head to head

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion cover artvsThe Secret World cover art

The Elder Scrolls IV: OblivionvsThe Secret World

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion leans Optimization (Pure Optimization); The Secret World leans Optimization (Pure Optimization).

EXECUTION3 /10READS1 /10VARIANCE2 /10OPTIMIZATION7 /10
The Elder Scrolls IV: OblivionThe Secret World

Axis by axis

Execution3 vs 3

Even - both lean on execution about the same.

Reads1 vs 1

Even - both lean on reads about the same.

Variance2 vs 3

The Secret World leans harder on variance: Investigation puzzles hide information until researched.

Optimization7 vs 8

The Secret World leans harder on optimization: The classless ability wheel is a giant build-solving exercise.

Two games can score the same on an axis and still test it in very different ways - read each rationale, not just the number.

full breakdown

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

full breakdown

The Secret World