"New Oblivion: Remake Appearance, Remaster Gameplay"

When Bethesda unveiled Oblivion Remastered earlier this week, my initial reaction was sheer disbelief. The 2006 journey to Tamriel, once marked by its quirky, potato-faced characters and blurry, low-res grasslands, has now transformed into the most visually stunning Elder Scrolls game to date. Having been conditioned by a history of underwhelming HD remasters – think Mass Effect Legendary Edition and Dark Souls Remastered, which barely differ from their Xbox 360 counterparts – seeing the Imperial City I explored nearly two decades ago rendered in Unreal Engine 5 with ray tracing was nothing short of astonishing. But the enhancements don't stop at visuals; the game also boasts upgraded combat, RPG systems, and numerous other improvements. It led me to question if Bethesda and the developer, Virtuos, had misnamed it. Shouldn't this be called Oblivion *Remake*?

I wasn't the only one with this thought. Many fans have labeled it a remake, and even Bruce Nesmith, a senior game designer on the original Oblivion, remarked that "I'm not sure [the word] remaster actually does it justice." Yet, after playing for several hours, it became clear that despite its remake-like appearance, Oblivion Remastered fundamentally plays like a remaster.

The reasons behind Oblivion's remake-like appearance are straightforward: Virtuos has done extensive work, redesigning "every single asset from scratch." Everything you see on screen, from trees and swords to crumbling castles, is brand new. This overhaul brings the game up to modern graphical standards with beautifully textured landscapes, stunning lighting, and a new physics system that realistically impacts the game world with every arrow and weapon strike. Even the NPCs, while familiar from 2006, have been completely recreated. This approach aims for excellence by 2025 standards rather than simply recreating the nostalgia of the original. If I had seen this before the remaster rumors started, I might have mistaken it for The Elder Scrolls 6.

But it's not just about the visuals. Combat has been significantly enhanced, making swordplay feel more engaging than ever. The third-person camera now features a functional reticule, and every menu, from the quest journal to dialogue and minigames, has been refreshed. The original problematic leveling system has been replaced with a more logical hybrid of Oblivion and Skyrim's approaches, and players can finally sprint. With such extensive visual and gameplay upgrades, it's easy to think we're in remake territory, isn't it?

The industry's use of terms like "remake" and "remaster" can be confusing. For example, Rockstar's "Definitive Edition" remasters of the Grand Theft Auto trilogy remain unmistakably blocky PlayStation 2-era games, albeit with upscaled textures and modern lighting. On the other hand, the Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy, also called a remaster, features entirely new graphical assets, resembling a modern game. The term "remake" is even more ambiguous: Bluepoint's Shadow of the Colossus and Demon's Souls are rebuilt from scratch yet remain faithful to the original experiences, while Resident Evil 2 sticks to its original structure but redesigns the gameplay. Final Fantasy 7 Remake and Rebirth, meanwhile, radically change the design, script, and story. These examples highlight the lack of clear definitions in the industry.

Historically, a game rebuilt from scratch in a modern engine was considered a remake, while remasters were more limited upgrades within the original technology. However, these definitions are becoming outdated. A more fitting modern definition might be that a remaster is a graphical overhaul that preserves the original game's design with some quality-of-life improvements, while a remake redesigns the game from the ground up. This would categorize Demon's Souls and the upcoming Metal Gear Solid: Delta as remasters, reserving the term "remake" for games that feel like new interpretations of old ideas.

So, is the new version of Oblivion a remake or a remaster? After playing it for just an hour, it's evident that Oblivion Remastered is aptly named. While the new assets and Unreal Engine 5 ray tracing make it look brand new, it retains the core gameplay and mechanics of the 20-year-old original. Bethesda explained, "We looked at every part and carefully upgraded it. But most of all, we never wanted to change the core. It’s still a game from a previous era and should feel like one."

The essence of that previous era is evident throughout. It's in the loading screens that pop up behind almost every door, the baffling persuasion minigame that still feels disconnected from conversations despite its refreshed interface, and the simplistic city designs that resemble theatre sets rather than authentic population centers. The NPCs still move awkwardly and speak with the charm of a rudimentary AI, and the combat, despite upgrades, remains somewhat detached and unwieldy. Additionally, the game retains a long list of bugs and glitches, preserved in the spirit of the original's quirky charm.

Recent releases like Obsidian's Avowed showcase the future of key Elder Scrolls elements. Its dynamic combat and approach to exploration make Oblivion Remastered's mechanics feel dated. Yet, this remaster still offers much in 2025. The magic of its world remains vibrant, with its expansive fields filled with mysteries and oddities. Its ambitious features, like dynamic goblin wars and a superior quest structure compared to Skyrim, are still intact. The old-school emphasis on player freedom feels refreshing in an era where games often guide players too much. However, the granular details of Oblivion are showing their age. There's a lack of finesse in its dialogue and system interconnectivity, and the level design feels ancient. A true remake would have updated these elements, but this project is about reliving the past. Hence, it is indeed Oblivion *Remastered*.

Video games often borrow terminology from other media. In film, remakes are new productions with fresh casts and scripts, while remasters enhance existing films to meet modern quality standards. The 4K restorations of classics like Jaws and The Godfather look incredible but remain products of their time. Similarly, Oblivion pushes visual quality to its limits using the more flexible medium of video games to recreate its "exterior" in a new engine. Yet, beneath this new shell, it remains a product of the 2000s. As Alex Murphy, executive producer at Virtuos, aptly put it during the reveal stream: "We think of the Oblivion game engine as the brain and Unreal 5 as the body. The brain drives all the world logic and gameplay and the body brings to life the experience that players have loved for almost 20 years."

Oblivion Remastered is precisely what it claims to be, and its achievements should not be underestimated. Rather than insisting it's a remake, we should see it as the benchmark for remasters from other major AAA developers. This is the standard that Mass Effect Legendary Edition should have reached, not just a cleaned-up re-release. This is what Grand Theft Auto: The Trilogy should have been, not a cash grab. There's nothing cynical about Oblivion Remastered. It looks like a remake crafted with passion but plays like a remaster preserved by devoted fans, and that's exactly how it should be.