I begun by playing Skyrim and I loved it and still do to a degree, but playing Oblivion I've noticed two unique quests from get-go, a town that has turned invisible and also fighting trolls in a painting. These stood out to me, minor they may be, but they really feel more unique, a honourable mention to the quest given to ya by the Merchant's Society.

Skyrim really lacks these, Fallout 3 managed to do it too, so why is it Skyrim lack this to such a degree?

Probably because bethesda thinks that randomly generated quests can replace the unique ones easily. After all, they're even more unique right? Not really, they're so tedious that the novelty wears off after 2 of them.

Probably for the same reason faction questlines are so lacking. Maybe they spent too much time trying (and failing) to make a super awesome main storyline around dragons.

For such an ambitious project made by such a big and resourceful studio, it's a shame the quests are so uninspired. Hire some good writers, Bethesda! Oblivion had better stand out quests.

I have to agree, I honestly expected much better after Oblivion's DB and Shivering Isles quests.

Hmm... I thought the Forsworn Conspiracy and Queen Potema quests were pretty unique. Sure there are a lot of minor quests that seem like "fetch this and I give you coin," but at least the dungeons aren't as cut-and-paste as Oblivion.

See that's the problem, they're too many fetch quests, whereas two or three mentioned above, they were just ones I found wandering, more of those would have been better.

Skyrim = style over substance.

^This, Unfortunately. I agree that there is lack of unique quests in Skyrim. Iit seems like they added a lot of radiant quests which is alright but not in lieu of unique and wholesome quests.

For example the radiant quests for the thieves guild and companions. its either go to place X and steal Y or go to place X and Kill Y. Thats gets old after awhile. I can't help but feel like the addition of many more radiant quests is a cop out for well thought out content.

I guess they just didn't have time..

Indeed. I can at least remember in Oblivion many of the quests, like going into the painting, killing the goblins outside a village, etc.

So I'm the only one that gets all into the mini quests that pop up in Nordic ruins from time to time, with journals and notes telling the events from the writers POV that occured from previous eras.. I just completed a ruin with a quest about people battling a cult from the FIRST era. I save all the journals, books, notes from all my journeys. These stories are interesting. As for uniquity, Oblivion has empty bland ass dungeons with no reason to really explore them. Yeah Alaswell for forever stand out as one of the first INTRIGUING quests that game has to offer, but the same can be said about Vilverin, but nothing else after that. For Skyrim, everywhere I've gone I felt I have no wasted my time. There has always been some kind of HISTORY to these places.

I provided two examples, and the lore is best part, but dungeons get dull really quickly, most unique I saw were Eldergleam Sactuary, Dogfighting Pit, snd sunken cove place. As for Dwemer ruins, some are awesome, others are meh. I'm talking about non-dungeons and they're actually interesting.

Damn I forgot about that troll painting quest. That was cool.

Skyrim seems to be a lot less "magical"... by design. It's made to feel gritty. I think the invisible town and the painting quest were fun, and fit the mood of their games, but either would be really out of place in Skyrim.

I thought the "trolls in a painting" quests of Oblivion was rather childish, but I guess it needs to have a wild imagination in the first place to like it.

Skyrim does have at least one or two unique quests in it, not quite like the "trolls in a painting" quest.

Azura Star quest stood out to me now I mention it, but only the going into the blackstar not the actual dungeon which was actually rather interesting. What about the disappearing town sdack?

I remember an old movie, possibly in black&white which had it as its story and I watched it in the 70's. To me it was a remake of a remake ...

Better do not ask me. I think these quests are for younger players. They are good for your imagination.

I can remember so far from Skyrim the following:
There are likely more.

Edit:
I have found the movie "Brigadoon (1954)" http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0046807/

How about the Goblin war quest, where Cropsford ends up getting built?

I'm 34. I still liked it.

And no, I'm not exactly a infantile 34 year old either. I'd probably sound stupid if I tried to explain how "gritty" my real life can be sometimes, so I won't. Needless to say, I'm just a normal dude... who happens to like a quest in Oblivion. Nothing more.

Do not apologize. If I would tell you why exactly I do not like these quests then you would know who is the more stupid of us both. _{I do not like to be reminded of my time of substance abuse and these weird quests do just that.}

Heh. Maybe that's why I like them. I've been sober for years, but I have my own experience with all of that too.