I wasn't on these forums when Oblivion was in production, though I did read the forums every once and awhile. It really seemed that there was an air of disappointment hanging around. I was also not optimistic about Oblivion before it came out because Morrowind was quite what I had hoped for, though it had a really great main story, but Oblivion turned out to be great when I actually played it, I was very happy with the result. Of course, it had some experimental features I wasn't completely happy with such as the over-ramped level-scaling, the compass leading me to quest markers and quest markers inside dungeons pointing out the objective (Though I think quest markers should stay in, just marking the location of the dungeon, not the objective inside and not being show on the compass)



Skyrim is adding more complexity than Morrowind had.

I've been playing TES games since Daggerfall, which I absolutely loved. In fact, as much as I love Morrowind, I felt there was a lot removed from Daggerfall when MW first came out. I missed mounts (horses), banks and buying real-estate, the old "guard me from an assassin" missions, and much more. However, The Elder Scrolls Morrowind is the greatest game in the history of the universe. me in so completely that I'm still modding for it.

That said, Morrowind had some serious issues even when it was new. The character models were awful, even by the standards of the day; the combat system was absurdly bad; and the stock textures were hideous. And yet, the game transcended all of that. I'm not sure if it was the gravelly voices of the Dunmer, the political and religious intrigue, the Dwemer ruins and lore, or what - but somehow, the game just worked.

I, too, wanted to like Oblivion. It is graphically stunning, and a significant improvement in almost every technical way over Morrowind. As a modder, I know MW's limitations almost by heart, and they are many. Most of those problems were solved in Oblivion. Ground textures blended a lot better, you could have variable water levels, NPC's could follow you through load doors, etc.

However, the game felt like it had no soul. It was bland, and in many ways, not terribly interesting. Perhaps it picks up, but I never got far before leaving it entirely, and going back to Morrowind.

I dunno, Skyrim looks awfully nice. However, I'm going to reserve enthusiasm until I actually play it. THEN, I will figure out how I feel about the game.

Apparently good features are mainstream.

280(?) perks have been dumbed down from Morrowind.(It didn't have any)
Finishing moves are more Streamlined than in Morrowind.(Morrowind didn't have any, yet again)
Character Appearance has been dumbed down since Morrowind.(Choosing from at set of Faces rather than creating your own is apparently better)
You get where I'm going with this.
Morrowind is your typical mainstream RPG. D&D based rules. Useless skills/features. Favours those who go pure(pure mage, pure warrior, pure thief).
Every thing is purely based on a Dice roll.
Edit: Welp that aside. I see no "Mainstream elements" in Skyrim. The Player Character isn't voiced(Mass Effect, Dragon Age 2, Fable 3). No romance(See the first three). No Multiplayer. No linear gameplay.
Skyrim is in a league of its own. Radiant Story allowing for a different experience for every playthrough. Cinematic kills are unique to each weapon/monster. 10 races to choose from, as opposed to three(DA:O) or none(DA 2). Unique lore.