From a non-Oblivion-fan...

[Rblade]

Although I can see why you might not feel to compelled to partake in the main quest, you have to understand your character is in the business of heroism and adventuring. It makes perfect sense to join a guild that can provide you with jobs and other benefits, although completely optional. You have to roleplay that you need to make money to survive.

and the same basicly goes for the main quest. You have to accept the fact that your a champion, a hero, a bold adventurer. Then the fact that fate threw this in your lap, or it involves kings so is bound to be lucrative are both decend reasons to care.

not to mention that, yeah as said above, how could one ignore a suggestion by Patrick "picard" Stewart

 

[Zacharious-khan]

No probably not even 2 gamers who have symmetric love across the spectrum of video gaming can disagree on whether Oblivion is poo or not. If you don't like something you shouldn't force yourself to in order to fit in. For context, I enjoy debugging code, yet still find Elder scrolls tedious.

 

[Pat8u]

I played the whole game. Beginning to end. And all the sidequests. And all the dungeons. And a good bunch of the mods. And I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Anyone at all.

and yet you obviously liked it enough to do everything in the game, and play through mods...no one feels sorry for torture victims who tighten their own thumbscrews, bash the game all you want but you obviously enjoyed something about it enough to keep you playing or you wouldn't have kept playing

Yeah I found that rather odd aswell, I love Oblivion but I've never managed to finish it becuase its so bloody huge.

How the hell did you manage to do that and play through mods aswell while hating it. :| No offence but that doesn't sound very likely.

I think hes lieing and pretending to be like yahtze

OT:I like it especially spell making oh god that is fun but your opnions your own opnion

 

[Ready2Go]

I didn't know anything ether. Oblivion was the first Elder Scrolls game i played. By looking it up on UESP.net (unoffical Elder Scrolls Page), talking to people, and reading the in-game books, you can really learn alot. the main thing is mass effect and dragon age are BIOWARE games, so the codex is really just for thouse games. games like oblivion, fallout 3, and morrowwind you have to play the game and expoler the cities/areas to find the stories and information.

I'll tell you right now though, you won't get it right off the back. between weapon types, abliaties,magic,armor and sneaking, I had to make 2 characters before I made one i was happy and good with. the same with fallout 3. I made a person i sucked and got mad at, but my next character i play over 100 hours with. it just takes some time.

 

[Signa]

If you can handle the combat system run on dice rolls, it sounds like Morrowind is the right game for you OP. It has that level of immersion that you described. Oblivion just never was close to that, despite some rather cool additions that were made.

Is the combat system going to be a bit like KOTOR? Because I absolutely loved KOTOR to death, but couldn't stand the combat.

To my everlasting shame, I never played KOTOR, but I can at least tell you in detail how Morrowind's system works.

Just as in Oblivion, each weapon type has a skill associated with it, though there are several more since Oblivion stripped down the number of skill options. In Oblivion, if you struck an enemy with a sword, it would hit and deal damage. If your Fatigue bar was drained while doing this, you would deal less damage. If you landed enough blows, your skill in swords would go up, and the damage you deal with all swords would go up.

In Morrowind, the system looks the same, but instead of skill levels increasing damage, it increases "chance to hit." If you played games like Baldur's Gate or any system with D&D rules, this concept should be quite familiar to you. However, with things like Fatigue reducing your chance to hit, and many players being accustomed to hitting any objects they swing at, Morrowind's combat system became a HUGE turnoff. I don't blame them either, because even arrow shots can miss by landing a direct hit. You just have to make sure you are going into combat with a weapon class that you are skilled in. I've heard of stories of people getting mauled by unarmed old ladies in the first five minutes of the game because they chose a warrior with no short sword weapon skills and then tried to stab her with a dagger. It makes matters worse for the new players going against unarmed opponents, because every punch they land damages fatigue instead of health. Before they know it, they won't be able to even hope to land a blow and yet they will keep fighting because there wasn't any HP damage yet.

For me though, I really enjoyed the system because I liked being limited by my character's skills, and being able to watch them grow. I could always have bought some training in my sword skills, but it was way more satisfying for me to land only one out of ten swings, and then get better so that all attacks land a hit. Even the weird unarmed combat thing I liked, because I could punch a guy a ton and then he wouldn't be able to hit me. A few more blows, and he'd be unconscious for me to beat up as much as I want for a few seconds before he recovers. Also, loot collection became more meaningful with the Morrowind system because every weapon had actual stats for three different swing types. In Oblivion, they just gave it a number to answer the question "Is this better than my old weapon? yes/no" and skill progression became nothing more than a free way to collect a new, more powerful weapon.

While we are talking about the flaws in Morrowind that I love, I should also point out there is A LOT of reading to do with all the non-voiced NPCs. You can skim over most of it, but taking your time is quite rewarding because of the abnormally deep lore in the game.

EDIT: I read in one of your posts that you didn't know how to start with all the race selections 'n' stuff. Let me give you a few pointers:

Choose a Nord with the Warrior Starsign. Nords are 100% resistant to frost damage, and the Warrior starsign will increase your hit percentage by 10%. Great for newbies. If you are so inclined after getting into the game, I suggest trying a Bretton with the Atronach starsign. You will be a powerful god in no time, but starting out can be a little rocky since brettons don't boost combat skills when you start out. The Atronach starsign is something to consider on your Nord however, since it makes half of all spells cast on you just simply not take effect. The problem is that it kills any way for you to rest and regain magic. There are ways around this, but once again, for a newbie, it's daunting to spend all your mana and not know a way to restore it.

 

[blankedboy]

Morrowind is probably quite a good choice in your situation. But for god's sake, JOIN A GREAT HOUSE. Preferably Hlaalu or Redoran if you're into lore.

+1. The best part of the game's setting is the great houses. I'll round out the recommendations by advising Telvanni - they're sort of amoral, disinterested sorcerers who live in giant mushrooms. Lots of fun to play as. Plus you get good mods - Tamriel Rebuilt and the various Uvirith mods jump to mind.

Well yeah, they're great fun, but to be fair the lore of the Telvanni is terribly shallow from a member point of view. It's the others that really flesh out the backstories of all three when you join them.

 

[Thaius]

I have yet to play Oblivion, unfortunately, but I'm actually currently playing Morrowind and I love it. The gameplay is not nearly as refined as Oblivion from what I understand, so it may be difficult to play from that perspective, but the world is really interesting and the story is pretty simple so far, but definitely enjoyable. Plus it has books. Every book in the game is readable; that's amazing. And some of them are really awesome short stories, or even multi-part novellas. Good stuff.

 

[Kurokami]

Like the title says, I'm not a fan of Oblivion. I value immersion in a game, which is why my list of favorite games include Half-life and Bioshock. I found Oblivion to completely lack this type of immersion, mostly due to the fact the NPCs look like Eldritch abominations and sound jarringly different in the same conversation (talking to a certain begger woman for gossip has led to the Cockney-accented old woman to speak in a haughty South English accent, for one).

I also found Oblivion to be immensely lacking in providing motivation. I value open-world mechanics, but I just don't see any point for anything. Why should I care about this kingdom? For what reason do I have to join these guilds? Another game that I've come to love is the (new) Fallout series: it's as open as Oblivion is, but we are given proper motivations to pursue the main questline (looking for a father that we've grown accustomed to over some quick scenes and the soothing voice of Liam Neeson or looking for that fucker who shot me for New Vegas).

So my question is, should I give Oblivion another try? Is it worth it just for the stories, because I'm nothing if not a sucker for good stories. Despite the games I've mentioned above, RPGs are my lifeblood (which was why I was especially dissapointed with Oblivion in the first place). Would Daggerfall or Morrowind be much more suited for me, because I feel like I'm missing out by not playing the Elder Scrolls series?

I doubt you would be able to play Morrowind under today's expectations, most people who will tell you otherwise have nostalgia to reinforce their pleasure. As for Daggerfall, it is free so you're welcome to try. I thought some of the concepts and mechanics were really cool, but could not continue the game very long.

Regardless it's a matter of taste, I love the Elder Scrolls series, Fallout was not as much of a pleasure after my first try of the first game. (During that time it was immersive, but replaying it after a while I could not get into it at all)

I think it also comes to a matter of setting.

 

[Signa]

I doubt you would be able to play Morrowind under today's expectations,

I'd agree with that 1000% if there was at least one game that I could point to and say "This is what Morrowind would look like if it was made today!" Saddly, most games are so simple or flat-out dumb that they take out any interesting challenge or customization (like the enchantment system) that engages me. To me, a game is only dated when another game comes out and does everything better than the older one. This still hasn't happened with me and Morrowind.

 

[Kurokami]

I doubt you would be able to play Morrowind under today's expectations,

I'd agree with that 1000% if there was at least one game that I could point to and say "This is what Morrowind would look like if it was made today!" Saddly, most games are so simple or flat-out dumb that they take out any interesting challenge or customization (like the enchantment system) that engages me. To me, a game is only dated when another game comes out and does everything better than the older one. This still hasn't happened with me and Morrowind.

Well yes, but empathizing with a person who does not know what to expect, does not know what he loved because the journey there has become so tedious in compared to most games nowadays. When I started Morrowind I simply ventured onwards whichever way and had very little idea what to expect and such. Some of the variation in the world was amazing and the amount of lore and character fascinated me, but the graphics, a few of the game mechanics and the map just pissed me off that it took quite some effort to push through. If someone was to represent another game with similar a similar standing takeaway the reputation of Morrowind I likely would not have made it through the first hour. It was quite the ordeal just to step through that. Playing a game from today is far easier to get through, even if the overall journey is not always rewarding.

Basically my point is, the game is dated, it's simply got a LOT to offer to other games. On the other hand, I hear there's that Morrowind 2010 or something? I could not get it working myself, but from what I've seen it made the game look better than Oblivion.

 

[Signa]

I hear there's that Morrowind 2010 or something? I could not get it working myself, but from what I've seen it made the game look better than Oblivion.

Best one I've found:
http://knotstheinane.blogspot.com/p/morrowind-modding-guide.html

 

[Cheesus333]

I really, really wanted to like Oblivion. And I did try, very hard. But something about getting killed every five seconds because of terrible combat mechanics that I couldn't get my head around completely stopped me.

I should probably have tried turning the difficulty down or something before I traded it...

 

[Grouchy Imp_v1legacy]

So my question is, should I give Oblivion another try? Is it worth it just for the stories, because I'm nothing if not a sucker for good stories. Despite the games I've mentioned above, RPGs are my lifeblood (which was why I was especially dissapointed with Oblivion in the first place). Would Daggerfall or Morrowind be much more suited for me, because I feel like I'm missing out by not playing the Elder Scrolls series?

Oblivion's ok, but it wasn't that great. Everything came across as a bit too plastic for my tastes. Questgivers and important NPCs couldn't die, the Guilds all operated independently from one another and a player could have one character who ended up as head of all of them, combat was reduced to hack-and-slash FPS controls rather than a proper RNG combat system found in most RPG games, blah blah blah the list goes on. I strongly recommend that you give the earlier TES games a try, especially Morrowind. They are more detailed than Oblivion, the guilds and great houses interact with one another so that a character must form alliances and choose sides rather than just be in all of them, and the game worlds are more involving.

Spoiler: And before anyone accuses me of offering a subjective opinion on that last statement, allow me to expand:

Oblivion's non main quest related (ie optional flavour) organisations:
Fighters Guild
Thieves Guild
Mages Guild
Arena
Dark Brotherhood

Morrowind's non main quest related (ie optional flavour) organisations:
Fighters Guild
Thieves Guild
Mages Guild
Imperial Guard
Imperial Cult
Great House Redoran
Great House Hlaalu
Great House Telvanii
Morag Tong
Tribunal Temple
Vampire clan Berne
Vampire clan Aundae
Vampire clan Quarra

Daggerfall is also well worth a look, as both it and Arena are now freeware, but be warned that a) both are old games and despite still playing well they have not aged gracefully and b) Daggerfall is immense. When Bethesda released it they had a character travel from one edge of the map to another, and guess how much time it took IRL - 20 mins? 40 mins? An hour? Nope. Two weeks realtime travel. <a href=http://www.bethsoft.com/eng/games/games_daggerfall.html>If you think I'm lying... Seriously, Daggerfall is a brilliant game, but it is very easy to become lost and directionless is such a large world. I urge you to try it, but you have been warned.

 

[Richardplex]

My advice, since I had the same problem, is to make a backstory for your character, then do what that character would do. I personally stayed away from the main storyline, since I find fire and general death boring, but the dark brotherhood quests were very fun with the ways you had to kill to get the bonus. The thieves guild chain was short, but fun, as accomplishing the goal without killing anyone is quite fun. Make your own experience, trying to do what your meant to do because your meant to will make you bored of the game.

I've played Morrowind and given it more chances than any other game, but I still can't get into it. If you didn't like oblivion's face then you won't like the other elder scroll games faces, as they're lower quality.

 

[steph01a]

I think you should skip Oblivion and concentrate on mindless first person shooters.

 

[Woodsey]

Because all that side stuff is appealing.

The main plots of the Fallout games and Oblivion are probably the least interesting parts of the games.

 

[skim172]

I played the whole game. Beginning to end. And all the sidequests. And all the dungeons. And a good bunch of the mods. And I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Anyone at all.

and yet you obviously liked it enough to do everything in the game, and play through mods...no one feels sorry for torture victims who tighten their own thumbscrews, bash the game all you want but you obviously enjoyed something about it enough to keep you playing or you wouldn't have kept playing

Yeah I found that rather odd aswell, I love Oblivion but I've never managed to finish it becuase its so bloody huge.

How the hell did you manage to do that and play through mods aswell while hating it. :| No offence but that doesn't sound very likely.

I think hes lieing and pretending to be like yahtze

OT:I like it especially spell making oh god that is fun but your opnions your own opnion

It took me quite a while. I stopped playing and came back to it after a few months about five or six times. Also, a roommate advanced my savegame for some time. I don't have much of a budget for games, so I usually stick with one release for a while. In this case, I got the game a little after it was released in 2006 and I finally finished it sometime last year.

Look, I think I stated that I really, really like this style of fantasy Tolkien-inspired real-time story-based RPG and I rarely see it executed properly. And I really wanted to like Oblivion. I truly did. And I more or less dove into it each time with the aim of finding the sweet creamy goodness within, wherever it was hiding. I confess, I probably didn't find every sidequest, but I spent a lot of time looking for them. And there were moments to like. But the best moments and quests were the ones that were different enough to break up the monotony. It occurred to me that if I was finding some rare enjoyment in a stealthy assassination quest, I should play a game where I regularly assassinated people in a stealthy manner rather than every so often.

Tastes differ and clearly, mine don't match up with everyone else's. Variety is the spice of life, apparently, and we should all give peace a chance, maybe.

 

[FieryTrainwreck]

As so many others have stated, the Dark Brotherhood and Shivering Isles quests are far and away the best in the game.

I'd also recommend playing as a mage. You can eventually make your own custom spells, which went a long ways towards alleviating the boredom of combat. That and giant elemental pets.

 

[Puzzlenaut]

I played the whole game. Beginning to end. And all the sidequests. And all the dungeons. And a good bunch of the mods. And I wouldn't recommend it to anyone. Anyone at all.

The Zero Punctuation review sums up my views quite well. Oblivion seems to try to create immersion through sheer volume - there's a lot of stuff to do, see, interact with... But, ironically, it still feels kinda shallow. Every environment looks the same, all the people resemble one another, the voices are all the same.

It's like putting lettuce on a sandwich. Lettuce and bread alone doesn't make for a good meal. Bethseda solves that problem by piling that bread with lettuce - layer after layer after layer. But at the end of it all, it still just tastes like lettuce.

I played Oblivion for hours and days, because I, like you, also enjoy RPGs and the lettuce seemed like such a good start. Good, crisp lettuce makes for a great sandwich. And the graphics, setting, mechanics - all the basic elements of Oblivion had promise for a great game. But there was nothing else in the sandwich. I searched fruitlessly through that dense jungle of lettuce greenery, looking for hints of other flavors - a tomato, a cold cut, even an olive on a toothpick. But then I reached the other slice of bread and I knew it was over. (And that I'd wasted way too much time)

You know what's the biggest sin of Oblivion? The feeling of inconsequence. It's a common crime in big open-gameplay sandbox-type games, but no one has done more harm than Oblivion. You're killing people, robbing people blind, participating in organized crime, carrying out the orders of the powerful nobility of the land, banishing ghosts and goblins and undead horrors, fighting wars for the soul of the planet, destroying the forces of evil pouring out into the world ... and the only recognizable effect is that the NPCs give you some slightly altered stilted dialogue. What you do doesn't affect the plot, the characters, the setting and your actions seem to be entirely pointless. I helped a series heretical cult believing in some twisted pantheon of elder gods commit some unholy acts and massacres - and once the quest is over, it might as well have never happened. I commit goblin genocide against an entire region of the continent - they'll still be there when I come back later.

Don't get me wrong - I'm not saying that there should be a different outcome for every breath you take. A story doesn't need to have multiple endings to allow you feel like you're part of it.

But a good game will be able to take you along for the plot, even if it is linear, and still make you feel like you're truly a character within the story. A bad game will tell its story and not let you do anything but watch.

But Oblivion doesn't do either. Instead, it lets you do whatever you want and makes you feel like the story is happening elsewhere and only occasionally interacts with your own life, which is limited to fighting, stealing and tinkering with the goddamn conversation pie.


If you want to play Oblivion, I'd recommend Dragon Age - and I don't like Dragon Age. I thought the first dragged on unnecessarily and the second lacked a real point to its story. But both did the immersion thing much better and had better stories anyhow.

(edit)
Amending my statement - I would recommend the game for horny people into medieval sex. There's a huge number of Oblivion nudie and sex mods and they're pretty complex. It's ... a little disturbing.

Did you play the ENTIRE of Oblivion; every SINGLE side quest and random little event, without even liking the game?! That is commitment