Most of us know the Elder Scrolls franchise as the pinnacle of adventure games. Some of us prefer Oblivion to Skyrim, other prefer Skyrim to Oblivion. And then there's the odd ones out who still prefer Morrowind, but that's more or less irrelevant. Now some have weak arguments, and I'm here to strike down all of the false concepts as well as expose major flaws on both sides.

The Size

Now some people may make the argument that Skyrim is bigger than Cyrodiil, and therefore it's better. Personally I think that's a bit skewed, and I'll show you exactly why. Here's a picture of Cyrodiil and Skyrim, traced and overlayed to show the differing size.



A lot of you might see a distinct size difference, but let's not forget the DLC that Oblivion has, the Shivering Isles DLC. This adds a world of similar size to that of Cyrodiil and at least puts them 1:1 on size. You could argue that the Skyrim DLC adds more and more, but mods allow Morroblivion, a recreation of the province of Morrowind using the Oblivion engine. Yes, Skyrim has this as a work in progress as well as Skyblivion, a recreation of Oblivion but in the Skyrim engine, but development has almost halted and the most bang for your buck in this case would be Oblivion. But as far as the base game goes, there's not too much difference.

Another thing is that in Oblivion, there is an alternate plane of existence called the Plains of Oblivion, which is about the size of Cyrodiil itself. Oblivion doesn't have this to my knowledge.

The Scenery

One thing apparent to me is that Skyrim has a very boring color palette. Consisting mostly of various colors of gray, brown, and other depressing colors, Oblivion manages to make everything bright and colorful, to keep you interested. In that way, it's more realistic because there are a lot of beautiful things in real life. It really adds to the immersion, unlike Skyrim. Here's a side by side comparison.



As you can see, the plantlife and architecture are much more colorful and pleasant to look at. Some might make the argument that there are places that have better color in the rest of Skyrim, but bear in mind these are examples of what you'll be looking at for most of the game. As in, most of the game looks like this, but there are a couple areas that don't look this good / bad.

The Detail

A lot of things change between Oblivion and Skyrim. The problem is that Skyrim goes a little more fantasy on the detail, and as a result, we have this example of the Argonian race. Here's another side by side comparison.



They went from looking fairly normal, not too inconceivable, to flat out literally a lizard. There's just something wrong with that as far as immersion goes, and I'll be going over that now.

The Realistic vs Fantasy Aspect

Look, we all know that some people look for fantasy, some look for realism. Personally I believe that most people who played Oblivion afterward wanted an experience similar to that. Realistic to an extent, and immersive. Skyrim however, goes overboard on the fantasy aspect. You go jumping onto a dragon to slay it. Instead, in Oblivion, you merely traverse the very gates of hell itself. There's a distinct difference and it honestly bothers me when people say that "Oblivion is too cartoony" when in contrast to Oblivion and the fantasy aspect, it's more of a cartoon than what you're calling a cartoon.

Simply put, there is something to be desired with Skyrim, and I don't entirely think mods for Skyrim can help us achieve that. But enough about that, I need to list the flaws that Oblivion has that Skyrim doesn't quite have or have as bad.

Compatibility
Being a game from 2006, this game only uses a single core on your processor. Even though we're in the age of gaming where people have quad core 2.0 GHz, not everyone does. I don't even have that. Since it's difficult to run it on one core, a lot of people might get a bit of lag. Graphics settings aren't a problem with this game, but the clock speed definitely is.

Stability

Oblivion is known for breaking a lot. This is because the mods make the game very very unstable. I'm fairly certain that Skyrim doesn't have quite the same trouble. It shouldn't be a problem if you're using mods, but Oblivion is known for being THE game to mod. Or at least it was, until Skyrim.

Bugs and Errors
A rather smaller issue is that this game has a lot of bugs. Not too game breaking, but some keep you from getting certain things, such as the horse Shadowmere disappearing due to an armor bug, or actors simply not acting correctly. However, most of this has been fixed in the Unofficial Oblivion Patch, which you can apply using mods. No big deal in the end, but I felt it was worth noting.

So with all of this in mind, which do you think is the superior game? Do you just like both equally as much? Hated Skyrim but loved Oblivion? Let us know.

   I ABSOLUTELY LOVE BOTH! It is so close between the two that I chose using one thing. THE GUILDS. The guilds in Skyrim are so bland and boring. They really just seemed forced.
You did not even thieve in the Thieves Guild which is really weird.
The Companions is like, DO THIS, Congrats you are harbinger after doing three quests.
The Dark Brotherhood is alright I guess.
Then the College of Winterhold is a complete joke.

In Oblivion the guilds had much more progression. You started out low rank and worked your way up. 
The Thieves Guild you started out doing fairly simple quests and then after a while you stole and elder scroll. 
The Fighters Guild you went from killing goblins to destroying a whole company based on fighting.
The Mages Guild you went from kinda just being there and doing favors to killing the most powerful necromancer there is. 
The Dark Brotherhood is overall my favorite though. You go from killing just some random people to killing the most skillful people without even knowing it.
  
In Skyrim they should have put a bigger focus on the quests. In the DLC I think it is kind of a tie though. Another thing, Oblivion's quests had more meaning to them. The bigger quests in Oblivion are far better than the ones in Skyrim. 
  
Also you said dragons were going a bit too fantasy but if you read some books and talk to people in Oblivion you can hear them mention dragons soooo..... they have been around for a while.

Oh man, I remember having so much fun in Cryodil. Majora's Mask is such an underrated game. If you ask me, that world was SO much better than Ocarina of Time. That world was just empty and uninteresting.

Ever since I got Oblivion I've been playing it 80% more than Skyrim, but that's mainly due to the fact I invested >700 hours into Skyrim and Oblivion is more new to me. Now to reply to yushee, let's look at each point he made.
Cyrodiil has a larger map than Skyrim:
That is indeed true, and I'm not gonna say Skyrim has more features on the map than Oblivion either, cause it probably doesn't. However, I'd say that while they aren't equal in quantity, Skyrim has more diversity. In Oblivion, while forts, ruins, and caves have different kinds of loadouts, they feel generally samey. The only personality I feel is the type of enemies inhabiting the cave. With Skyrim, some types of areas definitely feel samey, namely draugr crypts... euuugh... but there are all kinds of unique dungeons of the same genre. A cave isn't just a tunnel anymore, it could be an underground river with bandit docks inside, a frozen cave that leads into a dwemer ruin, a nature-filled spriggan home, a lot more detail was put in to give each cave an identity. As for the top world...
The scenery is nicer in Oblivion:
In some places, Skyrim looks like dirt, I'll admit. But you know what? It isn't one big forest. Cyrodill-pickles feels like hills and trees, snowy hills and trees, swampy hills and trees, end of. Back in 2006, from what we heard about Skyrim from citizens of Bruma and so forth, Skyrim would sound even less diverse, just being snow and mountain and tundra, but it isn't. Somehow, each of the 9 holds feels like a different flavor. The plains of Whiterun... which aren't very appealing, lead to the pine woods of Falkreath, the eternal autumn woods of the Rift, the volcanic tundra of Eastmarch, snowy marshlands of Hjaalmarch, the canyons of the Reach, and THEN we get to the 2 shades of icy north we assumed all of Skyrim was. You ever get lost in Cyrodiil? Probably not due to the map, but imagine you didn't have a map, or a compass, and you were plopped in the middle of a forest like between Chorrol and Kvatch. Which way do you go? How about Skyrim then? You actually recognise where you are, and can figure out where you want to go.
Detail is a little too excessive in Skyrim:
I actually don't really understand this point. I mean if you are going to a magical land where lizards have boobs, the least you can do is make them actually look like lizards. Is having them more like droopy eyed frogs in Oblivion going to help that immersion? If you want immersion, get a mod that makes people talk about those fateful encounters with mudcrabs less often. In all seriousness, that's only MY bias towards making them look like actual lizards in Skyrim, though if you ask me... I prefer Morrowind Argonians
Now for something kinda adding to what Patrick said that I'm detecting with Oblivion...
Open-ended quests:
I feel that quests in Oblivion are far more immersive. In Skyrim, you get cookie cutter quests that always result in your main choice being A complete the quest their way or B just don't finish the quest at all. Now there are some double sided quests, like when you are offered entry into the dark brotherhood and my personal most-remembered multi sided quest, Blood on the Ice, but in Oblivion THEY'RE EVERYWHERE. Got a book for a magic spell? Give it to one of two people. But now the other person wants in so you have the option to steal it back. You have to protect these farm boys to get a sword, but one of them died so you're only getting money. Some crazed wood elf thinks everyone is out to get him, follow along or report him? And yes, in Skyrim, you don't HAVE to steal in the thieves guild, it's more of an option. What do you do in Skyrim thieves guild? Go dungeon delving as fricken usual, follow people, collect taxes like a gangsta, I didn't sign up for this... and in all quests you're always THE UBERMENSCH. Congrazzles, you're dragonborn, congrazzles, you're harbinger, congrazzles, you're listener, congrazzles, you're the pawn of the Psijics, congrazzles, you're a vampire lord. What kind of title is that!? That's like being called High Major Commodore of the First Legion Third Multiplication Double Admiral Artillery Vanguard Company! In Oblivion you earn your keep, and in fact, you aren't even a chosen one! You're no Nerevarine or Dragonborn, you're just helping the next to-be Emperor receive his title.
Honestly they both have strengths and weaknesses, some play either one over style, gameplay mechanics, various features, and quests. The best way is usually to give both a try, then compare each aspect with the other. Me? To be honest, I might like them in equal. I sorta prefer the character making scheme in Oblivion and quests, but also appreciate the world and exploration of Skyrim. If I want the best of one or the other, I'll play one or the other. That's what I think at least.











But I got an even better one for ya! Oblivion V Skyrim V MORROWIND!
KICK EET!
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My thoughts are this...

I love both games. Oblivion had the better setting, but Skyrim is objectively more beautiful.

If they made Oblivion with Skyrim graphics, it would be worlds better than Skyrim. I wish they would remaster Oblivion rather than Skyrim. More to be gained from the former.

yoshirulez! :

Very nice. One thing I wanted to comment on was the colors. It is a major put off to me when I look into the world of Skyrim, and all I see is grey. It doesn't promise any adventure and seems like an overall depressing place to be. I will admit I loved the Legend of Zelda Twilight Princess for it's similar atmosphere, what with all the grey and everything. But one no game has ever done is place me in a world like Majora's Mask-

Dark

Yet Colorful.

Ocarina of Time had this to an extent, but it isn't executed as well. It's kindof sad too see Skyrim take that route, because you have an entire range of colors which are pleasing to the human eye, all with the ability to make an impact and. . . well, there is no impact. It's all a background image.

Monochrome has it's place, but an overemphasis can ruin the mood. I've played Mount and Blade Warband, and it balances the colors out pretty well. It looks closer to Oblivion, but with more vibrant colors than that. (At least from what you've shown me). Mount and Blade Warband is a really, great authentic Historically accurate game in terms of European society. If you ever get a chance to play it, I would highly recommend that you would, although it should be noted the game's greatest focus is on the raising of armies, increasing the status of your name and fighting in great battles. (Not so much mini quests, although those do exist.)

The game stole 170 hours of my life, and it felt dark, authentic, yet colorful. I think back to it from time to time. I couldn't agree with you more on the colors thing. And if you like innovative games in emulating a medieval world, I'd highly recommend Mount and Blade. (Warband) It's pretty neat. I think you'd like it.

Patrick Star : I have never played Oblivion, but I have always wanted to. The Thieves Guild's sidequests actually had a lot of thieving, and so did a few of the main quests. Also I thought the College of Winterhold had the coolest quests. The Eye of Magnus was very interesting to me. Also, HOLY MOLY all those ingredients in the Arch-Mage's quarters! I've made so much money from Wheat+Giant's Toe potions.

That being said, I wish the guilds were more like Fallout franchise's factions. You could rank up, there were plenty of quests, and certain actions would change your standing with certain factions. I thought it was done excellently and I think it would be cool if something like that was incorporated into ES6.