For spells that contain lots of effects, like the Fortify Enchant 800 spell, it's probably better to just use a conventional spell rather than an enchantment (so that you don't have to worry about getting a Daedric Tower Shield just for this spell); if your character can't cast it, you can just fortify Restoration and either Intelligence or Magicka (I don't like fortifying both Int and Magicka, as the game doesn't behave well in this instance; it's possible to exploit this behavior to get Magicka well above your maximum) just for that one spell.

By the way, one thing to try: Get your Fatigue (that misnamed stat really should have been called Stamina, but it took until Skyrim for them to give the stat a sensible name) up really high (drain Endurance and/or other Fatigue determining attributes on self, Fortify Fatigue on self (in that order), and give the effects the same duration), then try to jump. You will jump *really* high, Icarian levels of high, and when you land, you will take *negative* damage.

Speaking of damage weirdness, I discovered that, in Arena, punching doors causes you to lose health without taking damage. You can reach *negative* health this way without dying (and trying to "Rest Until Healed" will cause you to wake up instantly), and a shield effect will not prevent the health loss (even though it can block damage from things like poison).

Speaking of negative health, that's also possible in Oblivion if a Fortify Endurance effect wears off or is removed.

Also, in Oblivion, here's some more weirdness. Try using a spell like this (works best at moderate Restoration skills):
* Fortify Restoration on Self (with decent duration).
* (Optionally other Restoration effects to reduce the cost.)
You would expect this spell to reduce the cost of a second casting of the spell, but that doesn't actually happen. It *does*, however, reduce the minimum Magicka needed to cast the spell; as a result, your Magicka can actually go negative this way.

1. WRPGs. To my shame, I've barely played JRPGS.

2. For me, both are pretty important, but I value a good story a bit more than the freedom. But the thing is, that story with a really good storyline should have some extent of freedom and not be all that linear. For example, the great Vampire:The Masquerade Bloodline which I am a huge fan of is based strongly on its plot and story. You can't just wander off like in Oblivion leaving Kvatch to burn indefinitely while you're making your career in the Dark Brotherhood. No, you have a particular task which you should do at some point and you can not just throw it out of the window and forget about it. But, you still have various other tasks and you can complete them in many different ways. You don't need to run and do things for Prince La Croix as soon as you arrive in town. You can have fun and do other stuff, but at some point, yeah, you have to go and finish the main quest, but it's really worth completing. And yet, when you're done with the main quest, you can have various endings and your deeds affect the world of the game. This is what makes this game so great to me.

As for the open-world, well, I don't really care that much. Yeah, it's fun to explore but without a good story, it becomes boring and blunt, imo. If it's an open-world game, it should be something like Morrowind or Fallout New Vegas, when you still have a gripping story and many interesting quests that can be done differently.