I recently returned to my roots of TES 4: Oblivion, and to my amazement, I thought it looked BETTER than the most recent TES 5: Skyrim! Now I understand people will say "That game is so old OMG, like, how could the graphics look better looser?!" Well, simply put, the simplicity. I feel as though TES have gone off root. Don't get me wrong. Dragons a GORGEOUS in Skyrim. But have you looked at, for-say the steel sword in Skyrim? Yes, it is a sweet looking sword, and I would pay top dollar for a real-steel replica. Though when I play Oblivion, I feel like I could actually own it. To me it looks more natural. And I love that. Having the feeling of reality in a game. I look at iron armour in Oblivion and I could have sworn I saw a chest plate that looked almost identical at the Renaissance Fair last month. Because it was a natural, simple, and realistic chest plate. When I look at the iron armour in Skyrim, and I am just baffled by the extent of detail. Looks amazing in the game, but doesn't feel real. So basically my argument is; Do you prefer the natural look of Oblivion, or the more fantasy based feel of Skyrim?

Yes, plastic looking game is soo realistic

I disagree with the premise. I don't think Oblivion looks "natural" and I don't think Skyrim looks "fantasy-based." I think both games look fairly realistic - with some fantasy elements blended in. Neither game seems more "natural" or more "fantasy-based" to me.

I love the appearance of both games. Right now I'm playing Oblivion and I love travelling through the rolling hills and woods. I love the swaying grass, the trees, the flowers. As far as the weapons and armor go, I like the look of weapons and armor in both games equally.

If Oblivion could get a modern day cosmetic update, refine the grains in everything, it wouldn't look "plastic." Just a matter of preference. I prefer this "plastic."

They have different styles, and I like both.

I'm glad there are mature and respectful users with valid arguments. In the nature of both games, Skyrim has the upper hand. The ability to show the detail is why. But going into a Church of any of the Divines, I feel Oblivion's Gothic architecture is more close to me than what seems to be ancient Nord architecture in Skyrim. Granted, the cosmetics of the buildings are somewhat similar. I just feel more at home in Cyrodiil than Skyrim. Like I could actually find a Temple of The Divines in Colorado from Oblivion than one from Skyrim, even though we are a mountainous state. I thank you for your opinion, and I also thank you for the respect you showed in stating it.

When Skyrim was first announced, I expected it to be a lot grittier and realistic than it's turned out to be. Even with its greater detail, it looks and feels very gamey to me - moreso than Oblivion.

I don't think that's just the graphics and artstyle though. The gameplay feels a lot more arcadey in Skyrim, which really doesn't help me become immersed in the gameworld. And the gameworld itself feels unnaturally out of scale, almost like they've tried too hard to cram too many sights and scenes in for the player instead of designing a believable virtual world. Oblivion by comparison had less diversity, but when running across the gameworld, everything felt more blended and natural to me.

I couldn't have said it better myself sheogorath88. Thank for your input on this topic. I appreciate it.

I can at least agree with you that a good bit of the armor and weapons in Skyrim are impractical and gaudy looking. I like the more down to earth sets like Orcish, Steel Plate, and Iron. They have fantasy elements, but manage to look realistic at the same time. Where as the standard steel is just goofy looking, particularly the one with the pauldrons.