I Have To Apologize to Bethesda; I Wasn’t Familiar With Your Game and Should Have, Apparently, Never Doubted You Regarding Oblivion

I need to stop paying attention to leaks, but it’s so hard not to fall into the moment. Seeing the rumors about one of my favorite games of all time, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, getting a remaster or remake, I was quick to start checking out the leaked images. To be upfront and honest, I thought they looked awful. The washed-out colors, the “Piss Filter”, everything about them looked terrible. And then I watched the reveal trailer. I saw the colors spring to life before me. I knew, at that moment in time, I was home again. Cyrodiil, as I remembered it, was untouched, untampered, and most importantly, colorful again.

I Guess the Leaked ‘Oblivion’ Screenshots Mean You Can’t Judge a Book by Its Cover

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a game that means a lot to me. It was the first game I ever played when I got an Xbox 360, and it was the first of its kind I had ever experienced. I spent hours, if not days, just wandering the lands of Cyrodiil. Small loading screens would pop up as I would explore the expansive lands, but I couldn’t care less. I was enamored beyond belief. Even its more popular counterpart, Skyrim, had nothing on Oblivion, in my humble opinion. At the time, and even now, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is a masterpiece.

And funny enough, Oblivion was the reason why I learned how to fix consoles, as my Xbox 360 got a Red Ring of Death while playing through this game. If you still have an Xbox 360 and it’s got the RROD, wrap it in a towel and turn it on for a few hours. It’s going to get hot enough to re-melt some of the thermal paste and give you some more game time. Then, learn how to rip them apart and fix them. It’s a lifesaver, believe me. But, back to the important thing: color. Seeing these leaked screenshots, it looked like… well, an extremely generic RPG. Boring, soulless, lifeless. That wasn’t the Oblivion I knew, and rather than be patient, I turned into Abe Simpson. Yelling at clouds was my new hobby, and my pessimism was at an all-time high.

But after seeing that trailer? I’m in. That’s the Oblivion I remember. I don’t know how I’m going to stay focused enough to finish up the work I need to do today, especially knowing that Cyrodiil is waiting for me. Cheese for everyone, indeed.