Games Inbox: Is Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion better than Skyrim

Cliff Notes – Games Inbox: Is Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion better than Skyrim

• The anticipated remaster/remake of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion is expected to reignite interest in the game, which some believe surpasses both Morrowind and Skyrim in quality and gameplay experience.
• While Oblivion’s story is considered weaker than that of Skyrim, its varied scenery and potential for a modern makeover could elevate its status as a top-tier role-playing game.
• The ongoing speculation surrounding upcoming Nintendo titles, including a potential 3D Mario, highlights the marketing strategies that may be causing confusion among fans regarding release schedules.

Games Inbox: Is Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion better than Skyrim?

The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion – is it the best one? (Bethesda)

The Tuesday letters page thinks a new 3D Mario could still be released this year, as one reader looks forward to Doom: The Dark Ages and a Quake reboot.

Best Scroll
So, the world’s worst kept secret is finally going to be revealed, with The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remaster/remake. It sure has taken a long time to get here but I am convinced it will be worth the wait and that people are forgetting what a great game it is.

Morrowind and Skyrim are the games that always get talked about, but I honestly think that Oblivion is better than either of them. Morrowind is just too old and janky, and probably should’ve got a remake first, as it’s almost unplayable right now.

Skyrim is obviously a classic, but it’s so overexposed I don’t think there’s anything that could get me to play it again. But Oblivion is basically Skyrim but with more varied scenery and I think that with a good makeover it’ll be seen as one of the best role-playing games ever again.

The only problem is that its story is even more of an afterthought than Skryim, but it’s not really good for any of The Elder Scrolls games, so that’s hardly a dealbreaker.
Hammeriron

Too much excitement
So I guess the only real chance for a 3D Super Mario this year is if they announce it between now and their June event. But, like you say, if that was the plan why not just announce it at the Direct? Even if it’s out next year, the Direct would’ve been fine I think. I mean what’s the worst that can happen, that people get too excited for your upcoming slate?

Although, I suppose, if I was to think like a marketing person, they probably don’t want to give you any reason not to get Donkey Kong. If you knew that was coming out in July and Mario in October, you might be tempted to just skip one and wait.

That makes a fair amount of sense, I guess, and does leave a chance for there to be a secret big Christmas game. I dunno though, this all seems to be creating so much unnecessary confusion and speculation. I really don’t know how it benefits Nintendo to leave people guessing like this.
Statto

Every second counts
A nice reminder, with that Paul Rudd 1991 advert, that marketing back then didn’t mean anything more complicated than a 30 montage of games… apart from Paul Rudd in a trench coat that was it. Ah, simpler times.

Maybe 30 seconds is a bit short but I’d much rather that the Nintendo Direct had been a lot shorter and packed a lot more in. I really don’t know why they didn’t include teasers for things like Mario and Animal Crossing, that we know are coming but they haven’t mentioned yet.

Just five seconds each would’ve been fine but a montage of everything coming to the Switch 2 for the next few years would’ve got me opening my wallet a lot quicker than Hyrule Warriors 3 and Kirby: Air Riders.
Benjy Dog

Doomed release
I’m really looking forward to Doom: The Dark Ages next month, but I notice there’s not a lot of hype around it at the moment. I don’t see many people talking abut it and I don’t know anyone in real life that is aware of it.

This disappoints me because the other two reboot games are some of my favourites of the last 10 years or so and, I would say, by far the most interesting first person shooters of the last two generations.

I guess they’re pretty hard, and the Doom franchise isn’t as big as it was, but I hope The Dark Ages isn’t the last one for now.

I also hope there’s more interest in the long rumoured new Quake from MachineGames. After the success of Indiana Jones And The Great Circle I feel they must be in Microsoft’s good books at the moment and will hopefully get a lot of money and support.

I’d really love to see a big budget, Lovecraftian Quake with a proper single-player mode, that has the weird, experimental atmosphere of the original. None of the other sequels had it but I’m really hoping that MachineGames will vibe with that, and we can get another classic on our hands.
ChrisI

Froze toes
Very interested to see what Assassin’s Creed Shadows looks like on Switch 2, but I’ve already got the game so I’m not going to be buying it. I do feel it’s a bit of a shame that Ubisoft has not announced anything new or exclusive yet though.

They’ve always worked closely with Nintendo and I even enjoyed ZombiU and Rayman Legends on Wii U, so I was hoping they’d do something similar now. I don’t know if getting burned on those made them not do exclusives for the Switch 2, but I hope other publishers don’t get cold feet for similar reasons.

You’d think the success of the Switch 1 would mean no hesitation but that’s not what we’re seeing so far, which surprises me a bit.
Tacle

When worlds collide
It’s interesting how much effort CD Projekt seems to be making with the Cyberpunk 2077 port for the Switch 2. I guess there was The Witcher 3 port but otherwise I don’t recall them having much contact with Nintendo or ever really acknowledging them.

I always like the idea of opposites working together though. I’d love to see an actual collaboration with CD Projekt. Not V being in Smash Bros. but a whole game that they both worked on, CD Projekt doing the script and role-playing elements, maybe, and Nintendo providing the gameplay.

Or imagine Nintendo co-operating with Naughty Dog! That’s the one aspect of console exclusives that I don’t really like, that the very best developers are locked to one system and can never really escape. Although it’s a price worth paying, especially when you look at what happens when they do, with someone like Bungie.

I always wondered what level of involvement Nintendo had with Eternal Darkness, since they always advise on every game they publish. There probably wasn’t much to do there, since that wasn’t really about the gameplay but the thought of Nintendo helping out on a mature rated game intrigues me.
Lawgiver9

Parent company
I was wondering why Cristiano Ronaldo was in the new Fatal Fury and now I find out it’s because SNK is owned by a Saudi company and he plays for a Saudi team? And people wonder why buyouts and acquisitions are viewed as a bad thing. Smaller companies either lose their identity as part of the larger company or end up having to do things like change their games to include things they don’t want.

To be honest, it’s put me off the game entirely and I think I’ll take a pass until it’s much cheaper. I knew they weren’t the same SNK they used to be, but I didn’t realise things had got this bad.
Loscus

The game of forever
With so many companies very obvious getting out of the way for GTA 6 I’m more interested in what happens when the game comes out. It’s not just that it’s going to suck all the air out of the room at launch, people are going to be playing this thing for months and years.

I genuinely think there’s a danger GTA 6 could bring the games industry to its knees but being almost the only thing people play for years on end. Even people that say they don’t like GTA are going to want to see what the fuss is about and that’s just going to bring in more and more players.

Short of Rockstar’s servers breaking down, which seems like a real possibility, I don’t see what else is going to stop people playing it. Why would you stop if it plays and looks as good as the trailer. GTA 5 is a pretty flawed game in a number ways but people are still playing it more than a decade later.

A brand new GTA 6, that looks and plays better, is going to be so big I don’t think people are prepared for the impact. It would be an irony if the biggest danger to the games industry was its greatest success.
Trent Manger

Inbox also-rans
I still think that McDonalds’ DualSense is the ugliest controller but I’ve got to say that Cap’n Crunch one comes pretty close. Maybe they can sell them in those weird American Candy stores they have everywhere now?
Jester

Not quite sure what’s more hilarious: Cristiano Ronaldo appearing in the new Fatal Fury or the fact that the depiction of him in the game is even worse than that bronze statue of him from a few years ago! Still, I guess the goal of raising visibility for the game has been achieved, so well played SNK.
Julian