Games Inbox: Is The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered overrated?

Metro

24-04-2025

Suddenly everyone remembers they like Oblivion (Bethesda)
The Thursday letters page hopes that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the success it deserves to be, as a reader tries to puzzle out Ghost Of Yōtei's release date.
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Nostalgia is the answer
I don't understand the rapturous reception to The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remaster.
It's the same game we've all played before, with a nice new lick of paint and some mechanical tune-ups. Are people misunderstanding it to be a full remake with updated content? Am I misunderstanding and it actually is that?
I've very recently returned to modern gaming after a fair amount of time out playing retro consoles instead, so I'm a bit out of the loop, but I expected widespread condemnation of Bethesda yet again asking fans to pay for a game they've already bought. The general response I'm seeing out there though, more measured comments in Wednesday's Inbox apart, seems to be one of utter delight.
Theresa May was the Prime Minister when that Elder Scrolls 6 teaser was released, surely a lot of fans would rather Bethesda spend their money on getting that game done than regurgitating old content, but the response to the remaster seems to send the opposite message.
Charlie
GC: Well, for starters Bethesda didn't really make it; they farmed out most of the work to Virtuos. It's not quite a remake but it is one of the most substantial remasters we've ever seen. That said, we do agree it's odd in that we've barely heard anyone ever mention the game in the last 10 years or more. Maybe that's part of the reason: it got forgotten and people are now happy to be reminded of it.
What's wrong with this face?
RE: Bosley's submission to the Inbox and their disappointment with Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion's facial animations. The best I've seen so far in a game are there in L.A. Noire. I'm pretty sure that an engine was designed around it but that went belly up when Team Bondi fell out with Rockstar. I'm not too sure about the ins and outs of it all.
It's still mighty impressive to this very day and we are about 14 years down the line now. Surely, we can expect better by this (my) idiot's estimation of unfathomable tech. I'm starting to think it's some kind of conspiracy at this point. It all just looked and felt so organic. It still holds up.
D Dubya
GC: We'd say there's plenty that have surpassed L.A. Noire by now, including the likes of The Last Of Us, Suicide Squad: Kill The Justice League, Senua's Saga: Hellblade 2, and Mortal Kombat 1. Although anything's better than Bethesda's facial animation.
Support the change you want to see
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 always looked good, but I don't think many expected the universal high praise it's receiving. It looks and sounds very interesting.
It's caused me to pre-oder it on PlayStation 5 and I have it downloading now, ready for the weekend.
Although I have a ridiculously long wishlist, and back catalogue of ridiculously good games to already play or buy, I do try to support the things I want more of in the industry with day one buys like I did with Astro Bot, Silent Hill 2, and Stellar Blade last year.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the sort of quality, unique double-A-like game at a sensible price we need more of.
I felt a bit guilty with the price in all honesty. It's £45 in the PSN store but a combination of a 10% PS Plus discount and ShopTo PSN vouchers it cost me £35.62. It's also day one on Game Pass.
Simundo
GC: That kind of stuff doesn't matter; the developer will still get the same cut.
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A month out
I lucked out on securing an Argos pre-order for the Switch 2 and Mario Kart World bundle a couple of weeks ago and have since sold my Switch and PlayStation 5 to fund it (and a pre-order of Donkey Kong Bananza).
This means I have no means of playing video games until June 5th, seeing as I've also let my Netflix subscription expire and am living my gaming life through GC's content and eagerly awaiting the next nuggets of info on the Switch 2 and its games.
After last week's Mario Kart World Direct, have Nintendo announced whether there will be any more Directs before the Switch 2 release date?
I wonder if they plan on having a not-E3 Direct this year, as that'd usually land the week of/after the Switch 2 launch but I'm not sure they'd want to distract any publicity away from the new console launch. Especially if it's as successful as Japan's My Nintendo lottery suggests it might be.
Hubert
GC: They haven't said anything yet, but their not-E3 Direct is usually happens in the third week of June. The question is whether they keep that date or have one or more before it. Either way, unless they've got a secret Christmas game, we don't think they're going to announce any other major first party titles this year. Maybe if there was some evidence that they'd been shaken by fan backlash, but we don't see any real sign of that.
Public demand
Hang on, Nintendo has had 2.2 million pre-order requests in Japan? And the previous best was the PlayStation 2 at less than 1 million? That is a staggering number, no wonder they ran out of stock.
I know Nintendo has made some odd mistakes with the reveal, but I don't think any of them are very serious and, at least in Japan, this thing is going to be huge. And if it's huge there I can't imagine it's going to be anything close to a flop in the US or Europe.
With so much misery still in the games industry, in terms of how it treats its developers and its brainless short-sightedness over things like live service titles, we need a win, and everyone should hope the Switch 2 is a hit. GTA 6 too.
Ashton Marley
Alternate dimensions
Just want to say to Charlie H in Wednesday's inbox, if they 'must' go for a Mario sports game, I'd personally go with Mario Golf: Super Rush. Or if you can stomach a lot to remember (in a way) the Tokyo Olympics game with Sonic – though it's not worth full price in my eyes.
Also, and I know this will be a hot take, but I'd grab Super Mario 3D World + Bowser's Fury or Wonder over Odyssey – but that's based on a few things. I personally found Odyssey way too big and never really got on with it (I'm a heathen, I know!); Wonder however is obviously 2D and is pure-old-school-with-a-new-twist platforming perfection.
That said, if you like a real challenge in a 3D platforming world, go for either of those two – Odyssey, I believe, is harder overall.
So really, pick your style – 2D or 3D!
Can always buy one first and then get another later!
Andy F.
GC: We agree Super Rush is the best of the sports games. They're all fine, but none are great.
Insider knowledge
So I guess there's two possibilities with Ghost Of Yōtei's release date: Sony is taking a risk about GTA 6/don't care about it or Sony know GTA 6 isn't out in October. Considering how weird they've been all generation I'm not sure that's an easy guess to make, but I've got to plump for the idea that they know.
So do they know it's another month in the autumn or do they know it's delayed? There's no way to guess but I find it easy to believe the rumours about Sony having a marketing deal with the game and that there'll be bundles with the PS5 Pro. So I think they know. Whether they'll do anything sensible with the information remains to be seen.
Gabbo
Sweet week
It is truly one of the most savoury weeks in gaming history. We've had a shadow release of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, which has released on Steam, Xbox Game Pass, and PlayStation. I'm currently using the second option and it is everything we desired it to be. The majesty of Unreal Engine 5 is honestly what was needed for Starfield. We see that looking like a 2008 release and out of nowhere, Cyrodill is a majestic beauty.
Hopefully this is Bethesda teasing us, with the usage of this engine for the Elder Scrolls 6. Heaven knows we need it. We've also seen the debut JRPG Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 release to stellar reviews and a reasonable price tag. 92 on Metacritic currently, which is just a miracle. I've already installed it, from Game Pass, and I'm just raring to dive into this world. Just as soon as I've wrapped up Oblivion.
Thirdly, the US is opening up pre-orders for the Nintendo Switch 2, when the clock strikes midnight. It's long overdue, factoring Trump's tariffs causing a delay. I hope to see many citizens securing their pre-orders tonight. When I secured mine, it was without the luxury of a pre-set time. At least the US has that heads-up, to know when to be ready and present.
Lastly, Sony have literally conjured up a cocktail of excitement, surprise, and confusion. Ghost Of Yōtei has been officially announced, for October 2025. With no fanfare or even a showcase announcement. That's baffling to say the least. You unveil a deeply anticipated sequel, and the release date is just handed to us, like that.
I'm absolutely pumping my fist and I'm slightly worried it'll be overshadowed by the release of Grand Theft Auto 6, since that's apparently scheduled for an autumn release and I possibly can see Sucker Punch making a mistake with this. We saw it with Elden Ring and Horizon Forbidden West. It was released at the worst time possible. So, this may turn out to be quite an interesting time of the year. All in all, we've been spoiled rich this week and it's a fantastic time to be a gamer, or a lover of gaming.
Shahzaib Sadiq
GC: It wouldn't have been Sucker Punch's decision; it would be Sony's.
Inbox also-rans
So what is the betting that there'll be a new F-Zero game on Switch 2? We already have the GameCube game coming, so is that just throwing us a bone or a sing of things to come?
Noah
Just finished Indiana Jones And The Great Circle and loved it, even though the ending wasn't the best. Is there any DLC planned? I saw there's a secret ending, that I didn't get myself, that seems to hint at it.
Billy
GC: Yes, there'll be at least one slice of story DLC, called The Order Of Giants.
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