I bought Oblivion a few years ago, played a few hours of it and didn't like it at all. Nothing about it appealed to me. Since then I have bought and played Fallout 3, which is now probably my favourite game ever. I'm now wondering, after enjoying Fallout 3 so much, that maybe I should've given Oblivion more time, and I'm now thinking about buying it again.

Even though I like them both, there are a lot of people on these boards who like Fallout 3 but hate Oblivion, so don't consider it a given that you will like it.

The differences? Oblivion is more open than F3 from the get-go, as you can start almost every single quest line once you finish the initial dungeon. It's also more structured, with a large majority of the quests coming from the guilds and main story instead of one off quests from each area.

However, the level up system is unorthodox (which is why some people hate it), and most of the cities are filled with generic inhabitants who all say the exact same thing if you ask them a question. Also, the combat is kind of bad (as is custom with Bethesda).

I suggest renting or borrowing it before you make a decision, then get the GOTY edition if you choose to buy it.

They both are wrpg games, they will have the same mission structure that objective arrow, missions and side missions. Oblivion will have a different setting and it would use swords and spells instead of guns. There will be no vats in oblivion of course and it's all real time combat. I think both games are similar.

Definitely give it another go, with only a few hours in, i can only imagine what you were able to do.  Just go join a guild first, dont do the main story line first, plus the game look a lot better than Fallout because it has a more beautiful landscape and also has mountains and stuff to climb.

Oblivion's biggest problem is that it could have been called "Lord of the Rings: The Amulet of Kings" and it would have made as much sense. Every artistic asset is stolen from LotR. The Oblivion gates are just smaller eyes of Sauron.

I'm thinking about doing this too...I just need to get my copy back :\

The rushed storyline and its inconsistency (and lorebreaking) was one of my main problems with Oblivion.
Take the Blades for example:

The Blades are supposed to be the Emperor's elite bodyguards, right? So why do they drag him all they way from the Imperial Palace to the
Imperial Prison? To torture prisoners? I know this was a common passtime among medieval royalty but still...
Even after having walked into one obvious trap after another, they still insist on continuing head-on into danger.

The Stealth and Combat Systems are also overrated and the combat isn't that much better than in Morrowind.
You won't see limbs flying anytime soon unless you download a mod.

TL;DR
IMO, Oblivion was a huge letdown compared to its predecessor.
It was a just a large game where nothing really happened, unless you count the unintentional comedy.

I completely agree with Arkthemaniac. Stick to Fallout 3.

The leveling system, psychic guards, and the general way that the world felt so artificial (NPCs all saying the same lines with four voices between them, highwaymen armed with magical weapons and armor) was a major turn-off.  Oblivion was my first Elder Scrolls game, but given how little fun I had with it, it'll probably also be my last.

Oblivion was way better than Fallout 3. I think the only reason people like Fallout 3 better than Oblivion is because it has guns and an exp system. I just don't understand how someone can like going through the wastes rather than going through a lush fantasy world.
The other reason I like Oblivion better is because it has a lot more quests than Fallout 3.

even tho i hated both of them, i liked oblivion more

yeah, you should. it seemed like an enormously great game to me but too bad RPGs just bore me out. i gave it and fallout 3 several tries but.. oh well *sigh*

If you don't hate high fantasy and If you loved Fallout 3 then I say give Oblivion a second chance since Fallout 3 is basically just Oblivion with guns in a 50's B-movie Sci Fi setting.

Avoid Oblivion. But Morrowind GoTY for PC. It's $10 and better than both Oblivion and Fallout 3.

I tried Morrowind twice and I could never get into it. I don't consider myself a graphics whore(I love my Wii), but God, that game is ugly. And while others may find exploration fun, it pissed me off that I had to check my map every five minutes to figure out where I was going. And when everyone looks almost the same, your journal telling you their name doesn't really help because you have to spend 5 minutes looking for them anyway. Oh yeah, you not being able to run without diminishing your combat abilites? WHAT THE HELL?! It's realistic, but goddamn if it doesn't bog the game down when you have to walk through half the island to get somewhere. If you're gonna make us travel mostly everywhere on foot, at least let us run the whole way, not at 3 minute intervals.

Anyway, sorry for the rant. Each to his own, I guess.

As for Oblivion, I love playing it, but I've always loved medieval fantasy worlds and I can immerse myself in that kind of world, irregardless of all the gamey things the game does.

yes yes yes yes . GO NOW PLAY its a truly amazing game

I would totally date Morrowind for a year or two, however, Oblivion is really hot until it opens its mouth. Fallout 3 has had a few of my children, and we have made a nice home together.

I a word YES. In more more words yes if only for the guild quests and the awesome dark brotherhood storyline the games a classic one of those ones i wish i could wipe my mind and play again type of things. 

Yes you should.  Hopefully you've got the PC version and can download mods to make it look like a complete game.  The original Vanilla just plain sucks.