I loved Oblivion and played it mercilessly, but after Skyrim, it just looks and feels too primitive for me. Oh well, the times, they are a changing.

I don't see how this is bad. Why alienate a potential market to satisfy a niche group of gamers? Skyrim isn't some indie game coming out on steam for $20, it's a big budget franchise that cannot survive on PC sales alone. I'd even argue that PC is a much more inconsistent platform due to pirating, and although console games have similar problems with trading, or selling games (tbh this happens in every market, not just gaming) PC gaming has terrible piracy.

I guess my frame of mind is such that they're not making this game for me, they're making it for themselves as a career. Skyrim isn't like Metro 2033, or Crysis, games that are PC ass PC games (which have their own set of problems relating to hardware) it's a cross platform title.

Never said it was bad. Just stating facts.

So I just started another character in Oblivion, an Altmer mage with the mage birthsign. Major skills are Blade, Marksman, Illusion, Destruction, Mysticism, Acrobatics, and Mercantile. I am playing him as a "pure" mage, meaning no armor and no weapons but I took the Blade and Marksman as major skills for the bound weapons.

So far, it has been incredibly easy to "efficiently level" this character. I am sure I could just play it and be fine, but I do want maximum magicka and magicka regen for a mage, so I just have to keep track of the skills that relate to willpower and intelligence and make sure I got 10 in those at level up time. I have conjuration and alteration as minor skills because those level up really quickly and easily by just casting a few spells out of combat (I think of it as training). I may train a little in the Endurance and strength skills, but not too much, since I am a mage and am not really that worried about other attributes besides willpower and intelligence.

For me, planning out a character in Oblivion and leveling it the way I want is easier than trying to pick between perks in SKyrim, but that could be just because I am so familiar with Oblivion's system. The mage I created is plenty powerful enough at low levels with his high Illusion and Destruction skills, and by high level, when all of his mage skills are high, he will be a demigod, and I will probably up the difficulty skider quite a bit. Right now just playing on normal.

So far, the biggest I have noticed between Oblivion and Skyrim is the ability to cast spells without using your hands. Going back to Oblivion that takes a bit of getting used to, and I keep finding myself putting my fists up to cast a spell and then remembering that I don't need to do that. Other difference is the fheer number of spells and spell effects available, even at low levels.

So far having a blast playing my Oblivion mage during the week and one of four characters in Skyrim on weekends.