The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is a reflective lens that highlights RPG evolution while proving the appeal of certain design philosophies.
Like a Mythic Dawn cultist popping out of a secret room to stab the Emperor in the back, a remaster of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has shown up out of nowhere, and it’s a dagger I’ve gladly thrown myself onto for over 80 hours (and counting) in less than a week. This Unreal-tinted glasses nostalgia trip modestly modernizes one of my all-time favorite open-world RPGs and had me teaming up with Sean Bean to close shut the jaws of Oblivion, helping the God of Madness with his, um, complicated mental health issues, rising to the top of every faction like I was angling to become Cyrodiil’s Valedictorian, and violating every single person’s personal space by getting way too close to them while talking.
This is the score I would give it too. A few QoL improvements and some much needed combat enhancements particularly for the camera allow it to be appreciated in the modern era. However the performance issues persist even on performance mode.
Are we just going to admit that bugs are a gameplay feature required for all Bethesda games, and therefore they won't get docked points for it?
Original designer Bruce Nesmith has admitted that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered's level scaling was a "mistake"
I do appreciate the changes to the levelling system in the remaster which lessens the hassle of min/max with regards to effects class skills have on attributes(missed these in Skyrim).
The level scaling is still a problem though as you end up with crappy uniques if you find them low level. They did fix this with regards to items from one of the DLCs but it should be across the board.
funny that you say that. That would make you the Titanic since you're having a crashout over this game performing well.
strange comment...Maybe it's the way you write or your intentions or something, but most of the time I don't understand your comments
With its heavy emphasis on environmental storytelling, Oblivion Remastered proves the original game's world is just as much a character as its NPCs.
"RPGs were defined by their humorous quirks and immersion-breaking bugs, as advancing"
No they weren't. Only Bethesda games were defined by this. It was a bad practice then and it's a bad practice now.
"Oblivion Remastered, then, effectively shines a light on the unique personality of classic RPGs by embracing its own quirks rather than dismissing them."
It's 2025, they should have fixed those 10 year old bugs. It's incompetence and being cheap.
"The bugs, the freedom, and the depth all still work because they still mean something. "
The game is broken and it isn't deep. This means that Bethesda can't or won't put out a quality product.