So elitists are pissed off because Oblivion was made accessible to the unwashed masses? :goodjob:
I am one of the "elitists" you refer to who deliberately avoided Oblivion for years because I heard that it was "dumbed down." I was wrong. For instance skills like Block or Security require real use instead of the randomness of MW.
I do object to levelled acquisition of most items and several skills. In MW if you can get
the Ice Blade of the Monarch at level 2 it's all yours. In Morrowind Alchemy means that you can experiment and mix ingredients into potions without knowing all of their properties. In other words you are held back in a lot of skills by game mechanics.
The economy is somewhat more realistic but it has its flaws. At least in OB doing faction quests really does mean gold in your pocket. (My MW chars are usually gazillionaires at about level 10 and financial rewards don't mean a lot to them.)
But my main criticism so far is that, as I've said in other posts, I don't feel the empathy with my characters that I feel in Morrowind. The game makes them more problem solving devices than people I can build a story around (even if it is in my imagination.) My first MW char, a Bosmer Scout,was IMO a fascinating person. My first OB char also a Bosmer Scout, was more competent but less interesting. I did try a lot of ideas that I use in Morrowind but it wasn't the same.
Perhaps though it's because Oblivion is really a different game and I'm trying not to be too harsh.Probably as I play more OB I'll have more thoughts on the comparisons.