Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered review – the madness has not faded, thankfully
If you know anything about Oblivion, you'll be aware of its fabled foibles, the amusing glitches that accompanied its sweeping medieval fantasy in the land of Tamriel. But perhaps you've only heard of and never played Bethesda's seminal RPG, one of the pinnacles of the Elder Scrolls series before the even more revered Skyrim.
Now's your chance, a scarcely conceivable 19 years after its debut as it gets the Remaster treatment while we wait for Bethesda to put a date on Elder Scrolls VI, the next instalment that's been in the oven for many moons.
We shouldn't be surprised that Oblivion's remakers chose not to sanitise its lunacies too much. Bethesda built a large open world back in 2006 and the Xbox 360 technology of the time couldn't always reliably handle the permutations of underlying systems. Hence the infamous but largely amusing kinks where characters and the world itself behaved unpredictably at times.
Players of the original enjoyed a novel buffet of adventures – wielding magic spells and swords while exploring the Tamriel wilderness, all wrapped in a yarn about an evil sorcerer and portals to hell. Crucially, though, you could ignore the main quest endlessly in favour of swashbuckling exploits in dungeons, forests and cities. Almost as importantly, the bugs in the code could frequently produce a smile on your face for their sheer ridiculousness.
Bethesda went on to even better things with 2011's Skyrim, which built on Oblivion's template, albeit featuring possibly even more glitches. Hopefully that remaster is only just around the corner, nonetheless.
In the meantime, there's plenty to appreciate in Oblivion's 2025 makeover but despite its occasional brilliance it feels a product of its time despite the new coat of paint.
The original voice cast had put in a decent shift – including celebrity performances from the resonant tones of Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean and even Lynda Carter of Wonder Woman fame. But many of the NPCs still look stilted and often a bit freaky.
Tamriel felt like an impressively capacious realm back in the day but, two decades on, its boundaries chafe at your freedom as the game sends you pinballing from one side of the map to the other. The hinterlands may be generously loaded with dungeons but they're very obviously copied and pasted from place to place. How often must you sift the junk loot from the real treasure scattered around every location? The answer is tediously often.
Oblivion Remastered offers an assortment of concessions to 2025, such as the ability to sprint, a breadcrumb trail to your next objective, a graphical upgrade and a smoothing of levelling curve. Yet the weapons and magic combat that fuel the core gameplay remain clunky and imprecise.
It's tricky to disconnect the expectations of the modern gamer from an RPG that was unconventionally innovative back in 2006. Yet Oblivion can still put on an admirable show two decades on and will please many players for whom nostalgia is not the primary motivation.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
RTÉ News
10-05-2025
- RTÉ News
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered and the latest games reviewed
I say this every month, but the video games of 2025 just keep getting better and better -and we're not even halfway through the year yet. From a masterpiece remaster to a spotlight on new mythology, to classic platformers and everything in between, recent releases continue to prove gaming is the most imaginative and interactive entertainment medium going. Whether you've got 1 hour to spare or 100, the following recent releases are up to the challenge of keeping you entertained for the weeks and months ahead. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Surprises in the gaming industry can be few and far between. And while a remaster has long been anticipated, I don't think anyone expected the shock release of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered last week. No major announcement and no big countdown. It just appeared on storefronts, and that was it. But with a reported 4 million players already venturing into Cyrodiil in just one week, it seems that when you remake a masterpiece, you don't need much advertising. Die-hard fans who remember the 2006 original will flock in their droves to re-experience one of gaming's most magical RPG experiences. So, just how does this revamped version of Oblivion stack up? A major facelift breathes new life into a familiar world The first and most pressing difference to this new entrant into the pantheon of Elder Scrolls is the graphical overhaul. Cyrodiil and its inhabitants have received a much-deserved modern facelift, which utterly transforms your experiences. Granted, these are the same goofy-like NPCs you'll fondly remember, but with newfound details, nuances, and, let's be honest, distinguishable faces now. The contrast between new and old characters couldn't be clearer, and each one will involve equal parts of curiosity and nostalgia. I feel like they've overcorrected on the art style here #OblivionRemastered — Milkshake 🍨 (@MilkshakeXS) April 22, 2025 Environments also have a new lick of paint, with textures and lighting that will make your familiar playthrough feel like a new odyssey. New features like sprinting are a godsend and will help you shave a few hours off your travels. The UI has always been cleaned up substantially, with insightful menus that give you all the information you need, as well as a refined map that makes playing more fun and organised. And yet, the essence of the original survives intact. You have that quintessential 2006 experience, but with a sprinkling of modern mechanics. It really is sublime. For newcomers and seasoned players alike, the story of Oblivion remains untouched. You begin your journey as a prisoner who quickly gets caught up in the political drama of bigwig elites. Entrusted with the prized Amulet of Kings, your journey feeds into a much larger prophecy, where you must stop the forces of Oblivion from overtaking the lands before it is too late. No pressure! But aside from saving the world, this story is one of your own making. In true open-world fashion, there is so much to do in the game that you can get to the pressing matters at your own pace. Oblivion allows you to craft your own epic adventure on your terms, with a seemingly unlimited supply of meaningful content to fight through. All the while, you're in control of your own hero and their destiny. Be as beautiful and regal as you want, or an absolute menace to the people around you. Whether you want to wield a sword, specialise in powerful magic, pilfer items or mix in a little bit of everything, the choice is yours. This creative freedom is what made the original Oblivion such a triumph. And it's great to see the essence of that magic survives the remastering process. With heightened graphics, together with quality of life improvements, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered manages to strike the perfect balance between nostalgia and modernity. Best of all, both Knights of the Nine and Shivering Isles DLCs are included, giving you the complete experience to the fullest. Here's hoping you still have some annual leave to spare so you can give this surprise delight the time and commitment it truly deserves! The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered is available to play on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, Game Pass, and PC. South of Midnight Mythology is no stranger to video games. Some of the biggest hits in the last few years have told (and retold) stories we all know from our favourite pantheons across the world. But there have been some notable omissions to the kind of locations we get to learn about. South of Midnight is an action-adventure myth-inspired game that addresses this in a big way. It's a unique, supernatural experience stemming from the Deep South, covering folklore often overlooked by mainstream video games. Fashioned as a sort of Tim Burton-esque stop-motion game, it feels and behaves like a living gothic storybook. You play as Hazel, an athletic young girl who discovers that she is a Weaver, someone who can mend spirits and allow them to move on. This power becomes invaluable as she travels the lands, restoring spirits and removing their trauma, all the while searching for her missing mother and uncovering her family's mysterious past. It's hard to put into words how beautiful this game looks when you're exploring. Animals frolic from every corner. Thorny brambles begin to take over and add hostility to every corner. Levels are intricate, with endless tree trunks twisting throughout swamps. The shacks that you parkour over are dilapidated and impoverished, and from the outset, the environment seems to be telling its own underlying narrative. To transform the mythical world back to vibrancy, Hazel must 'unravel' corruptions. She does this by defeating a variety of enemies around key points of the level and by also relieving folklore characters of their emotional pain and turmoil. As a Weaver, Hazel can dash, dive, glide, and unlock new powers as she progresses. Combat largely centres on button-bashing, where Hazel will hack and slash at enemies with her mystic hooks, slipping powerful Weaver abilities as and when they're off cooldown. Granted, combat can often be a tad repetitive, and I can't help but think the game could have pushed the mechanics into more interesting territory – or even forgo it altogether and focus more on a puzzle aspect. The setting is so interesting that it could pique your curiosity on its own. That said, the abundance of storyline and cut scenes strewn between each fight can help break up the repetition and carry you through it all. Some of these stories are pretty dark and sorrowful, never holding back their emotional punch. They'll leave a lasting impression on you and then some, and hopefully instil an appreciation for the culture you're entrenched in. With unique graphics, a beautiful soundtrack, and dark stories aplenty, South of Midnight is a grand voyage into the Deep South mythos. Across 12 to 15 hours, you'll find a new appreciation for folklore that you otherwise may never have heard of. South of Midnight is available to play on Xbox Series X/S and PC. Rusty Rabbit Rusty Rabbit is a side-scrolling Metrovidivian game where you hop, jump and dig your way through a 2D world in ruin. Earth has entered another ice age, leading to all humans abandoning the planet. Over time, a race of highly evolved rabbits stake their claim on the planet, salvaging any old technology they can find. The story and setting of the game are pretty unique and, at times, hilarious. The rabbits treat Peter Rabbit like a Bible, and are highly curious about the 'old ones' who left ages ago. As such, every rabbit is an explorer, tackling parts of Smokestack Mountain in search of junk, treasure, and answers. You play as Stamp, a cranky rabbit whose gravelly voice immediately tells its own story, that he's probably had a hard life. As a seasoned explorer trying to mind his own business, Stamp comes into contact with rival junk collectors and becomes caught up in their quest to discover the mountain's mysteries. All the while, Stamp discovers truths about his life, and his relationship with an estranged daughter. Gameplay is your classic platformer. Stamp can jump, sprint and grapple around the 2D environments with ease. Equipped with a digger, you must break blocks both to collect items to upgrade your mech and to clear a path through the many corridors of the mountain. There is a danger of repetition in the game. Thankfully, there's light combat sprinkled throughout, where you must fight various junk-inspired enemies dotted throughout. Throughout your excursions, there will be obstacles you won't be able to overcome until later, requiring you to learn new abilities, upgrade your mech, and return to unlock the mountain's secrets. Ultimately, Rusty Rabbit is a budget-friendly adventure for platform enthusiasts. If you're itching for a reasonable Metroidvania for a reasonable price, it's a hop in the right direction.
Irish Independent
08-05-2025
- Irish Independent
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered review – the madness has not faded, thankfully
If you know anything about Oblivion, you'll be aware of its fabled foibles, the amusing glitches that accompanied its sweeping medieval fantasy in the land of Tamriel. But perhaps you've only heard of and never played Bethesda's seminal RPG, one of the pinnacles of the Elder Scrolls series before the even more revered Skyrim. Now's your chance, a scarcely conceivable 19 years after its debut as it gets the Remaster treatment while we wait for Bethesda to put a date on Elder Scrolls VI, the next instalment that's been in the oven for many moons. We shouldn't be surprised that Oblivion's remakers chose not to sanitise its lunacies too much. Bethesda built a large open world back in 2006 and the Xbox 360 technology of the time couldn't always reliably handle the permutations of underlying systems. Hence the infamous but largely amusing kinks where characters and the world itself behaved unpredictably at times. Players of the original enjoyed a novel buffet of adventures – wielding magic spells and swords while exploring the Tamriel wilderness, all wrapped in a yarn about an evil sorcerer and portals to hell. Crucially, though, you could ignore the main quest endlessly in favour of swashbuckling exploits in dungeons, forests and cities. Almost as importantly, the bugs in the code could frequently produce a smile on your face for their sheer ridiculousness. Bethesda went on to even better things with 2011's Skyrim, which built on Oblivion's template, albeit featuring possibly even more glitches. Hopefully that remaster is only just around the corner, nonetheless. In the meantime, there's plenty to appreciate in Oblivion's 2025 makeover but despite its occasional brilliance it feels a product of its time despite the new coat of paint. The original voice cast had put in a decent shift – including celebrity performances from the resonant tones of Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean and even Lynda Carter of Wonder Woman fame. But many of the NPCs still look stilted and often a bit freaky. Tamriel felt like an impressively capacious realm back in the day but, two decades on, its boundaries chafe at your freedom as the game sends you pinballing from one side of the map to the other. The hinterlands may be generously loaded with dungeons but they're very obviously copied and pasted from place to place. How often must you sift the junk loot from the real treasure scattered around every location? The answer is tediously often. Oblivion Remastered offers an assortment of concessions to 2025, such as the ability to sprint, a breadcrumb trail to your next objective, a graphical upgrade and a smoothing of levelling curve. Yet the weapons and magic combat that fuel the core gameplay remain clunky and imprecise. It's tricky to disconnect the expectations of the modern gamer from an RPG that was unconventionally innovative back in 2006. Yet Oblivion can still put on an admirable show two decades on and will please many players for whom nostalgia is not the primary motivation.
The Irish Sun
27-04-2025
- The Irish Sun
Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is out on the PlayStation 5…and is a rare gaming gem
A DECENT Indiana Jones game is hard to come by - a rarity. Like hidden treasure the stubborn archaeologist would scour the ends of the Earth to uncover. The last glistening relics unearthed were The Fate of Atlantis and The Last Crusade - buried deep in the pixelated history books of MS Dos - a bygone era of last century. Advertisement 9 Indy's quest take him around the world, including Egypt Credit: Bethesda Others that followed, like The Staff of Kings and The Infernal Machine, proved to be nothing more than fakes, shiny forgeries of little worth. However, Indiana Jones and the Great Circle is an astonishing artefact. A game of pure brilliance that takes your breath away like a chilled monkey brains appetiser. 9 The bullwhip is cracking - sweep the legs or disarm the enemy Credit: Bethesda After an earlier release for the PC and Xbox, it's now out on the PlayStation 5. It serves up the perfect blend of cinematic and interactive gaming that is both compelling as it is immersive. Its cut scenes don't drag on, yet you feel like you're watching the movie. Advertisement Read more Gaming News At the same time, the combat and puzzles are engrossing enough to give you the best experience yet of playing as Indy. Set between the events of Raids of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade, you play as everyone's favourite archaeologist (sorry Ms Croft). 9 Hand-to-hand combat is classic Indiana Jones Credit: Bethesda Indy sets out on a quest across the globe to unearth the mystery surrounding the Great Circle. After a terrific tutorial where you relive the epic opening to the Raiders film, you set about the shimmering halls of Marshall College with Marcus and prepare for your adventure. Advertisement The attention to detail MachineGames has put into each level is astonishing and there are some lovely nods to previous games - the overturned bookcase at the university reeked of the opening to the point-and-click classic Fate of Atlantis. Most read in Gaming And it's this love and dedication to the franchise that really sets the Great Circle apart from the rest. Visually, it's stunning and the characters are brilliantly rendered. Troy Baker is superb as Indy and you can hardly tell the difference between him and Harrison Ford if you shut your eyes. The quips, the grunts . . . it's Indy! The score also adds to the immersive experience. It harks back to Raiders and delivers perfectly-timed crescendos during the cut-scenes and in-play. Advertisement 9 Weapons vary but are not the main source of combat Credit: Bethesda As you'd expect, there's plenty of jet-setting to be done and Indy's infamous red-lined travel map stops off at just about every corner of the Earth. From the Vatican to the Himalayas and Iraq, each location is beautifully detailed and there's plenty of freedom - you can venture off the beaten track to find hidden rewards that would otherwise be missed. 9 The glistening halls of Marshall College show off the game's stunning visuals Credit: Bethesda Advertisement Combat is classic Indy. Hand-to-hand punches thwack like hardened cricket bats when delivering short or heavy blows. It's the main form of attack and thoroughly satisfying. There's also a incredible 'clunk' when you knockout enemies using a creative array of melee weapons. Pick up a sturdy wrench, a broomstick or even a guitar . . . all can be used to take down the bad guy. It's not very pretty but it gets the job done - just like Indy would in the films. 9 The characters are superb and faces well-rendered Credit: Bethesda His trusty sidearm is also an option but it's not as devastatingly clinical as it should be. A few well-placed headshots failed to down the enemy at times. Advertisement But the pistol is not the main feature. This isn't a shoot 'em up. Don't expect to mow down wave after wave of screeching Nazis. No, the main attraction is Indy's bullwhip. Aim a high crack to the face to disorientate the enemy or sweep the legs to gain an advantage. You can disarm people with a quick flick and it's also used to swing from one place to the next. 9 There are plenty of satisfying puzzles throughout the game Credit: Bethesda It's not the hardest game in the world, although you can adjust the difficulty settings of the enemy - how aware they are, the number that will come at you from afar or close up. And it did feel like it was a little too easy to creep around in stealth mode. Advertisement The puzzles are decent enough and some even have you scratching your fedora for a while. And there are plenty of side quests to rifle through leading to lots of replayability - in all, you can expect about 20 hours of fun in Indy's shoes. Keep an eye out for the outfit changes too - the PlayStation 5 version had a very cool ability to play Indy in his Temple of Doom kit. A nice touch. 9 There's plenty of option to go off the beaten track in the game Credit: Bethesda The clever haptics of the PS5 controller really stood out for me. As you creep through the jungle, the controller vibrates and clicks at random making it feel as though hairy tarantulas are crawling up your hands. Advertisement Everything about this game will have you smiling like Short Round watching Willie fall off an elephant. 9 After so many disappointing games, Indy finally serves up a whip cracker Credit: Bethesda This is the best Indiana Jones game ever made. I mean that with all my heart - one that is still safely beating inside my chest and yet to be ripped out by a nutter in a furry skull hat ready to plunge me into a fiery pit during a black magic cult ritual. After the continued disappointment of previous games and the abject horror of recent movies, the Great Circle is the perfect antidote for fans - the Indy film that never was. Advertisement Indiana Jones and the Great Circle FORMATS: PlayStation 5 (reviewed) , Xbox, PC PRICE: £69.99 PUBLISHER: Bethesda DEVELOPER: MachineGames RELEASE DATE: Out now AGE RATING: 16 SCORE: 5/5
