and represent fairly different implementations of Bethesda's open-world formula, but when it comes to their shortcomings, they both end up falling into the same trap.
There's always a certain level of familiarity to Bethesda RPGs, from the strong points like worlds full of varied possibilities, to the weaker elements like outdated engine design.
Not everything has stayed the same over the years, however, and the newer ideas in and are exactly why they don't measure up to the best qualities of Bethesda's most memorable games.
Although bringing the series into a 3D first-person perspective might be the biggest shift in the franchise, 's changes feel like more of a breaking point in the series in some core regards.
One particular bummer was the switch to a voiced protagonist, which resulted in a simplified dialogue system that lacked the clarity and richness of prior games from Bethesda.