Games Inbox: Is The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remaster worth it?

Metro

23-04-2025

The Wednesday letters page thinks it understands Sony's plans for the PS6 portable, as a reader celebrates pre-ordering a Nintendo Switch 2.
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Honest hype
Nice to see some hype that was actually worth it, with the Oblivion remaster looking really nice. I appreciated that they made lots of changes to the gameplay and UI and other aspects to modernise it too. It reminds me of Metroid Prime, in that while they're both technically remasters this looks more significant than some remakes.
The price is good too and as of right now I've bought it on PlayStation 5 and I'm downloading it now. Bethesda always seem a bit too full of themselves, which I think leads to some of their biggest mistakes, but at the end of the day they do make some great games.
I'm not quite sure what went wrong with Starfield, but I know Oblivion is good and I can't wait to start playing what, in terms of the number of hours it'll suck me in, looks to be the bargain of the year.
Purple Ranger
Face to face
I've got to hand it to Bethesda, the Oblivion remaster looks really good. A major upgrade in graphics and I really like the way they've improved the combat with special effects and new sound. The landscapes look really good and it's not actually too expensive, given it's a nearly 20 year old game.
The only problem, and I can't believe they drew attention to it, is that the faces are still terrible. What is it with Bethesda and facial animation? Why do all their characters look like Mr Potato Head after too much cosmetic surgery?
There was some improvement in Starfield, but it was still well behind the curve and while I guess this is bad because it's a remaster and not a remake, it's still laughable. It makes it seem like everyone at Bethesda is an alien that's never seen a real human being before.
Bosley
Random remaster
I have to admit the Oblivion remaster looks really nice and I will probably end up getting it. I don't really see why it's Oblivion they've picked on though. Everyone jokes about how many times Skyrim has been re-released, but it's never had a remaster like this. Why not start with it or with Morrowind, which is in desperate need of a full remake.
Starting in the middle with Oblivion seems a bit random to me. I'll be honest and admit I don't really remember the game all that well, just that I liked it and the celebrity voiceovers were good, so it's definitely worth a revisit. I just hope it's not a one-off, as the other two games definitely need the attention. Heck, why not do Daggerfall as well, I've never even played that one.
Glottis
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Three not of a kind
I feel the logic behind the PlayStation 6 portable is beginning to make sense. The initial rumours said that Sony was inspired by the unexpected success of the PlayStation Portal, so it would track that they'd want to make a new one for the PlayStation 6 that could play its games through streaming and PlayStation 5 games natively.
That actually seems really appealing to me, although I don't know how existing Portal owners would feel, faced with having to buy another portable.
It's clearly not very much like the Switch though and I'm going to guess the Xbox handheld is going to be a much more straightforward copy of the Steam Deck. If that's true, then we could end up with three very different portables this generation, from all three console manufacturers. That's pretty exciting.
Focus
Mysteries within mysteries
The Nintendo Switch 2 Direct gets more puzzling the more you think of it. What gets me is that there was no major first party game that used mouse controls and there was no equivalent of 1-2-Switch or WarioWare to show off all the new features.
There sort of was, but not really. Welcome Tour was the closest to something like 1-2-Switch but somehow it seemed even worse, while you got Drag X Drive as the first party game that showed off mouse controls. But I'd hardly call it 'big', considering it looked like a £5 indie Steam game.
There was the DLC for Super Mario Party too, but none of that really seems like the sort of centrepiece game that instantly proves what it's all about. Mario Kart and Donkey Kong look good, but they also could've been on any sufficiently powerful console.
Dalston
Gravy train
I know you don't need me to say how weird it is to make an OutRun movie, but did no one involved think about it for more than a second? A game with no plot or characters, that hasn't had a new sequel in nearly two decades, and they've got two major Hollywood stars attached.
I hear that sales of A Minecraft Movie are slowing quicker than expected, so it won't make $1 billion. Hardly a disaster but a hint that if it had actually been any good it would've done even better.
OutRun is so old and so irrelevant nowadays it seems incredible that Michael Bay and a major actress could be talked into making a film of it. If they fall for such nonsense just imagine how easy it must be for just about any idea to get through at the moment, just as long as you can say it is, or was, a famous video game.
I hope we get something fun out of this current fad though, because it's bound not to last. I'd love an Ape Escape movie or Castlevania or Katamari Damacy or something. I don't even really care if they're good movies or not, I just want to see what publishers can talk Hollywood into.
Of course, it would be a nice bonus if they were quality, but I'm not convinced it's ever going to happen. When Sonic The Hedgehog 3 is the high water mark I think it's a sign that overall potential is pretty low.
Losca
Transfer difficulties
I have a quick question, I strangely can't find a direct answer for online.
Do I need my Switch to transfer to a Switch 2? Ideally, I would like to sell my Switch before the Switch 2 is released to maximise the price but wasn't sure if I can transfer everything online or will need the actual, original console.
John
GC: We don't think there is a definitive answer. In theory you should just be able to log in with your Nintendo account and be able to redownload any of your digital games. It's the saves that's the problem – some use cloud saving, if you subscribe to Nintendo Switch Online, but others, like Zelda and Animal Crossing, don't. So presumably the only option there is to manually move them from one console to another.
All paid up
My partner is a legend. Because I'm not able to get out at the moment, she went to my local Currys store and pre-ordered me a Nintendo Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle and Pro Controller 2. I did have to pay up front and it cost me £505. I've also purchased a 256GB express microSD card from the Game Collection and I've got a code for the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack for £25 from CDKeys. That's already £580 spent!
Having been used to purchasing games digitally on my Xbox Series X/S consoles I will most likely continue to buy digital games on the Switch 2, although I plan to be extremely picky because of Nintendo games not dropping much in price and I'm only really interested in Nintendo exclusive games (including the games I missed on the first Switch) and indie games that skip the Xbox, like Pizza Tower.
I do plan on day one to download Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and some Mario platformer games, although I can't decide between Super Mario Odyssey, Wonder or 3D World + Bowser's Fury. I could buy all three Mario platformers but then I might feel overwhelmed, having said that I can still see me buying Odyssey and Wonder, as they are both very different.
I'm also pleasantly surprised by the file sizes of these games. Most are around 5GB to 10GB each, with the exception of Smash Bros. and Mario Kart World. It makes a nice surprise to not need in excess of 100GB+ for games. I could also do with knowing if there are any good Mario sports games on the Switch that are worth a download.
Hope everyone who wants a pre-order gets one and it's worth visiting a store to grab one.
Charlie H.
GC: Mario Tennis Aces, Mario Golf: Super Rush, and Mario Strikers: Battle League Football are all okay but none of them are must-haves. The golden age of Mario sports games seems to be behind us now.
Inbox also-ransJust to point out but Street Fighter 6 on Switch 2 also seems to be using DLSS. I think most games will end up using it, once the devs get their heads around the new console.
Matchaman
I know that strategy game got announced at the convention but it's a shame we've still never heard anything about the third and final Star Wars Jedi game. I know the director left, but surely EA aren't going to leave it at that?
Campbell More Trending
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