When I first fired up The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, I didn’t expect to get sucked in. I’d never played the original 2006 version, and while all the chatter surrounding the remaster piqued my interest, I didn’t see That One Game With The Horrifying NPC Faces becoming a favorite of mine. It was just something on Game Pass I thought I’d try. I certainly didn’t expect it to challenge the great and mighty Skyrim in a battle for my heart.

Yet here I am, trapped in a Twilight-esque love triangle with two fantasy RPGs. Am I team Skyrim, or team Oblivion? After 55 hours spent in Cyrodiil, the truth of where my allegiance lies is becoming undeniably clear: Oblivion Remastered has ruined me for Skyrim.

I wasn’t concerned with any of this when I took my first steps in Cyrodiil. Yes, the game looked nice, the voice acting was great, and (most of) the NPC faces were far less cursed-looking than I’d expected. The character creator even allowed me to build a Dunmer who looked intimidating instead of downright horrifying. But, I assumed, there was no way Oblivion would ever measure up to Skyrim. After all, how could it even compare? I have a wife and children in Skyrim. I own multiple homesteads. I’m the freaking Dohvakiin, man. I talk to (and slay) dragons! The Hero of Kvatch could never. Right?

Well, it’s complicated.

I’ll let you in on a little secret: I’ve never actually finished Skyrim’s main quest. Every year — usually around the winter holidays or the lazy days of summer — I fire up the game and tell myself, “This is it. This time, you’re going to finish the main quest.” But time after time, I find myself distracted (and often, overwhelmed) by the neverending onslaught of dragon attacks, radiant quests, and the titanic size of the game’s utterly enormous map.

To me, Oblivion’s best quality is its size. Sure, I love me a good RPG with a ginormous map and seemingly endless activities to take part in. But size matters when it comes to game design, and not in the way some people might expect. Starfield is a perfect example of why bigger does not necessarily mean better. I’d rather a game leave me itching for more than leave me burned out and ready to throw in the towel. As I’ve worked my way through the main quest, Cyrodiil has........

© Polygon