Oblivion Remastered reminds me of when Bethesda were the true RPG masters

If Bethesda wants to be back on top by the time next Elder Scrolls game rolls around, it should take more lessons from Oblivion Remastered than Starfield.
Oblivion Remastered demonstrates the kind of inspiring world and storytelling experience any studio worth its RPG weight should be aiming to recapture.
For the longest time, the RPG video game arms race was dominated by the two Bs: BioWare and Bethesda. Specialising in creating titles with memorable characters set in incredibly detailed worlds – the kind where you, the player, can make an impact through your own gameplay decisions – it's clear that this style of game, in 2025, has only become harder to make for both studios.
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As a result, there's a lot less of these 'all-encompassing' style RPG experiences to be found in general, which means when a disappointment of, say, Starfield 's calibre arrives, it's no fun for anyone. Particularly the players and developers who adored the genre-defining experiences of BioWare and Bethesda's heyday.
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While not a bad game per se, Dragon Age: The Veilguard 's more action-oriented approach caused long-time series fans to wonder why it was even called Dragon Age at all. As for Mass Effect? Time will tell whether BioWare can put lightning back in that bottle. Meanwhile, as for the other big B, I've been dipping in and out of Oblivion Remastered since its release this month.
It's showing age in places, true, yet still reminds me of when a Bethesda RPG was something to be savoured. Is it full of jank and barmy voice acting? Yes, but it also nails (as Skyrim also did) the feeling of being transported to another place, a feeling that's further cemented once you gain influence over it through your decisions. Starfield lacked a lot of this texture, by comparison. The difference with Oblivion is that it cuts the clutter.
Now, what do I mean by 'clutter'? Part of this is the size of the world, of course. Whereas Starfield was largely sold on the premise of being limitless, what with procedurally generated planets making up a vast solar system that seemed ripe for exploration alongside a few central hubs, Oblivion's Cyrodiil is almost the exact opposite.
In a little under 10 minutes, I can run from its capital all the way to the county of Kvatch, where I'm immediately besieged by countless narrative threads to pull on – almost all of them interesting. By nature of being substantially smaller, not only is Oblivion Remastered more manageable, but less intimidating when wanting to become invested in the several stories it presents.
Starfield's more procedural approach feels more like a chore. There's an interesting concept at its centre, one involving some sort of ancient prophecy that quickly sees your main mission to hunt down a series of Artefacts as part of Constellation's effort. This narrative throughline quickly gets muddled soon after you've first launched off the starting planet, however, and it isn't helped by the avalanche of continuous load screens as you board, fly, and then exit your shuttle. Oblivion Remastered has absolutely none of these extra trimmings, and therefore very little bloat. You're quickly out there, exploring Cyrodiil at your own pace, meeting all kinds of quirky races and characters.
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A dying age
Funnily enough, where Oblivion Remastered is most like Starfield is in the raft of dungeons I'm encouraged to plunder. Absolutely all of them I've explored so far feel like the same copy-and-paste underground design, only with a slightly different layout and objective. This isn't an issue exclusive to Oblivion, mind you, Skyrim still has a similar sense of repetition.
However, it never bothers me too much since you're never forced to spend exorbitant amounts of time in them, meaning it's never too long before you're back out into Cyrodiil's beautiful open scenery – which obviously looks better than ever due to being rebuilt from the ground up in Unreal Engine 5.
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These are just a few superficial examples, but as someone who is currently playing Oblivion for the first time via this remaster, the benefits are clear: Bethesda RPGs are best when they cut out any noise and make you the centre of this story cleanly and promptly. It's not perfect, and by nature of being essentially a facelift of a 2006 Xbox 360 title, there's a few niggles I have with combat, pacing, and the minigames. Dear lord, the minigames…
That said, I hope Bethesda learns what it did great during this era of RPG development so it can use these lessons to inform the next generation of The Elder Scrolls rather than the less nuanced approach of Starfield.
In the end, there's a direct line that can be drawn from Oblivion all the way to Starfield. You see it in its insistence on wanting to make the player feel special, combined with plenty of reasons to poke away at the farthest reaches of the map and, most of all, tell a story in a world that reflects the effects of your specific decision-making right back at you.
These kinds of wide-scale RPGs are no longer a walk in the park to make, and so it's not too surprising to see both BioWare and Bethesda stumble a fair bit when wanting to still get it right while making the most of what new advancements in technology offer. Oblivion Remastered, warts and all, has far more texture and allure than most other recent video game worlds. As such, I don't think it's wrong to expect a once great RPG studio like Bethesda to try and get back to that.

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Tormentor Moved from LCK to PER Rank 1: You deal 20% more damage per crippled limb your target has. Point Cost increased from 1 to 2 Removed Ranks 2 and 3 Bone Shatterer Rank 1: Your melee weapon attacks deal +25% limb damage. Rank 2: Your melee weapon attacks deal +50% limb damage. Rank 3: Your melee weapon attacks deal +75% limb damage. Mutations ‌ Twisted Muscles Standard: +25% melee, unarmed and bashing damage and +50% limb damage. With Strange in Numbers: +35% melee, unarmed and bashing damage and + 62% limb damage. Weapons These weapons all now have +50% limb damage instead of a chance to cripple. ‌ Black Powder Rifle Bone Hammer The Dragon Weapon Mods These weapon mods now have +50% limb damage instead of chance to cripple the target. 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Point Cost increased from 1 to 2 Removed Ranks 2 and 3 Travel Agent Rank 1: You can Fast Travel while over encumbered at an increased cost. Dodgy Rank 1: Evade now costs AP and no longer has a cooldown. Gain +5% chance to Evade. Point Cost increased from 1 to 2 Dev Note: The AP cost is 10x the cooldown time. The cooldown scales with damage avoided, meaning higher damage attacks cost more AP to avoid. If you would not have enough AP to pay for the evade, it cannot occur. Removed Ranks 2 and 3 Adrenaline Rank 1: Gain +10% damage for 30s per kill. Duration refreshes with kills. Now only one rank Science! (Old Name: Science) Rank 1: Increase energy damage based on your INT. Point Cost increased from 1 to 2 Now only one rank Pyro-Technical (Old Name: Science Expert) Rank 1: Increase fire damage based on your INT. Point Cost increased from 1 to 2 Now only one rank Cryologist (Old Name: Science Master) Rank 1: Increase cryo damage based on your INT. Point Cost increased from 1 to 2 Now only one rank Makeshift Warrior Rank 1: Melee weapons break 40% slower. Rank 2: Melee weapons break 60% slower. Rank 3: Melee weapons break 80% slower. Removed Ranks 4 and 5 Gunsmith Rank 1: Guns break 20% slower. Rank 2: Guns break 35% slower. Rank 3: Guns break 50% slower. Removed Ranks 4 and 5 White Knight Moved from AGI to INT Down Ranger (Old Name: Rifleman) Rank 1: You do +10% ranged damage to far enemies. Rank 2: You do +15% ranged damage to far enemies. Rank 3: You do +20% ranged damage to far enemies. Scoped-up (Old Name: Rifleman Expert) Rank 1: Your scoped weapons have 50% more range when aiming. Point Cost increased from 1 to 2 Removed Ranks 2 and 3. Smart Shot (Old Name: Rifleman Master) Rank 1: Deal +25% weak spot damage while aiming a scoped weapon. Point Cost increased from 1 to 3 Removed Ranks 2 and 3. Sniper Rank 1: Gain improved control and hold your breath 75% longer while aiming scopes. Removed Ranks 2 and 3. Longshot Rank 1: Your scoped weapons have 30% more range and accuracy when aiming. Removed Ranks 2 and 3. Center Masochist (Old Name: Commando) Rank 1: +25% ranged damage when targeting the torso. Rank 2: +50% ranged damage when targeting the torso. Rank 3: +75% ranged damage when targeting the torso. Fast Fighter (Old Name: Commando Expert) Rank 1: Your movement speed bonus is also applied to your reload speed. Point Cost increased from 1 to 2 Removed Ranks 2 and 3. Number Cruncher (Old Name: Commando Master) Rank 1: Weapon damage is increased by AP cost. Point Cost increased from 1 to 3 Removed Ranks 2 and 3. Ground Pounder Rank 1: Your small guns reload 10% faster and have better hip fire accuracy. Rank 2: Your small guns reload 20% faster and have better hip fire accuracy. Rank 3: Your small guns reload 30% faster and have better hip fire accuracy. Skeet Shooter Rank 1: Your small guns have improved accuracy and spread. Removed Ranks 2 and 3. Easy Target (Old Name: Shotgunner) Rank 1: +25% ranged damage to crippled targets. Rank 2: +50% ranged damage to crippled targets. Rank 3: +75% ranged damage to crippled targets. Love the Spread (Old Name: Shotgunner Expert) Rank 1: Weapons that fire 3 or more projectiles gain 30% range. Point Cost increased from 1 to 2 Removed Ranks 2 and 3. Shotgun Champ (Old Name: Shotgunner Master) Rank 1: Each projectile your weapon fires increases your damage against crippled targets by 10%. Point Cost increased from 1 to 3 Removed Ranks 2 and 3. Scattershot Rank 1: 20% of the damage delt to a limb is applied to all limbs on your target. Point Cost increased from 1 to 2 Removed Ranks 2 and 3. Moving Target Rank 1: Gain +5% chance to Evade while sprinting. (No Power Armor) Rank 2: Gain + +10% chance to Evade while sprinting. (No Power Armor) Rank 3: Gain +15% chance to Evade while sprinting. (No Power Armor) Goat Legs Rank 1: Take no damage from falling. Removed Rank 2. Blood Sacrifice Rank 1: Using AP in VATS now consumes HP instead at 150% more cost. Rank 2: AP in VATS now consumes HP instead at 125% more cost. Rank 3: Using AP in VATS now consumes HP instead at 100% more cost. Rank 4: Using AP in VATS now consumes HP instead at 50% more cost. Nerd Rage Reduced to a single rank Now costs 2 points at rank 1 Removed the Damage Resist effect Rank 1: While your Health is low, gain increased Damage and AP regen. Legendary Mods Conductor's Critical Hits Restore 10 Health & Action Points instantly and 100 more over 5 seconds for Player & Teammates Within a 100ft Radius Nocturnal – New Effects Weapon: +50% Damage while Cloaked Armor: +4 Perception and Agility while Cloaked Bloodied Increased peak damage bonus from 95% to 130% Bully's Changed to +25% damage per crippled limb the target has Junkies Increased limit from 50% to 100% Resilient Now increases all resistances by 500 when reloading Two Shot Increased damage buff from 25% to 75% Stalkers – New Effect Now increases sneak attack damage by 100% Mutants Increased limit from 25% to 50% Gourmand Increased limit from 24% to 40% V.A.T.S. Optimized Increased bonus from 25% to 35% Instigating +50% Damage Against Targets above 60% Health Juggernaut's Now scales based on your HP directly, not a percentage. Increased the cap to 100% damage at 1000 HP. Pin Pointer's Changed to +20% Weak Spot Damage ‌ Mutations Adrenal Reaction Now grants +5% damage per kill (6.25% with Stranger in Numbers) Workbench Moved the following into the Heavy Guns group at the Weapon workbench Gauss Minigun Plasma Caster Tesla Cannon Moved Fusion Core from the Chemistry Bench to the Tinker Bench You can now repair items at 100% health if you have the correct perks Gameplay Added setting to change Quick Heal priority Reduced the cost to Fast Travel by 25% ‌ Accessibility We have re-enabled Speech-to-Text and Text-to-Speech functions. Armor and Outfits The Liberty Prime Silent Mode Helmet now properly suppresses noise. Fixed an issue where the Vault Tec Yellow Hazmat Suit was missing its face visor. Fixed an issue with the Nuclear Waste Backpack Flair having broken textures. Fixed an issue where the Chinese Stealth Helmet clips when placed on Male & Female Mannequins. Fixed an issue where the Holiday Belle Outfit would clip behind player under certain conditions. Fixed an issue where the Escaped Patient Outfit clips when placed on Female Mannequins. Fixed an issue where the Blue Ridge Scout Outfit clips when placed on Female Mannequins. Fixed an issue that prevented players from making Switchback, V63, Deep Space, Heartbreaker, and Dark Star versions of the Union Power Armor Jet Pack if they learned the Union Power Armor Jetback from a recipe. Fixed an issue where the Feral Meter was not visible when in Power Armor. Fixed an issue where Power Armor was greyed out in the Pip-Boy when a disguise was equipped for Ghoul players. Apparel is properly equipped back on Ghoul characters after removing the disguise. C.A.M.P. & Workshop Updated the Apothecary Sign Build mode preview to match its built item appearance. Fixed an issue where the Concrete Extractor power wire now correctly hooks to the power connector. Updated the Potted Succulent Build mode preview to match its built item appearance. Toxic Tinctures Chemistry Station now allows items to be placed onto it. Fixed an issue where the Wasteland Wealth Door did not have sound effects when opening or closing. Updated the description of the Radiation Glove Box to include its effects. The Tip Jar Stash Box no longer collides with items placed on top of it. All Nuka-Cola Rockets now play the correct sound when destroyed. Fixed an issue where a Slime Cake in a C.A.M.P. or workshop could not be built if you already have a Birthday Cake built. Fixed an issue where the Pavillion Walls could not be destroyed. Fixed an issue where the Enclave Repair Collectron could be incorrectly built at other players' C.A.M.P.s. Fixed an issue where the audio played by the "Cosmic Capture" continued after you stopped playing. Fixed an issue where it could be difficult to place items on Ohio River Adventure Dock objects. Fixed an issue causing some items to appear in the incorrect C.A.M.P. Category. Fix issues with FETCH, Junkyard Dog and Red Rocket Collectrons reverting to default resource collection type. Additionally, the Red Rocket Collectron now correctly supports newer resource types after auto parts. Fixed an issue where Big Fred's Trailer could not be removed from some C.A.M.P.s Fixed an issue where the Door from Fort Fortress bundle was no longer accessible and couldn't be built, removed, or repaired. Dev Note: A green variant of the Fort Fortress Door has been added. Now players with this door will have both the base and green variant. They are both named appropriately. Explosions and projectiles from player camp turrets should no longer damage another player's camp items if not PVP flagged against each other. Wood Performance Stage can now be placed on various terrains and player made structures. Fixed an issue where the "Toxic Tinctures Chemistry Station" would not correctly play its SFX while characters were in proximity. ‌ Miscellaneous Fixes Updated missing Spanish localizations in the crafting menu. Fixed an issue with missing French localization on some Season 4 items. Fixed multiple typos in the Help menu. Scrap kits will no longer move Legendary Mod Boxes to the Stashbox. Mr. Handy Fuels tanks will now count towards the Daily and Weekly Challenge: "Collect a Fuel Tank or Gas Canister". Fixed an issue where non-perishable food could be placed into the Cryo Freezer. Nuka-Orange in-game labels now match its artwork. Seasonings are now back to spawning correctly in The Brown House - get to cookin! Fixed an issue that caused the Ghoulification load screen to appear on Atlantic City's loading screen. Fixed an issue where the Eagle tattoo would not display on masculine bodies for Ghouls. Resuming from suspend on PlayStation 4/5 no longer results in backed up audio playback. Fixed an issue where Smooth Ghoul Females could have wounds mirrored on their temple. Frag grenade and mine explosions no longer have a delayed bright flash. Players not on a team can now correctly practice Cannibalism to those who are. Fixed issue where Ghoul players may sometimes appear as default appearance characters on load. Toxic Water can no longer be mistakenly bought from the vendor at the Skyline Valley Trading Post. Fixed an issue where Pumpkin Pie and Carnival Pie food items did not count for Herbivores. Fixed an issue where the Nukashine player icon was no longer available to players. Fixed an issue where there was no audio on the Player Title tab of the Pip-Boy. Daily Ops now properly displays "Legendary Cores" as a reward. Mods Fixed an issue where the Scrap Rat and Canteen mods did not change the name of the backpack after being applied. Fixed an issue where the Scrap Rat Backpack excluded some Junk items from the weight reduction benefits. Perk Cards Fixed an issue where the Evasive perk flyout animation would activate when a player takes damage from environmental hazards. Fixed an issue with Ghoul Perk Cards missing their glowing green outline and scorch marks. Updated the description for the 'Breathe It In' Perk to correctly display that it can be up to 0 rad resistance. 'Bomb Scientist' should now correctly work on only grenades. 'Bomb Scientist' now properly drains Glow upon use of grenade weapon. 'Rad Specialist' Pip-Boy description now contains accurate effects. Updated our sense of humor with new jokes on the Perk Bubblegum Packs. Fixed an issue with 'Radioactive Strength' applying incorrectly to Automatic Melee Weapons. ‌ Quests Fixed an issue where players may get stuck needing to talk to Pennington during Wayward Souls. UI Fixed an issue where the text for items in the workbench that do not produce materials were misaligned. Fixed an issue where Entry Titles would lose color while scrolling up and down in the Help Menu. Fixed an issue where the Gumball Machine Planter Build mode thumbnail was incorrectly zoomed in. Fixed an issue with the Motorcycle Build mode icon being misaligned. Fixed an issue with the R.I.P. Roof Build mode icon being misaligned. Fixed an issue with the Apothecary Sign Build mode icon being misaligned. Fixed an issue where the 'Back' button could skip sections after selecting Outfits option at the Armor Workbench. Fixed an issue where the Glowing Robot Fasnacht Mask was missing its description. Fixed an issue where debug text could appear above the favorites wheel when changing favorites. Fixed an issue where some item stats tables would overlap when viewing. Fixed an issue where enemy health bars had a sliver of health left in the health bar when they died. Fixed an issue where items in workbenches would have a zoomed in preview. Explosive Mod damage is now added as a modifier on the base damage display of weapons in the Pip-Boy. Fixed an issue where vendor history button was visible in the pets customization menu. Weapons Fixed an issue where players were not able to repair the V63 Laser Carbine at the workbench. The Lucky Piece Paint for the Pepper Shaker will now correctly change the name of the weapon after being applied. Fixed an issue with effects not animating on the Gauss Shotgun. The Nuka-Dark Paint for the Pump-Action Shotgun will now correctly change the name of the weapon after being applied. ‌ Introducing All Out Gaming, a dedicated gaming brand providing the best gaming news, reviews, previews, interviews and more! Make sure you don't miss out on our latest high-quality videos on YouTube, TikTok, and Facebook, where we'll be posting our latest reviews, previews, interviews, and live streams! Article continues below You can also subscribe to our free All Out Gaming newsletter service. 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