The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered

Released just over 19 years ago, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was nothing short of a masterpiece.

- By Mike Crewe

Rumours of a remake had been seen around the internet for the past few months, but the recent announcement, followed by my favourite gaming tradition of “it's available right now!” was a very happy surprise indeed.

With The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered out now for all current-gen platforms, it was time for me to revisit Cyrodiil and once again close shut the jaws of Oblivion. But is this remaster worth all the gold in Tamriel? Or are you better off sticking with the classic version (with a few mods, of course)?

Oblivion needs almost no introduction. Gamers worldwide have at the very least heard of it, if not spent hundreds of hours in its rich, enthralling world. Back in 2006, you couldn't get away from talk of the game (not that I wanted to), and it's left a lasting impression on the industry to this day. But I'm not here to gush about how impactful the original title is, so let's get on with the review.

Oblivion Remastered is still the same in terms of its story. You are a prisoner in the Imperial City who ends up embroiled in a quest to save the continent of Tamriel from destruction at the hands of a Daedric Prince. Of course, you are still free to ignore all of that and set out on your own journey, maybe join a guild or try your luck in the arena... Its open-ended nature allows players to pick and choose what to do and where to go next, something Bethesda games have always excelled at.

Not only that, but having all the downloadable content included means there's a huge amount of extra quests and treasures on offer. Shivering Isles in particular is a truly great expansion, with some memorable quests and a new area to explore. All DLC included is more naturally integrated into the world now; instead of having dozens of quest pop-ups as soon as you leave the sewers, you'll hear rumours from villagers and discover clues that lead you to the various quests tied to all the content.