You know, I usually don't have any problems going backwards in my favorite game franchises. I still play final fantasy 7 and 8, 10, and 12. I still play Morrowind, and I played it even while I had Oblivion. I still play Total War all the way back to Rome and M2, and I still play civilization as old as civ 2 (and certainly 4). I play Ocarina of Time, Wind Waker, and Twilight Princess.

I am a total retro gamer. However, I usually spend the bulk of my time playing the most recent 1 or 2 versions of each game. For TW, I play mostly Shogun 2, with some Empire mixed in.

But Oblivion... oh man Oblivion. I just can't do it! Skyrim has so blown Oblivion out of the water in every conceivable way (except maybe the menu and journal interfaces... sigh) that I just can't even play it! I tried! I can't! I have no problems with Morrowind. In fact, the more I play MW, the more I notice how very similar it is to Skyrim. The environment, even the sound track are http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1258794-i-hear-that-morrowind-music/. I'm starting to realize more and more that the Morrowind soundtrack has either been remastered and included in Skyrim, or is just copied directly over in some cases.

So, somehow Skyrim has managed to crowd out Oblivion completely, and has brought back so much of the things I loved about Morrowind. I really... really love that. And I'm shocked at the same time.

Pure vanilla Oblivion is unplayable. Only way it is worth playing is with OOO mod (Oscuro Oblivion Overhaul)

I agree completely.

Fully agree. I hope they fix a few of the annoying things with patches, then it'll last for years surely.

Not to mention possible (probable) expansions and DLC - I'm not one for user made content. I feel it's a little game breaking at times, aside from graphical improvements.

I agree, but maybe the Oblivion Improved Mod would help you ( for the german version)

I'd go backwards if CTDblivion would stop CTDing.

Varus

Except for levitation--I had a lot of fun using that skill. But I agree with the rest of your post--this game is fantastic!

I still prefer modded Oblivion to Skyrim. But yes... it would be hard for me to go back to vanllia Oblivion now.

I fully agree. I honestly couldn't get very into Oblivion when it came out anyway. Despite its prettiness, I just couldn't overlook its flaws. And the setting was very bland and uninspiring to me, coming from Morrowind. I agree about Skyrim recapturing some of Morrowind's feel. For me it's that sense of wonder and the burning desire to explore every nook and cranny. And yes I noticed several songs that sounded like they were from Morrowind. But I compared them and it sounds like they were revamped for Skyrim. But still, good choice I say, because that music was great.

I never played MW, but when I played Ob for the first time I was up for 3 days shutting down gates.

I can still play it, I have an affinity for daedra.

I agree entirely. Skyrim has reignited my passion for The Elder Scrolls. I don't think I've ever been as disappointed in a game as Oblivion. Skyrim sticks to and builds on the TES lore and has a handcrafted world that rewards exploration, and at the end of the day that's what made Morrowind so amazing. The random procedurally generated worlds of Daggerfall and Oblivion don't hold a candle to it.

My issue with Oblivion was the Oblivion gates. Not only were they extremely repetitive, but they didn't make sense story wise. After the emperor is killed, hellgates open up all across the land. However, everyone is just going about their daily lives, and despite the fact that there are wide open gates to Oblivion all over the place, the Daedra aren't invading and killing the townsfolk? It was just so jarring to walk through a picturesque meadow with a big red Oblivion gate just chilling in the middle of it.

I feel like Oblivion was very much focused on the technology, and the story and gameplay took a back seat. With Skyrim, Bethesda already knew what they could do with the tech, so they could focus on the actual game.

I'll be skipping Oblivion and go straight back to Morrowind.

yeah, I can't see myself playing Oblivion for a LONG time.

I completely agree, there should have been an actual invasion going on. But I guess something like that would have been too hard for the engine. I still remember the underwhelmingness that was the Battle of Bruma (Martin: "We need the men from all the cities in Cyrodiil to fight a huge invasion force of Daedra." Me: Woo! Epic battle time!" Reality: 10 idiots (with a heavy armor decked out Martin waving a flimsy dagger) versus like 7 Daedra (yes they kept coming, but there were no more than like 7 on screen at a time)

On a somewhat related note, did anyone else notice that Oblivion is currently outselling MW3 on Steam?

I guess due to the success of Skyrim, a lot of people will be going back and playing Oblivion...

LOL, MW3 must be the biggest flop for a while then!

Hate that horrid series.