As the fourth game in Bethesda's Elder Scrolls series Oblivion had a lot to live up to, as it looked to capture the mainstream audience that the series hadn't quite enjoyed yet. Though gamers perpetually argue over which Elder Scrolls game is superior, it's difficult not to recognize Oblivion as the one that changed everything. Morrowind had released four years earlier, becoming one of the most critically-acclaimed games of all time, but it hadn't quite catapulted the series into the spotlight it would eventually have. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JGhlg4JqvQw Oblivion changed a lot of Morrowind's systems, allowing for a much more direct line of player control. It was a sensation, selling over 4 million units, instantly making the series a household name, and changed the way both gamers and developers look at open-world adventure games, where the expansive landscape was traversed by gamers of all types. So many games have borrowed distinct elements from Oblivion, and it fundamentally altered the direction of open-world games forever.
