Elder Scrolls

[MTDrunk]

With Skyrim coming out in November, I'm thinking about getting Oblivion. The thing that has kept me from buying it before now is how much I loved Morrowind. It is one of my favorite games and it is definitely a game I've played more than any other. My question is this: as a fan of Morrowind, will I be disappointed in Oblivion?

[Murgatroyd7]

Yes and no. The story in Oblivion is pretty lame. In fact, it's almost nonexistent. I think if you were to play through just the storyline, it would probably be five or six hours. However, there is so much more to do. I spent WAY over 100 hours doing sidequests, many of which were quite fun. The quests in Morrowind are supposedly better (I have limited experience), but I enjoyed myself. You might not like that Oblivion holds your hand so much instead of letting you figure everything out for yourself, but it has much better gameplay mechanics. Overall, I think Oblivion is a great game. And it's only $20-$30 for a new copy. Of course, you might want to wait for the 5th Anniversary edition. It has all of the DLC plus a couple of bonuses, and it comes with a $10-off coupon for Skyrim.

[StatiK TactiK]

Yeah I agree with Murga. Most people had complaints that there was too much hand holding. The new compas system had much to do with that I think but I personally liked it better. It allowed me to do what I want when I want instead of having to wander for hours looking for my next quest objective. The map is also quite a bit smaller (although Cyrodiil is no joke compared to other open world games) but has more unique/ distinct areas. The journal system is also ALOT (and I can't stress that enough) more efficient and user friendly. I remember when I played Morrowind I kept my own physical journal just to remind me of the page number the latest objectives for various quests were on. Overall though (and some die hards disagree with me on this), Oblivion was a better game and one of my favorites of all time. So much to do and see but I had the freedom to just plough through quests if that's what I felt like doing that day.

[MTDrunk]

Sounds good to me. 100 hours and an improved journal system sounds real nice. I remember part of a quest in Ald'ruhn where I spent three hours trying to find something, only to realize later that I was looking at the wrong journal entry (which means the wrong area as well). A buddy is ready to sell me a Game of the Year copy for cheap. I doubt he played more than an hour of it. I've never seen him play anything other than COD and Halo. If I'm as into it as I was Morrowind, I might trade it in toward the 5th anniversary package. Looks like it's only going for $30 at release.

[MTDrunk]

By the way, is the combat basically the same?

[Mike]

I played both long ago, but Im pretty sure combat was pretty much the same

[Murgatroyd7]

The combat in Oblivion is so much better. Most of your attacks actually connect instead of only looking like it. I believe the controls are similar (I don't remember exactly), but I know it's a lot more satisfying in Oblivion.

[StatiK TactiK]

Yeah it's more satisfying but not by much tbh. Hitting with a sword and hammer still feels pretty similar. They're supposedly giving weapons more distinct "feels" in Skyrim so I'm very much looking forward to the added weight in the weapons. As for the controls I can't comment because I played Morrowind on pc and Oblivion on 360.

One thing I would make sure before you buy the goty from your friend, make sure you can still use all the dlc. Some goty editions give the extra stuff as a download code, in which case you might not be able to use it if he already did. Worse comes to worse just buy it new. Goty new should only be like $25 at this point I'd imagine.

[Murgatroyd7]

I just mean that it's more satisfying because you actually make contact with your enemies in Oblivion. Heh. Unless it has changed since I bought it, the GotY should have a disc with the DLC. 5th Anniversary will come with extra stuff like the horse armor, though. But either way, you'll get to play through the bonus quests.

[StatiK TactiK]

Ahh thanks for clarifying. Just want to say how awesome Shivering Isles was too. Such a unique place to visit after 140+ hours in Cyrodiil and was probably the first piece of DLC that ever really impressed me and didn't leave me feeling ripped off (aside from the horse armor of course...)

[Murgatroyd7]

Yeah, Shivering Isles was great. It felt too weird for the game at first, but it eventually grew on me. And I thought the suicide hill was great. Heh.

[MTDrunk]

Thanks for the heads up. I asked and was told it has Knights of Nine and Shivering Isles on it. Would have grabbed it today but the weather changed the plans to either tomorrow or Monday. And for the price, I can be patient.

[MTDrunk]

Well, I've only about a dozen hours playing but I'll tell you how I feel so far. The map and fast travel was really cool at first but after a couple of hours I realized that I wasn't exploring as much so now I only use it when going from places I've already been to. The journal is a huge upgrade. I enjoy the combat so much more. There is no switching from the magic to the weapons and I love that. And you can actually tell when you are making contact with your weapons which is an improvement. It's a much more beautiful game. I can't comment on the story, as I've been doing a lot of sidequests and stuff for guilds and factions. But so far, I'm loving it.

[StatiK TactiK]

Glad to hear you're enjoying it. It really is a great game. And yeah I tried to avoid fast travel too unless it's really far away. Even in Fallout 3/NV. You miss too many random events and too much beautiful scenery by fast travelling.

[MTDrunk]

Finished the main quest today. I had been doing a little bit of the main storyline at a time and mostly doing side quests but I was like 35 hours into the game and decided to just finish it so I wouldn't have to think about it anymore. A couple hours later and I was done. It was good but not difficult at all. I guess I'll be doing the Shivering Isles and faction stuff now.

I'm going to go trade in my GOTY edition towards a 5th anniversary one in a couple of days. I'll get more value trading it in than I paid for it. Also, I pre-ordered Skyrim like a month ago.