Morrowind feeling lonely and alien is what made the atmosphere so much better than Oblivions, it made me fell like a total stranger dropped in a distant land and that is what was intended. Oblivion lacked alot in the atmosphere deparrtment IMO, it was a great game don't get me wrong I play it way more often than Morrowind and it did have it's highlights but the whole area feels too generic. For example in Morrowind you could be swarmed by a pack of nix hounds (creepy reptilian insect dog) on your (slow) travels, but in oblivion you get attacked by a lets say a wolf, which is far less interesting because well, I can see wolves and deer in real life so it doesn't draw me in nearly as much as alien dog insects. That and you could become a practical god (and kill a few of 'em).

Anyway to the positives of Oblivion; the weather system was great, it made me feel like I was really standing in the rain and that I had to take shelter. The combat is way more immersive requiring at least a little thought and strategy unlike morrowind where you just kept clicking and clicking and clicking. The NPCs were good because they walk around and have conversations and do their thing like a real person would do even if their dialogue was limited and generic. There's probably alot more things I like that add to the atmosphere that I'm forgetting, but I'm not going to list them all.

The atmosphere is ok, some areas seem to have a better atmosphere IMO. One thing that can kill it for me though is EVERY SINGLE animal hates your guts and they want to rip you apart (except deer), I never understood the mega-rabies that has obviously spread through Cyrodiil's wildlife. But then I suppose there is a good reason to get the boots of the crusader

I'm really sort of ambivalent about it.

It's beautiful-- don't get me wrong-- but it's just sort of.... dull. Yes, the leaden, snowy skies of Bruma and the sparse trees and windswept rocks remind me of the Colorado Rockies and the drizzle and thick vegetation and standing water around Leyawiin remind me of the Everglades or the Okeefenokee and the dry grass and tenacious plants and alternating pale clear skies and storms around Anvil remind me of the Pacific coast, and so on, and it's all very beautiful and it all makes sense, but just for that reason, it ends up a bit too familiar. I don't get the feeling that I'm in a foreign land (much less on a different planet)-- instead I get the feeling that I'm traveling around a highly condensed version of the world I already know. It's all mostly well done and all (except for the huge buildings that suddenly pop into view, or the grass that appears on top of previously empty ground in a wave in front of me, or any of the other poorly rendered distant objects in the game), but it doesn't surprise me. It doesn't transport me to another world, so in that sense, I find the "atmosphere" disappointing.

It is beautiful though. The sky is particularly well done-- I like that you can see a storm rolling in before it actually starts raining or snowing, and I love the stars at night. The illumination is tremendously well done. There's a marked difference between a moonless night and a night when the moon(s) are out-- there's even a noticeable (and logical) difference between the sunlight in various places-- the pale, clear light of Anvil vs. the rich, muted light of Cheydinhal, for instance. And I love the sunrises and sunsets, particularly over water. The combination of hard shadows and soft reflected light off the water is just brilliantly done.

Certainly I haven't played another game in which I spent so much time just standing there, looking at the scenery. I can't even count how many times in this game I've been travelling and suddenly come upon a view that made me stop and find a good spot just so that I could drink it in.

I just sort of wish that all of that had gone into creating a world that was at least a bit less familiar and a bit more alien.

It's unrivaled, in my opinion.

Yes, I have played Morrowind.

It is great to begin with and was my first experience with such an open world. Modders have made the great even better with Natural Environments/Weather, Unique Landscapes, Darker Nights, etc. My daughter and I both play and we are always taking screenshots of scenery when we play. The moons rising over the White Gold Tower. A scenic vista from a mountain top. So many things to see without ever killing a single beastie. We've a bunch of shots that we use as desktop backgrounds or screensavers. Kudos, Bethesda!!!

I just don't understand the "alien landscape = better" attitude. I don't care if a game world is bizarre-looking or whether it resembles my backyard. I care how it makes me feel when I am running or walking or swimming through it. I don't apply arbitrary criteria in advance.

I enjoyed adventuring through Vvardenfell and I enjoy adventuring through Cyrodiil. Both game worlds have their good and bad points. I could compile a list of negative things about Vvardenfell that would be about as long as my list of negative things about Cyrodiil. But whether one landscape is more "alien" than the other is just not one of the defining factors for me. I just don't understand dismissing a game world simply because it is not "alien" enough.

I never dismissed Oblivion because it wasn't alien enough in fact I like Oblivion better, I clearly said that I do enjoy Oblivion and play it far more frequently than Morrowind and I never once said "alien always = good" that was not the intention of what I said (although looking back on what I said earlier it does seem that way). The feeling of being in a totally alien world was simply a strong factor in the atmosphere that Morrowind created which just isn't present in Oblivion due to it drawing more on reality, and there is nothing wrong with that.
That isn't to say that there isn't atmosphere in Oblivion, there's certainly is a great deal of it; there are moments in Oblivion where you just have to stop and look at the scenery because it just takes your breath away which is something that happened far less in Morrowind because the landscape was mostly barren. There's plenty of things in each game that draw you in and make you feel like you really are there that one game has that the other doesn't. Like you said they both have their strong points and their weak ones.
I'm not sure how it is "arbitrary criteria" or where that came from; I played both games extensively and still do. I was simply comparing one thing that Morrowind had that I felt trumped Oblivion. I don't base how much I like games by how alien they feel and I never will. Gameplay is really the defining factor and Oblivion does well there and improved upon Morrowind by far in some areas.
Anyway the idea of atmosphere is subjective. I apologize for turning this into a debate as to which has the better atmosphere when it is supposed to highlight the atmosphere Oblivion has.

I love Oblivion, I love Morrowind.
Oblivion is not a perfect game but I have yet to see one that is, if I want to travel in a beautiful land I go play oblivion straight away.
Yes many things can look generic, but the size of the game dictates that stuff be reused.
Could it feel deeper yes, but I have yet to think this looks outdated, due to the fact I am too busy riding around looking at things, people, and creatures that still look fantastic while playing or strolling through the game.

Could I wish for the quests to be a little deeper again yes, but many people who played Oblivion have not played morrowind, and when TES 5 comes out many will not have played Oblivion either.
This is the price of making sure enough new ( sic younger ) blood comes in to boost the reason to continue making games set in the Elder scrolls universe imo.

i think its fantastic..i play on the computer but when i played on the 360 they were so much better

I don't think Oblivion feels generic. It's one of the very few games that actually manage to get closer to the "Tolkien feel" of fantasy. Many fantasy games feel too gaudy to me: bikini-clad babes with huge swords, all of that over the top stuff... Oblivion is very subtle... The architecture is consistent and believable, the forests feel real (to me, at least) and because of that, the magic, the creatures, all of the fantasy elements, get more of a historical feel, which makes them seem tangible and believable. I think that's certainly one of the reasons why Oblivion is so much more immersive and atmospheric to me personally than ... games like Sacred 2 or WoW or something.

This

I think it's rich and compelling, feels like a good dream. I love it.

Yes it was Jeremy Soule :foodndrink:

This, this, this and a thousand times this. ^_^

One of the best, I think. In terms of weather and landscape, I only like Read Dead Redemption better, but RDR does have an advantage, being made 4 years later. In terms of people-type "atmosphere", I would've preferred the world to be a bit darker and grittier.

I love the surroundings.Like somebody said in another forum i read when you come out of the cave in the main tutorial the mounatins are beautiful.I wish i could run it on full graphics but my PC cant handle it.The oblivion gates are amazingly violent and the fact that they gotta destroy the rest of the game is kinda beyond me but i still love the game.I think the detail is perfect seeing as how theyres a million and 1 objets in the game.I did hear that the PS3 version was burned on the disc twice so its loading while you play if that makes sense.Anyways i do love the game its funny cause when i go into castle kvatch and am in the courtyard it lags even on the ps3 version and it crashes on my pc so i cant get past that part.

To me it is not just about how the game looks. It's also about the NPCs. They walk, talk, wander, work, sleep, eat, etc. They have schedules of their own and some even travel to other towns and visit places and people there. The idea of NPCs belonging to factions is great too. It determines how they respond to others and what topics they have. Very cool. The conversations are often a bit chaotic, though. But they are more intended to create atmosphere than anything else. So, I am not too distracted about that.

*I've heard others say the same.*

Morrowinds silent music and no voice! in dialogs made much better atmosphere..also models of npc were much much better... ( these are main and the only disadvantages for oblivion imo )

As for oblivion.. better cities mod greatly improves atmosphere in cities... oblivion gates are already top notch IMO...There are many mods that greatly improves everything..

Its the best, you come over a hill and that music starts going and you get all giddy, then you explode all over the tv screen.

I feel FF9/FF7 were more immrersive, but they are the best games i've ever played, so it could just be me. :wink_smile:

Well, I do prefer the actual game over Morrowind (By just a TINY little bit), but MW had better atmosphere.

The setting is nice. A great world with breath taking scenery, but it felt completely rehashed; as in completely lifted from a history book. So, I found it boring in that respect.

But I really found the NPC's to be off. For a world under attack, folks sure seemed pretty calm!

All in all, it was average.

Very good. I love the feeling of peace I get when aimlessly wandering about the Great Forest.

I can completely immerse in it. I find it to be very mystical.

I love the atmosphere in this game. I love walking around the towns, hearing the ambient and atmospheric music. It's almost nostalgic.