10 Amazing Video Games With Terrible Open Worlds
8. The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
OK, here we go. Oblivion, one of the most beloved games in The Elder Scrolls series, has a bad open world.
There. I said it.
But how? There's so much to do! Faction quests, Daedric shrines, ancient elven ruins, goblin dens, bandit camps, secrets and treasure - the content never ends!
Except, it's all stacked between the blandest slices of white bread imaginable.
At the outside of the game, you complete the tutorial and enter into a majestic fantasy forest. It's basically the first act of The Fellowship Of The Ring, in all its calm, pretty splendor. And that's about all it is.
A small mountainous area aside, you spend the overwhelming majority of the game exploring a totally generic fantasy forest. It didn't help that Bethesda automated the placement of the trees, creating a bland map that lacked the handcrafted charm that's defined so many Bethesda games since.
This was a major downgrade for fans of the previous game, Morrowind, with its mushroom forests, ghost walls, island chains, and buildings made from the shells of giant bugs. Morrowind made the world of Tamriel feel truly like another world.
Oblivion made it feel like, well, The Lord of the Rings, only not as good.