Guys, derailing this for a second but...
The Cyrodil in Oblivion was nothing like the descriptions in Morrowind or the previous Elder Scrolls. Maybe I would have liked it more if it weren't just a continuation of an existing series that already had 3 installments.
Instead of a massive Roman/Chinese land they described in the various books and pieces of lore in the previous games, they gave us a generic medieval Europe, basically the "normal" location for RPGs. Rather than the strange, but highly natural islands of Morrowind or the urban seaports of Hammerfell and even the bleak sprawling sands of the Alik'r Desert, Cyrodiil received, plain and simple, a standard medieval Europe feel. There was nothing highly creative or different about it. Sure the game had some great points, but in comparison to the other Elder Scrolls, Oblivion just didn't compare.
Even in Oblivion, I felt the ecology just didn't feel up to par as to the previous games. Skyrim was what got this right again, but not quite. What captivated me into Skyrim was the vast intertwined and connected story. Everything fit in in one way or another. The fact that entire towns were torn apart by civil war, cultural differences, dragons, and family grudges. That just didn't happen in Oblivion as much. To me, I felt that Oblivion was a huge step back from what Bethesda already established as what Elder Scrolls was about.