Daggerfall: I can't look down at the rat that's killing me. Morrowind: I can't hit the rat. Oblivion: I got level 100 sneak from a rat. Skyrim: What's a rat?
Same I also like the story line and mechanics better I know that controversial considering the weird leveling system but I feel like it’s so much better than the gutted leveling system in Skyrim
Not to mention, the one thing that annoys me the more I play skyrim is that the story is purely built around the dragon born. It's such an awesome feeling having shouts and being the most powerful person in the world, but oblivion was more grounded. Even by the end of the main quest line, you were just another soldier apart of the blades that helped Martin septim save the world, you are looked at as a hero, but you weren't the main Hero in the story. As for the rest of the side quests, you aren't pushed to be the leader in all of the factions. You can just be a regular guy who helped save the world from the oblivion crisis and you can just plod around, maybe make some coin throwing yourself out in the arena, or maybe not risking your skin and gambling or just travelling, collecting and trading to buy an established home. I always felt more attached to oblivion and was more invested in my character as I felt like I had more control over what my destiny was going to be. My first playthrough, I broke the code of conduct for nearly every faction, was kicked out, but instead of trying to work my way back into the guilds, even though it was an option, I looked at other alternatives to make an honest living after throwing the towel in and just enjoying the world. Skyrim feels alot more narrow in terms of where you stand in the world, like the companion quest I started as I didn't want to become the big overpowered dragon born and wanted to just be a hired blade. 3 hours later, I'm literally the leader and half the guild are still calling me the new guy and it really just broke the immersion I had from oblivion and realised skyrim, whilst still being good, was never going to top those moments I had for around 5 years playing oblivion.
Funny thing, I first found your channel through that optimized leveling guide that you did for Oblivion. Despite starting out with Morrowind this is my favorite TES game. I'd spend hours crafting potions and poisons, naming them and applying them to my weapons for the first time. I really appreciated the ability to cast spells seamlessly while wielding weapons too, because it really opened up build diversity and those same hybrid builds are now pretty clunky to play with in Skyrim. The Radiant AI system had its flaws but the NPCs in this game seemed the most realistic to me out of all the TES games - it's fun listening in on their conversations and watching them just go about their daily lives.
That's how I found the channel as well! The leveling system took me a sec to master so I just listened to the video on repeat until it clicked. This will also be one of my favorites! The world just keeps turning whether you're there or not which makes discovery that much more rewarding
"Funny thing, I first found your channel through that optimized leveling guide that you did for Oblivion." Same here. David Stewart taught me how to efficient level. I'm currently on a " No Magic " run with a Redguard.
I’ve always enjoyed the art design in Oblivion. From the look of the goblins to the armor and weapons. The character faces and over-world aren’t nearly as refined as they would become in Skyrim, I still prefer Oblivion. Can’t wait for Skyblivion that team is doing a great job with that project.
I think a big part of it is that he uses horn and clarinet extensively - both of those are instruments you only hear via sound reflections. They have a distant, nostalgic quality.
Danngit david , I think i might have to run another playthrough of this amazing game once more. With the right mods this game has my heart. Everything to the enemies and the look of the world just looks so good for a medieval sword an sorcery game.
replaying this game in 2024, i aim to complete the game without lowering difficulty slider (as i did in 2007), using your suggestion to designate the skills i have to go out of my way to level as major, writing down skill level at start of level and just playing the game as i want to til im rdy to level has got me to level 7 so far with no problems, and by azura this is still a treasure of a game
I bought GOTY edition years ago on steam, knowing I'd get a windows machine to run it someday. I started a new playthrough recently, and I fall in love with the game every time.
I just picked it up because there was a sale. My Windows 10 won't play it without stuttering, especially during combat, there is always a 1-2 second pause. Now I am trying to fix this with mods lol.
@@phonepunk7888 Ahh yes, a bunch of amateur hobbyists are definitely going to "fix" issues that a professional development team could not. I fail to understand this line of reasoning. Then again, there are those of you who try to lick your own elbows.
It might sound strange but I feel like Oblivion's aesthetic has aged better than vanilla Skyrim. From the colors palette to the beautiful UI. Skyblivion will be out someday and I can only hope it manages to capture Oblivion's feeling. I have my doubts sometimes. These days when I play Oblivion I only plop on a light enb and go. Skyrim takes days for me to get it where I want it to be visually. If you guys end up playing again sometime I would recommend Oscuro's to make the loot like Morrowinds. Unique landscapes to add some more variety to the overworld and OblivionXP updated to give your leveling experience some freshness over Oblivion's weakest system, the leveling.
Oblivion was my first ES game, despite it being messy in many areas it just has a charm that Skyrim will never match. I’ll concede that in many ways Morrowind is the better game but something about Oblivion is just wonderful. Also, Elden Ring is a great experience if you’re into dark fantasy. Not usually a big FromSoftware guy but it’s got me hooked.
I need to replay Oblivion because I can't get rid of the vampire glitch, I can't give the Bloodgrass to the witch for the cure, the dialogue box just repeats itself.
I always played oblivion every year. I recently was able to get a computer good enough for Skyrim so that’s my jam now. I like the crafting in Skyrim better.
@@DVSPress In Skyrim there is a hard cap of 85% on armor rating, so you can temper armor to have 9999 damage resistance but the game will only recognize up to around 650 damage resistance no matter how high you temper your armor. So you can never make yourself invisible. Also, armor resistances have no resistances to spell, only physical attacks. However, this is not the case with weapons tempering. There is not cap on damage, so you can pretty much craft a weapon that can kill everything with one hit, if you know how to expiate the crafting systems and are not using the Unofficial Patch mod. The restoration potion glitch is the most game breaking exploit in the game. Another big leveling exploit is using the telekinesis spell and then fast traveling across the map to quickly level your Alteration skill. Also, resetting shops inventories and gold by saving, then attacking the merchant and then reloading that last save. "If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying"
This game definitely rewards exploration and experimentation which is probably why I grew to enjoy gaming so much not to mention that incredible score!
My favorite way to stack magic effects was to play as a Breton (+50% passive magic resistance) and get the Mundane Ring scaled at a high level (also +50% magic resistance). All spells become completely ineffective against you.
Man thanks a lot for letting me know. Sweet. I have this on console but the console isn't plugged in. I love morrowind, really like skyrim and don't care much for oblivion but I'll give it another shot
Oblivion is my favourite TES game. It was also the first one I played, circa 2010 or so, and I distinctly remember swimming across Lake Rumare for the first time to stumble upon an inn. The NPCs inside were having three simultaneous conversations, and I was stunned, deafened by the cacophony. I'd never seen anything like it. It felt _real._ But what truly cemented this as a fantastic game in my mind was last year, when I was making sure a modpack works. I made a few test characters, default Imperials, to make sure things were working fine. The NPCs were friendly, everything was great. Then, when I was getting ready for my playthrough, I made my proper Breton (always played Breton even before I found out they're very good) and everyone was indifferent to me. Why? Because I'd been an Imperial with high Personality, and now I was a Breton with terrible Personality. Turns out this RPG is actually an RPG, and your stats do matter. Oblivion is great. I love that I can buff Speed and run faster than a horse, or fortify Acrobatics and start jumping 10 metres up. Putting points into an attribute and seeing the results makes you feel like you're developing, and having magic bound to a button is both worse and infinitely better than the way Skyrim does it. Having one voice actor per race is also much better than Skyrim, where the "sleazy merchant guy" voice belongs to an Imperial in the first village and a Breton in the next town over. Besides, the actors are fantastic. I cound never imagine an elf that doesn't sound like every elf in Oblivion. And as for the infamous radiant conversations, whilst they are funny, you have to admit the sheer ambition that went into developing these systems, into thinking they could pull it off. Mods are exquisite too. Expanded Cities is fantastic, though it tanks my performance like nothing else; and there are so many mods with so much content that it's absolutely insane. All you _need,_ however, is Ultimate Levelling. Download that thing, configure it to use the standard levelling procedure, but force it to give you 11 attribute points per level (For bonus points, house-rule yourself to a +5/+5/+1 split every time you level). You can now enjoy your major skills properly, and just have fun with the game. XP systems do not belong in TES, if you ask me. Another personal favourite is the underrated "Arena Grand Champion manor" mod, which gives you a house in the Arena District after beating the Arena. It's a very cozy place, and you can't imagine how good it is to have a house in the middle of the city, a stone's throw away from the Market district. (I was doing a no fast travel run. Also great fun.) Ooh, and the hotkey mod (Enhanced Hotkeys)! No other game does hotkeys as well as this hotkey mod. Moving to Skyrim, which lacks Enhanced Hotkeys, was a real pain. I admit that Skyrim is fun, and it is a good game, though terribly simplified and hardly even an RPG; and I did put in quite a bit of time, for the first time since 2011, into a (modded) playthrough of it last year, and had a great time. And I also admit that Morrowind is probably an objectively better game (though alas, I can't run it on my laptop at more than 10 FPS as it refuses to recognise my discrete GPU; should probably try OpenMW). But Oblivion hits the sweet spot of being "just right" in most things it tries to do. And much like is the case with "Dark Messiah of Might and Magic", it's very, very unfortunate that there aren't any other games that can scratch this particular itch. When I make my big money and found a game dev company on the side, the only pitch I'll offer is "a perfected Oblivion". Those who know will know exactly what I mean and what I want.
I'm actually still playing it. :D And I love the fact that it doesn't need a net link to run. Looks wonderful with relevant mods. I find the side quests way more interesting though than the main plot line, haven't even opened any Oblivion gates yet, I prefer to explore the lands, do oddjob quests, roam the ruins & forts, etc. Skyrim obviously has the newer visuals but from what I've read and heard, it also has dumbed down mechanics compared to Oblivion, just as Oblivion did vs. Morrowind. I reckon Oblivion has the balance about right, a notion supported by LGR's take on how these games compare. I've watched a bunch of Elden Ring gameplay, just can't get with the 3rd person view, the animations look weird, way too much solid things phasing through other things, the movements have a strange jerkyness, people doing endless forward rolls, etc. I prefer Oblivion's 1st-person's sense of actually being there. Some 3rd-person games I do like, such as "Draken: The Ancients' Gates", but it's great that Oblivion also gives one the option to do either depending on the circumstances. 1:47 - Lol, I posted the above before watching, turns out you had the same conclusions. :D So many things you cited are why I like the game; the music, flexibility of the mechanics, freedom of play and decision making, etc. Indeed, modern games are far too on rails and focus too much on visual bells and whistles rather than functional immersion. David, I think you would find this old article interesting as it echoes some of the things you covered: www.sgidepot.co.uk/reflections.txt I recently started playing Witcher 3 WH and I do like it, especially the visuals which are superb, but somehow it's missing something compared to Oblivion.
I'm currently playing through Oblivion on the Series X. With the boost in resolution, FPS Boost, and Auto HDR it feels like a brand new experience on my OLED.
Obviously the graphics are objectively not as nice, but I really enjoyed that aesthetic of the time before everything was super shiny. It has a really nice organic feel to it.
agreed its an absolute classic. I always felt skyrim was a worse game. OK it looks quite rough around the edges now but install a few mods and its still good
Hi Dave. Im also a long time Oblivion enjoyer. If it's not too much trouble, would you be able to post your mod list? I've had so much trouble trying to remove stuttering and maintaining 60 fps.
I'll have to take another look at it and see because I forgot some of them. I was also thinking of making an updated 2022 mod list. One mod that I do use is called one tweak which I use to make the game extend across all three of my monitors. Pretty fun and immersive.
You will also want to install OBL Mod Limit Fix: www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/50066 Raises the plugin limit to 255 from around 200 plugins and makes the game more stable.
I just don’t like the scaling, because I like to grind and be overpowered. But I spent a lot of my younger years playing this game! It’s definitely fun!
The scaling isn't fun for sure because you never feel like you are getting stronger if you just play it casually. And never make a non combat ability a major ability. Combat will get too hard and you won't be stronger.
This is why I don't enjoy oblivion whenever I try it, whenever I try to dig into one of the other systems and try to enjoy them it punishes me to the point of eventually not being able to play.
My honest opinion is that I prefer oblivion combat and story and most aspects of the atmosphere but Skyrim i like also because of building a house and being able to do stuff like that. I hope once es6 is out they combine the best features of both Skyrim and oblivion and make a incredible game. I would like the more guilds and stuff to do and the arena to return. Or maybe a dlc that is like 40 dollars that adds cyrodil and Skyrim to explore, unless the game takes place in one of those places
I downloaded Oblivion and I am having a technical problem, the game is constantly pausing whenever I am in combat. The game will run normally in open world, but the second an enemy loads into view, my computer HD starts loading something loud, the game pauses for a second. If I am in combat, this pause takes place shortly after my first swing, and last maybe a second long. Usually this is followed by a SECOND pause a few seconds later, this time the pause is longer. I installed 4k Ram Patch and Stutter Remover, and still, I can't play without my computer freezing. any tips?
Try deleting the mods, & reinstalling. Or disable one at a time, & see which one, if any might be causing the issue. I'm only 6 months late, & you've probably long since fixed it. Lol
bought it on PS3, thought I'"d use this opportunity FINALLY finish the story. I stopped at Kvatch, as usual. Actually I want a bit farther than usual this time, when you accompany the heir on horse back to the monastery, I stopped after we arrived. I dunno what but there is something about oblivion that just doesn't click with me. Even when modded, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't spend 3 digits hours on modded oblivion.
I kinda wish they had stuck to the old lore about the environment of Cyrodiil and its culture, the way it turned out seemed too generic fantasy. But Oblivion was still tons of fun!
I would also encourage people to play the previous game, Morrowind. If you can look past the graphics and some outdated gameplay mechanics, Morrowind provides lots of fun. It's still got the best story in the TES series to date.
The graphics can be much improved with the latest overhaul mod. I still think the game play is okay but the micro combat can be tedious at low levels. I think part of the fun of Morrowind is breaking the game too.
Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but the link with the code does not work for me. I click it, and it opens a page offering to get Oblivion for free if I get Prime membership. No code to copy and paste. Edit: nevermind, I've just signed up for the free trial and got the code.
I'm that odd man who likes to play Daggerfall. And I was even not born when Daggerfall launched, but I like Oblivion since it was my first Elder Scrolls
exp in mercantile gains every time you sell, no matter if you sell 1 item or 100 stacked items, you gain the same experiencie. well thats a big screw.up
I've never bothered to level mercantile in any ES game. It's usually a dead skill in the base game. That being said I find it funny that there is a mod that makes it easier to sell arrows one at a time to level mercantile.
After The Legend of Zelda: OoT Oblivion is pretty much my favorite game of all time, I mean I like Mech games like from the 90s and early 00s but still. I remember kids talking about it at school, got it when the expansions were coming out, both were amazing. :) P.S. For me at least Knights of the Nine is an expansion, same thing with a couple of the Fallout: New Vegas stuff, not much since that sadly.
The problem with oblivion is the most effective way to play is, get the shield of chorrol with damage reflect and level restoration/constitution then you only need to wave arround your weapon and heal if needed while the enemies kill themself while hitting you. Then you also need to install a mod overhaul against that terrible level scaling and hundreds of other mods to make the world look better especially the cities. But then the dungeon design is still very repeative thats one of the few things they did a lot better in skyrim. And then I remember Oblivion doesnt have levitation and no boots of blinding speed and those annoying npcs which cant die and I remember why Morrowind was better. Also without mods you get inferior legendary item versions depending on your level which either incents you to level to 30 first before doing quests or you have to install a mod which gives you the best version at any level or else you will have an inferior version for the rest of the playthrough.
I don't know what game you were playing in Skyrim just about every dungeon was the same. It's either drauger dungeon, animal dungeon or the rare dwemer dungeon. And once you saw one of each of those you've seen them all.
@@jamesfitzgerald1684 The dungeons in skyrim looked a lot more handcrafted and unique compared to those in Oblivion. Blackreach is prolly the best example but there were enough other dungeons with different layouts. Most cave dungeons in oblivion looked like they were copy and pasted.
Then after you install all those city and landscape mods, your fps drips to 15-20 fps and your game crashes alot because the game engin is held together by shoe strings and bubblegum.
@@_Luluko_ that is because there was only one person designing all the dungeons on Oblivion. Imagine having to design 100+ dungeons on a limited time frame. He had to make shortcuts to make the deadline
@@theicedevil that might be but dungeons are a big part of the game world and thats one of the reasons why I am not really inclined to replay Oblivion. Even tho I prefer having attributes and more skills/spellmaking and better guilds.
I find it easy. Just make sure swords is one of your major skills. Otherwise you're f**ked. Using a glitch to increase endurance helps. All you need is a ring "fortify endurance", & make a copy. Put one on, & click on a scroll "2" & drop the unequipted one. & you'll still have the bonus endurance, & can free up a ring slot.
2025 apparently. But I find the whole project a bit weird. Should have just worked on visual mods for what is at the core the same engine, imo, since Skyrim has worse gameplay in every respect and Oblivion is only a few years older.
I like the random conversations. Skyrim, all I hear are the same 3 voice lines over, & over. Can't tell you how many times I've been told. "I don't claim to be the best blacksmith in town"
@@DVSPress nice nice. How’s the Ponto BAHA doing? I recently just got the ponto 5 mini. Works well although it sticks out of my head more than I’d like it too lol
Not completely disagreeing with you (and i'm saying this as a morrowind fanboy too) but I honestly think Oblivion is the best one because it a. doesn't have the clunk, grind & tedium of Morrowind and b. it's way way way WAY more fleshed out than Skyrim ever will be. I'll admit though, as well thought out as oblivion is, nothing will ever come close to the experience of finding the scroll of icarian flight for the first time.
Oblivion was never good and is imo top 3 worst games of all time, battling Fallout 3 for the no. 1 spot. Thinking about the god awful main quest still gives me migraines, just like I had when playing through it so many years ago (worst headache of my life was induced by Oblivion). Daggerfall and Morrowind on the other hand - those are timeless classics.
Daggerfall: I can't look down at the rat that's killing me.
Morrowind: I can't hit the rat.
Oblivion: I got level 100 sneak from a rat.
Skyrim: What's a rat?
😂👌🏾
I've always preferred Oblivion to Skyrim, and I love Skyrim but the look in Oblivion is much better, plus the story and those towers
Same I also like the story line and mechanics better
I know that controversial considering the weird leveling system but I feel like it’s so much better than the gutted leveling system in Skyrim
Not to mention, the one thing that annoys me the more I play skyrim is that the story is purely built around the dragon born. It's such an awesome feeling having shouts and being the most powerful person in the world, but oblivion was more grounded. Even by the end of the main quest line, you were just another soldier apart of the blades that helped Martin septim save the world, you are looked at as a hero, but you weren't the main Hero in the story. As for the rest of the side quests, you aren't pushed to be the leader in all of the factions. You can just be a regular guy who helped save the world from the oblivion crisis and you can just plod around, maybe make some coin throwing yourself out in the arena, or maybe not risking your skin and gambling or just travelling, collecting and trading to buy an established home. I always felt more attached to oblivion and was more invested in my character as I felt like I had more control over what my destiny was going to be. My first playthrough, I broke the code of conduct for nearly every faction, was kicked out, but instead of trying to work my way back into the guilds, even though it was an option, I looked at other alternatives to make an honest living after throwing the towel in and just enjoying the world. Skyrim feels alot more narrow in terms of where you stand in the world, like the companion quest I started as I didn't want to become the big overpowered dragon born and wanted to just be a hired blade. 3 hours later, I'm literally the leader and half the guild are still calling me the new guy and it really just broke the immersion I had from oblivion and realised skyrim, whilst still being good, was never going to top those moments I had for around 5 years playing oblivion.
"By Azura, by Azura, by Azura! It's the Grand Champion! I can't believe it's you! Standing here! Next to me!"
I love playing Oblivion. My current play through I’m level 19 and haven’t started the main quest yet.
I’ve never stopped playing this game!
A must play for not only any true RPG fan, but for any true video game fan overall, for sure. A classic.
Oblivion is just so comfy.
Funny thing, I first found your channel through that optimized leveling guide that you did for Oblivion. Despite starting out with Morrowind this is my favorite TES game. I'd spend hours crafting potions and poisons, naming them and applying them to my weapons for the first time. I really appreciated the ability to cast spells seamlessly while wielding weapons too, because it really opened up build diversity and those same hybrid builds are now pretty clunky to play with in Skyrim. The Radiant AI system had its flaws but the NPCs in this game seemed the most realistic to me out of all the TES games - it's fun listening in on their conversations and watching them just go about their daily lives.
That's how I found the channel as well! The leveling system took me a sec to master so I just listened to the video on repeat until it clicked. This will also be one of my favorites! The world just keeps turning whether you're there or not which makes discovery that much more rewarding
"Funny thing, I first found your channel through that optimized leveling guide that you did for Oblivion."
Same here. David Stewart taught me how to efficient level. I'm currently on a " No Magic " run with a Redguard.
I’ve always enjoyed the art design in Oblivion. From the look of the goblins to the armor and weapons. The character faces and over-world aren’t nearly as refined as they would become in Skyrim, I still prefer Oblivion. Can’t wait for Skyblivion that team is doing a great job with that project.
Thanks for the heads-up David! Alot of great memories playing Oblivion.
One of my favorite games I've ever played. An expierence I won't soon forget.
Totally agree with Oblivion having the best soundtrack! It transports your emotional paradigm to a different realm. Phenomenal!
I think a big part of it is that he uses horn and clarinet extensively - both of those are instruments you only hear via sound reflections. They have a distant, nostalgic quality.
Danngit david , I think i might have to run another playthrough of this amazing game once more. With the right mods this game has my heart. Everything to the enemies and the look of the world just looks so good for a medieval sword an sorcery game.
replaying this game in 2024, i aim to complete the game without lowering difficulty slider (as i did in 2007), using your suggestion to designate the skills i have to go out of my way to level as major, writing down skill level at start of level and just playing the game as i want to til im rdy to level has got me to level 7 so far with no problems, and by azura this is still a treasure of a game
I bought GOTY edition years ago on steam, knowing I'd get a windows machine to run it someday. I started a new playthrough recently, and I fall in love with the game every time.
I just picked it up because there was a sale. My Windows 10 won't play it without stuttering, especially during combat, there is always a 1-2 second pause. Now I am trying to fix this with mods lol.
@@phonepunk7888 Ahh yes, a bunch of amateur hobbyists are definitely going to "fix" issues that a professional development team could not.
I fail to understand this line of reasoning. Then again, there are those of you who try to lick your own elbows.
It might sound strange but I feel like Oblivion's aesthetic has aged better than vanilla Skyrim. From the colors palette to the beautiful UI. Skyblivion will be out someday and I can only hope it manages to capture Oblivion's feeling. I have my doubts sometimes. These days when I play Oblivion I only plop on a light enb and go. Skyrim takes days for me to get it where I want it to be visually.
If you guys end up playing again sometime I would recommend Oscuro's to make the loot like Morrowinds. Unique landscapes to add some more variety to the overworld and OblivionXP updated to give your leveling experience some freshness over Oblivion's weakest system, the leveling.
Oblivion was my first ES game, despite it being messy in many areas it just has a charm that Skyrim will never match. I’ll concede that in many ways Morrowind is the better game but something about Oblivion is just wonderful.
Also, Elden Ring is a great experience if you’re into dark fantasy. Not usually a big FromSoftware guy but it’s got me hooked.
I need to replay Oblivion because I can't get rid of the vampire glitch, I can't give the Bloodgrass to the witch for the cure, the dialogue box just repeats itself.
I always played oblivion every year. I recently was able to get a computer good enough for Skyrim so that’s my jam now. I like the crafting in Skyrim better.
Crafting plus enchanting is super overpowered, since you can put double enchants on all of your dragon bone armor.
@@DVSPress In Skyrim there is a hard cap of 85% on armor rating, so you can temper armor to have 9999 damage resistance but the game will only recognize up to around 650 damage resistance no matter how high you temper your armor. So you can never make yourself invisible. Also, armor resistances have no resistances to spell, only physical attacks.
However, this is not the case with weapons tempering. There is not cap on damage, so you can pretty much craft a weapon that can kill everything with one hit, if you know how to expiate the crafting systems and are not using the Unofficial Patch mod. The restoration potion glitch is the most game breaking exploit in the game.
Another big leveling exploit is using the telekinesis spell and then fast traveling across the map to quickly level your Alteration skill. Also, resetting shops inventories and gold by saving, then attacking the merchant and then reloading that last save.
"If you ain't cheating, you ain't trying"
This game definitely rewards exploration and experimentation which is probably why I grew to enjoy gaming so much not to mention that incredible score!
My favorite way to stack magic effects was to play as a Breton (+50% passive magic resistance) and get the Mundane Ring scaled at a high level (also +50% magic resistance). All spells become completely ineffective against you.
I always choose Breton, I just can't let go of that magic resistance!
If you do that the game becomes very boring
Great video. Oblivion is my favorite elder scrolls game. More than any other entry it gives me a feeling of pure fantasy genre wonder.
Man thanks a lot for letting me know. Sweet. I have this on console but the console isn't plugged in. I love morrowind, really like skyrim and don't care much for oblivion but I'll give it another shot
Oblivion's Mage guild was so much better than Skyrim. I actually felt like I earned my way into an elite club.
Auriel’s Ascension is the best music theme in the series
Oblivion is my favourite TES game. It was also the first one I played, circa 2010 or so, and I distinctly remember swimming across Lake Rumare for the first time to stumble upon an inn. The NPCs inside were having three simultaneous conversations, and I was stunned, deafened by the cacophony. I'd never seen anything like it. It felt _real._ But what truly cemented this as a fantastic game in my mind was last year, when I was making sure a modpack works. I made a few test characters, default Imperials, to make sure things were working fine. The NPCs were friendly, everything was great. Then, when I was getting ready for my playthrough, I made my proper Breton (always played Breton even before I found out they're very good) and everyone was indifferent to me. Why? Because I'd been an Imperial with high Personality, and now I was a Breton with terrible Personality. Turns out this RPG is actually an RPG, and your stats do matter.
Oblivion is great. I love that I can buff Speed and run faster than a horse, or fortify Acrobatics and start jumping 10 metres up. Putting points into an attribute and seeing the results makes you feel like you're developing, and having magic bound to a button is both worse and infinitely better than the way Skyrim does it. Having one voice actor per race is also much better than Skyrim, where the "sleazy merchant guy" voice belongs to an Imperial in the first village and a Breton in the next town over. Besides, the actors are fantastic. I cound never imagine an elf that doesn't sound like every elf in Oblivion. And as for the infamous radiant conversations, whilst they are funny, you have to admit the sheer ambition that went into developing these systems, into thinking they could pull it off.
Mods are exquisite too. Expanded Cities is fantastic, though it tanks my performance like nothing else; and there are so many mods with so much content that it's absolutely insane. All you _need,_ however, is Ultimate Levelling. Download that thing, configure it to use the standard levelling procedure, but force it to give you 11 attribute points per level (For bonus points, house-rule yourself to a +5/+5/+1 split every time you level). You can now enjoy your major skills properly, and just have fun with the game. XP systems do not belong in TES, if you ask me. Another personal favourite is the underrated "Arena Grand Champion manor" mod, which gives you a house in the Arena District after beating the Arena. It's a very cozy place, and you can't imagine how good it is to have a house in the middle of the city, a stone's throw away from the Market district. (I was doing a no fast travel run. Also great fun.) Ooh, and the hotkey mod (Enhanced Hotkeys)! No other game does hotkeys as well as this hotkey mod. Moving to Skyrim, which lacks Enhanced Hotkeys, was a real pain.
I admit that Skyrim is fun, and it is a good game, though terribly simplified and hardly even an RPG; and I did put in quite a bit of time, for the first time since 2011, into a (modded) playthrough of it last year, and had a great time. And I also admit that Morrowind is probably an objectively better game (though alas, I can't run it on my laptop at more than 10 FPS as it refuses to recognise my discrete GPU; should probably try OpenMW). But Oblivion hits the sweet spot of being "just right" in most things it tries to do. And much like is the case with "Dark Messiah of Might and Magic", it's very, very unfortunate that there aren't any other games that can scratch this particular itch.
When I make my big money and found a game dev company on the side, the only pitch I'll offer is "a perfected Oblivion". Those who know will know exactly what I mean and what I want.
I'm actually still playing it. :D And I love the fact that it doesn't need a net link to run. Looks wonderful with relevant mods. I find the side quests way more interesting though than the main plot line, haven't even opened any Oblivion gates yet, I prefer to explore the lands, do oddjob quests, roam the ruins & forts, etc.
Skyrim obviously has the newer visuals but from what I've read and heard, it also has dumbed down mechanics compared to Oblivion, just as Oblivion did vs. Morrowind. I reckon Oblivion has the balance about right, a notion supported by LGR's take on how these games compare.
I've watched a bunch of Elden Ring gameplay, just can't get with the 3rd person view, the animations look weird, way too much solid things phasing through other things, the movements have a strange jerkyness, people doing endless forward rolls, etc. I prefer Oblivion's 1st-person's sense of actually being there. Some 3rd-person games I do like, such as "Draken: The Ancients' Gates", but it's great that Oblivion also gives one the option to do either depending on the circumstances.
1:47 - Lol, I posted the above before watching, turns out you had the same conclusions. :D So many things you cited are why I like the game; the music, flexibility of the mechanics, freedom of play and decision making, etc. Indeed, modern games are far too on rails and focus too much on visual bells and whistles rather than functional immersion.
David, I think you would find this old article interesting as it echoes some of the things you covered: www.sgidepot.co.uk/reflections.txt
I recently started playing Witcher 3 WH and I do like it, especially the visuals which are superb, but somehow it's missing something compared to Oblivion.
I'm currently playing through Oblivion on the Series X. With the boost in resolution, FPS Boost, and Auto HDR it feels like a brand new experience on my OLED.
Obviously the graphics are objectively not as nice, but I really enjoyed that aesthetic of the time before everything was super shiny. It has a really nice organic feel to it.
I don't play most games today for the graphics. I play for the atmosphere, ambience and gameplay. Games that excel at that get my attention the most.
"Everything looks like a memory" i think that is a good summary, nice.
All I did for about a month after graduating high school was eat gummy bears and play Oblivion.
agreed its an absolute classic. I always felt skyrim was a worse game. OK it looks quite rough around the edges now but install a few mods and its still good
Shivering Isles was definitely the best DLC of all time
Hi Dave. Im also a long time Oblivion enjoyer. If it's not too much trouble, would you be able to post your mod list? I've had so much trouble trying to remove stuttering and maintaining 60 fps.
I'll have to take another look at it and see because I forgot some of them. I was also thinking of making an updated 2022 mod list.
One mod that I do use is called one tweak which I use to make the game extend across all three of my monitors. Pretty fun and immersive.
You will also want to install
OBL Mod Limit Fix: www.nexusmods.com/oblivion/mods/50066
Raises the plugin limit to 255 from around 200 plugins and makes the game more stable.
I just don’t like the scaling, because I like to grind and be overpowered. But I spent a lot of my younger years playing this game! It’s definitely fun!
The scaling isn't fun for sure because you never feel like you are getting stronger if you just play it casually. And never make a non combat ability a major ability. Combat will get too hard and you won't be stronger.
This is why I don't enjoy oblivion whenever I try it, whenever I try to dig into one of the other systems and try to enjoy them it punishes me to the point of eventually not being able to play.
@@dbelow_1556 Same. The leveling system is what made the game suck for me
My honest opinion is that I prefer oblivion combat and story and most aspects of the atmosphere but Skyrim i like also because of building a house and being able to do stuff like that. I hope once es6 is out they combine the best features of both Skyrim and oblivion and make a incredible game. I would like the more guilds and stuff to do and the arena to return. Or maybe a dlc that is like 40 dollars that adds cyrodil and Skyrim to explore, unless the game takes place in one of those places
Is this game as cozy as it seems? I miss the feeling that only skyrim and witcher 3 gave me
It has much more potential for low tension if that's what you mean. More calming aesthetic and feeling.
"Because I said so!" - lol
You should start a video segment titled and themed with that.
I downloaded Oblivion and I am having a technical problem, the game is constantly pausing whenever I am in combat. The game will run normally in open world, but the second an enemy loads into view, my computer HD starts loading something loud, the game pauses for a second. If I am in combat, this pause takes place shortly after my first swing, and last maybe a second long. Usually this is followed by a SECOND pause a few seconds later, this time the pause is longer. I installed 4k Ram Patch and Stutter Remover, and still, I can't play without my computer freezing. any tips?
Try deleting the mods, & reinstalling. Or disable one at a time, & see which one, if any might be causing the issue. I'm only 6 months late, & you've probably long since fixed it. Lol
How do you get the black bars with widescreen?
Is it because of an ENB?
I play on an ultra wide monitor
bought it on PS3, thought I'"d use this opportunity FINALLY finish the story.
I stopped at Kvatch, as usual. Actually I want a bit farther than usual this time, when you accompany the heir on horse back to the monastery, I stopped after we arrived.
I dunno what but there is something about oblivion that just doesn't click with me. Even when modded, although I'd be lying if I said I didn't spend 3 digits hours on modded oblivion.
I kinda wish they had stuck to the old lore about the environment of Cyrodiil and its culture, the way it turned out seemed too generic fantasy. But Oblivion was still tons of fun!
I would also encourage people to play the previous game, Morrowind. If you can look past the graphics and some outdated gameplay mechanics, Morrowind provides lots of fun. It's still got the best story in the TES series to date.
The graphics can be much improved with the latest overhaul mod. I still think the game play is okay but the micro combat can be tedious at low levels.
I think part of the fun of Morrowind is breaking the game too.
Maybe I'm doing something wrong, but the link with the code does not work for me. I click it, and it opens a page offering to get Oblivion for free if I get Prime membership. No code to copy and paste.
Edit: nevermind, I've just signed up for the free trial and got the code.
It's so good. Way better than Skyrim.
I'm that odd man who likes to play Daggerfall.
And I was even not born when Daggerfall launched, but I like Oblivion since it was my first Elder Scrolls
Daggerfall is rad but I get tired of it quickly.
@@DVSPress It's fair to get tired of it, because it is way too ambitious and very large and long. The Early game is very painful for an Example.
Hello!
I saw a mudcrab the other day. Terrible creatures.
Any news from the other provinces?
...Goodbye.
Haha, everybody always has a hitch in their brain remembering the counterpart to Mania, Demntia. Depression is a fitting replacement though.
Characters are so fun in oblivion
I just had a blast playing Oblivion a week ago :D
link does not seem to work for the free game...
was only for that month.
@@DVSPress thanks, I was not aware of the gaming side of prime, useful vid for that
exp in mercantile gains every time you sell, no matter if you sell 1 item or 100 stacked items, you gain the same experiencie. well thats a big screw.up
I've never bothered to level mercantile in any ES game. It's usually a dead skill in the base game.
That being said I find it funny that there is a mod that makes it easier to sell arrows one at a time to level mercantile.
I love this game
After The Legend of Zelda: OoT Oblivion is pretty much my favorite game of all time, I mean I like Mech games like from the 90s and early 00s but still.
I remember kids talking about it at school, got it when the expansions were coming out, both were amazing. :)
P.S. For me at least Knights of the Nine is an expansion, same thing with a couple of the Fallout: New Vegas stuff, not much since that sadly.
I like mech games, too. Mechwarrior 2 is abandonware now, btw, so it can be played for free.
I play Oblivion on Xbox and while I can't access mods it's one of my favorite games of all time.
The amount of different enemies in Oblivion I think is way better than Skyrim. Drauger, bandits, falmer, constructs.
Last time I played Skyrim it was with a mod that added something like 20 additional enemies from Oblivion. Really nice to have the variety.
The problem with oblivion is the most effective way to play is, get the shield of chorrol with damage reflect and level restoration/constitution then you only need to wave arround your weapon and heal if needed while the enemies kill themself while hitting you. Then you also need to install a mod overhaul against that terrible level scaling and hundreds of other mods to make the world look better especially the cities. But then the dungeon design is still very repeative thats one of the few things they did a lot better in skyrim. And then I remember Oblivion doesnt have levitation and no boots of blinding speed and those annoying npcs which cant die and I remember why Morrowind was better. Also without mods you get inferior legendary item versions depending on your level which either incents you to level to 30 first before doing quests or you have to install a mod which gives you the best version at any level or else you will have an inferior version for the rest of the playthrough.
I don't know what game you were playing in Skyrim just about every dungeon was the same. It's either drauger dungeon, animal dungeon or the rare dwemer dungeon. And once you saw one of each of those you've seen them all.
@@jamesfitzgerald1684 The dungeons in skyrim looked a lot more handcrafted and unique compared to those in Oblivion. Blackreach is prolly the best example but there were enough other dungeons with different layouts. Most cave dungeons in oblivion looked like they were copy and pasted.
Then after you install all those city and landscape mods, your fps drips to 15-20 fps and your game crashes alot because the game engin is held together by shoe strings and bubblegum.
@@_Luluko_ that is because there was only one person designing all the dungeons on Oblivion. Imagine having to design 100+ dungeons on a limited time frame. He had to make shortcuts to make the deadline
@@theicedevil that might be but dungeons are a big part of the game world and thats one of the reasons why I am not really inclined to replay Oblivion. Even tho I prefer having attributes and more skills/spellmaking and better guilds.
Oblivion is the best elder scrolls game.
My favorite game of all time
This is a bunch of fishpaste! Everyone knows Arena is the ultimate Elder Scrolls game!
Good video though.
Wonderful! Time for a celebration! Cheese! For everyone!
When I get tired of Elden Ring I'll probably play oblivion again
Already gotten tired of it.
I feel like oblivion is all rolling hills and trees. Not enough environment variety for me
The leveling system reminds me why I play oblivion for a few hours and delete it every time.
I find it easy. Just make sure swords is one of your major skills. Otherwise you're f**ked. Using a glitch to increase endurance helps. All you need is a ring "fortify endurance", & make a copy. Put one on, & click on a scroll "2" & drop the unequipted one. & you'll still have the bonus endurance, & can free up a ring slot.
Waiting for Skyblivion
2025 apparently.
But I find the whole project a bit weird. Should have just worked on visual mods for what is at the core the same engine, imo, since Skyrim has worse gameplay in every respect and Oblivion is only a few years older.
And yet 90% of the people who have heard of oblivion only know about it from stupid memes about npcs
I like the random conversations. Skyrim, all I hear are the same 3 voice lines over, & over. Can't tell you how many times I've been told. "I don't claim to be the best blacksmith in town"
Have you played Elden Ring yet?
I haven't but I see all my friends playing it on PC right now.
My computer is kind of old so I was thinking of getting it for PS5
@@DVSPress nice nice. How’s the Ponto BAHA doing? I recently just got the ponto 5 mini. Works well although it sticks out of my head more than I’d like it too lol
It's still working well, though I really need to get a conventional aid for my other ear now.
Best way to play oblivion is not to level
I'm level 46, & am having no problem ki**ing anyone. I do get silenced every 10 seconds though. Gets annoying fast.
If you love Oblivion OST by Jeremy S., then you will LOVE the OST to Odin Sphere.
Hell, you should PLAY Odin's Sphere.
I really like Odin sphere! I had a lot of fun playing it on my Vita
@@DVSPress Well, I consider this a win. Will be tracking the PS2 original myself (PAL, since I don't want to deal with slowdowns).
Morrowind was the best game. They changed too much in newer titles, for the worse imho.
Not completely disagreeing with you (and i'm saying this as a morrowind fanboy too) but I honestly think Oblivion is the best one because it a. doesn't have the clunk, grind & tedium of Morrowind and b. it's way way way WAY more fleshed out than Skyrim ever will be. I'll admit though, as well thought out as oblivion is, nothing will ever come close to the experience of finding the scroll of icarian flight for the first time.
I just can't play a game with such a sucky level and difficulty system.
You forgot the most important mods of all: bewbies.
Skyrim has all the good boob mods.
Oblivion was never good and is imo top 3 worst games of all time, battling Fallout 3 for the no. 1 spot.
Thinking about the god awful main quest still gives me migraines, just like I had when playing through it so many years ago (worst headache of my life was induced by Oblivion).
Daggerfall and Morrowind on the other hand - those are timeless classics.
In the top 3 worst games of all time? nice b8 m8