The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion was released around this time last year to very high acclaim. The first true RPG on the 360, many players have gone back to the game again and again due to the seemingly endless amount of quests and high replay value. Bethesda’s constant addition of downloadable content has kept the game fresh – but also expensive. Quests were added with the Knights of the Nine pack and now a true expansion pack, Shivering Isles, is on the scene which is a much more fleshed out adventure than any of the previous content.
It takes a bit of time for the game to acknowledge that the new content is there. In talking with Bethesda, this was done on purpose so that you wouldn’t see a pop up immediately about the new area. After about 24 game hours (you can also wait if need be), you’ll see a pop up telling you about a new door appearing on a small island in Niben Bay. While it was easily seen on a map, you cannot fast travel to it unless you visit it – but you have to figure out a way to visit the island.
Once you’re there, you see a door guarded by someone who attempts to kill anyone who comes out of this portal, saying that anyone who goes in there comes back mad. Of course, this means you need to go through that portal. Once the gate is unlocked you are required to sit down and hear all about what happens if you go through the other door. Basically you are working for a character named Sheogorath who is …um, shall we say a bit mad. After this little chat you soon find yourself in a wildly new environment.
The graphics in this strange new world are very good, but not much different than they did in the original game. This means that some of the characters movements when talking look a little goofy, but acceptable. The highpoint of the visuals comes from simply being in such a unique setting. You’ll be interacting with many characters in this game, including Jayred Ice-Veins who needs your help in getting bones from a dead gatekeeper in order to create arrows to kill another gatekeeper.
After doing some of these quests you’ll see Sheogorath and chat with him. As mentioned before he’s rather mad – definitely a character you’ll remember, but not necessarily in a good way. You’re either going to like this guy, or he’s going to be incredibly painful to listen to. Other NPCs are worth talking to as well – unlike other games, all the characters have something to say and can be helpful.
Many of the quests are of the go fetch variety – bring me this or bring me that – but some are quite bizarre. You’ll find a quest that involves someone asking you to kill him because he doesn’t want to commit suicide. If there’s anything I’m not a huge fan of it’s the constant trek through the dungeons, which is akin to a first person shooter with crates, but Bethesda seems to be pretty creative with their dungeons so there’s not as much of a sense of been there done that as there is with many other RPGs.
Aside from the new quests and new storyline, the game also does give you new items to encounter – including armor, weapons and other items to harvest. It does add to the enjoyment of exploring the realm – what makes this pack worthwhile is that you can make quite a bit of money by selling some of the rare items you can create. That combined with the great upgrades you can earn from the expansion can make the ‘regular’ game much more fun (in the way that your super-character can do more). There doesn’t seem to be a whole lot of new audio from the original game but the voice commentary is indeed new (not just text as one might expect).
Thirty dollars seems a rather steep price to pay for an expansion pack – it is half the cost of the original game. As fans know, this wouldn’t be the first time gamers were upset with the cost of downloadable content (horse armor, anyone)? While it is wonderful that a gamer would be able to download and pay for the game around 3 AM, the drawback is that the expansion probably will not go on sale anytime soon, but the PC version can be found for fewer than 20 bucks when purchased at a retail store. Of course, the PC version does not have achievements.
