Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition Review

Lesley on Knights of the Nine

It still looks gorgeous

As if the epic-ness of the main game wasn't enough, the Knights of the Nine expansion supplies another ten-hour quest line, mixing the fascinating mythology of Tamriel with the chance to be really, really good. Previous factions allowed you to specialise in magic, fighting, hunting vampires, become Champion of the Arena and a skilled thief. Despite all this variety, it was the Dark Brotherhood which set the game apart, the chance to choose to become an assassin and walk the Dark Path of the Night Mother.

The quest is divided into several sections, beginning with a pilgrimage around Cyrodiil to the wayshrines of each of the deities. Aided only by a parchment scroll, half the fun is finding these shrines, as markers don't actually appear on your main map. This isn't too hard; it just involves a little lateral thinking. While fast-travelling is an option, getting a horse and riding the entire way is reflective and also very beautiful. Half the fun of Oblivion has been the ability to saddle up and ride on a whim, but this is a meditative journey, a reflection of the holy quest; as your in-game avatar rides, it's easy to contemplate places previously visited as well as newly-discovered hamlets, bridges and waterfalls. The land is filled with trees covered with fiery-red leaves and on the way it is possible to run into others on the road, intent on visiting each shrine and receiving a vision of Pelinal Whitestrake, the Divine Crusader and sworn enemy of the Ayleid Sorcerer-King, Umaril.

Once this section is complete, Pelinal directs you to an abandoned priory deep in the heartlands of Cyrodiil, to the ransacked Priory of the Nine. There the spirits of the slain knights send you on the real quests to reclaim magical armor and weapons once worn and wielded by the Divine Crusader himself. Now scattered across the land, some in other dimensions entirely, these are the only things which will protect against the evil sorcerer's powers.

While Umaril remains the Big Bad of the expansion, he has his own super-powered minions known as Aurorans, who look a lot like the Daedric warriors found in Oblivion, but pack a much bigger punch. Fortunately, they also carry flawless gems, money, spells and decent weaponry, making these encounters well worth the effort. Fortunately, if you're higher than level 20 or just have the difficulty set really low, they take only a few moments to dispatch.

This quest line is the biggest yet and keeps you hooked right to the end. While the dungeons are not as big or as maze-like as the previous expansions, the chance to really explore Cyrodiil really makes this quest much more effective.

Lesley on Shivering Isles

The Shivering Isles might evoke images of an icy tundra but it's actually anything but. Half is almost pleasant, bathed in autumnal light, and the other is filled with mist and suitably creepy. Welcome to the first and last expansion for Bethesda's award-winning RPG The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion.

Although visually very different, The Shivering Isles feels very much like a part from the original Oblivion; a journal note pops up directing you to Niben Bay, south of the Imperial City and an aptly named 'Strange Door'. A mysterious island has appeared slap bang in the middle of the lake and there is a strange portal at its centre. You don't need to be a high level to enter or worry about a different control system as The Shivering Isles uses exactly the same game engine as Oblivion.

Walking through the portal is as mundane an act as they come but after a quick civilised chat, Bethesda surprises everyone with a truly stunning sequence which looks equally impressive on both PC and 360. The room in which your character sits turns into a swarm of blue, green and purple butterflies (and that one moth) which flutter away to reveal the Shivering Isles in all its odd glory. Sheogorath might be nuts but sometimes even the insane Daedric Prince can summon up things of incredible beauty.

250 hours of content! What more could you ask for?

The Shivering Isles is vast, with its own dungeons, hamlets, villages, marauders and wildlife. It's also self-contained and you don't have to return to Cyrodiil until you really want to as everything needed for the next fifty (and then some) hours of play lie in Sheogorath's realm. He might hate horses but that doesn't mean you shouldn't wander aimlessly, taking in the landscape. There are stunning waterfalls, mountains, caverns, hidden caches of treasure and of course, locals who are just that little bit bonkers; some are nearly normal, some are religious zealots and some just love to flay the skin off anything that crosses their path.

As with the main game, there is an over-arching quest line which deals with the mysterious Greymarch and the Daedric Prince of Order, Jyggalag, with the unpronounceable name. This quest line sees you learn more about Sheogorath, his realm and the personal bickering of the underlings who watch over his realm, drug addict Thadon, the Duke of Mania and paranoid Syl, the Duchess of Dementia. But there are also numerous mini-quests which see you helping out locals, torturing anyone who takes your fancy. It's a lot of fun and the new assortment of odd NPCs is a refreshing change to those found in Cyrodiil. While the actors from the original have returned, there's plenty of new information to be had, new weapons and books to read.

The main quest line also allows you to use the skills learnt back in Cyrodiil, making the whole line feel like a blend of the quests completed in the Thieves' and Fighters Guild with a touch of the Dark Brotherhood thrown in for good measure. This is a nice touch as variety is the spice of life, especially when The Shivering Isles could have been just more of the same. Instead, it's different and just as engaging as the main game. The drastically different environments are filled with new enemies and generic caves to explore. Even after completing the main quest there's still plenty to do and, failing that, there's always the option to return to Cyrodiil with your new uber-weaponry.

As a whole

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition is incredible value. Exploring all the game has to offer will take well in excess of 200 hours and despite its age (in next-gen terms) it still delivers the production value you'd expect from a modern adventure game. If you want one game to deliver the goods until the flurry of new releases hit later in the year, this is it.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion - Game of the Year Edition is also available for Xbox 360 and PC, published by 2K Games.

Full Oblivion review
Full Knights of the Nine review
Full Shivering Isles review