More rantings about Oblivion and praises for Morrowind

Yeah, it's pretty obvious. I didn't like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. I already bashed it in a previous post but I would like to clarify my reasons for disliking it. I was a huge fan of Morrowind. In fact, to this day, it remains my favorite game of all time. Even now, almost 7 years later, I'll take it out and start a new game or something. Basically, it was the game I had always wanted to find but didn't think existed. When I first played it I was amazed at the amount of freedom it offered. The almost limitless options for making your character. The varied and interesting landscapes, full of wonderful content to discover and explore. The, as it seemed at the time, almost infinite amount of dungeons available to find and loot. I played for hours on end without even touching the main quest. I was too intrigued by all the other stuff there was to do. Even now when I play it I still find things that I never found before. That, to me, is the mark of a truly great and timeless game. Yes, the graphics are a little dated and the fighting system may be aggravating for some people, but great games don't need flashy graphics to be good. This may not be true for other genres but, when it it comes to RPG's, graphics should not be what draws people to the game. That's what happened with Oblivion. Trying to reach out to a wider audience, the developers decided to revamp the graphics and fighting system (something which appeals to a lot of people), which is great, as long as other, more important aspects aren't left behind. Okay, call me a fanboy or delusional or whatnot, but a company should never alienate their fanbase by trying to appeal to a larger audience. The original fanbase is what made them what they are.

Before I go any further let me just say, I like Bethesda Softworks, I think they make good games (for the most part), and I don't think Oblivion is a terrible game. The thing about Oblivion is, like I said before, too much of what made Morrowind so great was left out. Oblivion has boring, redundant landscapes. There are three types of dungeons, and once you have seen one of them, they all look the same. Making everything adjust to your level was a big mistake. I don't want to be able to go anywhere and do anything when I first start playing a game. I want time to develop my character and have the excitement of finally being able to go to that place I couldn't go before. I also want the possibility of going to those places I shouldn't go to, who cares if I get my ass handed to me. The player should have that decision. My hope is that anyone who has played both Morrowind and Oblivion see the differences in both games, and see Morrowind as the superior game. Also I hope anyone who has played Oblivion and not Morrowind try it and see for themselves what makes it such an amazing game. I beg Bethesda Softworks to keep making this series and to learn from the mistakes in Oblivion (even though it appears they don't see it as such). I hope they look back at Morrowind, it was their masterpiece, and remember what made it so great.

All pictures from www.ign.com