The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered - PlayThrough - Stream

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The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Story: You play as a prisoner who, after being freed, becomes entangled in a crisis following the assassination of Emperor Uriel Septim VII (voiced by Patrick Stewart). The emperor’s death triggers the opening of Oblivion Gates—portals to a hellish realm led by the Daedric Prince Mehrunes Dagon, who seeks to invade Tamriel. Your quest involves finding the emperor’s heir, closing these gates, and thwarting the Mythic Dawn cult to save Cyrodiil.
Gameplay:
Open World: Cyrodiil is a vast, diverse region with forests, mountains, and cities like the Imperial City. You can explore freely, undertake quests, or ignore the main story entirely.
Character Creation: Highly customizable, with races (e.g., Nord, Khajiit), classes, and skills (e.g., Blade, Alchemy, Illusion). Leveling is based on skill usage, though the system can feel clunky due to scaling enemies.
Quests: Features a rich main storyline, faction quests (e.g., Thieves Guild, Dark Brotherhood), and countless side quests. The Dark Brotherhood questline is particularly praised for its storytelling.
Combat: A mix of melee, magic, and stealth, though it’s less polished than modern RPGs. Magic includes spellcrafting, and stealth enables pickpocketing or assassinations.
Oblivion Gates: Randomized dungeons that grow repetitive but offer intense battles against Daedric enemies.
Graphics & Sound: At release, its visuals were groundbreaking, with lush landscapes and detailed NPCs (though facial animations are now dated). The soundtrack, composed by Jeremy Soule, is iconic, blending orchestral and ambient tones.
Expansions:
Knights of the Nine: Adds a questline to battle a returning evil and restore a holy order.
Shivering Isles: A standout expansion set in the Daedric realm of Sheogorath, with a surreal landscape, quirky characters, and a deep story.
Modding: Oblivion has a massive modding community, with mods like Oscuro’s Oblivion Overhaul and Better Cities enhancing gameplay, visuals, and immersion. Mods can fix bugs or overhaul the leveling system.
Strengths:
Immersive world with deep lore and freedom to role-play.
Memorable quests, especially in the Dark Brotherhood and Shivering Isles.
Extensive replayability due to faction choices and playstyles.
Criticisms:
Level-scaling system can make enemies feel unbalanced (e.g., bandits in high-end armor at higher levels).
Repetitive Oblivion Gate dungeons.
Dated mechanics and AI (e.g., NPC dialogue loops like “I saw a mudcrab recently”).
Bugs and glitches, though many are fixed by patches or mods.
Legacy:
Oblivion popularized open-world RPGs, paving the way for Skyrim. It’s still beloved for its ambition and charm, with fans on platforms like Reddit praising its atmosphere and quest design, though some critique its aging mechanics compared to newer titles. The game’s radiant AI, while innovative, occasionally leads to quirky NPC behavior, which has become a memeable hallmark.

DLCS

The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles is the major expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, released in 2007. It’s widely regarded as one of the best DLCs in RPG history for its creative setting, engaging story, and fresh content. Below is a detailed overview:
Setting:
Location: The Shivering Isles, the Daedric realm of Sheogorath, the Prince of Madness. The realm is split into two contrasting regions:
Mania: A vibrant, colorful area with psychedelic flora and manic inhabitants, reflecting ecstatic madness.
Dementia: A dark, swampy region with gloomy landscapes and paranoid residents, embodying depressive insanity.
Access: A portal to the Isles appears in Cyrodiil’s Niben Bay after the expansion is installed, available early in the game (though level 8+ is recommended).
Atmosphere: The surreal, whimsical yet unsettling vibe draws inspiration from works like Alice in Wonderland, with twisted creatures (e.g., Grummites, Elytra) and bizarre NPCs.
Story:
You’re summoned to the Shivering Isles through a mysterious portal and tasked by Sheogorath (voiced by Wes Johnson) to serve him and address threats to his realm. The main quest, “A Door in Niben Bay,” unfolds over ~20 hours and explores themes of madness, power, and identity.
Plot Points (no major spoilers):
Involves the cyclical event called the Greymarch, where the forces of Order, led by Jyggalag, threaten to destroy the Isles.
You undertake quests to gain Sheogorath’s favor, interact with the divided courts of Mania and Dementia, and confront the consequences of divine power.
The story is darker and more philosophical than Oblivion’s main quest, with morally ambiguous choices (e.g., siding with Mania or Dementia factions).
Writing: Praised for its wit, depth, and memorable characters, like the paranoid Duke of Dementia, Syl, or the eccentric inhabitants of settlements like Bliss and Crucible.