10 Infuriating Levels That Almost Derailed Great Video Games

6. The Opening Dungeon Crawl - Oblivion

Oblivion was one of the defining games of its generation, properly introducing the mainstream to the Elder Scrolls series and showing everyone what open-world RPGs could be, but good Lord does it start off on the wrong foot.

Conceptually, you couldn't ask for a better opening than the one in the fourth Elder Scrolls. As is franchise convention, you begin as a nameless stranger trapped in jail for an unknown crime, when the Emperor arrives at your cell to use a secret escape tunnel, all while telling you you're destined for greatness.

You join the posse, watch as your new pal is assassinated, and then spend the next twenty minutes fighting your way through caves of creepy crawlies.

It’s a glorified tutorial, which is fine - expansive games like Oblivion can't just drop you into an open world without some form of training - but it does a terrible job of showing off the game’s strengths. The enemies are uninspired, the caves themselves don't reflect how great Bethesda's environments can be, and it prioritises action over role-playing.

It was essentially the entirety of what would become Fallout 76 condensed into a single level.