The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

Though some of the changes and the performance issues will inevitably turn some players off, there's no denying that the fourth entry in the series couldn't have made its debut on modern gaming platforms better than it did with The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. Updating the experience where required while keeping true to the original, Virtuos has developed an amazing remaster that does proper justice to one of the most beloved role-playing games ever released. PC players can also tweak it further to their liking thanks to the many mods already available on Nexus.

This fresh version of a beloved adventure from the 2000’s is as good as it ever was, and those (like me) who have yet to make the journey will find it well worth the time, even all these years later.

What’s truly awesome is that underneath all the new glitz and glamour, Oblivion Remastered is still Oblivion. Bethesda games are infamous for their bugs and quirks, and a lot of that goes back to the incredibly ambitious game that was The Elder Scrolls 4 in 2006. This time around, it’s a lot cleaner and more presentable, but still littered with awkward animations and full-on flubs that have been lovingly preserved as part of the game’s legacy. There’s a real charm to this world, its story, and characters. As a kid who grew up in the 2000s, I’ve got a lot of nostalgia wrapped up in Oblivion, and a bit of concern realizing that this game is approaching its 20th anniversary. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered is undoubtedly the new definitive way to experience Bethesda’s flawed masterpiece, a game that continues to be a standard for western RPGs.

Everyone downloaded that 120 gigabytes just for the sake of the name The Elder Scrolls, but somehow saving Cyrodiil ended up being my responsibility. And I think I might've made things even worse. Oh well, we'll fix it with some mods, right?... Right?

Oblivion Remastered successfully breathes new life into The Elders Scrolls IV, which is going to be great for the mature gamers that already knew about this title from the original release in 2006. Whether you beat the game back then or not, this remaster is, as of today, the best way to experience Oblivion. We still have Skyblivion to look out for, even if this remaster may have stolen some potential players from that project. However, no amount of make up and re-texturization can mask the classic Bethesda jank, which makes the game just as endearing and frustrating as the original.