Latest news with #Morrowind
The Hindu
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Hindu
‘The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered' game review
For those who remember, Oblivion was synonymous with the Xbox 360 era, one of the high points in Microsoft's console history. Experiencing a vast, open-ended role-playing game on an HD television back then was unforgettable, a feeling many gamers have bottled up ever since. While Bethesda could have chosen to remaster The Elder Scrolls: Arena, Daggerfall, or even Morrowind, I, for one, am grateful we have received Oblivion first. This remaster gives us a chance to relive that magic, now with all the quality-of-life improvements we have come to expect from today's open-world RPGs. Set in the heartlands of Cyrodiil, just south of Skyrim's snow-capped, dragon-infested peaks, Oblivion places you in the boots of the Hero of Kvatch. After a lengthy tutorial, you emerge from a prison cell and into a world in peril. Uriel Septim VII, the emperor of Tamriel, crosses your path during his attempted escape and recognises your face from a prophetic dream. His untimely assassination at the hands of a mysterious cult leaves you with a monumental task: to close the Oblivion gates and face the fiery horrors of the Daedra. Fans of the Elder Scrolls series will know what to expect: a vast sandbox teeming with freedom. You can become a thief, a mercenary, a necromancer, a Daedric devotee or even a vampire. The world is dense with quests, side stories, and activities. Whether you are taking on guild missions or pickpocketing NPCs for fun, Oblivion offers that classic, chaotic charm that inspired countless memes. Returning to the original game today can be tough, especially with how far first-person RPGs have come. That is why one of the most welcome improvements in the remaster is the completely overhauled combat. Weapon swings feel solid, and enemies react with satisfying weight. Fortunately, the developers have kept the spirit of the original intact, enhancing fluidity without straying too far from what made the game unique. Character creation has also seen significant upgrades, as expected with a new engine. You can still sculpt some of the most hilariously grotesque faces imaginable, now with added facial hair. At this screen, part of me longed for a full remake with Kingdom Come: Deliverance 2's level of detail, but the nostalgic tone remains. New body types and origin options have been added, affecting your stats, though the core class system is still present. And yes, the beloved Spellsword remains as powerful as ever. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered Publisher: Bethesda Developer: Virtuos, Bethesda Game Studios Price: ₹4,999 on Steam, Xbox One, Playstation 5 With Unreal Engine 5 under the hood, Oblivion Remastered is visually striking, offering enhanced fidelity, smoother frame rates, and richer detail. That said, one thing I sorely miss is the iconic lush greenery that defined Cyrodiil. In the original, the landscape was vibrant, filled with glowing Ayleid ruins and rolling forests. The remaster feels more muted and earthy, lacking the colour palette I associate with the game. Thankfully, modders have already stepped in to restore that lost vibrance — on PC, at least. In its heyday, Oblivion was both a visual and auditory feast, and this remaster builds on that legacy. The sweeping score still tugs at your heart, and much of the original content remains faithfully preserved—including the bugs. Some seem to have been intentionally left in for nostalgia's sake. Daedric encounters still thrill as you close the gates, and the game's standout quests hold up brilliantly. One of my favourites — a Knives Out-style whodunnit — can be found in the Dark Brotherhood storyline. If you have never played it, do not miss it. It has been a demanding time for our gaming budgets lately, on one side, we have Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, and now Oblivion Remastered on the other. That said, a return to Cyrodiil is never a bad idea. Whether you are stepping into this world for the first time or you are a returning Hero of Kvatch, be prepared to lose 80 to 100 hours of your life. It is absolutely worth it.
Metro
22-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Games Inbox: Is Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion better than Skyrim?
The Tuesday letters page thinks a new 3D Mario could still be released this year, as one reader looks forward to Doom: The Dark Ages and a Quake reboot. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ Best Scroll So, the world's worst kept secret is finally going to be revealed, with The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion remaster/remake. It sure has taken a long time to get here but I am convinced it will be worth the wait and that people are forgetting what a great game it is. Morrowind and Skyrim are the games that always get talked about, but I honestly think that Oblivion is better than either of them. Morrowind is just too old and janky, and probably should've got a remake first, as it's almost unplayable right now. Skyrim is obviously a classic, but it's so overexposed I don't think there's anything that could get me to play it again. But Oblivion is basically Skyrim but with more varied scenery and I think that with a good makeover it'll be seen as one of the best role-playing games ever again. The only problem is that its story is even more of an afterthought than Skryim, but it's not really good for any of The Elder Scrolls games, so that's hardly a dealbreaker. Hammeriron Too much excitement So I guess the only real chance for a 3D Super Mario this year is if they announce it between now and their June event. But, like you say, if that was the plan why not just announce it at the Direct? Even if it's out next year, the Direct would've been fine I think. I mean what's the worst that can happen, that people get too excited for your upcoming slate? Although, I suppose, if I was to think like a marketing person, they probably don't want to give you any reason not to get Donkey Kong. If you knew that was coming out in July and Mario in October, you might be tempted to just skip one and wait. That makes a fair amount of sense, I guess, and does leave a chance for there to be a secret big Christmas game. I dunno though, this all seems to be creating so much unnecessary confusion and speculation. I really don't know how it benefits Nintendo to leave people guessing like this. Statto Every second counts A nice reminder, with that Paul Rudd 1991 advert, that marketing back then didn't mean anything more complicated than a 30 montage of games… apart from Paul Rudd in a trench coat that was it. Ah, simpler times. Maybe 30 seconds is a bit short but I'd much rather that the Nintendo Direct had been a lot shorter and packed a lot more in. I really don't know why they didn't include teasers for things like Mario and Animal Crossing, that we know are coming but they haven't mentioned yet. Just five seconds each would've been fine but a montage of everything coming to the Switch 2 for the next few years would've got me opening my wallet a lot quicker than Hyrule Warriors 3 and Kirby: Air Riders. Benjy Dog Email your comments to: gamecentral@ Doomed release I'm really looking forward to Doom: The Dark Ages next month, but I notice there's not a lot of hype around it at the moment. I don't see many people talking abut it and I don't know anyone in real life that is aware of it. This disappoints me because the other two reboot games are some of my favourites of the last 10 years or so and, I would say, by far the most interesting first person shooters of the last two generations. I guess they're pretty hard, and the Doom franchise isn't as big as it was, but I hope The Dark Ages isn't the last one for now. I also hope there's more interest in the long rumoured new Quake from MachineGames. After the success of Indiana Jones And The Great Circle I feel they must be in Microsoft's good books at the moment and will hopefully get a lot of money and support. I'd really love to see a big budget, Lovecraftian Quake with a proper single-player mode, that has the weird, experimental atmosphere of the original. None of the other sequels had it but I'm really hoping that MachineGames will vibe with that, and we can get another classic on our hands. ChrisI Froze toes Very interested to see what Assassin's Creed Shadows looks like on Switch 2, but I've already got the game so I'm not going to be buying it. I do feel it's a bit of a shame that Ubisoft has not announced anything new or exclusive yet though. They've always worked closely with Nintendo and I even enjoyed ZombiU and Rayman Legends on Wii U, so I was hoping they'd do something similar now. I don't know if getting burned on those made them not do exclusives for the Switch 2, but I hope other publishers don't get cold feet for similar reasons. You'd think the success of the Switch 1 would mean no hesitation but that's not what we're seeing so far, which surprises me a bit. Tacle When worlds collide It's interesting how much effort CD Projekt seems to be making with the Cyberpunk 2077 port for the Switch 2. I guess there was The Witcher 3 port but otherwise I don't recall them having much contact with Nintendo or ever really acknowledging them. I always like the idea of opposites working together though. I'd love to see an actual collaboration with CD Projekt. Not V being in Smash Bros. but a whole game that they both worked on, CD Projekt doing the script and role-playing elements, maybe, and Nintendo providing the gameplay. Or imagine Nintendo co-operating with Naughty Dog! That's the one aspect of console exclusives that I don't really like, that the very best developers are locked to one system and can never really escape. Although it's a price worth paying, especially when you look at what happens when they do, with someone like Bungie. I always wondered what level of involvement Nintendo had with Eternal Darkness, since they always advise on every game they publish. There probably wasn't much to do there, since that wasn't really about the gameplay but the thought of Nintendo helping out on a mature rated game intrigues me. Lawgiver9 Parent company I was wondering why Cristiano Ronaldo was in the new Fatal Fury and now I find out it's because SNK is owned by a Saudi company and he plays for a Saudi team? And people wonder why buyouts and acquisitions are viewed as a bad thing. Smaller companies either lose their identity as part of the larger company or end up having to do things like change their games to include things they don't want. To be honest, it's put me off the game entirely and I think I'll take a pass until it's much cheaper. I knew they weren't the same SNK they used to be, but I didn't realise things had got this bad. Loscus The game of forever With so many companies very obvious getting out of the way for GTA 6 I'm more interested in what happens when the game comes out. It's not just that it's going to suck all the air out of the room at launch, people are going to be playing this thing for months and years. I genuinely think there's a danger GTA 6 could bring the games industry to its knees but being almost the only thing people play for years on end. Even people that say they don't like GTA are going to want to see what the fuss is about and that's just going to bring in more and more players. Short of Rockstar's servers breaking down, which seems like a real possibility, I don't see what else is going to stop people playing it. Why would you stop if it plays and looks as good as the trailer. GTA 5 is a pretty flawed game in a number ways but people are still playing it more than a decade later. A brand new GTA 6, that looks and plays better, is going to be so big I don't think people are prepared for the impact. It would be an irony if the biggest danger to the games industry was its greatest success. Trent Manger Inbox also-rans I still think that McDonalds' DualSense is the ugliest controller but I've got to say that Cap'n Crunch one comes pretty close. Maybe they can sell them in those weird American Candy stores they have everywhere now? Jester Not quite sure what's more hilarious: Cristiano Ronaldo appearing in the new Fatal Fury or the fact that the depiction of him in the game is even worse than that bronze statue of him from a few years ago! Still, I guess the goal of raising visibility for the game has been achieved, so well played SNK. Julian More Trending Email your comments to: gamecentral@ The small print New Inbox updates appear every weekday morning, with special Hot Topic Inboxes at the weekend. Readers' letters are used on merit and may be edited for length and content. You can also submit your own 500 to 600-word Reader's Feature at any time via email or our Submit Stuff page, which if used will be shown in the next available weekend slot. You can also leave your comments below and don't forget to follow us on Twitter. MORE: Games Inbox: Will GTA 6 be on Nintendo Switch 2? MORE: Games Inbox: Is Mario Kart World going to be worth it? MORE: Games Inbox: How long will the PS5 console last?
Yahoo
15-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remaster Has Leaked, Release Date Alleged For April
The long-rumoured The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion remaster might actually be happening, thanks to a fresh leak that includes screenshots and comparisons. It has been more than 19 years since The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion launched for the Xbox 360. The fourth entry allowed fans to explore the province of Cyrodiil, with sharper edges than the previously released Morrowind for the original Xbox. While active polygons were visible in Morrowind — likely due to hardware limitations at the time — Oblivion smoothed many of those edges. To this day, many fans of The Elder Scrolls still refer to the fourth instalment as the greatest entry — just like Morrowind. There have been numerous rumours regarding a potential remaster of the fourth entry in The Elder Scrolls franchise, and today, a leak has surfaced online revealing what leakers are calling The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered. Leaked images and details can be found on ResetEra, with side-by-side comparisons of the original next to the purported remaster. According to Leakers, the remaster changes many aspects of the game, including the HUD, to attract new players. Below, an alleged image of the 'remastered' Oblivion gates can be seen in their fiery glory, thanks to leakers on Imgur. The images and comparisons appear authentic, and the ResetEra post claims they originated from an official Virtuos website. A link to the site was shared on ResetEra, but it now leads to a dead page. Virtuos has been in the gaming industry for more than 20 years and is known for contributing to some of the biggest gaming franchises, including BioShock, Assassin's Creed and Final Fantasy. At the time of writing, clicking the 'Our Works' tab on the Virtuos site also leads to a dead link, suggesting the leaked images and details may be legitimate and that Virtuos could be engaging in damage control. However, until Virtuos or Bethesda make a formal announcement, these leaks should be taken with a grain of salt until the developers or publishers provide an official statement.
