10 Video Games Better Than The Sum Of Their Parts

Ah, Oblivion. Your NPCs look like they were carved from turnips. Your writing is bland, poorly delivered and riddled with errors. Your combat is clunky, your bugs are plentiful, and you have been surpassed by nearly every open-world RPG released in the 19 years since your launch.

But damn it, there'll always be a special place for you in gamers' hearts.

Oblivion is the perfect example of a game whose mistakes are just as important as its flaws, its janky charms playing a huge role in its enduring appeal. If it looked good, where would be the appeal in searching for its ugliest NPC? If it ran well, how could we enjoy moments of comedy like seeing the Imperial Guard fail to navigate a boat (as well as the laws of physics)? If its NPCs were less brain-damaged, would it have stopped the same hilariously inane conversation about mudcrabs being repeated across every settlement in the game?

The upcoming Oblivion remake may smooth out the game's ragged edges, but if it does it's hard not to imagine the game will lose an important part of its soul in the process. Hopefully Bethesda leave a few blemishes in place once they're done slapping make-up on one of gaming's most adorkable pigs.