Okay Oblivion.
Real nice Engine. Unsurpassed in graphics. Complex plot. Realistic physics- outstanding item list.
And then...the Oblivion Gates.
Killed it for me completely. That someone SO Powerful could bleach his Plane so badly.
After ten gates, and hearing of Heroes who had closed over 175... I killed myself.
I pushed through the Purgatory that was the Gates.
And I'm in a better place.

shivering isles > oblivion.

If you are doing the Main Quest, you don't have to close nearly as many as 10 to complete it. Move this to the spoilers section and I will tell you. Depending on my character, and how I'm feeling at the time, I either hate or love the Gates. Currently loving, but some characters don't ever start the Main Quest... some characters advance the Main Quest only to open a few gates so I can get what I want at level 17 or higher. So, I hear ya. Sometimes on earlier characters I just wanted to slit my wrists at times, "OMG, another fricken gate?!"

But, you don't have to go too far if you don't want to. My last character never wanted the gate blight put upon my beautful landscape, so I never started it. My current character has advanced the MQ to open just a few.

Shivering Isles is a plane of Oblivion.
You mean Shivering Isles>Deadlands

Three reasons to close gates, sigil stones and other loot mostly ingredients, for the fight and for quests just two (three with the great) gates are mandatory

Have a mod that keep the gates open after finishing the main quest, will recommend this as the games story and setting makes more sense if you finish the main quest early. I did all the city gates and finished the main quest at level 12, makes more sense than doing finishing the main quest last because you want access to the sigil stones. Finishing the main quest fast also reduces the total numbers of gate, had 27 then the main quest ended, 20 left and I have to search for them. If you don’t care for the stones or ingredients just finish the main quest early.

Kind of makes the entire Main Quest meaningless, though, doesn't it? The point of the MQ is to restore the magic that was preventing those gates from opening in the first place.

Yes, but solves the problem with doing the main quest early where it’s easier and make more sense and still get access to the resources inside the gates.
Yes you have other mods with summonable gates or a reopen able one who do the same work, but this works for me.

Realistic? Those physics kill me. Why does a necklace weighing 0.3 lbs send my 80 lbs cuirass flying across the room, just because I bumped it lightly? I miss Morrowind's lack of physics for object placement. Gone are the days of pillow forts. :shakehead:

Back on topic, I do agree with you! The Deadlands are a bit tedious, unless you're playing a gung-ho hero type. Some of my secondary characters have made their bones by gate crashing (get it?), but my main assassin/vampire lost interest.

My character never began the MQ, mainly because I saw the pictures on the back of the DVD and was afraid that would happen to my beloved Bruma! oo: Little did I know that was :hehe:

Anyways I only closed that one and maybe went to Oblivion planes once or twice more in deadra quests, and I never really liked it. Prefer the calm beautiful forests of Cyrodiil

Many of my characters are fanatical "gate closers", but it does get tedious after a while. At one point, Tigerpaws released a mod with a "Gate Closing" spell. It got removed from Nexus, but I uploaded an upgraded version of it http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=34868 and http://www.invision.tesalliance.org/forums/index.php?/files/file/622-oblivion-gate-closer-spell/ If you're tired of all those gate dotting the landscape but don't want to go in and close them, just cast that spell on them.

The trouble with the gates is that there are only 7 random ones, so any normal gate gets pretty monotonous after a few goes.
are better but you only do them once.
There was a really big mod project whereby several tallented modders were creating their own oblivion worlds to greatly increase the diversity, but I don't think it ever got released
That would have cured the problem somewhat.

I did really enjoy SI, due to it being such a departure from Tamriel, in terms of visuals, monsters, but also the quests, where by there are actual choices to be made and different ways of doing them.

Severus Snape hated the planes of Oblivion,

Sarrah loved them because they were 'dramatic'.

Angel is fascinated by the gates themselves and has spent many hours watching the flames and wondering about how to harness all that energy. When angry, Angel will take it out on the unfortunate residents of Oblivion. She has several Sigil stones which she didn't even bother to check the enchantment; just tossed them in a cabinet at home. As a Mage, she doesn't need such petty powers.

Dhirzinna is bored with the Gates.
The only reason she bothers with entering them are for ingredients.

Jenifur Charne