In the run-up to Xbox’s 25th anniversary, IGN’s Ryan McCaffrey, a veteran of Official Xbox Magazine (OXM) and a self-proclaimed “Xbox guy,” is sharing his memories from the platform’s first quarter-century. Today, he revisits one of his favorite gaming experiences: The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.
A Defining Moment for the HD Era
If you were a gamer back when the Xbox 360 first launched, you remember the excitement surrounding it as the first console of the “HD Era.” The jump from 640×480 to 1280×720 was huge. While games like Call of Duty 2 and Project Gotham Racing 3 made a splash, everyone was eagerly awaiting The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It was supposed to be a day-one launch title, but it got delayed.
McCaffrey, personally and professionally excited for the game, spearheaded OXM’s coverage in 2005, making multiple trips to Bethesda Game Studios in Maryland. The studio had already won fans with its 2002 original Xbox port of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, but Oblivion was poised to be a simultaneous PC and Xbox 360 launch title. What McCaffrey saw fueled his hype even more: stunning graphics, incredible music, and “living” NPCs with daily routines.
An Immersive Review Experience
When it was time to review Oblivion, OXM secured an exclusive. In January 2006, McCaffrey returned to Bethesda, escorted to a glass-walled conference room with a giant TV, an Xbox 360 dev kit, and a controller. His mission: play as much as possible before writing the review for the magazine. His hotel was next door, food was ordered in, and he spent roughly 11 hours per day immersed in Cyrodiil without other responsibilities.
Exploring Cyrodiil
He explored, fought, snuck, stole, joined the Dark Brotherhood, closed Oblivion Gates, and completed the main questline. He even found, tamed, and rode a unicorn in the forest. The worst part was stopping and starting over when retail copies arrived. But as a testament to the game’s quality, he put another 125+ hours into it at home, soaking in every DLC and expansion.
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was arguably the defining moment of the first months of the HD Era and a true killer app for the Xbox 360. If you’ve played it, you likely have great memories too. Here’s hoping The Elder Scrolls 6 can recapture some of that magic.
Ryan McCaffrey is IGN’s executive editor of previews and host of Podcast Unlocked, and a co-host of Next-Gen Console Watch. He’s a North Jersey guy, so it’s “Taylor ham,” not “pork roll.” Debate it with him on Twitter at @DMC_Ryan.
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