Have The Elder Scrolls Spoiled You?

[WizardOfAtlantis]

OK, so I want to know. Have the open-world Bethesda titles, and I include the whole The Elder Scrolls and even the Fallout Universe in this, pretty much ruined you from enjoying other computer fantasy role-playing games made by other companies?

 

I'm asking here because I think Oblivion is the greatest single example for this so far.

 

I know it's that way for me. Once I tasted open-world adventuring, there was no going back for me. I've tried other games (like Might and Magic, Fable, etc) but absolutely every game that puts me on a train track that I have to follow, leaves me with no choice: I can't play it. Not any longer. I simply cannot stand to not have the freedom that Bethesda role-playing games give me.

 

This is where gaming needs to go, I think, and that certainly comes from not only the way I want to look at the world but also the fact that I am pretty much 1st generation D&D material. Pen and paper roleplaying is hardcoded into me. Bethesda games are the closest approximation to this so far, and it doesn't seem like it will stop any time in the future, either. So, that's why I'm *spoiled*. I can't go back. Why would I?

 

And you?

[Amoramor]

Yes I can. An open world isn't that important to me.

 

Most of my favorite RPGs don't give nearly as much freedom as Bethesda's games do, but they do everything else better. SW: KotOR and Fallout are good examples. They have an interesting story, a great leveling system, real choices and consequenses and versatile dialogue. That's what Oblivion is lacking. I also like shooters, mostly because of online play, but Halo, for instance, has a great story. Plus it's nice to feel like an action hero sometimes.

 

But don't get me wrong, I like open-world games, especially Oblivion (though I still don't know what makes it that interesting, beside mods.), but they're still not my favorite kind of games.

Edited January 12, 2011 by Amoramor

[Frederov]

I have to say that I'm spoiled now. I can't stand to be closed in to a set path anymore. I'm also a 1st ed D&D gamer so maybe that has something to do with it. I also love the modding aspect and can't stand to play without tweaking the game to my tastes.

 

I can play a little bit of other style games for a bit (shooters, strategy etc) but I always return to FO3, Oblivion, & morrowind.

 

I was a big diablo 1 and 2 fan ages ago so it will be interesting to see if D3 hold my attention now that TES has changed me.

[WastelandAssassin]

well, i love Bethesda's titles that i got to play (i got started with Oblivion, and enjoyed the following two Fallout games)

and i am also a role-player by heart, but not quite a D&D fellow (different styles, i would dare say better styles, but still Pen & Paper role-playing)

even so, i can always try playing different role-playing games, and quite enjoy them

 

i have tried a fare amount of RPG games, some were quite good, while others were quite bad

some i played once and it was enough, others i played several times, and some were so bad in my opinion, that i couldn't even finish a single playthrough

but in the end, i always get back to Bethesda's titles, not only because of the huge amount of options due to the modding possibilities, but also because these games are just superior to any other game that i have played (along these genres, of course)

i could even go and play some silly Hack n' Slash RPG game, and still enjoy it, but it just won't come close to a memorable thing like another run at Oblivion or Fallout

 

so to sum it up, i wasn't spoiled by these games, maybe even not at all

it's like seeing the most beautiful woman in the world to you: you can still see other women as beautiful, but they will all pale when compared to that special one :cool:

[Herculine]

I didn't vote because I'm kinda yes and no.

 

If I try to play something like Two Worlds or Dark Messiah, I don't get far beyond the tutorials before I lose interest because the games are lacking so many of the qualities I've come to expect from Bethesda games.

 

On the other hand, I'm currently enjoying playing through Neverwinter Nights for the first time and since playing Oblivion I've also enjoyed games like The Witcher and Dragon Age Origins. Different styles of play, but still these games are designed well enough to hold my interest.

 

While I enjoy "open-world" games like Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3 and Fallout New Vegas, I'm also a dungeon-crawler at heart thus I can be content with more linear gameplay designs if I'm given options in the ways that I can develop my character or affect the flow of the storyline to some extent. The exterior world of Oblivion was indeed a pleasure to explore in search of new locations, many of which were optional, but at the same time I found many of the dungeons disappointing since they were only comprised of a few rooms with a few enemies and treasure chests and then you're done. I'm not saying they were all like that, but many were and I find I enjoy a good dungeon that might take me an hour to explore and perhaps even get lost in. At the moment Neverwinter Nights is satisfying the dungeon-crawler in me, and I'm hoping that with Skyrim Bethesda won't be so focused on the OMG! graphics that they forget the other elements that have made some of the most famous RPGs so enjoyable.

[majikmonkee]

Oblivion is an amazing game, and I will continue to play it for that very reason. I also enjoy games like the God of War, Resident Evil and Metal Gear franchises, because they all offer different styles of game play. Nothing else satisfies me need for open world fantasy dungeon crawling like Oblivion though. I'm still loving it after all these years. Edited January 13, 2011 by majikmonkee

[lowenp]

Well, to be frank here, Oblivion is definitely not my favorite RPG. In terms of general atmosphere, that's going to be Knights of the Old Republic. In terms of gameplay, that's going to be Dwarf Fortress. In terms of an open world, it's going to be Daggerfall and/or Civilization IV.

 

That said, Oblivion is still a very good game. It's made of the same material as the ones I've mentioned, but sadly, it's not as well-rounded. For one, there's the *RAGE* leveled world.

[Voivode1456]

Yes, I would most definitely have to go into the spoiled category myself and so does the rest of my household. Before Oblivion, I was die hard into playing Sacred, so much so I had developed something like 65 player characters and was playing daily. My brother and his family are major WOW players and they tried their best to convert me. I enjoyed the game, yes, but I was not sold. I like the free-roam affect, but I am not a major fan of online play personally. Too much negative interaction with other players. For example, one of the starter missions took me over an hour and a half to complete because someone else would beat me to the quest target and I had to wait 8 more minutes to for it to regenerate. I also felt the graphics were a little too cartoonish for my personal tastes.

 

One of my best friends bought Oblivion on a whim and we have been obsessed for over a year and a half. People say we talk about the game like we live it and I guess on a level we do because we are either always discovering something new or adding some cool new mod and we are forever talking about it. The graphics was the element that initially sold me and when I discovered just what the game was capable of due to modding, I was more than sold. I personally find that the few negatives of the vanilla game are easily overcome by anybody willing to put the time and effort into modding the game to their personal standard. It is a running joke with my daughter (who also plays) that I will be modding this game until I am 60! I don't actually see myself modding for the next 22 years, but Oblivion is not going away anytime soon!

[lowenp]

Actually, I'd like to revise my review. Oblivion *did* spoil me, but not in its vanilla content, which wasn't quite as top-tiered as many other games' are.

 

No, its moddability spoiled me. The fact that I could turn it into a perfect game just by modifying it myself more than makes up for any vanilla shortfall it may have. The leveling problems? Get Francesco's. Too easy? Get Oscuro's.

 

So yes, when I play other games from now on, I think to how moddable Oblivion was, and that makes me sad.

 

Although, I will still honestly say that despite so, I liked KoToR better. Otherwise, if we count modded content, Oblivion did spoil me. If vanilla only, well then, it did not.

[majikmonkee]

Actually, my first answer didn't really address the question. I do think I'm spoiled as in linear fantasy games or turned based fantasy appeal to me a little less since playing Oblivion, I like the FPS aspects of the game vs say the interface of games like FF.