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Shivering Isles now on Xbox Live -- grab it before the downtime
Just in time to grab before the scheduled maintenance tomorrow morning, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion expansion Shivering Isles is now available for download at the price of 2400 MS points (US $30). The expansion, just under one gigabyte in size (approximately 993.75 MB), promises 30 hours of gameplay.The game was originally scheduled tomorrow, but "the team" (they're related to the "Top Men" we always hear about) were able to get the game up early. The 14-hour downtime is scheduled for 3 a.m. to 5 p.m. EST, so go ahead and grab it if you want to get through a good chunk of the game tomorrow.
Oblivion PS3 vs. Xbox 360 comparison
Ahh, video console comparisons. As flamebait goes, it doesn't get much better than video console comparisons. Wary as we are of this, we can't help but post GameTrailers' recent video comparison of the Xbox 360 and PS3 versions of Oblivion. Granted, Bethesda has had a substantial amount of time to improve the PS3 version, but there are some undeniable differences. In particular, at about 1:30, you'll witness some nasty pop-up on the 360 version. We're only speculating here, but that may be the result of all PS3's containing a hard drive; Bethesda didn't have to account for a Core version as on 360. There are some other subtle differences, you can see a few more wrinkles on the King's face in the PS3 version and some of the weapon textures look sharper. Other textures look better on the 360, though, most notably the textures of the cobblestones on the city streets.Now, Bethesda has made it known that many of the graphical additions made to the PS3 version will be made available for the 360 version as well. Hopefully, we'll see another comparison after that comes to pass.To the topic at hand, though, can you declare a clear winner in this video? Hit the "read" link to compare them in HD.
Oblivion gets a huge delay
Supposedly, the PSP version of Oblivion was supposed to come out next month. But, considering the complete lack of updates on this highly anticipated game, we were skeptical, to say the least. Looks like the game's been pushed back ... all the way to September. GameStop is reporting the ship date as 9/3, a delay as massive as the game itself. Hopefully, this will go a long way in improving its quality.[Via 1UP]
No more Oblivion after Shivering Isles
All of you that are excited for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and their expansion pack Shivering Isles (set in the Realm of Madness, domains of Lord Sheogorath), you won't have much else to be excited about once that expansion pack rolls to an end. Why? Well, Bethesda's Peter Hines has come out and said that there won't be anything else for the game.Quoting is fun: "Shivering Isles is our last big thing: it's our first and last expansion for Oblivion. Work pretty much started on Shivering Isles once Oblivion was done. We started looking at what we wanted to do, where we wanted to set it, all that stuff. It pretty much started last March." Rumor is that Bethesda has its hands full preparing the PS3 version of Oblivion as well as Fallout 3, so they'd like to move forward instead of continue to mess around with something that's already considered by many to be great. Oh well. Expect an Elder Scrolls V in a few years.
Elder Scrolls lead designer joins Big Huge Games, developing "console RPG"
Big Huge Games (Rise of Nations) has lured acclaimed designer Ken Rolston out of retirement for one last RPG. Rolston was set to call it quits after his stint at Bethesda, which spawned Morrowind and Oblivion, but instead, the 25-year vet has moved on to another Maryland-based developer, known for its RTS games. "We remain committed to creating real-time strategy games," said BHG President Tim Train, adding, "At the same time, we've explored developing a role-playing game for several years now. Ken is a fantastic fit for us on every level, and gives us the leadership we need to be confident of success in our new venture.""I had planned to retire and rest on my laurels after Oblivion, but Tim and his army of visionary charmers came along with a strikingly original and cunning concept for a console RPG," said Rolston. Further details have yet to be revealed.
Bethesda is sticking to RPGs for now
Pete Hines, VP of Public Relations, took the helm and decided to answer another set of questions regarding not only Oblivion, but Bethesda as a whole. We'll go ahead and make a fantastic list. Shivering Isles isn't a standalone game because they want you to keep the character you've worked so hard on... they want you to be able to trek back and forth between the main game and the expansion with that character. Bethesda is sticking to the first-person view of their RPGs and think JRPGs are all the same, too linear, etc. Obviously, they haven't played that many JRPGs or they probably wouldn't say that. For the most part, it's true, but there are some amazing non-linear titles from Japan. The Romancing SaGa games are fantastic non-linear JRPGs. There is a slight desire to create an MMO, but only if Bethesda can find a way to move the genre as a whole forward. They've been very focused on single-player interaction, making the world alive and not so "get this quest to get the items certain monsters may drop but probably won't so you can get an item to activate another quest to get more items that, in the end, amount to you accomplishing nothing at all." That's me quoting myself, not Pete Hines. About the PS3 and 360 versions, now Hines says this: "Sometimes folks see stuff there that's real, and oftentimes it's imagined. The PS3 and 360 versions are for all intents and purposes identical." What? Stop flip-flopping. Last but not least, Pete Hines says that "right now there are no plans internally for us to do anything other than role-playing." Bethesda is going to go with those answers and we're gonna take them. But if he said before that the PS3 had some differences to the 360 version and now he says they're the same... which is true? Why the doublespeak, Mr. Public Relations? If they're the exact same, that's perfectly fine – just say so and stick to it. Anyone else want to offer up non-linear JRPGs also?
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.
IGN: PS3 Oblivion loads quicker, looks nicer than 360
IGN got some hands-on time with the long-awaited PS3 port of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and came away with some quite favorable comparisons to the Xbox 360 version. Load times that were seven to ten seconds on the 360 have been reduced to three to five seconds on the PS3, according to IGN. What's more, the frame rate drops that accompanied entrances to detailed areas have been eliminated, and the graphics have been improved with higher resolution textures, improved shading and an increased draw distance (to minimize far off object popping up suddenly). Amazing what newer hardware and an extra year of development time will do, isn't it? Still, it's not all wine and roses for PS3 owners. While the "Knights of the Nine" side-quest will be preloaded on the PS3 disc, the rest of the downloadable content available to Xbox 360 and PC players will not be available, though the content packs "may find their way to the PlayStation Store at some point in time in the future." Hopefully PS3 adventurers will be too busy playing the massive main quest to notice the omission when the game comes out in March. [Thanks, Phranctoast]
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]
Rumor: Fallout 3 bound for 360?
Is the anticipated third installment of the Fallout series going to see the light of day on the Xbox 360? It's too early to tell right now, but there are a few things that will give gamers a glimmer of hope. After a brief interlude with Fallout Tactics, the popular RPG franchise is getting a true sequel from Bethesda. Executive Producer Todd Howard informed UK OXM that when work started on Fallout 3 in 2004, the team was only 10 or so strong. After Oblivion finished up, however, most of the staff moved over to work on development for the title. He also hints that while their preproduction process is relatively long, they should soon be able to show it off. Running on the same Gamebryo engine as Oblivion, the chances of there being a port to Xbox 360, with open ended gameplay intact, are high. On top of that, Todd was Executive Producer for Morrowind and Oblivion, which definitely makes the glass look half full. Do you want to see Fallout 3 make it to the Xbox 360?[Via GameSpot]
PS3's Blu-ray drive speed could be reason for Oblivion delay
GameSetWatch has singled out a tidbit about the PlayStation 3 version of Oblivion that's sure to ignite fanboy ire. According to comments made by Bethesda's Todd Howard in the latest issue of EGM, the development team is using extra space on the Blu-ray disc to duplicate crucial data and improve load times. "Drive speed matters more to me [than capacity], and Blu-ray is slower," Howard told EGM.This is a sketchy workaround, as it could be susceptible to issues caused by data irregularities; GSW notes, "What happens if you don't have your pieces of data correctly sync-ed and one of them is an old version of an object/piece of code and one is a newer version?" A better, albeit unpopular solution, is to include an option to install a chunk of a game directly onto the hard drive (Genji has this option; so does Ridge Racer). Bethesda's use of the extra Blu-ray disc capacity is clever, but hopefully won't become the standard.Overall, we know that the Xbox 360 drive reads data faster than PS3's. While the Blu-ray drive might consistently read data at the same speed, the 360 drive is faster at reading data on the outer layers of the DVD disc; and that's were devs tend to put the biggest files.While EGM makes no note of it, it's worth considering that drive speed concerns played into Oblivion's delay. Will this become an issue for other cross-platform titles?
2007 year of the PSP RPG?
The number of RPGs scheduled to come out this year on PSP would not be able to be counted on two hands. In fact, you'd need more than three hands to count them and then you're in Goro territory. Point is, if you're an RPG fan, PSP is the system to own this year. Don't believe me? Well here's the list of RPGs coming out in 2007 according to IGN's release list: JanuaryLegend of the Heroes III: Song of the Ocean FebruaryGurumin: A Monstrous AdventureMonster Kingdom: Jewel Summoner MarchValhalla KnightsDungeons & Dragons: Tactics AprilThe Elder Scrolls Travels: OblivionRiviera Quarter 2Alien Syndrome Quarter 4DC Universe RPG TBA 2007Legend of the River KingFar East of Eden: The Fourth ApocalypseLandstalkerHarvest Moon Boy & GirlCrisis Core: Final Fantasy VIIJeanne d'ArcFinal Fantasy Tactics I don't even want to know what the collective amount of hours all these RPGs would take to beat. Which of these are you looking forward to playing most?
Bethesda mum about Oblivion expansion
Call it a formality, but Bethesda refuses to confirm Shivering Isles, Oblivion's first full-length expansion. But the forthcoming content is no myth. After all, Bethesda supplied the details for the scoops that were bought and published by PCZone and PC Gamer, two UK mags. In fact, another Shivering Isles feature will appear in the March issue of Games for Windows (due Feb. 6 on newsstands).This is just the business of embargoes, folks. Once Games for Windows has had its window of opportunity to sell the "exclusive" content, Bethesda will open right up.
Discovery Channel giving away 2mil MS points [update 1]
Two million points is quite a haul, and would just about allow you to pay for the horse armor in Elder Scrolls: Oblivion. We keed, we keed! Seriously though, that's a lotta points just waiting to find their way home underneath your gamertag.In conjunction with the new content they are sponsoring for Gears of War, the Discovery Channel is giving away the points through www.readyaimfire.com www.readyaimfuture.com/, and the site will only be up on January 13th and 14th, so you'd better be quick on your browser and sign in to find out how to qualify for the points. You can head here and read all about the contest.While the Discovery Channel isn't the first company to give away points on Xbox Live, they are the first network/cable channel to do so. It's probably no coincidence that they're airing their Gamer Generation series while this contest is going on. Gamers, you all are a demographic that everyone wants a slice of, so brace yourselves.[Thanks to Concaf for the proper url]
Shivering Isles: first full-length Oblivion expansion
The latest issue of PCZone spills the beans on Shivering Isles, Bethesda's first true Oblivion expansion (Knights of the Nine was really just a lengthy quest). The expansion is set in a new realm, the Shivering Isles, a ruined land controlled by Sheogorath, the god of madness and dementia. Players must overcome the god's trials, and apparently, the god itself, ultimately seizing control of its domain.The expansion will include new monsters and a series of branching quests, which allegedly expand Oblivion's freeform gameplay. The description implies that players' decisions will have various visible affects on the transformation of the Shivering Isles.Bethesda has not yet announced the forthcoming expansion, but PCZone suggests a Q2 2007 release window. We assume that, as with all added content to date (barring player mods), Shivering Isles will also be offered for the Xbox 360 and (impending) PlayStation 3 versions of Oblivion.
Bethesda's Christmas present to all
Tis the season for giving, and gaming companies are starting to get festive about it. THQ has released a Christmas theme pack for Saint's Row ... completely free. How Bethesda is getting into the spirit. Mehrunes' Razor, a 250 point Xbox Live Marketplace add-on, is being offered for absolutely free starting tomorrow through December 31. The quest, which was big jump in quality compared to the infamous horse armor (which we're sure they should have packed in as a freebie as well), is a wonderful way to thank all the loyal customers who purchased Oblivion. We just hope more companies do this next year, since all the new consoles now have some kind of online option available out-of-the-box.
Sony ignored among 2006 Spike TV major awards winners
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Sony_ignored_among_2006_Spike_TV_major_awards_winners'; Spike TV has released the list of its 2006 Video Game Awards winners, expunging all temptation to tune into the televised presentation this coming Wednesday. While the results hold little standing in the industry, it's interesting to note that Sony has seemingly fallen out of popularity with Spike TV's award ceremony, perhaps implying a shift in popular brand.Last year, Sony enjoyed (at least shares in) Game of the Year, Best Action Game, Best Original Score, Best Graphics, Best Handheld Game, and Best Technology; this year, Xbox 360 is tied to all of those awards (except 'Best Technology' & 'Handheld Game'), along with Studio of the Year, Best Shooter, Best Multiplayer Game, Best RPG, Best Racing Game, and Most Addictive. Sony currently has stake in none*.Sure, PlayStation 3 hasn't even been on the market for a month, but Wii managed to earn the 'Breakthrough Technology' award, and Twilight Princess nabbed Critic's Choice; plus, with New Super Mario Bros., DS won out over PSP. Is 'Comeback Company of the Year' in the cards for Sony in 2007?*Oblivion will end up on PlayStation 3 next year.
Oblivion Knights of the Nine add-on reviewed
Eurogamer has reviewed Oblivion's largest content expansion to date, Knights of the Nine. The 800-point download ($10) was released this past Wednesday amidst a flurry of Xbox Live content unleashed during Thanksgiving week.Knights of the Nine doesn't stray too far from Oblivion's established mechanics. In that sense, if you found the initial offering to be spoiled by repetition, this pint-sized expansion is unlikely to win back your interest. But Knights of the Nine does offer a sizeable questline and some new content (items, Aurorans, etc.) for those that continue to comb the land of Cyrodiil.[For those keeping score: Eurogamer bestowed an 8/10]
Knights of the Nine screens, availability update
Bethesda's Oblivion download site is listing Dec. 4 as the availability date for Knights of the Nine, the latest mini expansion for Elder Scrolls IV. However, RPGDot is reporting that Knights is now available on Xbox Live. A sneak attack to be sure, given today is the busiest travel day of the year and many 360 owners are away from their precious console. Anyone download it yet? If not, you can still scope out over 20 new screen shots at ElderScrolls.net.
Oblivion gets Nine Knights, expansion set on Nov 21 [update 1]
Bethesda has announced its eigth mini-expansion for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The latest download, Knights of the Nine will feature a new faction you can join, a sorcerer-king (and demonic minions, of course) that you can defeat, and the holy armor and weapons of the Divine Crusader to take for yourself. No price has been announced. Knights of the Nine will be available for download through the usual channels (XBLM, OblivionDownloads.com) as well as a boxed expansion set (for PC only) that includes all the downloadable content (currently valued at $13.53, or $11.54 sans Horse Armor). The PlayStation 3 version of Oblivion will come with Knights of the Nine. It was originally thought that this quest would be "exclusive," but we all know how finicky that word can be.[Thanks, PaleGringo][Update 1: clarified boxed package is PC only. Sorry Xbox gamers!]
