The greatest game ever made according to my friends in elementary school who’d never played Morrowind or Daggerfall.

It’s certainly impressive, if rough around the edges, and rough in the middle… actually it’s just generally rough. The dialogue is legendarily awkward, as are the combat and most of the game’s systems.

While I definitely appreciate it more than I used to, I can’t shake the feeling that the vibes are off. It’s not as aesthetically unique or interesting as Morrowind, not as fun as Skyrim, and not as sprawling as Daggerfall. I had to fight the game to immerse myself, which has never been a problem before in this franchise.

Once I did get into the groove I thoroughly enjoyed the writing in the stories and questlines. That’s the game’s true standout element, and it’s worth playing for things like the Dark Brotherhood and even just the main questline.

I wish I loved it, but I do like Oblivion.