The more I learn about Talos and the three souls that make him up the more I think he's a bad one. He likely mantled Lorkhan/Shor and effectively killed and subsumed him.
@@ConnorRunda I mean he was a conquerer who subsued other cultures and nations for little more reason than because he could. It's in the nature of conquerers to not be good guys.
@@VariantNode yeah the forests and flowers and mushrooms all look amazing, I personally love the look of the architecture and interiors. Honestly the only thing that doesn’t look good are the faces lol
Yep even Shadow of the Colossus from 2005 would be a stretch to say was a match for it. And that game didn't have an expansive world. I can't even think what other game could have competed on graphics.
Oblivion helped get me through a very tough time in my life, while I recognize it’s flaws looking back on it today it will always be one of my favorite games.
It was the first rpg experience I had, so nothing can undone the fascination of it. Oblivion was truly the way to get away from the shit of the real world and loose yourself in it, even for a couple hours
Hry man, if you love video game video essays, check out Noah Caldwell-Gervais. He's got a low budget old school vibe, but has some of the sharpest writing of anyone doing game critique
Have been trying to post another one for you about Morrowind but RUclips keeps instantly purging my comment. My determination to give you this video will not waver! I assume its the link so here is the title: TUN: The Elder Scrolls VI - Youtubia
@@darken2417 thanks man, lol, I appreciate your insistency funny but I was just looking through my past comments and youtube deleted one I wrote earlier too - gotta love it
Idc as long as I got something to put on when I sleep idc, I'll probly never care that he never played them as it's obvious in his pronunciation of "burma" xD
So far they have all been hard to get through because they don’t seem to understand the lore of TES. Each of these games were built off the lore. Kind of odd to complain about why Bethesda made certain games a certain way when you don’t understand the lore.
True story: I didn't know what fast travel was when I first played Oblivion so I didn't do it until like a year after getting it and travelled everywhere on stolen horses. Good times.
Similar experience. For some reason, I didn't realize you could run in Resident Evil 4. I walked through literally half the game. Made it even scarier. I agree, good times.
I usually try to avoid fast traveling, myself. It's not as bad as you'd think, honestly. You just need to plan your travels a bit so you're not walking back and forth across the continent. That said, of all of Bethesda's modern games, it's probably the most irritating to do in Oblivion: there are more back-and-forth fetch quests than Skyrim or any of their Fallout games, and there's no travel alternative like Skyrim's carriages.
I spent 30 minutes shooting arrows at a guard and running away when he chased me until he died and I stole his armor. Then I stopped playing the game feeling accomplished.
I could never read the facial expressions, so I'd go around the pie and select each option to HEAR how they feel, then rapid fire the relationship up from there lol
I mean at this point we had Half-Life 2 for a year and a half and a year after Oblivion we got Crysis. Oblivion was kinda impressive when it came out but still pathetic in some regards even for the standards back then (like the NPC faces).
One of my favorite aspects of the dark brotherhood is this, if you drop mother's head in the room where Lachance has been murdered, the guilty guy will be the only one to behave differently, as such, revealing himself. Such a fantastic thing to add.
Why are you lying? You can play football with her head, and smack everyone with his confession journal, you will still have to follow Emil’s rollercoaster ride.
@@max7971 hey Max, sorry for confusion. While the quest does still play itself out the in the same fashion, Emil himself will look very nervous and say something akin to "is that a head?" instead of whatever else he is normally scripted to say while in Applewatch. Hence giving it away to the player. This unfortunately does not influence any quest decisions.
Wow, how are there so many Elder Scrolls retrospectives on RUclips, particularly Morrowind/Oblivion retrospectives, all lasting at minimum an hour. I'm not complaining, I enjoy putting them on in the background as I go about my day. I'm just genuinely surprised that so may people put in the work to make these. Thanks creators!
Was literally just thinking that Morrowind fans are like original trilogy fans, Oblivion fans are like prequel fans... I don't want to compare Skyrim to the sequel trilogy tho haha
@@M2Mil7er I think Daggerfall is closer to the original trilogy. Morrowind was still a step back from the original appeal of the series but still Elder Scrolls. Oblivion/Skyrim are straight up sequel trilogy.
@@del46_60 I guess so, from a certain point of view. Morrowind was my first ES game, so the one I connect to most, and the OT Star Wars was the same for me. Some people prefer Oblivion, and the prequels for the same reason. That's my perspective, but appreciate Daggerfall may have that role for your good self. Cheers!
It's ... the Empire. There is just one. You can inofficially specify which of its various incarnations over time you mean, but that's just for clarity.
The biggest problem with level scaling in Oblivion I had in my first play through. Unlike the enemy NPC, the allied NPC (specifically guards, sentries, soldiers) did not scale up to your level. Like in Morrowind I did a whole number of side quests before going on with the main story, leveling up very high. This meant, that when I came to the battle of Bruma, the enemy NPC have become so strong, they obliterated all the soldiers of the counties aiding in the battle of Bruma so quickly, it was impossible to protect Martin long enough to win the battle. So it became a main quest blocker. I have to agree, the best time in Oblivion were the first hours after the introduction level. Later, the quest line of the Dark Brotherhood/Black Hand and the Thiefs Guild were the only highlights.
Nah I just finished that quest at level 24, when all the enemies are basically maxed out. You just have to keep him alive long enough for the 3rd gate to open, then get in there, regardless of whether he looks like he's about to get smashed by a xivilai
@@benjiusofficial how is it not? It's fun and exciting to keep Martin alive when you know 2 hits could wipe him out. It was actually challenging. Are games not meant to be challenging?
I love Oblivion, been playing it since it came out, it's got everything you could wish for, and it's never ending, that's value for money, and the few glitches don't detract from the experience, btw, I'm 75, and play it for a couple of hours every day.
I think it improves the immersion. You get to realize they don't do that just to you, the player. They are stubborn and wont move for each other ether. Like its a cultural thing, where to move out of the way is to admit weakness and "Lose". lol
This is because of the engine of the 2000 vs the ones used later... But despite this, the immersion is still greater in morrowind. Like NKB said, i found more real a world with desert or mountais with bears or cave with monster, and mystic shrine with daedra despite you being level 1 or 50, and an exploration of both enviroment and culture of the region, and less real a world where the events of the world seems to be disconnected to the story, and when At level 1 you found rats on the deepest dungeon and At level 50 minotaus on the roads between major cities
@@bearman1625 Last i checked, he postponed the review till after he did the one on Cyberpunk. And since cyberpunk got postponed itself... well, here we are.
I think I’ve caught onto your character naming scheme lol. The morrowind character was “Never”, the Oblivion one is “Knows”, and I’d wager the Skyrim one will be “Best”
I know this is a 3 part series but I'd love a part 4 just focusing on the modding community the amount of effort and work that went into pushing these games beyond their limits would be a worthy deep dive
The essential mods list for anyone interested in revisiting Oblivion "Oblivion Character Overhaul" "Mercantile Progression Fix" "Attribute Progression Redesign" and "Supreme Magicka" I also recommend "Manimarco Revisited" "Blademans Better Birthsigns" and "Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul" If you think OOO has too many additions and only want the gameplay benefits then "Vanilla Combat Enhanced" "Oblivion Scaling Unclusterfucked" and "Unleveled Quest Rewards" give the pure gameplay changes without the new mechanics
@@bradenculver7457 Yeah those have the classic way of leveling and skills which completely removes the appeal of the "learn from practice" approach of Elder Scrolls
59:57 The grand champion is also the only combatant who can be defeated before even entering the arena, if you complete his quest convincing him he shouldn't keep living (another quest that took a dark turn!)
Considering the directions Bethesda took with Fallout I kind of hope I don't. It might take years for modders to make the game an actually playable RPG experience.
Well according to him the next episode about Skyrim is the final in the series,right at the very end he says that the next episode is the last in this series so he hasn't left any room for other upcoming elder scrolls games sadly
@@GeorgePerakis Hopefully the game either doesn't need a script extender, or they stop forcing an update that breaks it every time they want to mess with it.
Damn, that vitriol for the persuasion mini game. I actually loved it. As someone who's mildly autistic, I thought it was a great mechanical representation of the elements of building a relationship, dropping the right comment at the right time for the biggest impact. It helped me conceptualize the idea of reading the flow of conversations. Obviously not 1-to-1 applicable with real interactions, but a decently thoughtful simulacra compared to "just give them bribes" or "they like you because you have more talky-stat points."
i really like this read. as a kid i never really had a problem with it. i liked the admittedly very small aspect of strategy involved in choosing what comment to make at what point, and it was short enough to not be too annoying
That's an interesting perspective that I didn't consider. While I'm glad it worked for you, it still is a really dumb system from a game design standpoint. It's neither immersive, realistic, nor intuitive for the vast majority of people and I always found it tedious. To me some of the best persuasion comes from games like Fallout New Vegas which relies on a given stat to charm/intimidate someone into doing what you want.
Exact same story for me. Especially compared to the "click click click reload" of Morrowind, I appreciated having a gamified system, and it made sense to the 'tism.
It's pretty interesting watching this as someone who played through the game back in late 2007. It was the first RPG, and one of the first few games, I ever played on the Xbox 360. A lot of the criticisms are valid now as much as then I'm sure, but at the time I was utterly blown away. I had played Morrowind on the Xbox, and I did like it quite a bit despite not completing it. This was on an entirely different level to a console gamer like myself. That first moment upon stepping out of the dungeon and into the world was breathtaking, an experience that I've had very few times in my entire life. I'm 37 as of now and been gaming all my life, and those type of feelings that games can give are rarely ever equaled. That feeling lasted through a great deal of that entire game, too. That was the first time I played something for a total of 100 hours, or 106 to be exact. I did try to play it again about a year ago and just couldn't get back into it. I had too much knowledge of how games work and it contained none of the wonder as it did so many years ago. I am grateful to have the memories it gave me, though. I had just got out of the Army as a 23 year old, and while staying with a couple friends I had one of the best gaming experiences I would ever have.
Yeah, this is the kind of game that's easy to critize now. It's was wonderful when it was new. Like his complaints about the world being less alien are nuts. The games before Morrowind clearly establish that it's mostly a normal world. I find exploration games more interesting when it feels like I could go there.
I agree. But also I think making the dungeons loop is a solution to a problem that Bethesda created themselves for no apparent reason. Sure, Skyrim's Q-shaped dungeons save the player the slog of backtravking through a dungeon, but in Daggerfall and Morrowind backtracking through dungeons became a non-issue once you obtained the Mark/Recall spell (which could be very early in the game, it's a really cheap spell) and could just set up an anchor at the start of the dungeon and then teleport back to it once you were done. In Morrowind you could even use the Almsivi intervention and Divine inrervention spells to save yourself the effort of backtracking to the nearest town. Not sure why Bethesda removed Mark/Recall in Oblivion and Skyrim tbh.
@@juancarloshernandez2333 There is an inherent criticism in that. Since it requires you if not to fully play a mage then to at least have those spells on hand (Which is worse in Morrowind because of cast failure chance and the fact that you lose magicka for it meaning it could end up taking longer than just walking back for non mages).
@@cyberninjazero5659 If I recall correctly, there were a lot of scrolls of the two intervention spells in the Fighters Guild supply chests available to all members. They were also fairly easy to buy. And, pretty early in the main quest, I think you get two amulets enchanted with the intervention spells. Basically, it was fairly easy to have the intervention spells on hand at all times without having to play a mage who could cast them.
I actually didn't mind backtracking through dungeons, given how fast you run and that they're fairly small (at least compared to Skyrim). I feel that interest trough + reminder of what you did is beneficial, as long as it's not too long. Finding a shortcut instead instantly shatters immersion.
Isn't it incredible how it can feel like we lived more than one life, just because of the amount of time we spent in Cyrodiil back in the day? I have memories so vivid, it's as if they're from a genuinely separate life I lived. We're approaching the 15 year anniversary of Oblivion this March, and now as a 31 year old man, I have decided to go back to my teenage years if only for a time and revisit this wonderful old game. I haven't played it since those days! It's all so surreal going back.....
That title theme from the Oblivion OST really squeezes my member berries like no other game in existence. This game defined 'immersive' for me, I had nothing to compare it to, I can barely remember what I was playing before it other than starcraft, D2, counterstrike, and a brief WoW stint. It was a time when there was no jaded skepticism about video games, just wonder and awe. I can remember the adrenaline and blood pumping enthrallment the first time I made it to the infamous twist and final line of quests in the Dark Brotherhood story. I remember getting into the crypt and recognizing who was knotted and maimed and strung up like a human pretzel, the shock it gave my younger self was attached with this realization in the back of my head that video games had become capable of this. That might have been the most sucked into a virtual world I've ever been and will ever be.
Playing Oblivion always felt like going to the theater. The actors are talented and the set design is good, but you kinda have to suspend disbelief and use your imagination to get the most out of it
"I'll tell you about some gold you can earn by hunting slaughterfish." And I'll pretend you're not the same guy I killed for Lucien Lachance last week.
1:16:50 hold on you say here that one gate was enough to destroy kvatch, but, it wasn't just one gate, there was a great gate as well as many other gates that all opened up at kvatch, it's even mentioned by the npcs around the area at the time.
15:00 I don't care what anyone says: The persuasion mini game was one of my favorite things about Oblivion. It was very over the top, but also very meditative! Best mini game in any Trippe A title!
The difference in architecture and landscapes don't create a disconnect at all, you go to Japan, or China, then Russia, or the middle east, then back to America and you will find vastly different plant life, building styles, animal life, etc. The difference in the games imo just shows how diverse each races cultures are.
I think it's more so how generic the art style is. It's not that the architecture is different, it's that the art style as a whole is suddenly derivative of generic fantasy. I believe Todd Howard himself said that this "generic medieval" approach is one of Oblivion's major failings.
@@Lucax97 I thought oblivion was one of the more varied worlds in the series, the swampy marshlands to the south east the frozen north, the rolling hills in the middle with Rivers and lakes, ect. The art style wasn't really unique but skyrim takes heavy influence from Nordic culture, I don't mind a Tolkien-esk design in a fantasy rpg though, even if it is a little derivative.
You do know all of those countries and cultures are separated by weeks/months worth of travel by foot/boat and not just a 10 minutes walk like the areas in Oblivion, right?
@@Moromom22 distance isn't as important as history and migration, Japan and China are separated by an ocean, all be it not that far distance wise but I wouldn't call their culture similar at all, one is authoritarian, state run, with very strict rules on what its people can see or do, and Japans people hate censorship, and is ran democratically. They both have a history of spirituality but not the same beliefs and Japan is much more secular now.
I think skill requirements in factions were a great idea. It made each playthrough feel more unique, of course. However, what is even more important, it allowed players to have natural breaks in faction progression. In oblivion and Skyrim nothing stops you from going through all faction’s quests at once. In Morrowind you often needed to level up your skills to get promoted which meant you would go exploring or do other quests in the meantime. It slows faction progression and provides a more immersive feeling of improvement and promotion. So much better than becoming a grandmaster of all factions within 2-3 in-game days.
@I want to suplex Joe Cecot here's an excerpt from the website. OpenMW is a free, open source, and modern engine which re-implements and extends the 2002 Gamebryo engine for the open-world role-playing game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Like the Construction Set for the original Morrowind engine, OpenMW comes with its own editor, called OpenMW-CS, which allows the user to edit or create their own mods or original games. Both OpenMW and OpenMW-CS are written from scratch, and aren’t made to support any third party programs that have been added to the original Morrowind engine to improve its functionality. OpenMW is not a “mod” to Morrowind. It is an entirely different game engine that does not use the original Morrowind.exe in any way.
Honestly, Oblivion might fail in many ways, but IMO the amazing aesthetic across the game (scenery, music, sound design, atmosphere) more than makes up for it
I notice a lot of reviews question the glowing storybook vibe of Cyrodiil, while I feel that it presented an important contrast against the hellish planes of Oblivion
The Nostalgia from this game is so big for me I spent an entire summer in early middle school playing this game it was the best open world rpg game to me at the time and the soundtrack instantly transports me back to a simpler time where life was not as stressful
That core thing seems like a great idea and all but to those of you considering using it to start out on: Do not release your ultimate dream game on that platform. It *can* be a great tool for fledging at home devs to work and collaborate, but *everything* written on the platform or release to the platform is 100% Core property. You *will not* be allowed to take that IP with you once you’ve learned the ropes and move away from using Core. “Unless otherwise expressly stated in writing by Manticore, by agreeing to these Terms you are granted a limited, non-sublicensable license (i.e. a personal and limited right) to access and use the Service for your personal or internal business use solely as permitted through the normal functionality of the Service (the “Core Content License”). To be clear, you may not use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display or perform any Core Content, whether modified by you or not, outside the virtual environment of the Service” (From Core’s TOS) I’m not telling you not to use it, just he incredibly careful what you release to the platform (because I can guarantee that Core will sell your IP if it’s good enough) If you want a really simple and competent engine maybe try Godot, it’s free and there are no strings, you can learn GodotScript in a weekend and if you already know python it’s not even a problem.
@@authaire I heard something about a new patch recently, but as I understand it Godot is open source. If you ever get tired of waiting you can always bust open the code and add features yourself.
@@benjiusofficial Well for 1, it’s completely free as opposed to free to a point, 2 it’s completely open source so you can effectively make it entirely your own if you try hard enough, 3 it’s small and easy to learn so it make a good jumping off point for fledgling developers. I think that’s the big thing. Unreal is a tool for experienced dev teams, Godot is really a starting off point that can end up being a very versatile tool. It doesn’t really matter if unreal is an all around more powerful dev tool, if you don’t have the experience and knowledge to use it
I had my first custom pc built in 2006 and booting up Oblivion on max graphics and exploring Cyrodiil was truly exhilarating... It will always have a special place in my heart. Also laughing at a $3 horse armor xbox players had to put up with when mods were free on PC... oh those were the times...
34:27 "Still there is a problem with adding quest markers, beyond just the impact this has on gameplay. Which is that they aren't realistic." I've found that talking about how something in a game is or is not "realistic" endangers the prospect of staying on topic. Because this is where someone will raise a finger over what constitutes realism. So I started saying 'Not believable' or to be very clear I'll say 'Not believable within the context of the game world'.
I enjoyed it, but I was 55 when it was first released. Heh, heh. I'd just retired, in fact. But I can imagine. For me, not having computer games _at all_ as a child, I was still blown away by Arena, then Daggerfall, then Morrowind... It was great! :)
@@henrycrabs3497 I spent less money than I made, invested the excess every month, and... didn't have a family (so my expenses weren't - and aren't - very high). Of course, that last part wasn't so I could retire early. It just turns out that I enjoyed living alone. And I care _nothing_ for owning an expensive house or car - I've never bought into the whole conspicuous consumption thing that corporations push on us - so, again, my expenses aren't high. And after making _every_ investment mistake in the book, I eventually figured out how to... well, get a few things right. Heh, heh. It works for me. It likely wouldn't work for most people. Certainly, the past 15 years since I retired has been _great._ Admittedly, there _are_ some downsides to getting old. :)
I was in 6th grade when this came out. I remember when I became overencumbered, and stood there stuck for a hour because Id never seen that word before and didn't know wtf it meant. I loved it ever since.
Excellent analysis as always. I pretty much experienced this game entirely through watching my cousin play on his xbox. I remember watching him play at like 2am before we slept. Then waking up the next day and finding he had already been playing for a couple of hours. The guards were suddenly yelling "OUTTA THE WAY SLOP DRUDGE" everytime he walked past them. He shamefully admitted he had got a job delivering food to the prisoners and now all the guards treated him like trash. It was so nice watching the character change over time and all the different interactions you can have in the game. Even though I much prefer Morrowind, Oblivion holds a lot of nostalgia.
I have some very fond memories of Oblivion. I think Morrowind is my favourite Elder Scrolls game overall, but Oblivion has some of my favourite moments. The Thieves' Guild and Shivering Isles live with me rent-free forever. The level scaling did me in on my first playthrough, though. I gravitated to "stealth archer" playstyle in Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim... but in Oblivion, that meant I hit a certain point and just couldn't progress. I wasn't even fast enough to run away from the random encounters that splatted me, and there was no way to get the skills I needed to survive high enough. My second playthrough I did the "choose skills you won't use and try not to level up" method, and had a very satisfying game in which I played basically everything but the main quest and Knights of the Nine. Finished at about level 2 or 3 feeling like a badass. It was obvious from that alone that the game was flawed... but I love it anyway.
My general stance on the modern TES games is this: Morrowind has the best world, Skyrim has the best gameplay, and Oblivion has the best memes. For better or worse Oblivion is really really memorable.
"being able to toggle quest markers on and off" is a thing you can do in Red Dead Redemption 2 - and the quests are designed to be able to be completed with them off! Its really cool
Yep. Though it gets a little old, a little fast, I still find it most efficient to get an NPC's disposition to where it needs to be. To be fair, most things that most gamers freak over and make hour-long, unhinged, videos about just cause me to shrug and continue playing...
By sithis!! I played this game for the first time when I was 10 (25 now). I remember being scared shitless in the dungeons (traps, monsters) and by the whispering nosie in the Dark Brotherhood entrance. The persuasion system really sucks in this game I remember, I just spammed bribe. Same thing with the lockpicking actually lmao, just opened console and duplicated lockpicks. I loved playing stealth archer with doing no main mission and just dark brotherhood / thieves guild and having one of the best gaming experiences to be honest, together with playing WoW at release and MGS2. I just couldn't stop doing the brotherhood missions cause I was so anticipated for the next mission. Also the dark brotherhood / thieves guild quests / faction in Oblivion are FAR Superior to skyrim, I loved the "murder mystery" quest, the one were you murder everyone in the mansion and all the details in the quests, I think this should be covered in quest designs in the video or have factions after btw for a better flow and red thread ;). And congrats on 100k subs mate, been on the ride since 20k subs and you deserve everyone! I used to love to even fall asleep listening to these videos to cure my insomnia at times. I think you should have delved deeper into specific quests in like the dark brotherhood or show examples of how insanely good the quest writing was for some of these quests, it was witcher 3 level. But maybe it's rose tinted glasses, like with most Bethesda games without mods ;) Sanguine, my brother..
I like it too. It's intricate and cool. It took me years to learn how to do it properly though, and it does take a long time sometimes, but I think it makes lockpicking feel more meaningful
How to make a GOD in Oblivion. 1. Choose a Breton (or High Elf if you're crazy) with The Apprentice sign for extra Magica. 2. Reach level 25 so you get the best gear. 3. Complete an Oblivion gate and save before grabbing the Sigil Stone. Whichever one you get is random but the game doesn't decide that until you grab it so keep reloading until you get the one that increases your Magica by 50. 4. Use the scroll duplication glitch (or just do a few more Oblivion gates) until you have at least 8 of them. 5. Do the Mages Guild questline so you can access the arcane university. 6. Enchant all your gear with the Sigil Stones. You now have a extra 400 Magica. Keep increasing your Intelligence to make it even higher. 7. Reach 100 Destruction. 8. Make a spell with +100 fire damage, +100 frost damage, +100 shock damage, +100 damage health and +100 drain health on touch. Congratulations, your now have a spell that kills just about everything. Keep maxing out your magic skills and you'll be able to do even crazier shit. For example, with Restoration at 100 you can make a fortify skill/attribute spell that temporarily increases the skill/attribute of your choice by 100. The game won't let you make the value over 100 on a single spell, however if you make 2 or more spells with the same effect and cast them after each other the effect will stack. You see where this is going right? Make 5 spells that all increase your Speed by 100. Cast them. Run across the entirety of Cyrodiil in a few minutes. Buff your Acrobatics until you can jump over cities and scale every rooftop in the Imperial City (there's nothing there to find but it feels pretty dope). Having trouble with enemies? Grind up your Alteration and create a spell that does Protect 100% for 30 seconds. It doesn't make you invisible but it's pretty damn close and also perfect for leveling Light/Heavy armor and Block. Just enter a fort, run around until everyone's after you, and then you stand in a corner and cast Protect while they all try to kill you. Whenever your health is getting low just heal and whenever Protect runs out just recast it. Man I love Oblivion.
The best solution I've found to the levelling system is a very simple mod that makes ALL of the attribute bonuses on level up a +5 rather than +2 to +4. You don't feel like you're getting OP off the levelling system and I haven't ever felt outscaled by the world. You still need to train the skills for the attributes you want to level up to get the +5, but it takes the efficiency requirement out of the levelling game.
I honestly don't mind the persuasion wheel, it's not that difficult, and if you time your rotate button right, it's extremely easy. I always viewed it as your character making conversation or small talk with the person to get them to like you more. Really useful if you're Kahjit or Argonian
The lock pick mini game is actually good. You can unlock any lock in the game if your own skill is good. The game makes a double click sound when you need to click the mouse. A single click sound will make the pick break. Perks and leveling up the skill only makes the timing window easier. Id argue this is similar to players cheesing combat at low levels by using their own mechanical skills while kiting foes and baiting out attacks.
I actually like the Oblivion gates. On my alters play through I spent a lot of time doing grinding and busy work for the mages guild application as well as magic training. It was a very nice switch of pace to delve into a long, difficult oblivion gate that made me expend all of my usefull potions while filling my pockets with valuable orcish and mithril gear as well as exotic daedric alchemy ingridients. It also gave me a chance to level up my combat skills. The plains of oblivion make you tired the last quarter of it but this provides a strong sense of relief once you clear it, and I always seem to find a lot of wealth in them. I also enjoy the difficulty, and I usually have to consume a lot of scrolls and potions that I would otherwise never use.
This series is remarkable so far. And compared to other similar creators, you don't put out the content on a pace measured in years. Kudos. (Fyi...I love most of those other anthologies just as much and mean this more as a compliment to his pace than a dig at ______ or ______.)
Say what you want about Oblivion, but the atmoshphere, music and graphics were creating unforgettable experience - as with every TES since Morrowind but still it was pretty unique, medieval knight fantasy like. These are the games that you can drown in, for long, long months. I have one of the best memories of mid to late childhood with them. As always great analysis, I love them!
Really enjoy that NKB puts out these longform videos with well thought out analysis that justifies the length rather than spending hours describing every system and plot point. His videos never have unnecessary padding, appreciate that he edits his thoughts down and into a sensible structure.
Those forts are all the remnants of the Alessian era, which was long time ago. They are like the ruins left of Roman Empire that you would see in mediterranean countries. Also, I can't agree about the cities. I mean, sure, they have similar number of buildings... maybe. I honestly didn't count. But they are so different in their structure. Bruma is positioned on a hill and has layers, it also has nordic architecture. Skingrad is all stone buildings, and has some intertwining streets, with a bridge in the middle of the city. Its castle is also separate from the rest of the city. Chorrol is very circular, and all very wooden. It's one of the more generic cities though but still. Bravil is all worn down and it has a lot of space on rooftops and hanging platforms. And even when you tell me they are the same size, somehow it doesn't feel this way. Skingrad really feels like it's way way more of a city than Bravil.
@@dacsus how something feels is entirely subjective and to that I could just say that to me they don't feel the same. What matters is the reasons. Why do they feel the same to you when they look different and have different layouts? I highly doubt you actually count the number of buildings and npcs when you play.
@@Spellweaver5 Maybe because the NPCs behave the same, they have the same voices, and they talk about the same things. And maybe it's due to the overall sterility of the oblivion. I'm not saying the game is bad, I was playing it at the time, but after Witcher III came out, it's quite obvious that open world games can be done differently.
Why you'd bring up Witcher as an example of good open world is beyond me when it's a game where the open world actively detracts from its value and actual good open world games like Gothic have existed since way before Oblivion. But even if that was a relevant example, when was it ever a doubt that you could do it differently? The whole premise of this video series is that no one could do the same thing that TES did.
@@Spellweaver5 "when it's a game where the open world actively detracts from its value" - you know that Witcher III is the most acclaimed open world game in history, it got 251 GOTY awards on launch, which rocketed to 8OO+ awards and accolades 1O months later? wholesgame.com/news/witcher-3-winner-game-year-awards-ever/ www.reddit.com/r/witcher/comments/473oh8/the_witcher_3_is_a_fucking_masterpiece_in_the_rpg/ The Witcher 3 is still a Masterpiece in 2020 ruclips.net/video/NsDInedLQF0/видео.html
Excellent vid, I really enjoyed it! There are two things I'd like to add, from my ancient memories of Oblivion: 1) The main reason Cyrodiil's world got a lot of hate was that it had already been descibed in other places as a jungle and that the Empire was somewhat Jungle Romans. So it was a bit of a shock to many when we booted up the game and saw some random German or French forest, along with an empire that was completely and utterly generic. Bethesda changing the entire background setting for the most central faction in the entire series, just because LOTR was popular, didn't sit well with people. It basically translates into having no faith in your own product, while not delivering what you could learn about during a then 12 year old franchise. 2) IIRC, Bethesda didn't get any actual hardware until a little bit before the 360 actually launched (late november 2005), so they had to scale back a lot of what they wanted to do with the game since they had virtually no time to optimize it: Famously, they had made multiple arenas that didn't make it in for this reason. I can imagine various other city elements were lost to this issue as well, since there were almost exactly 4 months from the 360 launched to Oblivion released (22nd of november 2005 - 20th of march 2006). Having that little time to optimize for a brand new console on such a huge game must have been a god damn nightmare.
About point one... Only mention of a jungle that I've seen is describing the homeland of the wood elves, not Cyrodiil. Morrowind is the first game in this series I've played, never the earlier ones and in Morrowind you can find a book series telling a story of some imperial doing official business with the wood elves, even meeting their leader in the last book. The first book can be found in starting town, Seyda Neen, iirc in the shack of the guy who murdered the tax collector. So, afaik, wood elf homeland is a jungle with walking trees.
This came up just as I was trying to get bed last night, saved it for tonight so I could give it my full attention. I pretty much said this last time but I'll say it again. I follow a few review / retrospective content creators and like different ones for different reasons. You have such a professional edge to your work, well written and structured. Your delivery is also an incredible standard, authorative but not in a condescending way, easy to listen to but also totally captivating delivery. Not an easy balance to strike but you do it flawlessly. I can't say enough good things about you and your channel. Great work.
But at least some of them would still be maintained, no? Like there is clearly a ring of abandoned forts around the Imperial City: 9 of them on the outer bank of the central lake. There is even a circular road following the lake shore where these forts are placed alongside. Wouldn't the Empire wish to keep these as watchtowers and patrol way-stations? You'd also expect forts to be placed at crossroads and bridges as well as approaching major cities. And yet, the fort right next to the Imperial Cities entrance? Overrun with bandits. Just like all the others. Oooohhhhhh! Nine forts surrounding the Imperial City! Each one could be dedicated to a different Divine! Talos didn't exist back in the days of hte older Empires, having been created in the aftermath of Daggerfall's main quest (the dragon break caused by the Numidian's activation) then retroactively inserted into the past as if he'd also been there. Thus, the fort dedicated to Talos could be obviously different than the others: far newer and more reflective of current Imperial architecture. It's details like this that really enhance the world building. Quests can then be built off these details, like the fort dedicated to Stendarr was wiped out by vampires and you are sent to investigate. Another has a smuggling problem (Zenithar, god of commerce). The mage's guild has a presence in the Julianos fort. etc, etc. Each fort would have an Imperial guard presence, a minor chapel that serves as a pilgrimage point, and be slightly unique reflecting each of hte divines revered there. Forts not on a main road, current border, or obvious choke point should then reflect past borders. Say, between the Colovian estates and Alessian Empire that made up the northwest/southeast parts of Cryodiil respectively. Or a few forts ringing a minor vassal kingdom that has long since been absorbed back into the empire, but there remains a quest given by an amateur historian. They want you to find old artifacts of some ancient general or king in one of these abandoned forts from It would also be nice to see the difference between the maintained forts, others that had been renovated with newer facilities/expansions added, and the ruined husks that had been abandoned as borders shifted. Instead, they are all just generic dungeons filled with generic enemies... and don't really feel a connected part of the world.
@@duncanlutz3698 Empire is in a really, really bad shape at that point though. Unrest in the Imperial City was mentioned by Caius Cosades some 20 years before the Oblivion Crisis...of course, when we get there, there's no indication of any kind of political unrest (apocalyptic cults trying to summon Satan notwithstanding, but it's not like they are into politics). Still, stuff like derelict forts can be chalked up to the sorry state of the Empire.
@@duncanlutz3698 That’s a really good point. They could also be more visually interesting without too much work by using existing assets to show renovations. Maybe only part of a fort near Anvil has been renovated using materials seen in the city? I think the best forts are the ones near Skyrim which feel like them being abandoned makes sense.
The partially-implemented goblin war system was so partially-awesome! Also the fact that you could sit in on lectures in the capital city mages guild (some of which gave you useful info, others of which had mistakes)
one thing i really appreciate about these videos is they help me realize the masterpieces that Bethesda games really are. I forgot just how impressive Oblivion was at the time and i was gaming for it's release. Unlike morrowind where i watched my Mom play it, fascinated by the strange alien world I saw in the TV.
i appreciate the time and effort you dumped into this series. you've encapsulated the feelings i had growing up with this series chasing a particular brand of serotonin i've only felt through my first play through of Morrowind. well done as always
One of the best approaches to quest markers I know of is Genshin Impact's "AOE" markers. They circle the part of the map you should be searching around, so it has the best of both worlds.
When this game came out i was super excited to get started. About the time I made it out of the sewers my 360 gave me the red ring of death. Had to wait awhile before I could play it again.
Oblivion and Skyrim are perfect examples of games -- or creative works in general -- whose creators cannot even begin to understand WHY the prior entries were so good in the first place.
That's actually a really interesting point about the main story changing on account of not only the players actions, but their inaction. Like leave it long enough and maybe someone else would have eventually become the hero of kvatch. Or maybe kvatch hadn't fallen at the beginning of the game. But if the player doesn't go and pursue Martin right from the get go. Then it's doomed to fall
Oblivion Strikes Back Once More After RUclips Messed Up the FIrst Upload. Seriously though, taking the first video down while watching made me check the community tab with the link to the patreon Q&A, so I need to thank youtube for once
Say what you want about Oblivion's style but i believe it really explained why Dunmer in Morrowind knew you were an outlander even if you picked Dunmer.
1:22:50 "... Explores the role of the EIGHT divines"
pro thalmor move right there
Talos number 1
Skyrim Belongs to the Nords!!
The more I learn about Talos and the three souls that make him up the more I think he's a bad one. He likely mantled Lorkhan/Shor and effectively killed and subsumed him.
@@ConnorRunda I mean he was a conquerer who subsued other cultures and nations for little more reason than because he could. It's in the nature of conquerers to not be good guys.
@Brennan Lu you don't know anything about history
"I, very much like your parents, will be disapointed in you." Low blow, mate, low blow.
I don't care what anyone says, these graphics were unreal in 2006. I remember being awed.
they still look pretty tbh - at least like the trees n shit
@@VariantNode yeah the forests and flowers and mushrooms all look amazing, I personally love the look of the architecture and interiors. Honestly the only thing that doesn’t look good are the faces lol
@@Lubedupsquid as long as you put a bag over its head oblivion is beautiful
I wish more games went for that bright, vivid aesthetic.
Yep even Shadow of the Colossus from 2005 would be a stretch to say was a match for it. And that game didn't have an expansive world.
I can't even think what other game could have competed on graphics.
Oblivion helped get me through a very tough time in my life, while I recognize it’s flaws looking back on it today it will always be one of my favorite games.
While it didn't help me through tough times it did introduce me to the series and I'll always love it for that.
It was the first rpg experience I had, so nothing can undone the fascination of it. Oblivion was truly the way to get away from the shit of the real world and loose yourself in it, even for a couple hours
Why is this shit so depressing. "videogames got me through hard times" what happened to "ye bro I fuckin loved that game as a kid,
Can't argue with a statement like that :) If a game does that for you, it will always remain a favorite no matter how good or bad the game is overall.
@@DATskorge oh stop complaining
i wonder how many oblivion "retrospectives" I'm gonna watch in my lifetime..
the numbers are mounting irresponsibly
Hry man, if you love video game video essays, check out Noah Caldwell-Gervais. He's got a low budget old school vibe, but has some of the sharpest writing of anyone doing game critique
Have been trying to post another one for you about Morrowind but RUclips keeps instantly purging my comment.
My determination to give you this video will not waver!
I assume its the link so here is the title:
TUN: The Elder Scrolls VI - Youtubia
@@darken2417 thanks man, lol, I appreciate your insistency
funny but I was just looking through my past comments and youtube deleted one I wrote earlier too - gotta love it
Idc as long as I got something to put on when I sleep idc, I'll probly never care that he never played them as it's obvious in his pronunciation of "burma" xD
So far they have all been hard to get through because they don’t seem to understand the lore of TES. Each of these games were built off the lore. Kind of odd to complain about why Bethesda made certain games a certain way when you don’t understand the lore.
True story: I didn't know what fast travel was when I first played Oblivion so I didn't do it until like a year after getting it and travelled everywhere on stolen horses.
Good times.
Similar experience. For some reason, I didn't realize you could run in Resident Evil 4. I walked through literally half the game. Made it even scarier. I agree, good times.
@@Mermer-16 could be a nice challange run lol
I am gonna try to play oblivion and maybe skyrim like that, it sounds fun
I usually try to avoid fast traveling, myself. It's not as bad as you'd think, honestly. You just need to plan your travels a bit so you're not walking back and forth across the continent. That said, of all of Bethesda's modern games, it's probably the most irritating to do in Oblivion: there are more back-and-forth fetch quests than Skyrim or any of their Fallout games, and there's no travel alternative like Skyrim's carriages.
Bro same lol
My first open world game, as 10 years old walking out of the sewers and into the imperial city felt otherworldly lol
Same it was so magical
Same
It was 15 years ago 😉
@@Rat_Basket48 he was talking about his age, but good reminder that we're all OLD AS FUCK BRO, JUST BRING THE WHEELCHAIR NEXT TIME BRO FFS
I spent 30 minutes shooting arrows at a guard and running away when he chased me until he died and I stole his armor. Then I stopped playing the game feeling accomplished.
God, I have so much unwanted nostalgia for running around feeding conversation pie to the NPCs to level up my Speechcraft.
It's weird, huh?
Lets go a round again!
Unwanted nostalgia is like a cute form of ptsd lmao
I somehow ended up liking the system.
I could never read the facial expressions, so I'd go around the pie and select each option to HEAR how they feel, then rapid fire the relationship up from there lol
Remember this game came out on hardware that only had 512mb of ram. It's pure madness what they achieved here, not just with graphics.
What's even more incredible is how much they achieved with such horrible optimization.
I mean at this point we had Half-Life 2 for a year and a half and a year after Oblivion we got Crysis. Oblivion was kinda impressive when it came out but still pathetic in some regards even for the standards back then (like the NPC faces).
I've seen a dozen skyrim remasters or re-releases... I want oblivion now
@@GodleyX check out Skyblivion project 😉
so did skyrim
"Knights of the nine also explores the role of the eight divines that..." Damned faithless Imperial.
Well, the Prophet did said the Eight AND ONE.
One of my favorite aspects of the dark brotherhood is this, if you drop mother's head in the room where Lachance has been murdered, the guilty guy will be the only one to behave differently, as such, revealing himself. Such a fantastic thing to add.
I didnt know that
do you have a video/link for this interaction?
@@dovahkiin3853 ruclips.net/video/hTkHnr_L9Ao/видео.html
Why are you lying? You can play football with her head, and smack everyone with his confession journal, you will still have to follow Emil’s rollercoaster ride.
@@max7971 hey Max, sorry for confusion. While the quest does still play itself out the in the same fashion, Emil himself will look very nervous and say something akin to "is that a head?" instead of whatever else he is normally scripted to say while in Applewatch. Hence giving it away to the player. This unfortunately does not influence any quest decisions.
Just wanted to say thanks for 90 minutes of free entertainment and the hard work you put into it...I enjoyed it immensely.
Wow, how are there so many Elder Scrolls retrospectives on RUclips, particularly Morrowind/Oblivion retrospectives, all lasting at minimum an hour. I'm not complaining, I enjoy putting them on in the background as I go about my day. I'm just genuinely surprised that so may people put in the work to make these. Thanks creators!
Well today just got a whole lot better!
Absolutely!!
Feel the exact same. Turned my shit around!
Can't agree more
Indeed it did 😊
indeed
“A New Type of RPG”
“Oblivion Strikes Back”
“Return of the Bugs”
The Mod Awakens
Was literally just thinking that Morrowind fans are like original trilogy fans, Oblivion fans are like prequel fans... I don't want to compare Skyrim to the sequel trilogy tho haha
@@M2Mil7er I think Daggerfall is closer to the original trilogy. Morrowind was still a step back from the original appeal of the series but still Elder Scrolls. Oblivion/Skyrim are straight up sequel trilogy.
@@del46_60 I guess so, from a certain point of view. Morrowind was my first ES game, so the one I connect to most, and the OT Star Wars was the same for me. Some people prefer Oblivion, and the prequels for the same reason. That's my perspective, but appreciate Daggerfall may have that role for your good self. Cheers!
@@del46_60 How is Morrowind a step back in anything except scale? It's an all-around improvement on all of the core elements of Daggerfall.
You don't mean to tell me it's really called the *IMPERIAL EMPIRE*
I think it's the Septim Empire or Cyrodilic Empire technically
It's ... the Empire.
There is just one.
You can inofficially specify which of its various incarnations over time you mean, but that's just for clarity.
Let's just call it Impire.
The Septim Empire
The Cyrodilic Empire
The Third Empire
Take your pick. Mix and Match.
I thought it was called the "I M P E R I A L L E G I O N" because someone keeps telling me I'm defying it...
The biggest problem with level scaling in Oblivion I had in my first play through. Unlike the enemy NPC, the allied NPC (specifically guards, sentries, soldiers) did not scale up to your level.
Like in Morrowind I did a whole number of side quests before going on with the main story, leveling up very high. This meant, that when I came to the battle of Bruma, the enemy NPC have become so strong, they obliterated all the soldiers of the counties aiding in the battle of Bruma so quickly, it was impossible to protect Martin long enough to win the battle. So it became a main quest blocker.
I have to agree, the best time in Oblivion were the first hours after the introduction level. Later, the quest line of the Dark Brotherhood/Black Hand and the Thiefs Guild were the only highlights.
Nah I just finished that quest at level 24, when all the enemies are basically maxed out. You just have to keep him alive long enough for the 3rd gate to open, then get in there, regardless of whether he looks like he's about to get smashed by a xivilai
@@blahblahblahblah2837 Not the point.
@@benjiusofficial how is it not? It's fun and exciting to keep Martin alive when you know 2 hits could wipe him out. It was actually challenging. Are games not meant to be challenging?
I just resurrected everyone with console commands because I didn't want any of them to die lol.
Lvl 1 run is best fun
I love Oblivion, been playing it since it came out, it's got everything you could wish for, and it's never ending, that's value for money, and the few glitches don't detract from the experience, btw, I'm 75, and play it for a couple of hours every day.
Try the deadly reflex mod (:
I may not be 75 but I love the game as much as you
I love how when talking about Morrowind's immersion you can see an argonian and a guard walking against each other on the bridge just getting stuck.
I think it improves the immersion. You get to realize they don't do that just to you, the player. They are stubborn and wont move for each other ether. Like its a cultural thing, where to move out of the way is to admit weakness and "Lose". lol
This is because of the engine of the 2000 vs the ones used later... But despite this, the immersion is still greater in morrowind.
Like NKB said, i found more real a world with desert or mountais with bears or cave with monster, and mystic shrine with daedra despite you being level 1 or 50, and an exploration of both enviroment and culture of the region, and less real a world where the events of the world seems to be disconnected to the story, and when At level 1 you found rats on the deepest dungeon and At level 50 minotaus on the roads between major cities
Morrowind is so overrated
The worst thing about being here so early is that the waiting time for the next one will be even longer. ):
yeah, well... still better then waiting for Joseph Anderson's Witcher 3 review
@@kiriruro that is what I was thinking.
Amen brother.
@@kiriruro Do you know what's going on there? Is Joseph Anderson okay?
@@bearman1625 Last i checked, he postponed the review till after he did the one on Cyberpunk. And since cyberpunk got postponed itself... well, here we are.
I think I’ve caught onto your character naming scheme lol. The morrowind character was “Never”, the Oblivion one is “Knows”, and I’d wager the Skyrim one will be “Best”
A FLCL reference?
@@The_Nut_Goblin yup
I know this is a 3 part series but I'd love a part 4 just focusing on the modding community the amount of effort and work that went into pushing these games beyond their limits would be a worthy deep dive
The essential mods list for anyone interested in revisiting Oblivion "Oblivion Character Overhaul" "Mercantile Progression Fix" "Attribute Progression Redesign" and "Supreme Magicka"
I also recommend "Manimarco Revisited" "Blademans Better Birthsigns" and "Oscuros Oblivion Overhaul"
If you think OOO has too many additions and only want the gameplay benefits then "Vanilla Combat Enhanced" "Oblivion Scaling Unclusterfucked" and "Unleveled Quest Rewards" give the pure gameplay changes without the new mechanics
As well as the unofficial patches naturally, although that's probably a prereq for the others
I would just go Nehrim and overhaul the whole thing. Same goes with Enderal for Skyrim.
@@sonedts I mean those are both fun but complete overhauls to the point ur not playing the same game
@@bradenculver7457 Yeah those have the classic way of leveling and skills which completely removes the appeal of the "learn from practice" approach of Elder Scrolls
I hope this gets pinned, this is basically the essential modlist every Oblivion novice should see
59:57 The grand champion is also the only combatant who can be defeated before even entering the arena, if you complete his quest convincing him he shouldn't keep living (another quest that took a dark turn!)
One day... There will be an episode about Elder Scrolls 6... *I hope I live to see it.*
Considering the directions Bethesda took with Fallout
I kind of hope I don't.
It might take years for modders to make the game an actually playable RPG experience.
Well according to him the next episode about Skyrim is the final in the series,right at the very end he says that the next episode is the last in this series so he hasn't left any room for other upcoming elder scrolls games sadly
@@GeorgePerakis Hopefully the game either doesn't need a script extender, or they stop forcing an update that breaks it every time they want to mess with it.
Damn, that vitriol for the persuasion mini game. I actually loved it. As someone who's mildly autistic, I thought it was a great mechanical representation of the elements of building a relationship, dropping the right comment at the right time for the biggest impact. It helped me conceptualize the idea of reading the flow of conversations. Obviously not 1-to-1 applicable with real interactions, but a decently thoughtful simulacra compared to "just give them bribes" or "they like you because you have more talky-stat points."
i really like this read. as a kid i never really had a problem with it. i liked the admittedly very small aspect of strategy involved in choosing what comment to make at what point, and it was short enough to not be too annoying
Yes, same! That game actually helped me understand real-life small talk and stuff better 😊
That's an interesting perspective that I didn't consider. While I'm glad it worked for you, it still is a really dumb system from a game design standpoint. It's neither immersive, realistic, nor intuitive for the vast majority of people and I always found it tedious. To me some of the best persuasion comes from games like Fallout New Vegas which relies on a given stat to charm/intimidate someone into doing what you want.
@@QuantumParticle agree, FONV did that better than any other game. And your choice actually matter.
Exact same story for me. Especially compared to the "click click click reload" of Morrowind, I appreciated having a gamified system, and it made sense to the 'tism.
Favourite soundtrack of the entire Elder Scrolls series, Jeremy Soule's masterpiece!
A truly underrated aspect of this game imo
@@UndeadTurning one of the best aspects imo
Shame that Elder Scrolls has a shit structure for its music, and so limits Soule's potential.
Imo, all of his works in this series are masterpieces.
Skyrim’s soundtrack definitely got its just due.
It's pretty interesting watching this as someone who played through the game back in late 2007. It was the first RPG, and one of the first few games, I ever played on the Xbox 360. A lot of the criticisms are valid now as much as then I'm sure, but at the time I was utterly blown away. I had played Morrowind on the Xbox, and I did like it quite a bit despite not completing it. This was on an entirely different level to a console gamer like myself. That first moment upon stepping out of the dungeon and into the world was breathtaking, an experience that I've had very few times in my entire life. I'm 37 as of now and been gaming all my life, and those type of feelings that games can give are rarely ever equaled. That feeling lasted through a great deal of that entire game, too. That was the first time I played something for a total of 100 hours, or 106 to be exact. I did try to play it again about a year ago and just couldn't get back into it. I had too much knowledge of how games work and it contained none of the wonder as it did so many years ago. I am grateful to have the memories it gave me, though. I had just got out of the Army as a 23 year old, and while staying with a couple friends I had one of the best gaming experiences I would ever have.
Yeah, this is the kind of game that's easy to critize now. It's was wonderful when it was new. Like his complaints about the world being less alien are nuts. The games before Morrowind clearly establish that it's mostly a normal world. I find exploration games more interesting when it feels like I could go there.
Me too
Say what you want about Skyrim, but beeing able to loop around most dungeons and skip the walk back was a godsent
I agree. But also I think making the dungeons loop is a solution to a problem that Bethesda created themselves for no apparent reason.
Sure, Skyrim's Q-shaped dungeons save the player the slog of backtravking through a dungeon, but in Daggerfall and Morrowind backtracking through dungeons became a non-issue once you obtained the Mark/Recall spell (which could be very early in the game, it's a really cheap spell) and could just set up an anchor at the start of the dungeon and then teleport back to it once you were done. In Morrowind you could even use the Almsivi intervention and Divine inrervention spells to save yourself the effort of backtracking to the nearest town.
Not sure why Bethesda removed Mark/Recall in Oblivion and Skyrim tbh.
@@juancarloshernandez2333 There is an inherent criticism in that. Since it requires you if not to fully play a mage then to at least have those spells on hand (Which is worse in Morrowind because of cast failure chance and the fact that you lose magicka for it meaning it could end up taking longer than just walking back for non mages).
@@cyberninjazero5659 If I recall correctly, there were a lot of scrolls of the two intervention spells in the Fighters Guild supply chests available to all members. They were also fairly easy to buy. And, pretty early in the main quest, I think you get two amulets enchanted with the intervention spells. Basically, it was fairly easy to have the intervention spells on hand at all times without having to play a mage who could cast them.
I actually didn't mind backtracking through dungeons, given how fast you run and that they're fairly small (at least compared to Skyrim). I feel that interest trough + reminder of what you did is beneficial, as long as it's not too long. Finding a shortcut instead instantly shatters immersion.
Laughs in amulet of recall
NeverKnowsBest will NeverKnow how much warmth and comfort these videos have provided.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is celebrating its 15th anniversary today. What an amazing game...!!
Isn't it incredible how it can feel like we lived more than one life, just because of the amount of time we spent in Cyrodiil back in the day? I have memories so vivid, it's as if they're from a genuinely separate life I lived. We're approaching the 15 year anniversary of Oblivion this March, and now as a 31 year old man, I have decided to go back to my teenage years if only for a time and revisit this wonderful old game. I haven't played it since those days! It's all so surreal going back.....
This is just schizophrenia sorry man :/
That title theme from the Oblivion OST really squeezes my member berries like no other game in existence. This game defined 'immersive' for me, I had nothing to compare it to, I can barely remember what I was playing before it other than starcraft, D2, counterstrike, and a brief WoW stint. It was a time when there was no jaded skepticism about video games, just wonder and awe. I can remember the adrenaline and blood pumping enthrallment the first time I made it to the infamous twist and final line of quests in the Dark Brotherhood story. I remember getting into the crypt and recognizing who was knotted and maimed and strung up like a human pretzel, the shock it gave my younger self was attached with this realization in the back of my head that video games had become capable of this. That might have been the most sucked into a virtual world I've ever been and will ever be.
Take a shot everytime he says Burma instead of Bruma.
I suppose he panicked rather often on this video.
Corpsus disease!!
The Empire got so big it came to our world and conquered lands there. :)
@@Philosophocat amogus
You can tell he never played this game.
Playing Oblivion always felt like going to the theater. The actors are talented and the set design is good, but you kinda have to suspend disbelief and use your imagination to get the most out of it
"I'll tell you about some gold you can earn by hunting slaughterfish."
And I'll pretend you're not the same guy I killed for Lucien Lachance last week.
I just pretend I’m in a Monty Python movie
1:16:50 hold on you say here that one gate was enough to destroy kvatch, but, it wasn't just one gate, there was a great gate as well as many other gates that all opened up at kvatch, it's even mentioned by the npcs around the area at the time.
good point, i thought the same thing
15:00 I don't care what anyone says: The persuasion mini game was one of my favorite things about Oblivion. It was very over the top, but also very meditative! Best mini game in any Trippe A title!
Congrats on getting over 100k. Well deserved, my man.
The difference in architecture and landscapes don't create a disconnect at all, you go to Japan, or China, then Russia, or the middle east, then back to America and you will find vastly different plant life, building styles, animal life, etc. The difference in the games imo just shows how diverse each races cultures are.
I think it's more so how generic the art style is. It's not that the architecture is different, it's that the art style as a whole is suddenly derivative of generic fantasy. I believe Todd Howard himself said that this "generic medieval" approach is one of Oblivion's major failings.
@@Lucax97 I thought oblivion was one of the more varied worlds in the series, the swampy marshlands to the south east the frozen north, the rolling hills in the middle with Rivers and lakes, ect. The art style wasn't really unique but skyrim takes heavy influence from Nordic culture, I don't mind a Tolkien-esk design in a fantasy rpg though, even if it is a little derivative.
Yes but those cultures are seperated by vast ocean. The cultures of Japanese and Chinese closely resemble each other than with say America or Sweden.
You do know all of those countries and cultures are separated by weeks/months worth of travel by foot/boat and not just a 10 minutes walk like the areas in Oblivion, right?
@@Moromom22 distance isn't as important as history and migration, Japan and China are separated by an ocean, all be it not that far distance wise but I wouldn't call their culture similar at all, one is authoritarian, state run, with very strict rules on what its people can see or do, and Japans people hate censorship, and is ran democratically. They both have a history of spirituality but not the same beliefs and Japan is much more secular now.
I think skill requirements in factions were a great idea. It made each playthrough feel more unique, of course. However, what is even more important, it allowed players to have natural breaks in faction progression. In oblivion and Skyrim nothing stops you from going through all faction’s quests at once. In Morrowind you often needed to level up your skills to get promoted which meant you would go exploring or do other quests in the meantime. It slows faction progression and provides a more immersive feeling of improvement and promotion. So much better than becoming a grandmaster of all factions within 2-3 in-game days.
I am living for this series. This actually got me playing Morrowind
If a video can make anyone discover Morrowind, then it's a video worth the internet.
I hope you'll enjoy this good old classic. :-)
We welcome you, new friend. But to this game where destiny is made, why have you come unprepared?
Highly recommend OpenMW for Morrowind. Makes it playable on modern machines.
@I want to suplex Joe Cecot here's an excerpt from the website.
OpenMW is a free, open source, and modern engine which re-implements and extends the 2002 Gamebryo engine for the open-world role-playing game The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Like the Construction Set for the original Morrowind engine, OpenMW comes with its own editor, called OpenMW-CS, which allows the user to edit or create their own mods or original games. Both OpenMW and OpenMW-CS are written from scratch, and aren’t made to support any third party programs that have been added to the original Morrowind engine to improve its functionality.
OpenMW is not a “mod” to Morrowind. It is an entirely different game engine that does not use the original Morrowind.exe in any way.
@@D--FENS What a grand and intoxicating innocence. How could he be so naive?
I find the Oblivion vibes/scenery to be much more relaxing than the rest of the TES games
Honestly, Oblivion might fail in many ways, but IMO the amazing aesthetic across the game (scenery, music, sound design, atmosphere) more than makes up for it
I use the soundtrack to sleep to it’s quite nostalgic and relaxing as you say
As you get pummeled at level 40 by a common bandit in full Daedric.
@@Beegeezy144 Kinda funny how they run up to you in the best armor money can buy and demands 100 gold or your life
@@ziddd4026 They have to pay back their loans.
Neverknowsbest
Let's sit back and watch a
Legend in the making..
His voice is like a lullaby. I fall asleep every time
I notice a lot of reviews question the glowing storybook vibe of Cyrodiil, while I feel that it presented an important contrast against the hellish planes of Oblivion
The Nostalgia from this game is so big for me I spent an entire summer in early middle school playing this game it was the best open world rpg game to me at the time and the soundtrack instantly transports me back to a simpler time where life was not as stressful
Echo your sentiment fully, especially the sentiment of your last sentence.
I loved that persuasion mini-game! I bet I could make an ENTIRE game based on this mechanic.
Settle down detective phelps
An hour and a half, you say?
Part two, you say?
Mmm. Yes please.
Was that a haiku?
@@Joseph_Biten No?
hahaha i wasn't expecting that comment
@@Joseph_Biten Futurama reference
That core thing seems like a great idea and all but to those of you considering using it to start out on: Do not release your ultimate dream game on that platform.
It *can* be a great tool for fledging at home devs to work and collaborate, but *everything* written on the platform or release to the platform is 100% Core property. You *will not* be allowed to take that IP with you once you’ve learned the ropes and move away from using Core.
“Unless otherwise expressly stated in writing by Manticore, by agreeing to these Terms you are granted a limited, non-sublicensable license (i.e. a personal and limited right) to access and use the Service for your personal or internal business use solely as permitted through the normal functionality of the Service (the “Core Content License”). To be clear, you may not use, reproduce, distribute, prepare derivative works of, display or perform any Core Content, whether modified by you or not, outside the virtual environment of the Service”
(From Core’s TOS)
I’m not telling you not to use it, just he incredibly careful what you release to the platform (because I can guarantee that
Core will sell your IP if it’s good enough)
If you want a really simple and competent engine maybe try Godot, it’s free and there are no strings, you can learn GodotScript in a weekend and if you already know python it’s not even a problem.
I'll check it out simply because Waiting for Godot is one of my favorite stage plays.
@@authaire I heard something about a new patch recently, but as I understand it Godot is open source. If you ever get tired of waiting you can always bust open the code and add features yourself.
Hear, hear!
I... uh... don't understand why you wouldn't straight-up use Unreal, which is free up to a point. Also, you don't have to use LUA, which is a bonus.
@@benjiusofficial Well for 1, it’s completely free as opposed to free to a point, 2 it’s completely open source so you can effectively make it entirely your own if you try hard enough, 3 it’s small and easy to learn so it make a good jumping off point for fledgling developers.
I think that’s the big thing. Unreal is a tool for experienced dev teams, Godot is really a starting off point that can end up being a very versatile tool. It doesn’t really matter if unreal is an all around more powerful dev tool, if you don’t have the experience and knowledge to use it
I love this series. Your work rate is absolutely incredible
Well earlier when you uploaded the video it was just in time for diner. Now I have something to watch before bed. Not gonna complain
Gurl same I love listening to him
I had my first custom pc built in 2006 and booting up Oblivion on max graphics and exploring Cyrodiil was truly exhilarating... It will always have a special place in my heart. Also laughing at a $3 horse armor xbox players had to put up with when mods were free on PC... oh those were the times...
Just when I was about to go sleep. Thank you Mr. Never
@@zanmaru139 actually I go to sleep while listening to his voice
34:27 "Still there is a problem with adding quest markers, beyond just the impact this has on gameplay. Which is that they aren't realistic."
I've found that talking about how something in a game is or is not "realistic" endangers the prospect of staying on topic. Because this is where someone will raise a finger over what constitutes realism. So I started saying 'Not believable' or to be very clear I'll say 'Not believable within the context of the game world'.
oh man Oblivion was the biggest game of my childhood!
I enjoyed it, but I was 55 when it was first released. Heh, heh. I'd just retired, in fact. But I can imagine.
For me, not having computer games _at all_ as a child, I was still blown away by Arena, then Daggerfall, then Morrowind... It was great! :)
@@henrycrabs3497
I spent less money than I made, invested the excess every month, and... didn't have a family (so my expenses weren't - and aren't - very high).
Of course, that last part wasn't so I could retire early. It just turns out that I enjoyed living alone. And I care _nothing_ for owning an expensive house or car - I've never bought into the whole conspicuous consumption thing that corporations push on us - so, again, my expenses aren't high.
And after making _every_ investment mistake in the book, I eventually figured out how to... well, get a few things right. Heh, heh.
It works for me. It likely wouldn't work for most people. Certainly, the past 15 years since I retired has been _great._ Admittedly, there _are_ some downsides to getting old. :)
I was in 6th grade when this came out. I remember when I became overencumbered, and stood there stuck for a hour because Id never seen that word before and didn't know wtf it meant. I loved it ever since.
Excellent analysis as always. I pretty much experienced this game entirely through watching my cousin play on his xbox. I remember watching him play at like 2am before we slept. Then waking up the next day and finding he had already been playing for a couple of hours. The guards were suddenly yelling "OUTTA THE WAY SLOP DRUDGE" everytime he walked past them. He shamefully admitted he had got a job delivering food to the prisoners and now all the guards treated him like trash. It was so nice watching the character change over time and all the different interactions you can have in the game. Even though I much prefer Morrowind, Oblivion holds a lot of nostalgia.
I have some very fond memories of Oblivion. I think Morrowind is my favourite Elder Scrolls game overall, but Oblivion has some of my favourite moments. The Thieves' Guild and Shivering Isles live with me rent-free forever.
The level scaling did me in on my first playthrough, though. I gravitated to "stealth archer" playstyle in Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim... but in Oblivion, that meant I hit a certain point and just couldn't progress. I wasn't even fast enough to run away from the random encounters that splatted me, and there was no way to get the skills I needed to survive high enough.
My second playthrough I did the "choose skills you won't use and try not to level up" method, and had a very satisfying game in which I played basically everything but the main quest and Knights of the Nine. Finished at about level 2 or 3 feeling like a badass. It was obvious from that alone that the game was flawed... but I love it anyway.
My general stance on the modern TES games is this: Morrowind has the best world, Skyrim has the best gameplay, and Oblivion has the best memes. For better or worse Oblivion is really really memorable.
This is a pretty good explanation.
Nothing will beat a meme about a guard, who was really cool in his youth, but than got an arrow in his knee 😂
"being able to toggle quest markers on and off" is a thing you can do in Red Dead Redemption 2 - and the quests are designed to be able to be completed with them off! Its really cool
wait - THAT'S how the persuation system in Oblivion works?
thats actually pretty cool
Yep. Though it gets a little old, a little fast, I still find it most efficient to get an NPC's disposition to where it needs to be. To be fair, most things that most gamers freak over and make hour-long, unhinged, videos about just cause me to shrug and continue playing...
I never knew, I just picked the section of the wheel with the most colour in it....
thank you for breaking up the vid into parts. I already knew about the leveling problem so it made it easy to skip past that part.
By sithis!! I played this game for the first time when I was 10 (25 now). I remember being scared shitless in the dungeons (traps, monsters) and by the whispering nosie in the Dark Brotherhood entrance. The persuasion system really sucks in this game I remember, I just spammed bribe. Same thing with the lockpicking actually lmao, just opened console and duplicated lockpicks. I loved playing stealth archer with doing no main mission and just dark brotherhood / thieves guild and having one of the best gaming experiences to be honest, together with playing WoW at release and MGS2. I just couldn't stop doing the brotherhood missions cause I was so anticipated for the next mission.
Also the dark brotherhood / thieves guild quests / faction in Oblivion are FAR Superior to skyrim, I loved the "murder mystery" quest, the one were you murder everyone in the mansion and all the details in the quests, I think this should be covered in quest designs in the video or have factions after btw for a better flow and red thread ;). And congrats on 100k subs mate, been on the ride since 20k subs and you deserve everyone! I used to love to even fall asleep listening to these videos to cure my insomnia at times. I think you should have delved deeper into specific quests in like the dark brotherhood or show examples of how insanely good the quest writing was for some of these quests, it was witcher 3 level. But maybe it's rose tinted glasses, like with most Bethesda games without mods ;)
Sanguine, my brother..
Hail Sithis
Hail Padomay.
Well this evening just got a whole lot better.
All the work you do is very much appreciated. Can't wait to watch.
I love the lockpicking minigame and always have lol.
I like it too. It's intricate and cool. It took me years to learn how to do it properly though, and it does take a long time sometimes, but I think it makes lockpicking feel more meaningful
That was the most frustrating part of the game to me 😭
How to make a GOD in Oblivion.
1. Choose a Breton (or High Elf if you're crazy) with The Apprentice sign for extra Magica.
2. Reach level 25 so you get the best gear.
3. Complete an Oblivion gate and save before grabbing the Sigil Stone. Whichever one you get is random but the game doesn't decide that until you grab it so keep reloading until you get the one that increases your Magica by 50.
4. Use the scroll duplication glitch (or just do a few more Oblivion gates) until you have at least 8 of them.
5. Do the Mages Guild questline so you can access the arcane university.
6. Enchant all your gear with the Sigil Stones. You now have a extra 400 Magica. Keep increasing your Intelligence to make it even higher.
7. Reach 100 Destruction.
8. Make a spell with +100 fire damage, +100 frost damage, +100 shock damage, +100 damage health and +100 drain health on touch.
Congratulations, your now have a spell that kills just about everything. Keep maxing out your magic skills and you'll be able to do even crazier shit.
For example, with Restoration at 100 you can make a fortify skill/attribute spell that temporarily increases the skill/attribute of your choice by 100. The game won't let you make the value over 100 on a single spell, however if you make 2 or more spells with the same effect and cast them after each other the effect will stack. You see where this is going right? Make 5 spells that all increase your Speed by 100. Cast them. Run across the entirety of Cyrodiil in a few minutes. Buff your Acrobatics until you can jump over cities and scale every rooftop in the Imperial City (there's nothing there to find but it feels pretty dope). Having trouble with enemies? Grind up your Alteration and create a spell that does Protect 100% for 30 seconds. It doesn't make you invisible but it's pretty damn close and also perfect for leveling Light/Heavy armor and Block. Just enter a fort, run around until everyone's after you, and then you stand in a corner and cast Protect while they all try to kill you. Whenever your health is getting low just heal and whenever Protect runs out just recast it.
Man I love Oblivion.
Pre-emptive like. Gonna watch tomorrow.
The best solution I've found to the levelling system is a very simple mod that makes ALL of the attribute bonuses on level up a +5 rather than +2 to +4. You don't feel like you're getting OP off the levelling system and I haven't ever felt outscaled by the world. You still need to train the skills for the attributes you want to level up to get the +5, but it takes the efficiency requirement out of the levelling game.
I honestly don't mind the persuasion wheel, it's not that difficult, and if you time your rotate button right, it's extremely easy. I always viewed it as your character making conversation or small talk with the person to get them to like you more. Really useful if you're Kahjit or Argonian
The lock pick mini game is actually good. You can unlock any lock in the game if your own skill is good. The game makes a double click sound when you need to click the mouse. A single click sound will make the pick break. Perks and leveling up the skill only makes the timing window easier.
Id argue this is similar to players cheesing combat at low levels by using their own mechanical skills while kiting foes and baiting out attacks.
I actually like the Oblivion gates. On my alters play through I spent a lot of time doing grinding and busy work for the mages guild application as well as magic training. It was a very nice switch of pace to delve into a long, difficult oblivion gate that made me expend all of my usefull potions while filling my pockets with valuable orcish and mithril gear as well as exotic daedric alchemy ingridients. It also gave me a chance to level up my combat skills.
The plains of oblivion make you tired the last quarter of it but this provides a strong sense of relief once you clear it, and I always seem to find a lot of wealth in them. I also enjoy the difficulty, and I usually have to consume a lot of scrolls and potions that I would otherwise never use.
This series is remarkable so far. And compared to other similar creators, you don't put out the content on a pace measured in years. Kudos.
(Fyi...I love most of those other anthologies just as much and mean this more as a compliment to his pace than a dig at ______ or ______.)
Dude, you've been getting a load of subs lately, keep grinding.
Say what you want about Oblivion, but the atmoshphere, music and graphics were creating unforgettable experience - as with every TES since Morrowind but still it was pretty unique, medieval knight fantasy like. These are the games that you can drown in, for long, long months. I have one of the best memories of mid to late childhood with them. As always great analysis, I love them!
Love Oblivion. My fave ES game! So many good memories.
Really enjoy that NKB puts out these longform videos with well thought out analysis that justifies the length rather than spending hours describing every system and plot point. His videos never have unnecessary padding, appreciate that he edits his thoughts down and into a sensible structure.
Those forts are all the remnants of the Alessian era, which was long time ago. They are like the ruins left of Roman Empire that you would see in mediterranean countries.
Also, I can't agree about the cities. I mean, sure, they have similar number of buildings... maybe. I honestly didn't count. But they are so different in their structure. Bruma is positioned on a hill and has layers, it also has nordic architecture. Skingrad is all stone buildings, and has some intertwining streets, with a bridge in the middle of the city. Its castle is also separate from the rest of the city. Chorrol is very circular, and all very wooden. It's one of the more generic cities though but still. Bravil is all worn down and it has a lot of space on rooftops and hanging platforms.
And even when you tell me they are the same size, somehow it doesn't feel this way. Skingrad really feels like it's way way more of a city than Bravil.
And they have different meshes and textures - but he is right, they feel the same, regardless those details.
@@dacsus how something feels is entirely subjective and to that I could just say that to me they don't feel the same. What matters is the reasons. Why do they feel the same to you when they look different and have different layouts? I highly doubt you actually count the number of buildings and npcs when you play.
@@Spellweaver5 Maybe because the NPCs behave the same, they have the same voices, and they talk about the same things.
And maybe it's due to the overall sterility of the oblivion.
I'm not saying the game is bad, I was playing it at the time, but after Witcher III came out, it's quite obvious that open world games can be done differently.
Why you'd bring up Witcher as an example of good open world is beyond me when it's a game where the open world actively detracts from its value and actual good open world games like Gothic have existed since way before Oblivion.
But even if that was a relevant example, when was it ever a doubt that you could do it differently? The whole premise of this video series is that no one could do the same thing that TES did.
@@Spellweaver5 "when it's a game where the open world actively detracts from its value" - you know that Witcher III is the most acclaimed open world game in history, it got 251 GOTY awards on launch, which rocketed to 8OO+ awards and accolades 1O months later?
wholesgame.com/news/witcher-3-winner-game-year-awards-ever/
www.reddit.com/r/witcher/comments/473oh8/the_witcher_3_is_a_fucking_masterpiece_in_the_rpg/
The Witcher 3 is still a Masterpiece in 2020
ruclips.net/video/NsDInedLQF0/видео.html
"Looking at trees and wishing for mushrooms." Who does not know that feeling.
Excellent vid, I really enjoyed it!
There are two things I'd like to add, from my ancient memories of Oblivion:
1) The main reason Cyrodiil's world got a lot of hate was that it had already been descibed in other places as a jungle and that the Empire was somewhat Jungle Romans. So it was a bit of a shock to many when we booted up the game and saw some random German or French forest, along with an empire that was completely and utterly generic. Bethesda changing the entire background setting for the most central faction in the entire series, just because LOTR was popular, didn't sit well with people. It basically translates into having no faith in your own product, while not delivering what you could learn about during a then 12 year old franchise.
2) IIRC, Bethesda didn't get any actual hardware until a little bit before the 360 actually launched (late november 2005), so they had to scale back a lot of what they wanted to do with the game since they had virtually no time to optimize it: Famously, they had made multiple arenas that didn't make it in for this reason. I can imagine various other city elements were lost to this issue as well, since there were almost exactly 4 months from the 360 launched to Oblivion released (22nd of november 2005 - 20th of march 2006). Having that little time to optimize for a brand new console on such a huge game must have been a god damn nightmare.
About point one... Only mention of a jungle that I've seen is describing the homeland of the wood elves, not Cyrodiil. Morrowind is the first game in this series I've played, never the earlier ones and in Morrowind you can find a book series telling a story of some imperial doing official business with the wood elves, even meeting their leader in the last book. The first book can be found in starting town, Seyda Neen, iirc in the shack of the guy who murdered the tax collector. So, afaik, wood elf homeland is a jungle with walking trees.
This came up just as I was trying to get bed last night, saved it for tonight so I could give it my full attention. I pretty much said this last time but I'll say it again. I follow a few review / retrospective content creators and like different ones for different reasons. You have such a professional edge to your work, well written and structured. Your delivery is also an incredible standard, authorative but not in a condescending way, easy to listen to but also totally captivating delivery. Not an easy balance to strike but you do it flawlessly. I can't say enough good things about you and your channel. Great work.
I always assumed the abandoned forts were by-products of Tiber Septim's conquests
But at least some of them would still be maintained, no? Like there is clearly a ring of abandoned forts around the Imperial City: 9 of them on the outer bank of the central lake. There is even a circular road following the lake shore where these forts are placed alongside. Wouldn't the Empire wish to keep these as watchtowers and patrol way-stations? You'd also expect forts to be placed at crossroads and bridges as well as approaching major cities. And yet, the fort right next to the Imperial Cities entrance? Overrun with bandits. Just like all the others.
Oooohhhhhh! Nine forts surrounding the Imperial City! Each one could be dedicated to a different Divine! Talos didn't exist back in the days of hte older Empires, having been created in the aftermath of Daggerfall's main quest (the dragon break caused by the Numidian's activation) then retroactively inserted into the past as if he'd also been there. Thus, the fort dedicated to Talos could be obviously different than the others: far newer and more reflective of current Imperial architecture. It's details like this that really enhance the world building. Quests can then be built off these details, like the fort dedicated to Stendarr was wiped out by vampires and you are sent to investigate. Another has a smuggling problem (Zenithar, god of commerce). The mage's guild has a presence in the Julianos fort. etc, etc. Each fort would have an Imperial guard presence, a minor chapel that serves as a pilgrimage point, and be slightly unique reflecting each of hte divines revered there.
Forts not on a main road, current border, or obvious choke point should then reflect past borders. Say, between the Colovian estates and Alessian Empire that made up the northwest/southeast parts of Cryodiil respectively. Or a few forts ringing a minor vassal kingdom that has long since been absorbed back into the empire, but there remains a quest given by an amateur historian. They want you to find old artifacts of some ancient general or king in one of these abandoned forts from
It would also be nice to see the difference between the maintained forts, others that had been renovated with newer facilities/expansions added, and the ruined husks that had been abandoned as borders shifted. Instead, they are all just generic dungeons filled with generic enemies... and don't really feel a connected part of the world.
@@duncanlutz3698 Empire is in a really, really bad shape at that point though. Unrest in the Imperial City was mentioned by Caius Cosades some 20 years before the Oblivion Crisis...of course, when we get there, there's no indication of any kind of political unrest (apocalyptic cults trying to summon Satan notwithstanding, but it's not like they are into politics). Still, stuff like derelict forts can be chalked up to the sorry state of the Empire.
Actually many of them were build in and before the reman empire
I always thought they were forts from the alessian empire or reman
@@duncanlutz3698 That’s a really good point. They could also be more visually interesting without too much work by using existing assets to show renovations. Maybe only part of a fort near Anvil has been renovated using materials seen in the city?
I think the best forts are the ones near Skyrim which feel like them being abandoned makes sense.
The partially-implemented goblin war system was so partially-awesome!
Also the fact that you could sit in on lectures in the capital city mages guild (some of which gave you useful info, others of which had mistakes)
one thing i really appreciate about these videos is they help me realize the masterpieces that Bethesda games really are. I forgot just how impressive Oblivion was at the time and i was gaming for it's release. Unlike morrowind where i watched my Mom play it, fascinated by the strange alien world I saw in the TV.
i appreciate the time and effort you dumped into this series. you've encapsulated the feelings i had growing up with this series chasing a particular brand of serotonin i've only felt through my first play through of Morrowind. well done as always
One of the best approaches to quest markers I know of is Genshin Impact's "AOE" markers. They circle the part of the map you should be searching around, so it has the best of both worlds.
I have returned for part 2. HERE WE GO!
"Me, like your parents, will be dissapointed in you."
Holy shit, that cut deep- xD
Watched it before the reupload! Great video for someone who never played the early games!
Amazing video, much love dude
SILENCE VERIFIED
I love peer respect. I'll check out your channel next
These are some of the best review videos and I just love watching them and relaxing. Your pacing and voice is perfect for this type of review.
When this game came out i was super excited to get started. About the time I made it out of the sewers my 360 gave me the red ring of death. Had to wait awhile before I could play it again.
Oblivion and Skyrim are perfect examples of games -- or creative works in general -- whose creators cannot even begin to understand WHY the prior entries were so good in the first place.
Love this video! Can’t wait for Skyrim!!!
You made so many peoples day today. We see how many hours ago it was posted and smiles commence. Appreciate all your work brother
This guy is on a crusade to ruin all my nostalgic game memories.
Just like "pilenial" itself xD
That's actually a really interesting point about the main story changing on account of not only the players actions, but their inaction.
Like leave it long enough and maybe someone else would have eventually become the hero of kvatch.
Or maybe kvatch hadn't fallen at the beginning of the game. But if the player doesn't go and pursue Martin right from the get go. Then it's doomed to fall
Oblivion Strikes Back Once More After RUclips Messed Up the FIrst Upload.
Seriously though, taking the first video down while watching made me check the community tab with the link to the patreon Q&A, so I need to thank youtube for once
Always look forward to your videos
“Such as...Sean Bean”
And the crowd goes wild
“They killed Ned! No way! They KILLED NED!” The track of some RUclips reaction-video goes through my head every time I hear Sean Bean’s voice.
Say what you want about Oblivion's style but i believe it really explained why Dunmer in Morrowind knew you were an outlander even if you picked Dunmer.