4.5/5 ★ – bryansbane's review of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is probably the greatest redemption story in my gaming career. It went from being a game I despised to entering my top ten greatest games of all time. My first exposure to Elder Scrolls was Morrowind on the original Xbox in 2005. I just didn’t get it and quit playing it after an hour. In preparation for Halo 3 two years later I got an Xbox 360. My first game was Gears of War which I loved immediately, but with a month till Halo 3 to go I needed something else to play. Because of all the praise I had heard for Oblivion I decided to pick up a used copy. Within a few days I was pretty convinced The Elder Scrolls games just weren’t for me so I sold it. I ended up buying it back and selling it again two more times over the next few years until finally the announcement for Skyrim came. Despite my misgivings about not one, but two Elder Scrolls games already Skyrim looked phenomenal and I knew I wanted to be a part of it. I decided to have my brother sit alongside me for a fifth attempt at Elder Scrolls, having him tell me what to do and where to go. It took 15-20 hours, but eventually I was hooked. The rest is history. Oblivion’s writing is peak Bethesda and with it came some of their most memorable quests. The game gets a lot of criticism for its jank which is absolutely fair, but it ended up helping craft what felt like a completely alien experience. Random NPC’s travel when they want, talk to each other about nonsense and involve themselves in your adventures. It truly felt like nothing I’d ever played. The world was vast, the stories were incredible and it seemed like there was no end to the experience. I’ll always look back at Oblivion as my favorite Elder Scrolls. It was right on the cusp of being something for the mainstream, but not quite there. It had so many unforgettable moments intentional and unintentional. Ultimately it just felt like my own fantasy world to explore and one with enough quirks to take me almost completely out of reality. We owe so much to Oblivion.