Latest news with #TheElderScrolls4:Oblivion
Metro
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Oblivion Remastered bugs get worse the more you play it reveals tech breakdown
Bethesda's remaster of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion has turned out some odd performance issues, and they get worse the more you play it. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered launched last month after a slew of leaks, to a rapturous reception and higher sales than even Bethesda expected. The remake, developed by Virtuos, is a substantial overhaul of the original 2006 game, with revised gameplay mechanics, a revamped user interface, and widespread improvements to the visuals thanks to Unreal Engine 5. While Bethesda's role-playing games are synonymous with technical bugs, it seemed at first that the remaster had ironed out a lot of them. But a new analysis shows that the game is something of a ticking time bomb. As outlined in a new Digital Foundry video, which is focused on the Xbox Series X, PlayStation 5, and PS5 Pro console versions, it seems Oblivion Remastered is more prone to crashes and other performance issues the longer you play it. The video claims a 'fresh boot' of the game, aka shutting down the software, booting it up and loading into a save for the first time, will give you an 'often significantly higher' frame rate compared to a playthrough which has been running for 15 minutes or more, with drops from 59fps to around 45fps. You'll be more prone to crashes and other issues affecting the camera position the longer you play in one continuous session, which is fixed when you reload the save following a reboot (albeit only for 15 minutes). Digital Foundry suggests it is a memory management issue (aka memory leak) which is making the performance worse over time. According to players, this was an issue in some of Bethesda's past games as well, including The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim Special Edition, but it's less forgiveable when it's affecting a substantial remake running in Unreal Engine 5. More Trending 'Returning to the Oblivion remaster for a second console testing brings a great many issues to light,' the video concludes, with all console platforms affected by hitching, frame rate drops, and bugs. Since its launch on April 22, there have been no substantial updates to Oblivion Remastered. Bethesda has called for suggestions from players on how to improve the experience on its official Discord, so hopefully some kind of patch is in the works. Bethesda is currently in development on the next mainline entry, The Elder Scrolls 6, which is expected to launch at some point after 2026. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Video game companies are lying to us about everything – Reader's Feature MORE: Why I tried to beat Oblivion Remastered without ever using fast travel – Reader's Feature MORE: The 5 new GTA 6 Trailer 2 Easter eggs only superfans will have noticed
Metro
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Why I tried to beat Oblivion Remastered without ever using fast travel
A reader enjoys a return trip to the world of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion and explains why ignoring one of its key features made it even more fun. I sit here with a sense of accomplishment, pride, and somewhat of a headache. I have earned all 50 of Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered's base game achievements/trophies (not Shivering Isles… yet). I know, this is not much of an achievement in itself. The original Oblivion game came out just under two decades ago, on the Xbox 360, setting the world up for its younger protégé Skyrim to take over some six years later. Completing the main story quests, the four job guilds (fighter, mage, thief, and assassin) and the gladiatorial arena is pretty straightforward in the region of Tamriel known as Cyrodill. If anything, Oblivion is little more than a long checklist of fetch quests, battles, some mild stalking, and a not insignificant amount of murder. The expansive world with hundreds of dungeons, caves, and various points of interest has never looked better with the recent (not much of a) surprise release, but you'd be forgiven if you never actually see any of it. I chose, in this shiny new version, to roleplay as a Necromancer/Assassin Hunter (yes… I was Jinwoo from Solo Leveling, don't judge me). I could summon monsters from the planes of hell itself to fight for me, pull powerful daggers out of the air, and blink out of existence to swiftly dispatch my foes with stealth attacks. Speed, agility, and intelligence were key to my success, so I figured I'd make the most of one aspect I'd really ignored back in 2006: travel. The remaster retains one of the original version's overpowered methods of travel. Simply click on a point of the map that you have previously visited, or one of the major town/city hubs, and you are whisked away to you chosen destination in the time of a mere loading screen. If the target is within a stone's throw of a selectable point on the map you don't even have to walk for more than a couple of minutes to reach your destination. You travel the world by just warping door to door like some sort of Grim Reaper delivery service employee (Uber Reaps? Just Reap? DeReaperoo? OK, I'll stop). That is why I decided not to use fast travel via the world map, ever. I can spoil the story here by saying categorically it was a bad idea. A very bad idea. The game has zero, and I mean not a jot of, forethought to pathing and logical world exploration. At the start… oh at the start! Sure! Everyone has something to say, a cave to investigate, a missing family member to inevitably bring back a remnant of. By the time you've met everyone and monopolised the entire adventuring trade for yourself, you start to notice patterns in quests that, with the luxury of fast travel, are little more than an extra couple of loading screens and a quick chat. Without fast travel it's an hour long round trip for something that could've been an e-scroll Modyrn Oreyn! Eh hem… excuse me. Don't get me wrong, I got the absolute most out of my playthrough. The joy I got replaying old quests again, seeing old friends… and enemies. Rediscovering things I'd forgotten, like running along and finding an invisible sheep in the road before the 'Oh this is a quest not a bug!' penny dropped, was a wonderful dopamine drip directly into my rose-tinted veins. I hit the credits with: 125 in-game days passed 140 quests completed Level 100 in all major skills (without really trying) 336 places visited 1,500 potions made 59 Oblivion gates shut 121 nirnroot found The game unfortunately doesn't track distance travelled, nor does it specify the units of distance on the compass. To work it out roughly I had to reconcile this with the fact that the world map seems to be scaled down compared to maps and accounts in books of how large certain areas should be. So it's complicated to try to work out how far anything actually is relative to the next. The official lore says Tamriel (as in the entire continent) is roughly 80% the size of Australia. This could explain why everything is trying to kill me constantly but it doesn't help with my calculations. The little waypoint markers have a real-time counter of how far your goal is. This is measured with a 'footprints' symbol, which could be as simple as literal 'feet' or even just 'steps'. For the sake of staying somewhat true to the world I've gone with yards. If nothing else, it does feel more appropriate for somewhere with the 'Imperial' City at its centre. (Note: After some quick googling the majority of Elder Scrolls lore does indeed seem to reference inches/feet/yards/miles/leagues as the default, but the scale of the world size is vague at best.) Using the bridge between Imperial City and the settlement of Weye as my marker, my maxed out speed and athletics stats took me 100 'units' in just under nine seconds. If I translate that to yards it would put me close to Olympic athlete pace (around 23 miles per hour); not quite Usain Bolt, however I can keep that pace up indefinitely . At this point I effectively gave up trying to go any deeper into my potential travel time. Between speaking, sneaking, and spelunking I wouldn't even venture a guess as to how much of my time was spent standing around or moving at a snail's pace. That doesn't even begin to mention the pace increase as I levelled up my stats. (Oh… my headache is back again.) I did give myself one caveat. One beautifully, cruel moment of respite. I had Frostcrag Spire as my homebase. Settled way up north, at the top of Gnoll Mountain, was my little beacon of safety. Visible from miles away, I could see it towering above the world. Inside, my vault filled with millions of gold worth of loot, my flame atronach standing to attention inside the entrance and, most importantly, my mage guild warp points. Every time I was nearly over-encumbered with magical tat I began the trek up that mountain path. Over and over. Dodging bears, bandits and yet more bears I tipped my swag bag out into various chests and then I could make that wonderful choice: 'Which city's Mage Guild should I portal over to?' It was a rare treat to simply be able to skip the next 4,000+ yard sprint back to Leyawiin for the 18th time. One thing I can confidently say is that, by the end, a little part of me died every time I stepped out of a city and saw '3,721' units next to my next quest marker. The game has a horrible habit, during its faction quests, of the following: Meet your local contract vendor in City A. Meet the client in City B (3,000 yards away). Complete the quest in a nearby cave (if you are lucky). Return to the client. Return to City A (another 3,000 yards). Get told there's a new contract vendor with work for me in City C. Travel 2,000 yards to City C. Meet the client in City A ( I just came from there ) Complete quest… in City B?! for the client (that's another 3,000 yards). Return to City A (sure, OK pal). Return to the vendor in City C. Realise I'm over-encumbered, so travel to Frostcrag Spire. Teleport to City C (thank goodness my thumb is actually starting to hurt from holding forward). Get promoted! 'You should talk to the first vendor again in City A for more work' (…you're joking). Return to step 1. For a perfectly sane player, with the use of fast travel, this is a 15 minute burst of action-packed questing. For me, it was nearly two hours of swimming, sprinting, jumping back and forth… and back… and forth. This wasn't an isolated incident either, it happened again and again. I travelled hundreds of unnecessary miles (yes, I know almost all of the miles I travelled were unnecessary) for what could have just been a message left for me at the guild hall I'd just been to. It was rewarding, frustrating and easily the best way to experience Oblivion again after all these years. Catching details I'd missed way back when, meeting people I'd never met before, becoming an overpowered monster in my own right. I'd recommend that absolutely no one plays without ever using fast travel. It's really not worth it. More Trending Do it. You'll love it. By reader Jay Parry The reader's features do not necessarily represent the views of GameCentral or Metro. You can submit your own 500 to 600-word reader feature at any time, which if used will be published in the next appropriate weekend slot. Just contact us at gamecentral@ or use our Submit Stuff page and you won't need to send an email. MORE: GTA 6 and price rises are going to destroy gaming forever – Reader's Feature MORE: How Game Pass led me to abandon my PS5 – Reader's Feature MORE: 5 memorable gaming moments that no one ever talks about – Reader's Feature
Metro
28-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered price cut already available for PC
Metro journalists select and curate the products that feature on our site. If you make a purchase via links on this page we will earn commission – learn more Bethesda's remaster of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion has been a huge hit but there's already a discounted deal for PC players. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered may have been an open secret for months, but after its surprise launch last week, it's clear many people are nostalgic for a return to Cyrodiil. The remaster has already hit some impressive player numbers on Steam, with Bethesda revealing that the revamped role-player has surpassed four million players in total across PC, Xbox Series X/S, and PlayStation 5. If you've been hesitant to jump in due to the £49.99 price tag, The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered has already been discounted at one retailer – although only for the PC. A deal on Fanatical is offering the standard edition of the remaster for £41.49, which is 17% off its usual £49.99 price. The deluxe edition has also been discounted to £49.79, a drop from £59.99. There is no physical edition of The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered, with this deal only applicable to digital copies of the PC version. This is the cheapest deal out there though (through reputable websites, at least), so it's nothing to sniff at. We are so grateful to the over 4 million of you that have already ventured into Cyrodiil with Oblivion Remastered. Thank you! — Bethesda Game Studios (@BethesdaStudios) April 25, 2025 The standard version comes with the base game and all the original downloadable content, including story expansions Shivering Isles and Knights Of The Nine. More Trending Meanwhile, the deluxe edition adds digital Akatosh and Mehrunes Dagon armours, weapons, and horse armour sets, along with a digital artbook and soundtrack app. The original Oblivion was released in 2006 on the Xbox 360 and PC, and is the predecessor to Bethesda's juggernaut hit The Elder Scrolls 5: Skyrim. The sixth mainline Elder Scrolls game is currently in development. Along with a visual overhaul in Unreal Engine 5, the remaster features various gameplay improvements, including additional feedback in combat, the option to sprint, an altered levelling system, and a revamped user interface. According to insiders, Bethesda is already developing a Switch 2 port, but it's unclear when it could come out. Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Games Inbox: Is Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 GOTY 2025? MORE: Where to pre-order Switch 2 Mario Kart World bundle and accessories in the UK MORE: Capcom teases Resident Evil 9 reveal as it celebrates sales milestone
Metro
25-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered review - remaster of the year
Bethesda remaster the predecessor to Skyrim, turning an almost two decade old role-player into one of the most talked about games of 2025. The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion was originally released 19 years ago (as an Xbox 360 console exclusive) to almost universal acclaim, and in spite of the copious bugs and jank that Bethesda fans had, by that point, learned to expect. It sold nearly 10 million copies, and while that was later eclipsed by the 40 million sales of sequel Skyrim, Oblivion remains a much loved and highly influential action role-playing game. Ironically, this remaster was supposed to be a surprise, being announced and released on the same day, and yet thanks to endless leaks and rumours it ended up being the most widely anticipated launch of the year. Despite a major graphical upgrade to Unreal Engine 5, Bethesda are at pains to describe it as a remaster and not a remake, as they've attempted to ensure the 'original game was there as you remember playing it.' For those who fully immersed themselves in the original, there's much that's been smoothed and reworked in this new version. If you haven't played it before though the game is, naturally, very reminiscent of Skyrim, except with more varied biomes and less dragons. At the time there was really nothing else like it, with predecessor Morrowind being little more than a cult hit, but Oblivion is the game that put The Elder Scrolls on the map. All of the game's visual assets have been recreated from the ground up and a huge number of the voices have been re-recorded. Where the 2005 version had to get by with a few exceptionally hard-working voice artists, each of whom played multiple characters, this time many more actors were involved, giving Cyrodiil's population a more variegated feel. It's still unmistakably old school though. Characters' faces are higher resolution, but most still look either hilarious or mildly disturbing, with eyes far too close together and cartoonishly massive jawlines. They also retain the endearing habit of introducing themselves to you with first and last names, even when you're unlikely ever to see or speak to them again. The HUD's compass has been moved to the top of the screen and now presents you with considerably more information about points of interest in your vicinity. Health and magicka bars are larger and clearer, and it's easy to forget that Oblivion didn't have a sprint button, forcing you to explore its colossal landmass at walking pace. That's now changed, giving you further incentive to upgrade your stamina so you can run for longer. Despite its upgraded visuals, you would never mistake its landscapes for sophisticated modern open worlds like Assassin's Creed Shadows or Dragon's Dogma 2. Its trees and foliage might look sparse by today's standards, but it remains a great place to explore, its undulating hills punctuated by frequent dungeons – each of which has its own character, enemies, and backstory. It's perhaps Oblivion's greatest strength that the best way to play it is to ignore your starter quest, to deliver Emperor Septim's sacred amulet to his last surviving heir, and simply head off into the wilds to seek your fortune. The benefit of slightly fewer trees, and hills that are rarely as steep as Skyrim's, is that traversal is easy. You can see something interesting in the distance and investigate or just follow the road and see where it takes you. The serendipity of finding a door in a hillside, that leads you into a vast series of underground chambers and corridors, many of which contain enemies and loot, never seems to get old. As you enter you have no idea what you're going to find. Will it be a few interconnected rooms or an apparently endless labyrinth? Will you be fighting bandits, necromancers, or vampires? By the time Bethesda made Skyrim, they'd learned to make dungeons effectively circular, so the final room would often lead back to the entrance via a previously locked one-way door. In Oblivion you still normally find yourself retracing your steps past a mob of recently looted corpses to get back out into the fresh air. There remains an inspiring variety of things to do in Oblivion. You can join the Mages, Fighters, and Thieves Guilds; you can tray and find the Dark Brotherhood; or you can get involved in the business of the region's towns and cities. Plenty of these need your help getting rid of Oblivion gates: hellish portals to a fiery netherworld that spew out monsters until you seal them by finding and removing their sigil stones. The remaster also includes previously paid-for expansions, Knights Of The Nine and Shivering Isles, so there's an abundance of quite varied stories to play through. You'll still find plenty of the quirks you'd expect in a Bethesda role-player though. Along with the catalogue of boss-eyed freaks that comprise its townsfolk, you'll discover that horse riding can produce some fairly outlandish moments of in-game physics. You'll also still be spending a large amount of your time fiddling about with menus and inventory management. It's a reminder that this is a role-playing game, which traditionally used to require pencils, paper, and a lot of looking things up in large hardback rulebooks. Whether or not its idiosyncrasies trigger nostalgia for you, Oblivion is still a powerfully involving game. Its system of levelling up may have been rationalised, scrapping the limitations and peculiar complexity of the original, but there are still dozens of skills to improve as you play, along with your character's base stats to upgrade as you gain levels; while specialisation in alchemy and spell creation can still create character builds that are awesomely powerful. More Trending It may be fairly clunky by today's standards and, although improved, its first person melee combat remains primitive, but the sense of scale and immersion are just as spectacular in the modern era. It's a massive living world to explore and while it most certainly is a remaster, not a full remake, its simplicity in some areas can definitely been seen as a positive. Despite its importance on release Oblivion has been largely forgotten in recent years but this remaster proves that The Elder Scrolls is more than just Skyrim. In Short: An excellent remaster that preserves the original's eccentricities and old school character, while instituting a complete graphical overhaul and adding a suite of modern conveniences. Pros: The same joyous sense of exploration and discovery as the original and impressive upgrade in visuals, sound, and combat. Contains both pieces of previously paid-for DLC and almost no bugs. Cons: Characters' faces are still deeply odd looking. Controls and menu management are clumsy by modern standards, and not everyone will appreciate the resolutely old school approach. Score: 8/10 Formats: Xbox Series X/S* (reviewed), PlayStation 5, and PC*Price: £49.99Publisher: Bethesda SoftworksDeveloper: Virtuos and Bethesda Game StudiosRelease Date: 22nd April 2025 Age Rating: 18 *available on Game Pass Ultimate and PC Game Pass from day one Email gamecentral@ leave a comment below, follow us on Twitter, and sign-up to our newsletter. To submit Inbox letters and Reader's Features more easily, without the need to send an email, just use our Submit Stuff page here. For more stories like this, check our Gaming page. MORE: Games Inbox: When will there be more UK Nintendo Switch 2 pre-orders? MORE: New Lego Fortnite sets feature Klombo and Mecha Team Leader MORE: Nintendo fans figure out new way to fight Switch 2 scalpers pre-orders
Metro
24-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Metro
Games Inbox: Is The Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion Remastered overrated?
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. To join in with the discussions yourself email gamecentral@ 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. Email your comments to: gamecentral@ 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. 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. Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: Is Elder Scrolls 4: Oblivion better than Skyrim? Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: Will GTA 6 be on Nintendo Switch 2? Arrow MORE: Games Inbox: Is Mario Kart World going to be worth it?
