After nearly a decade-long pause, I’m finally playing The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion again. I’m actually going to beat it this time, too!
Back when I was obsessively playing Skyrim, I remember thinking that Oblivion was still better. I couldn’t remember exactly why it was, but I felt very strongly about that fact. Now that I’m back into Oblivion, it’s easy to see why. Oblivion is beautiful. Skyrim is epic in a Game of Thrones tribute to the north kind of way, but it gets dreary and boring. Even the later generation graphics don’t quite save it by comparison. The placement of villages and overall map structures in Oblivion make sense, and don’t feel packed in like Skyrim’s do. Oblivion feels smaller, but that’s okay, because the cities, towns, caves and other areas resonate with the mood of the game.
I never finished Oblivion back when I first played it largely because my game got bugged inside the oblivion gates. My incredibly powerful alchemist made potions to walk across the lava in the oblivion areas to reduce travel time. I thought I was being clever by sidestepping one of the more boring areas of the game, but I ended up bugging the gates, and treasure chests weren’t populating along with other issues.
I have other games I intend to finish soon, so my current Oblivion playthrough is more of a casual speedrun. I’m having fun, and this time around I’m not taking any shortcuts.