Games

I play mages, so the real issue for me is that the magic system in Oblivion is far superior. Being able to craft your own spells is absolutely fantastic. Skyrim cheaped out by removing the complexity and spell crafting, and Shouts didn't really serve as a decent replacement.

Combat with the remaster is exceptionally smooth and natural, and I honestly preferred the original Oblivion system than Skyrim's - which always felt janky to me - like it was trying to use Fallout mechanics to show off, not because it made for a better combat experience.

The questing and storyline strikes an excellent balance between open world discovery and directed play - Skyrim's felt disconnected, and I often lost track of exactly what was going on or why. You also get far more background and story - books in Skyrim are usually one or two pages long. Books in Oblivion usually are around 20 - 30 pages.

The remaster absolutely kicks ass - visually, it's easily on par with Skyrim graphics, and the audio is fantastic. The performance is far better as well, but it still retains a lot of the old school flavor with the simple interface. I'm really enjoying it thus far - it's been long enough since i played the original on the 360 that it's like a new game.

Plus, it's got some amazing early 00's voice talent - Patrick Stewart plays the Emperor, and despite the lines being a bit janky at time due to how they were recorded, the actors did a really good job.

All in all, it's AAA title from a time when that meant something, and with the modern engine and graphics, it's a masterpiece that outshines many of the top titles out today.