ShiveringIsles
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Best of the Rest: Justin's Picks of 2007
Dead Head Fred (PSP) Though he may have been on a small screen, Dead Head Fred (voiced by Scrubs' John C. McGinley), had more character than 90 percent of the leads in this year's crop of console games. If you haven't played it, do yourself a favor and track it down. It's excellent stuff.
Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles headed to PS3 on Nov. 20
If you're anything like one Justin McElroy, you thoroughly enjoyed the long walk in the woods that was The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. In fact, you'd go as far as saying it was the best game ever created. Unfortunately, the news of the game's expansion, Shivering Isles, arriving on the PlayStation 3 next month won't be of much use to you. Let's face it, the chances of you wiggling out of that straitjacket by November 20th aren't particularly good. It's just as well, really, since Shivering Isles rolls around screaming in the subject matter of insanity and delirium and would likely prove upsetting to you.Not quite as upsetting: Though Bethesda will be forgoing the download route it initially took with the Xbox 360 version, the price of the PS3's expansion disc is similarly set to $29.99.
Oblivion producer speaks warmly about his PS3 version
Craig Lafferty is a man whose hand we'd like to shake. The PS3 version of Oblivion is a shining example of what is possible when you bother to learn the PS3's complex architecture. A lazy port, this was not. Mr. Lafferty is senior producer for the PS3 Oblivion and says the PS3's guaranteed hard drive was extremely helpful in "optimizing things like load times." He also advises that the Shivering Isles expansion is "being worked on," but could provide no details on "when or how" they'll get that into our eagerly awaiting hands. The interview is a bit modest in its comparisons to the earlier Xbox 360 version, but after reading numerous glowing reviews, we all know graphical differences abound. Unfortunately, no news about Oblivion for the PSP. Mr. Lafferty would only advise, "nothing new to report on that at this time." Well, no news is good news, right? (gulp) [Via digg]
Shivering Isles patch coming Monday
Shivering Isles' form ID bug of a problem that we wrote about a while ago is going to be fixed next week with a patch coming Monday. Bethesda's community manager hopped on the official forums to announce the Shivering Isles patch, but acknowledged that Monday is only a target date and the release could get pushed back. So, even though most of you weren't having a problem with this little bug, it was there, Bethesda squashed it, and all is calm in the world.[Via Joystiq]
Shivering Isles patch coming Monday for Xbox 360
According to a post on Bethesda production director Ashley Cheng's blog, a patch to fix the "formID" bug in the Oblivion expansion Shivering Isles will be available for download on the Xbox 360 Monday, April 30. The patch has been available for PC since April 12, as well as some fan-created solutions prior to that.There's a chance the patch will not make its purported Monday deadline, but the good news still is that there is a patch and it is complete and coming very soon. The critical bug would essentially appear late in the game and cause items to disappear.Cheng, whose current project is Fallout 3, has also posted a handful of YouTube videos featuring the various introductions from the Fallout series. Maybe they're considering a similar opening for their version? Time will tell.[Thanks, Megen]
Shiver me timbers! Oblivion expansion has critical bug
A number of reports have shown up on the internet concerning a very critical (i.e. game-ending) bug inherent in the new Oblivion expansion, Shivering Isles. It affects both Xbox 360 and PC owners.The problem has been determined to derive from six scripts which control the patrolling patterns of certain guards. The scripts, which run even if you are not in the area, exhausts the internal allotment of identification numbers which are assigned to every object in the game (e.g. dropped arrows, weaponry). Once all the space is full, newly created objects disappear from the game world.The bug will occur if you have Shivering Isles installed, whether or not you even access the content. It will rear its ugly head 50 to 120 hours within gameplay, depending upon your framerate (we're not sure if this is hours of play after installation of expansion or total play time). The Xbox 360 version, running at 30 frames per second, is expected to hit the bug at 150 hours.The Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages have chronicled the issue and possible solutions. PC users can enjoy user-made patches; Xbox 360 owners have a suggested, although annoying and short-term (and spoiler-laden) fix they can use. We've contacted Bethesda for an official statement.[Thanks to everyone who sent this in -- and to those with anecdotal evidence, we're sorry for your loss.]
Shivering Isles may be feeling buggy
Oblivion's first expansion Shivering Isles may be suffering from a bad case of the bugs. Over at the UESPWiki they've outlined a potentially crippling bug confirmed in the PC version of Shivering Isles that may also affect the 360 expansion. The bug revolves around the amount of identification numbers for in game objects exhausting causing newly created objects to disappear. And since this bug is based on the amount of time played and the FPS, the Xbox 360 version would produce the bug around 150 hours of gameplay. The Elder Scrolls community found what caused the problem and created a patch for the game, but Bethesda has yet to release anything official on the PC or 360 side of things. Though, there are a few work-arounds for each version listed in the wiki. So, have you played over 150 hours of Oblivion with Shivering Isles downloaded and if so, are you experiencing any wackiness?[Thanks, Muzo360]
Video: Shivering Isles gameplay
Shivering Isles, the official expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is now available, but what is it all about? Perhaps this video will help explain that. Apparently, Shivering Isles is about monsters, giants, and unrelenting madness. To be honest, that sounds great, doesn't it? You bet your bag of holding it does! The video showcases some of the expansion's psychotic themes as well as some seriously ferocious beasts, including the giant gatekeeper at the end. If you prefer nothing to be spoiled, you'd best skip this video, because it pretty much lays down the entire beginning to the expansion. As for everyone else, enjoy! Don't forget to tell us what you think in the comments.
Shiverings Isles on Marketplace now!
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Shivering Isles is now available on Xbox Live Marketplace. For a hefty 2400 Microsoft Points you'll nab yourself an equally hefty chunk of Oblivion content. The 30+ hours of gameplay weighs in at 993.75 MB. You'll also have 10 additional Achievements that you can unlock in the new world. Of course you have the choice of using your current character, or creating a new character specifically for the expansion. So what are you waiting for, go grab it now!
Oblivion's new achievements from Shivering Isles
Xbox360Achievements.org posted the achievements to Oblivion's newly hatched first born Shivering Isles. And if you're keen to remember, Oblivion will be the first game to go over the 1000 Gamerscore limit with its Shivering Isles expansion adding an additional 250 Gamerscore points (per Microsoft's new Gamerscore rules). The sad part of all this expansion happiness is that the achievements are rather ... how do we say this ... dull. They lack that creative flair, that personality, and RPG originality. Bethesda must have used up their creativity reserves on the actual game, because they included a rather lame achievement which guarantees a 20 Gamerscore boost just for purchasing the expansion called the "Tourist" achievement. Oh well, a huge expansion offering an additional 250 Gamerscore points ... who could possibly complain?[Via Live Gamer]
Shivering Isles on March 27, $30 (2400 Microsoft Points)
Bethesda's Todd Howard has confirmed that The Elder Scrolls IV: The Shivering Isles will be available on March 27 for PC ($29.99 at retail) and Xbox 360 (downloadable for 2400 points). While not unreasonably priced for an expansion -- especially for one that claims roughly 30 hours of gameplay -- Shivering Isles nevertheless will enter Xbox Live Marketplace with an unprecedented price tag. (Good thing Bethesda is no stranger to testing the limits of consumer practice.) No doubt the expansion's price will be met with skepticism when the content arrives on Xbox Live.Xbox 360 Fanboy reports that Shivering Isles might also be included in a future retail edition of Oblivion, providing Xbox 360 owners without Xbox Live access to the expansion. According to statements made by senior game designer Bruce Nesmith during an interview with Gamertag Radio, if sold at retail, the expansion would have to be included with the full game, forcing many fans to re-purchase Oblivion. This is "not really an ideal situation," admitted Nesmith, explaining that current Microsoft limitations do not offer an alternative. Nesmith also confirmed that at least one more piece of downloadable content is being produced for Oblivion. "A fighter stronghold kind of thing", said Nesmith. "It's the one character class that we haven't really dealt with yet, so it'll be something for those guys who are into the heavy armor and the big, big sticks."Bethesda has also confirmed that the PS3 version of Oblivion will release March 20 (Shivering Isles not included).
Shivering Isles to be released at retail
In a recent interview with Gamertag Radio, design director of Oblivion Shivering Isles Bruce Nesmith let out some interesting details. When asked how Oblivion fans who don't have Xbox Live could get the Shivering Isles expansion pack, Nesmith admitted that they were working on a retail version. According to Nesmith, there will be a new special edition of Oblivion available at retail that will include all of the previously released content including the new Shivering Isles expansion. He also went on to say that there will be more downloadable content for Oblivion in the near future. So, does this sway your decision to download Shivering Isles by just selling your current copy of Oblivion and purchasing the new special edition when it releases? Or are you happy with downloading the expansion and having it stored on your hard drive?
Rumored price and download size for Shivering Isles
Next month the Shivering Isles expansion pack for Oblivion will be available, but we have yet to hear any specifics. Gamehelper.com is reporting that the Shivering Isles expansion pack will only be available for the Xbox 360 via the XBLM, cost around $29.99, and weigh in at a beefy 1.5 gigabytes. Again, this isn't official information coming from Bethesda and should be treated as a rumor. Gamehelper.com doesn't site any sources or where they received the information and simply treats these tidbits as fact ... but we'll err on the side of caution. So guys, were you expecting the $30 price tag for the expansion and would you be willing to shell out that kind of cash for 30 plus hours of additional gameplay?[Thanks, aragorn]
Shivering Isles adds 250 Gamerscore points to Oblivion
It looks like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will be the first to take advantage of Microsoft's recently-amended Achievement points policy and push past that 1000-point gate of old. Speaking to Gaming Bits, Oblivion developer Bethesda has confirmed that the upcoming expansion Shivering Isles will have 250 Gamerscore points, divided amongst 10 achievements, to unlock.According to the new Achievement point policy, up to 250 points can be added to a disc-based Xbox 360 title via premium downloadable content, which means Oblivion has maxed out its Gamerscore potential.Shivering Isles is set for release via Xbox Live this Spring; it will also be available for PC and PS3. No word on if it will be released before Microsoft's Xbox Rewards contest ending April 12, so plan on augmenting your Gamerscore elsewhere.
Shivering Isles to get 250 Gamerscore boost
Last week the policy for Gamerscore and Achievements was standardized to make sure that gamers got a full 1000 points per retail game, with downloadable content able to bring in an extra 250 points. In Episode 2 of our podcast we mentioned Shivering Isles being a fine example of giving Achievements on top of the game's original 1000. Well, now it's official, Oblivion's Shivering Isles expansion will have an additional 10 Achievements worth 250 Gamerscore bringing it to a total of 1250. This marks the first game to have more than 1000 available Gamerscore, and hopefully will set the proper standard for other developers to follow. So, with the promise of more Achievements, are you more interested in getting the Shivering Isles expansion, or does it even matter?[Via Digg]
1UP previews Shivering Isles
1UP has posted a lengthy preview of the Shivering Isles expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Promising to give players 30 hours of new gameplay, Shivering Isles sets players in the twisted land of Sheogorath. Sheogorath is divided into two lands, mirroring the psychosis of the game's god of madness. Mania is a pristine world of excess and Dementia is a twisted land of decay. It's up to you to become the champion of Sheogorath and stop the land's impending destruction. The expansion will offer new quests, items, and of course new baddies to slay. Thanks to the smaller size of Shivering Isles, more attention has been paid to NPCs as well, giving them more varied dialogue and personalities. Each of the two major cities in the expansion houses a smith that will craft appropriately shiny or twisted armor which you can enhance with magical properties later on. Also available is the Dawnfang sword, which becomes more powerful each time it makes 12 kills. The catch is that its original power is restored every twelve hours with the cycle of the sun. We won't reveal any more details, but the expansion looks to suck 360 owners back into the world of Oblivion when it releases later this year. Hit the "read" link for 1UP's preview, but be warned, there are spoilers ahead.
Bethesda talks Shivering Isles download and price
Bethesda Vice President of PR Pete Hines sat down with Gamasutra to talk about Oblivion's Shivering Isles expansion. In the Q&A, Hines stated that the the content will only be available through Xbox Live Marketplace. According to Hines, stand-alone expansions can not work with another existing product on the Xbox 360, leaving Marketplace downloads as the only viable option. Despite Bethesda wanting to have a version for the retail market, they were unable to do so because of this. Should implementing expansions via disc become possible after some extensive work on Microsoft's part, Bethesda plans to explore that option for Shivering Isles. As for price point, Bethesda doesn't have anything concrete yet. They are still in talks with Microsoft to find the proper balance between value and profitability. After Shivering Isles releases, Hines said that they are planning one or two more pieces of content for Oblivion, albeit not the size of the forthcoming expansion. So are you going to download Shivering Isles? If so, how much are you willing to pay?[Via Digg]
PS3's Oblivion to include both expansions?
Gosh, hopefully I can finish this by 11AM... so let's get right to it, shall we? We're all aware that Oblivion is coming to the PS3 and we'll probably get that one expansion too -- what's it called? Something about Knights of the Nine or whatever. It's probably going to be a downloadable expansion from day one of Oblivion's release. We have to ask because the newest addition, Shivering Isles, has been sweeping up all of the attention.This new expansion takes you on a quest to take out an entirely different Daedric Prince, this one of "Madness". The size of the Shivering Isles is approximately one quarter that of the land of Oblivion, Cyrodiil. The quest itself? Well, aside from all the random time-wasting crap you can probably do, the main adventure is supposed to clock in around 30 hours. If you're wondering, you can go back and forth between the two lands with your character as you please. Anywho, there's no word on if this will be packaged with the PS3 Oblivion, but it's doubtful. It'll be out not too long after the initial release, though, as the PC and 360 are expecting the expansion sometime this Spring.
Bethesda (finally) confirms Shivering Isles Oblivion expansion
The Shivering Isles expansion pack has been officially announced by Bethesda and will be available on PC through retail this spring. At that same time, the new content will be distributed through Xbox Live Marketplace to Xbox 360 Oblivion owners. The possibility of Shivering Isles releasing on PlayStation 3 has not been addressed, but presumably Bethesda could include the expansion with the forthcoming PS3 release of Oblivion (if there's any space left on the Blu-ray disc) or opt for digital distribution.Today's announcement confirms many of the details that were revealed in PCZone, which published news of the Oblivion expansion several weeks ago. Bethesda's decision to cease its silence is likely tied to an OXM feature article that hits newsstands this week. Bethesda claims Shivering Isles with feature 30+ hours of gameplay, suggesting that the expansion will set a new bar, both in scope and price, for premium add-on content distributed via Xbox Live. Horse armor this is not.
Oblivion: New Shivering Isles details
Today, we got hold of Bethesda's official press release announcing Shivering Isles, the Oblivion expansion for PC and Xbox 360 (and presumably PS3). Promising to put players in a world split by the extreme ends of madness -- sublime creativity and complete psychosis -- Shivering Isles promises 30 hours of gameplay, so it's suitable for your existing character or a brand new one. The expansion promises new weapons and armor to find (or to have forged by the experts of Crucible and Bliss), vast dungeons to explore, a twisted landscape to admire, and new monsters to fight. We're particularly interested in seeing what a Flesh Atronach looks like (ewww). Unfortunately, Bethesda still hasn't nailed down a release date or price. We all wait with bated breath (and bloated MS Point accounts).[Via FiringSquad. Thanks, teknomusik]
