So, which Elder Scrolls game is the best?

As someone that has played them all... Skyrim.

I just did a quest where I had to find someones master who turned out to be a certain eccentric Daedric Prince you may know :P

Thread's making me curious, is Skyrim really that much better than Oblivion? I absolutely loathed that game and wrote off Skyrim because of it. Plus, I just don't think much of Bethesda as a developer.

But anyways, does Skyrim improve on:

• Writing (actual plot doesn't have to be amazing, but is it told well? do sidequests carry worthwhile stories?)
• Combat (I found Oblivion's combat clunky and dull. Does this differ?)
• Environments (looking for variety mainly, not copy-pasted locales)

Those are my main three concerns, but any other insight is much appreciated.

Slashkice

Morrowind>Daggerfall>Skyrim>Oblivion>Arena.

Morrowind was the perfect compromise between the unforgiving cRPG nature of Daggerfall and the mainstream, streamlined appeal of Oblivion/Skyrim.

hypoty

Thread's making me curious, is Skyrim really that much better than Oblivion? I absolutely loathed that game and wrote off Skyrim because of it. Plus, I just don't think much of Bethesda as a developer.

But anyways, does Skyrim improve on:

• Writing (actual plot doesn't have to be amazing, but is it told well? do sidequests carry worthwhile stories?)
• Combat (I found Oblivion's combat clunky and dull. Does this differ?)
• Environments (looking for variety mainly, not copy-pasted locales)

Those are my main three concerns, but any other insight is much appreciated.

Slashkice

I despised Oblivion as well. Skyrim is head and shoulders better than that garbage.

Thread's making me curious, is Skyrim really that much better than Oblivion? I absolutely loathed that game and wrote off Skyrim because of it. Plus, I just don't think much of Bethesda as a developer.

But anyways, does Skyrim improve on:

• Writing (actual plot doesn't have to be amazing, but is it told well? do sidequests carry worthwhile stories?)
• Combat (I found Oblivion's combat clunky and dull. Does this differ?)
• Environments (looking for variety mainly, not copy-pasted locales)

Those are my main three concerns, but any other insight is much appreciated.

Slashkice

Skyrim takes after Morrowind in the art department more than it does Oblivion. Most of the quests are actually interesting, and in a welcome change of pace the faction quests cut right to the chase instead of having you do 10 "go kill some rats and random bandits" quests before anything interesting is presented. The environments still aren't as fantastical as Morrowind's mushroom forests and floating asteroid prisons, but they still have a lot interesting scenary that can get breathtaking in a lot of areas. The dungeons themselves are are actually very unique. I've yet to find two dungeons that felt the same, and just about every single one has some sort of "main attraction" that completely separates it from the others (such as an underground palace or a very deep chasm crisscrossed with landbridges at various depths). It's not at all like Oblivion where you had a handful of dungeon types that were then copy and pasted several dozen times each, and even Morrowind's dungeon design didn't feel as unique as Skyrim's.

The melee combat is still pretty much the same as in Oblivion, but the magic combat got a huge overhaul that makes things a lot more interesting. Now you dual wield spells which means you can combine two of the same spell for a super-strong version of it, or you can cast two different spells, or you can have a weapon in one hand and a spell in the other, or you can have two weapons in each hand, or just a two hander. There are also execution moves now that randomly trigger and have a way of always feeling satisfying (think Fallout 3's kill-cam).

according to everyone I've talked to, Morrowind.

I think I'm going to buy it soon.

My absolute favorite is The Elder Scrolls: Fallout 3.

[QUOTE="campzor"]sorry to hijack ur thread for a sec charizard but i gots a question :P Would i like skyrim if i kinda got bored of fallout 3 and didnt like the combat and i didnt like the VATS system?NeonNinja

Fallout 3 is one of the worst RPGs ever made. Oblivion and Fallout: New Vegas are infinitely superior to that turd of a game.

[QUOTE="NeonNinja"]

[QUOTE="campzor"]sorry to hijack ur thread for a sec charizard but i gots a question :P Would i like skyrim if i kinda got bored of fallout 3 and didnt like the combat and i didnt like the VATS system?xXShortroundXx

Fallout 3 is one of the worst RPGs ever made. Oblivion and Fallout: New Vegas are infinitely superior to that turd of a game.

[/QUOTE talk about blind hate... Fallout 3 isn't perfect, and I didn't enjoy it that much myself. But I can think of a few worse RPG's of the top of my head such as... Star Ocean 4 / Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon.

Fallout 3 is so boring I'd rather flip a coin and count how many times I land on Tails in a 4-hour marathon session.

And Lost Odyssey is excellent. Ten times the game that Fallout 3 is.

None of them. It's a terribly boring series.

Normally I would say Morrowind, but the sheer amount of time i've already logged into Skyrim, I'm gonna have to say Skyrim

Wow, a lot of hate directed towards Fallout 3, when I left the boards a few years ago Fallout 3 was like the Gold Standard. :|Spartan070

Skyrim

Game is so awesome, cant stop playing it.

Morrowind, haven't played Skyrim. So it could change [QUOTE="anshul89"]

The DS version of Skyrim.

Giancar

[QUOTE="xXShortroundXx"] Fallout 3 isn't perfect, and I didn't enjoy it that much myself. But I can think of a few worse RPG's of the top of my head such as... Star Ocean 4 / Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon.charizard1605

[QUOTE="Giancar"]Morrowind, haven't played Skyrim. So it could change [QUOTE="anshul89"]

The DS version of Skyrim.

Having played Morrowind and Oblivion and playing through Skyrim.. definitely Skyrim.

Thread's making me curious, is Skyrim really that much better than Oblivion? I absolutely loathed that game and wrote off Skyrim because of it. Plus, I just don't think much of Bethesda as a developer.

But anyways, does Skyrim improve on:

• Writing (actual plot doesn't have to be amazing, but is it told well? do sidequests carry worthwhile stories?)
• Combat (I found Oblivion's combat clunky and dull. Does this differ?)
• Environments (looking for variety mainly, not copy-pasted locales)

Those are my main three concerns, but any other insight is much appreciated.

Slashkice

The writing ranges from bad to average, Bethesda really need to hire some people from Obsidian to do the dialogue. As for the plot, I haven't finished it yet, but the sidequests are worthwhile and plentiful.

Combat is more or less just like Oblivion's with some modifications. They added some VATS style sequences and animations to make it more visually engaging but they lose their appeal a few hours in.

The world is more varied than Oblivion's, though a lot of it has a dull white and grey colour palette. Cities have their own unique atmosphere and layout, and dungeons are more varied albeit incredibly linear even compared to Oblivion's.

I'd say it's a good action RPG with an immersive world around it, I'm finding it addictive so it must be doing something right.

[QUOTE="anshul89"]

[QUOTE="Giancar"] :lol: I had a big laugh for it...(yeah I read the other thread and the discussion)crippled_ram

[QUOTE="crippled_ram"][QUOTE="anshul89"]Hehe yeah. Some people.....wow....

anshul89

DS>PC this gen, for him, for me, for many other people. Just deal with it.

Skyrim > Morrowind > Daggerfall > Arena > Oblivion

So far I don't find Skyrim so much different than Oblivion. A bit better visuals and character models and the perk system which gives mostly passive skills. The dungeons are improved, but combat is the same. And Oblivion Gates > Dragons. So, I'd say:

Skyrim = Oblivion > Morrowind

And Oblivion Gates > Dragons.

KiZZo1

What blasphemy is this? Oblivion gates were horrific.

[QUOTE="KiZZo1"]

And Oblivion Gates > Dragons.

waltefmoney

What blasphemy is this? Oblivion gates were horrific.

I loved the Oblivion areas, whereas dragons are pretty annoying for me ... Oblivion Gates don't chase you when you don't want to deal with them ... :)

I loved the Oblivion areas, whereas dragons are pretty annoying for me ... Oblivion Gates don't chase you when you don't want to deal with them ... :)

KiZZo1

After closing 2 I never wanted to look at another gate again. Some of them took forever too. At least you deal with dragons quickly.

[QUOTE="Phoenix534"]

[QUOTE="campzor"]sorry to hijack ur thread for a sec charizard but i gots a question :P Would i like skyrim if i kinda got bored of fallout 3 and didnt like the combat and i didnt like the VATS system?argetlam00

Skyrim has no VATS as it isn't a Fallout game. As for combat, it's a lot more focused on close-quarters encounters and I feel it's a lot more exciting. The game also has a whole hell of a lot more things to do.

But does Skyrim have the radio? ITS THREE DOG!!!!!!!! AAAAAAAAAOOOOOOOOOOUUUUUUUUUU

Morrowind>Daggerfall>Skyrim>Oblivion>Arena.Morrowind was the perfect compromise between the unforgiving cRPG nature of Daggerfall and the mainstream, streamlined appeal of Oblivion/Skyrim.

Writing (actual plot doesn't have to be amazing, but is it told well? do sidequests carry worthwhile stories?)Combat (I found Oblivion's combat clunky and dull. Does this differ?)Environments (looking for variety mainly, not copy-pasted locales)

SKyrim. Oblivion was a bore and Morrowind's combat was simply kills my interest any time I try to replay it. Skyrim's combat isn't great, but it's the best in the series so far and I hope Bethesda continues to push it in this direction.

I have only played Skyrim and Oblivion, and Skyrim is a lot more fun.

[QUOTE="hypoty"]

Morrowind>Daggerfall>Skyrim>Oblivion>Arena.

Morrowind was the perfect compromise between the unforgiving cRPG nature of Daggerfall and the mainstream, streamlined appeal of Oblivion/Skyrim.

KalDurenik

[QUOTE="KalDurenik"][QUOTE="hypoty"]

Morrowind>Daggerfall>Skyrim>Oblivion>Arena.

Morrowind was the perfect compromise between the unforgiving cRPG nature of Daggerfall and the mainstream, streamlined appeal of Oblivion/Skyrim.

dommeus

[QUOTE="dommeus"]My main issue with the combat is that there is a complete lack of dodge or roll, meaning that melee contests turn into a 'who has the most health' battle, rather than who has the most skill.KalDurenik

By far Skyrim. I started with Oblivion and that game stole countless days of my life. To warm up for Skyrim I purchased Morrowind off of Steam and used the overhaul mod to really make it shine. But Morrowind, is without a doubt, the worst ES game of the three. The game basically dared me to have fun, constantly trying to make me not enjoy myself. I found the world drab and uninteresting; I liked Oblivion's world much better, and Skyrim's is the best.. I levelled up a few times, and completely lost interest. Good riddance to that mess of a game. I will honestly never know what the fans of Morrowind see in that game.

SKyrim V (never played pervious game through)

Daggerfall>Morrowind>garbage>Skyrim>Oblivoius

Daggerfall: One of the biggest gaming worlds, at a large amount of skills, buggy, but grand. Dungeons were huge and you really could get lost in them.
Morrowind: Best story in the series. Also the most fun world to explore. With an excellent atmosphere and tons of INTERESTING content. Almost equal to Daggerfall or even equal dephending on my mood.
Skyrim: Godawful UI, terrible optimization, awful console port all around, combat sucks except for magic, they made dragons boring, terribad writing, Dovahkiin is the biggest idiot I have ever seen, bland environments, stupidly designed perks, skills feeling pointless, boring level design with dungeons being nothing but big corridors. However, it is still relatively enjoyable, but not because it is a good game. Skyrim is so bad that it becomes good. The dialogue is laughably bad, the bugs are amusing and its just funny laughing at how poorly designed teh game is overall.
Oblivious: Completely generic fantasy, worst combat system EVER (yes worse than Morrowinds), annoying characters and like 4 voice actors. I want to forget this game.

Arena: Didnt play this one.

Thread's making me curious, is Skyrim really that much better than Oblivion? I absolutely loathed that game and wrote off Skyrim because of it. Plus, I just don't think much of Bethesda as a developer.

But anyways, does Skyrim improve on:

• Writing (actual plot doesn't have to be amazing, but is it told well? do sidequests carry worthwhile stories?)
• Combat (I found Oblivion's combat clunky and dull. Does this differ?)
• Environments (looking for variety mainly, not copy-pasted locales)

Those are my main three concerns, but any other insight is much appreciated.

Slashkice

Writing: It is just as awful as Oblivion's. But on the bright side the voice actors are much better. There are more than 4 this time.

Combat: Combat has improved in various ways. For starters enemies die a lot faster (no more 60 hits to kill something), dual wielding weapons is pointless but 2 handing isnt. 2 handed weapons feel a lot heavier than they did in Oblivion. Archery is plain wierd in many ways. Magic on the other hand has improved the most, if you can get past the awful controls that is. There are more spell effects exist compared to Oblivion. Traps, bolts and xthrowers exist now. Thjere may be more spells available once I hit higher levels thanks to level scaling (not even the mages guild sells something that isnt out of the ordinary).

Environments: Almost as repetitive as those found in Oblivion. Dungeon design is a lot more varied now, but the level design in those is terrible, imagine uncharted without set pieces.

[QUOTE="anshul89"][QUOTE="crippled_ram"] What 'some people?' I agree with him, the DS is flat out the best system this gen. Does it piss you off that a puny little handheld barely more powerful than an N64 beats out your beloved high end rig? ;)crippled_ram

DS>PC this gen, for him, for me, for many other people. Just deal with it.

[QUOTE="crippled_ram"]

[QUOTE="anshul89"]Nice one ! You nearly got me there but my sarcasm detector spotted it. anshul89

DS>PC this gen, for him, for me, for many other people. Just deal with it.

Well, it is a valid opinion. I disagree, but whatever.

If I remember correctly, The DS has the most high scoring games of all non open ended systems (that being the PC of course).

Daggerfall>Morrowind>garbage>Skyrim>Oblivoius

Daggerfall: One of the biggest gaming worlds, at a large amount of skills, buggy, but grand. Diseases can kill you.
Morrowind: Best story in the series. Also the most fun world to explore. With an excellent atmosphere and tons of INTERESTING content.
Skyrim: Godawful UI, terrible optimization, awful console port all around, combat sucks except for magic, they made dragons boring, terribad writing, Dovahkiin is the biggest idiot I have ever seen, bland environments, stupidly designed perks, skills feeling pointless, boring level design with dungeons being nothing but big corridors. However, it is still relatively enjoyable, but not because it is a good game. Skyrim is so bad that it becomes good. The dialogue is laughably bad, the bugs are amusing and its just funny laughing at how poorly designed teh game is overall.
Oblivious: Completely generic fantasy, worst combat system EVER (yes worse than Morrowinds), annoying characters and like 4 voice actors. I want to forget this game.

Arena: Didnt play this one.

Maroxad

About the dungeons. I think you are suffering from a severe case of nostalgia. Here's what Daggerfall dungeons look like. In Dagerfall and Morrowind they are absolutely featureless corridors meeting at right angles. The dungeons in Skyrim are the best by far, I was actually surprised by their variety and design. Some are better than others of course, the first one in the main quest was probably the best I've seen so far ...

Never played Arena and wasnt a big RPG fan when tried Daggerfall. Morrowind was the game that made me love WRPGs and loved Oblivion aswell. Well, out of those i played, my favourite is Skyrim so far.