Oblivion was not my first experience with the Elder Scrolls series. After hearing nothing but good things about its predecessor, The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind, I had picked up the Game of the Year Edition for the original Xbox. While I made several attempts at getting into the game, it never really clicked for me and I ended up not spending more than a handful of hours with it in total.

I enjoyed the music and lore, in addition to a few of the design aspects, but I found the overall experience to be a bit off-putting. The graphics weren't quite as good as I was expecting for the port of an award-winning PC game. Also, the mechanics left something to be desired, and I found the menus and quest system to be pretty confusing. It didn't take long for frustration to set in. After that, I felt very little motivation to play it. In short, I was pretty disappointed with my purchase.

I was almost ready to write the series off when I began to hear information about the next installment, Oblivion, that was due out soon on the Xbox 360. I happened to watch some development videos that had been included on an Official Xbox Magazine demo disc. The improvements they had made since Morrowind, as well as some of the new features they were adding to the game, actually looked pretty incredible.

When the game was released and I saw all the high review scores it was receiving, I started to consider giving the Elder Scrolls another shot. I couldn't forget how burned I had felt by Morrowind, though; and I wasn't keen on the thought of throwing away more money. So, I decided to give it a rental first, just to be sure.

This week, Halo Wars has come to Steam (surprisingly); and it doesn't even require Windows 10! Originally released for the Xbox 360 back in 2009, Halo Wars was notable for being Ensemble Studios first console exclusive, as well as their final release. The unique title is actually set before the events of the rest of the Halo series but it can be enjoyed equally by fans of the strategy genre or the Halo universe.

Also out this week, Capcom's Disney TV show NES compilation, The Disney Afternoon Collection, Double Fine's pretty highly-anticipated remaster of the LucasArts classic, Full Throttle, and a Steam remaster of the  darkly charming original Xbox game, Voodoo Vince. Fight the fight that started it all, then jump past the break to see more of this week's new releases.

This week, the PlayStation Store has taken us back to the past with three very interesting and nostalgic offerings. First up is Wonder Boy: The Dragon's Trap, a modernized version of the Sega Master System classic, Wonder Boy III. This game features the same old-school gameplay but with a brand new art style and soundtrack. For good measure, there is an included option to revert back to Master System style graphics and audio at any time.

The other two titles are Full Throttle - Remastered and The Disney Afternoon Collection. As the name suggests, Full Throttle - Remastered is a remaster of the popular '90s point-and-click game, Full Throttle. The Disney Afternoon Collection is a collection of Capcom's 6 classic NES video game adaptations of the beloved "Disney Afternoon" cartoon show lineup from the early '90s.

Also out in the last two weeks, the newly-created throwback, Yooka-Laylee, a game that is from, and inspired by, the people who made Banjo-Kazooie. Wonder Boy has been cursed! Jump past the break to see more of this past fortnight's new releases.

This week, PlatinumGames epic 2010 action hit, Bayonetta, shot its way onto Steam. Like Devil May Cry, but with a sexy witch protaganist, Bayonetta is truly a modern classic. If you love action, Devil May Cry, or even just fun in general, you really ought to play this game.

Also out in the last four weeks, another cool-looking action game called Mr Shifty, a unique Sumo Digital game where you play as a snake, and a spiritual successor to the Banjo-Kazooie franchise from several of its actual creators. "I'm going in for the kill." Jump past the break to see more new releases from the past four weeks.

Persona fans rejoice! After nearly 8-and-a-half long years, the next main entry in the Persona series has finally arrived; and judging by the very positive review scores, it looks to have been well worth the wait. Who knows? It may even be a contender for game of the year!

Also out in the last four weeks, the much-more-disappointing Mass Effect sequel, a PS4 compilation of the PS3 remasters of the two PS2 Kingdom Hearts Games, and an updated port of the arcade/PS3 fighting game, Chaos Code. Steal back your future! Jump past the break to see more new releases from the past 4 weeks.