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Oblivion producer predicts breakout hit in Japan
Can a western RPG find a substantial audience in Square Enix's backyard? Bethesda producer Ashley Chang has high hopes for his game Oblivion (the Xbox 360 version came out today in Japan). It marks the first time an Elder Scrolls title has come to the region. "Now I'm no industry analyst," he writes on the company's blog, "but [in my opinion], Oblivion will be a breakout hit in Japan ... it has the potential to drive 360 sales much like Blue Dragon did." Cheng also pointed to data from preorders and an impressive 38 out of 40 Famitsu, adding later that "I think Oblivion is going to be one of the biggest RPGs of the year for the Japanese market." We're not industry analysts, either, but Blue Dragon had some high-profile Japanese names behind it, including the creator of the Final Fantasy series. The Xbox 360 version has a steep uphill battle, despite the Famitsu review. Since Trusty Bell (known elsewhere as Eternal Sonata) has just come out, perhaps Oblivion will be helped by a surge in the console's interest thanks to tri-Crescendo's title. As the post describes, a lot of work went into translating the text into Japanese -- and yes, all the books received translation. Both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions ship with the Knights of the Nine expansion included; the PlayStation 3 version "will be out in the coming months," said Cheng. [Thanks, ESfan]
Oblivion heads to Japan, scores big
Bethesda has announced on their blog that the Japanese version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has shipped. The Japanese version of Oblivion has been completely localized, with nearly a million words translated, including ever book in the game. The beginning and ending cinematics have also been re-recorded in Japanese, though spoken dialogue within the game remains in English with Japanese subtitles. What is more, the Japanese version includes the Knights of the Nine content right on the disc (as will the upcoming Game of the Year Edition in America). The game recently received rave reviews from Famitsu -- the game scored a 38, a score equaled or bettered by only 44 titles since September of 1986 -- and production director Ashley Cheng expects the game to be a "breakout hit." Furthermore, Cheng expects it will sell a few Xbox 360s, too (the localized PS3 version is expected in a few months). Whether or not Oblivion affects the 360's performance in Japan, we're happy that Japanese gamers finally get a chance to see what the rest of the world has been raving about.
Oblivion GotY edition announced
Today, Bethesda announced that this September they'll be releasing a new compilation of our beloved Oblivion ever so lengthily named The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition. The GotY edition doesn't have a price-tag attached to it yet, but we do know that it will include all the previously released downloadable content including Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine. And, we hope, it'll include the horse armor too.So, this GotY edition surely won't woo Oblivion fans who've already purchased all the DLC content, but for those who have yet to experience all the RPG fun, this September looks to be the time to jump in. [Via Gamertag Radio]
Oblivion Game of the Year Edition coming in September
Surprising practically no one, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will have a "Game of the Year" edition released this September on PC, Xbox 360 and PS3, Bethesda announced today. If you've been keeping up with the downloadable content for the game on the PC or Xbox 360, you can go ahead and move along, there's nothing to see here. But if you've been holding out, you'll soon be able to pick up the new edition, which includes the expansions Knights of the Nine and The Shivering Isles, as well as the full game, naturally.The big question is, of course, the one we don't have the answer to: Price. The components separately would run between $90 and $100, but we feel fairly comfortable in our assumption that it won't be that much. We've asked Bethesda about cost, and if we hear anything, we'll let you know.
ESRB's censorship wound re-opened, user-made content to break the ratings system
In an article published today titled "The Breasts that Broke the Game", The Escapist re-visits a bit of news that should have caused a commotion but barely grabbed our attention. In April of last year, the ESRB changed the rating of Oblivion from "T" to "M", citing newly-discovered gore and violence as well as a user-made mod that made all the female characters topless. Bethesda crafted the perfect response, agreeing to comply with the ratings upgrade but reminding everyone it has no control over third-party creations.The mod was created because a woman named Maeyanie hated "government/society/whatever forcing companies to 'protect our innocent population from seeing those evil dirty things 50% of them possess personally anyways'". The Escapist points out that the mod was tame, featuring little more than Barbie doll-style nudity, yet the ESRB still flipped out. User-made content is fast becoming the focus of videogames (see Spore, LittleBigPlanet, The Sims), and with that will come an influx of sex-related creations. How should the ESRB respond? With a new ratings category ("W" for "We're not responsible")? Slapping an "M" on every game that gives you an iota of customization control?
Fallout 3 set for Fall 2008 release
Get to a shelter! The apocalypse is nigh! Well, it's somewhat nigh. In fact, it's very close to almost bordering on the status of being considered nigh. If the just released teaser trailer for Bethesda's foray into a world wrecked by nuclear catastrophe is any indication, Fallout 3 is set to leak out of a suspicious cannister in Fall 2008. Alright, so not particularly nigh then.The trailer (which is currently creating a bandwidth apocalypse on Bethesda's site) doesn't give away much along the lines of gameplay, but provides some assurances that obliterated cityscapes and dilapidated vehicles will be completely represented in all their glorious, err, incompleteness. Perhaps Fallout's new caretakers really do care about the revered RPG franchise. Bethesda's Pete Hines even cares enough to offer some answers to questions you were just about to ask: The trailer is in-engine, those are the Ink Spots you hear and yes, that's Ron Perlman's gravelly voice.
THQ & Big Huge Games announce RPG led by Ken Rolston ... for 2009
Starting the hype train about two years early, THQ recently confirmed it has entered a development agreement with Big Huge Games (the Rise of Nations folks) to create a new role playing game to be released in 2009 for PC, PS3, and Xbox 360. Elder Scrolls veteran Ken Rolston is heading up the team, shedding light on the mysterious "strikingly original and cunning concept for a console RPG" game he referred to back in February.An RPG will be a departure from the usual Big Huge Games diet of RTS games, but with Rolston on board, this is something to keep our eyes on. We would say "mark your calendars", but it isn't likely THQ will let us forget about this one. That, and who has a 2009 calendar now, anyway?[Via CVG]
Will Oblivion ever come out?
Happy 10th un-birthday, Duke Nukem Forever! As we "celebrate" your un-life, we want to think about a PSP game with an analogous development time: Oblivion. CVG reminds us that the title was supposed to launch by now, possibly in time for the recent PS3 release. They contacted Ubisoft for some word on whether or not the title was actually still in development, but they received a noncommittal "no comment."Gamestop's release date for the title continues to shift, having moved from last year to this, from April to September, back to April, and now December. Do you think Oblivion will ever come out for our system?
Shivering Isles patched for PC, no info on Xbox 360 version
Bethesda has released an official beta patch to fix the guard script bug in the Oblivion expansion Shivering Isles. Unfortunately, the patch is not compatible with copies purchased via direct2drive. At least there's still makeshift solutions available from the community. Other major issues, including uninstallation problems, have been resolved; patch notes can be found here.Speaking to Joystiq, Bethesda VP of PR and Marketing Pete Hines told us that there is no information that he can give us on what they'll be doing on the Xbox 360 and when. It's not the best response we could hope for, but it's all we have for now. Stay tuned.
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]
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.
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).
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]
