beautiful spacious interiors, LOTS of named NPCs, a variety of dungeons (caves, ayleid ruins, abandoned forts), a variety of architectural styles, OPTIONAL side-quests that actually felt great, and many more things that make it a bigger and better game than Skyrim. Skyrim has better graphics (as in 'better tech'), better combat and dragons to fight. Everything else, and I mean literally everything else from what I just mentioned, is objectively worse than Oblivion.

I remember being insanely impressed by this game when I played it back in 2007 on PS3.

this is my favourite game of all time. i highly recommend getting maskars overhaul installed. makes the game deadlier but also more balanced and adds tonnes of features. as for why this game is controversial, sure you can break oblivion easily but i prefer to 1/2 roleplay and 1/2 make powerful hitting builds. i really love the eccentrisity of the actors but also your in an epic battle for the world and feel like a hero. unlike skyrim you kinda have to learn to play oblivion which i enjoy and thats why its a beautiful game

Damn they did good games back in the time