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Oblivion gets a Game of the Year release, this fall
Like all good things that sell over 1.7 million copies in one month, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is getting a "Game of the Year" edition. This one will hit the PC and all consoles (sans the Nintendo Wii) for a simultaneous release this fall. Just like the PS3 version you can buy in stores now, this "Game of the Year" edition will include the Knights of the Nine expansion. In addition, Bethesda's decided to now include the previously unavailable The Shivering Isles expansion. Thank goodness. We were beginning to wonder if Bethesda actually had any plans to make this one available over the PlayStation Network as previously suggested, being that recent news on that front had gone cold. The PS3 release of Oblivion came a lot later than its Xbox 360 counterpart, but thankfully, stands as a testament to the PS3's capabilities with improved frame rate, faster loading times and greater draw distance. This version will also be compatible with previous game saves, allowing players to pop the "Game of the Year" disc in and continue their questing right where they left off. Pricing details haven't yet been released for this "Game of the Year" edition, but we speculate if the $59.99 price tag doesn't hold, $69.99 sounds about right. Time will tell. So in case you've been living in a cave with your PS3 and haven't yet experienced the gaming bliss of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion or any of its two expansion packs, you can't do any better than picking up the "Game of the Year" edition this fall.
Oblivion: Downgraded for PS3, not happening on Wii [update 1]
When we learned that the PS3 version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion would not feature the majority of downloadable content found on the Xbox 360 and PC versions of the game, it was a blow to fans of horse armor everywhere. An episode of The 1UP Show (02/02) provides the follow-up hook as 1UP relays a juicy bit of info from Bethesda. As it turns out, it may be due to a memory limitation with the Playstation 3 itself.1UP says that Bethesda simply could not find a way to load every piece of downloadable content without affecting the performance of the game. Considering that the Xbox 360 can pull off this feat without a hitch, that seems quite odd. Bethesda will still be looking into getting that content available for PS3 users, as addressed by their VP of Marketing, Peter Hines, who also comments on the "rumors" regarding the memory issue in an IGN interview.As for the PS3 version of Oblivion trumping the 360 in the visuals department, it just so happens that the new shader techniques applied to the PS3 will also be worked into the 360 version of the game. And thus, they are equals once more. Unless you want some horse armor. In which case, you're boned.Finally, Shacknews sat down with Pete Hines and questioned their plans beyond the PC, PS3 and Xbox 360. When it comes to waggling your remote in Oblivion, "It's not really going to run on a Wii for example, but if it could we would put it there. Our philosophy is to make a game and make it available to as many people as possible."Read - The 1UP Show, Oblivion Expansion Preview (9:40)Read - IGN Interview with Pete HinesRead - Shacknews, Interview with Pete Hines[Update - We swapped out the Mark Rein quote with the more recent IGN interview to pull the feedback away from gritty, armchair analysis of tech specs and back into the content involved. Cleaned up some wording to not sound so definitive on a complex and unresolved issue. Thanks!][Thanks, Stephen!]
