The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion

Earlier this month, Bethesda announced that a new Oblivion expansion will ship in spring. The package, called the Shivering Isles, will include over thirty hours of new game play. The announcement indicated that a PC version would be distributed by disk, but no mention was made about an Xbox 360 version. Bethesda has now confirmed that the expansion will be available for download over Xbox Live for the Xbox 360.

Bethesda president Vlatko Andonov indicated that the success of previous Oblivion downloads influenced the decision:

The enthusiastic response we've received to our downloadable content has been overwhelming, and we're excited to bring Oblivion fans a full expansion.

[Oblivion expansion to get Xbox Live distribution @ Gamesindustry.biz]

Bethesda plans to release an Oblivion expansion pack called The Shivering Isles this spring, according to GameSpot. The expansion will include more than 30 hours of gameplay in the form of new territories to explore, enemies to conquer, and quests to complete. An entirely new region, called The Isles, will be added to the game. The Isles will be accessible from Cyrodiil using a door that appears in the Niben Bay.

In November, Bethesda released a addon questline called The Knights of the Nine as retail package for PC's and Xbox Live Marketplace download. Although nothing has been confirmed, I don't see anything to stop The Shivering Isles from becoming an Marketplace download as well.

The November 2006 issue of Official PlayStation Magazine provided some exclusive details about a new quest line that will be included in the PlayStation 3 version of Oblivion. The article didn't to mention that the quest line, called the Knights of the Nine, would be available to PC and Xbox 360 owners as an expansion. The expansion, which will be available on November 21 for about $10, charges you with the task of conquering an evil Ayleid Sorcerer-King known as Umaril. To complete this task, you must locate the lost relics of the Divine Crusader and rebirth the Knights of the Nine, an ancient faction of holy crusaders once known for their honor. The expansion promises to include new items, dungeons, and characters.

The expansion pack will be available for download from the Xbox Live Marketplace and the Oblivion Downloads site on November 21.

Elders Scrolls IV: Oblivion was supposed to be a launch title for the Xbox 360, but its release was delayed for several months. Bethesda confirmed today that Oblivion will be available for the PlayStation 3 this November when the console launches. Bethesda also announced that The Elder Scrolls Travels: Oblivion for the PSP handheld is slated for a Spring 2007 release.

Details about the graphics and gameplay of both games will be inside the November issue of the Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine. According to Bethesda, the OPM article states, "If any game is worth the price of the PS3, Oblivion is it." That's not exactly good. But the PSP version might be cool. I'd be able to take my secret addiction into public.

The newest piece of additional content for Oblivion, The Vile Lair, will be made available on July 13th. Again PC gamers will pay $1.89 for the package and Xbox 360 gamers will pay a comparable amount in Microsoft Points.

This underwater hideout provides your infamous character with safe haven. Those willingly inflicted (or shall we say graced?) with vampirism will find a means to feed, and if necessary, a means to cure their infliction. Hire evil minions, pray to the dark god Sithis, and a host of other functions await.

Thanks to a computer science major at Charles Stuart University, Oblivion fans who play on the PC can engage in a basic form of multiplayer within the game. Almost two months in the making, the MultiTES4 mod is a prime example of the good that comes from a mod-able game. The functionality is currently limited, allowing just two players to frolic around Cyrodiil together. But the mod's creator, who is known as _FERRET, plans to add support for up to eight simultaneous players and basic modes like deathmatch and capture the flag. The site mentions that time synchronisation and quest sharing are not supported and there is no word about plans for those features. But how cool that be?

The fifth package of additional content for Oblivion, called Mehrunes' Razor, will be released this Thursday for $2.99. The package will add several features including 17 new magic items and the deadly Mehrunes' Razor, a blade that will bring instant death to your enemies. Your quest will take you to the lost Ayleid City and the largest dungeon in Cyrodil. This package was designed with the adventurer in mind.

This package is the most expensive so far. Hopefully, this means that you'll get more game play value out of it.

This is not another add-on package, I promise. It's just a video from a dedicated gamer with way to much time on his hands. Now I know what books are really good for.

Another package of additional Oblivion content, called the Thieves Den, has been released on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 150 MP and on the PC for $1.89. The Thieves Den will take players to Dunbarrow Cove where an ancient pirate ship is moored. The package was designed with the stealth player in mind and adds 45 new items and 15 new spells.

I still haven't warmed up to the whole idea of buying additional content, but at least the prices have improved since the notorious horse armor ordeal. This is also playable content, so it is more likely to be worth the cash. I'll give it a try tomorrow and update this post with my thoughts.

If you somehow blew through Oblivion in its entirety and possess a small wad of cash burning a hole in your pocket, there is some additional content available for a few bucks that may or may not quench your thirst for RPG action. At the top of the "not that worth it" list is the Horse Armor Pack that allows your horse to look as majestic as you do. But at $1.99 for PC and $2.50 (200MP) for Xbox 360, this add-on is reserved exclusively for the elite citizens of Tamriel.