I would have started out by saying that "words cannot express just what this has done in my life", but I have too many things to say about this game.

My biological father was given a copy of Morrowind as a Father's day present. It came out on May 1st, 2002, and I was born one day later. He spent most of my early childhood engrossed in that game, so much so that one of my first words ever spoken was "Kwama." He ended up leaving when I was 5, and It wasnt until I saw him 2 years later that my life changed. I got to see him play Oblivion in his apartment in Buffalo, NY. It was the first video game I ever played, and even though I died to the Mythic Dawn agents in the tutorial dungeon, I was instantly hooked.

When I tell you that this game connected me to my dad, I mean that it was a way that we were able to bond even though we were 100s of miles apart, and I only saw him once a year for a week or so. I was too young to have a console at my mom's house, but we still spoke over the phone about the quests he was doing, or what level his character was, or what new weapon he had found. I still remember him showing me Dawnfang/Duskfang via text message on my crappy Tracfone flip phone, and that I used all my minutes on talking to him. Once I was old enough to have my own Xbox 360 and eventually my own laptop, this was the first game I purchased on both.

Ive personally put nearly 5000 hours into the The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, between my dad's Xbox, my Xbox 360, my Xbox One, and Steam, and thought I could never get to relive the joys of discovering this beautiful world again. This Remaster has allowed me to do that, and more, and continues to amaze me with every minute I play it. Let me tell you that when I saw the opening scene, both on the reveal livestream and when I inevitably bought this game in April, I cried so many tears of joy and was cheering so loudly that my neighbors quite literally knocked on my door and asked if I was alright.

To Oblivion, and to their wonderful creators (and remaster-ers), I just want to say thank you for being one of the best parts of my childhood, and now adulthood. Thank you for spending the time to remaster this beautiful world and for giving me a chance to relive through it all over again. Thank you for giving me an outlet to run into when life was difficult and for allowing me to connect to my Dad.

To My dad, whom Ive not seen in many years, I just need you to know I love you. I know you are currently going through treatment for cancer, again, and that you are fighting it for the 4th time. Please dont give up or stop fighting. I hope that we get to spend time together fighting away the demons of Oblivion, and through that, the cancerous cells in your body. Dad, I know that you may never get to see this, but just know that I am so proud of how hard you are fighting, even though I dont get to say it to you now because of where we stand. I hope one day soon, I get to say "Lets close a few more gates together". I hope that happens before you go, if thats where you are supposed to. But if not, let this stand as my way of saying thank you, and that I love you. You are, and will always be the Hero of Kvatch, even if I never get to share it in person. Love you dad.

I loved this game. It has been a staple of my weekend and my time hanging out with my dad since I was 8.