Oblivion Remastered Plagued by Performance Issues Despite Visual Overhaul
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Remastered, a highly anticipated return to Cyrodiil, has been met with mixed reception. While the visual enhancements are undeniable, a multitude of performance issues across all console platforms are overshadowing the improved graphics.
One of the most glaring oversights is the botched spelling correction on the sign for Lelles' Quality Merchandise in Anvil. In the original game, the misspelled "Mercandise" with a hastily added "h" became a running joke highlighting the store owner's dim-wittedness. However, as reported by GameSpot and the Oblivion subreddit, the remaster inexplicably removes this charming detail, much to the dismay of long-time fans. 
Beyond this cosmetic gaffe, Digital Foundry's in-depth analysis reveals significant technical problems that affect gameplay. Stuttering, progressively worsening performance, and outright crashes plague the experience on PS5, PS5 Pro, and both Xbox Series consoles. The ambitious Unreal Engine 5 overhaul, while visually striking, struggles to maintain a stable frame rate, often dipping well below 60fps. These issues appear to worsen the longer the game is played, hinting at a potential memory leak.
"It's a dire position for any remaster to be in and developer Virtuos needs to address the game's stability - the crashes - as a priority," Digital Foundry emphasized. Questions arise about the QA process, wondering how these widespread issues made it to launch. While the PS5 Pro offers a resolution boost, it doesn't alleviate the underlying performance woes.
The game's graphics options include a screen-space reflections (SSR) toggle, enabled by default, which layers over UE5’s Lumen reflections. While the reflection implementation isn't perfect it introduces its own set of issues and potential drawbacks depending settings, it does help to improve the overall visual fidelity depending on the users preference.
While Oblivion Remastered undoubtedly brings the classic RPG to modern visual standards, it's impossible to ignore the pervasive technical issues. Character models and landscape details have been redesigned, and the new real-time lighting system adds atmosphere. However, frustrating systems like the lockpicking mechanic and opaque persuasion system remain largely unchanged from the original.
In conclusion, Oblivion Remastered presents a visually updated Cyrodiil, but its technical instability and lack of meaningful gameplay improvements leave much to be desired. The game suffers from stuttering, frame rate drops, and crashes across console systems, overshadowing its promising features.
What are your thoughts on the state of Oblivion Remastered? Share your experiences and opinions in the comments below!
