The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles

Developer(s)	Bethesda Softworks
Publisher(s)	Bethesda, 2K Games
Engine	Custom Gamebryo Engine using SpeedTree Technology, Radiant A.I., Havok 3.0 Physics and FaceGen technology
Release date(s)	March 26, 2007
Genre(s)	Action RPG
Mode(s)	Single player first-person & third-person view
Rating(s)	ESRB: Mature (M)
Platform(s)	Microsoft Windows, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3
Media	DVD, Xbox Live Marketplace and PlayStation Network

Promotional screenshot depicting a Golden Saint.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles is the official expansion pack for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. It was released for Microsoft Windows and the Xbox 360 on March 27, 2007 for the price of $29.99 (£15.99), though Bethesda has expressed the intent of also making it available for the PlayStation 3 in the same year.^[1] Shivering Isles was first previewed in the February 2007 issue of PC Gamer. The game was also previewed in the February 2007 issues of Official Xbox Magazine (OXM) and Game Informer, along with a lengthy article about the creation of the Shivering Isles. The expansion will be available in a retail version for the PC and downloadable on the Xbox Live Marketplace for 2400 points (roughly $30). Shivering Isles was originally intended to be released on March 27, however an unscheduled Xbox Live maintenance was announced and the launch day was moved to March 26. The expansion adds an additional 250 gamer points bringing the total points that can be earned for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion to 1250 points. All additional gamer points are for ranks attained in the new "Mad Court" faction.

The expansion pack takes place in the "Realm of Madness", also known as the Shivering Isles, a realm ruled by the daedric prince Sheogorath.^[2] The realm is divided into two sections: Mania, which is bright, colorful and over-saturated, and Dementia, which is dark, depressing and claustrophobic. Each region is to have its own capital city. The Isles are threatened by a rare event called the "Greymarch" and a champion must save them from possible destruction at the behest of Sheogorath.

The Realm of Madness is considerably different in both look and feel than anything in the land of Cyrodiil. Lead designer Mark Nelson stated that the reason for the drastic change in theme was because "People want to explore a new realm. Besides if you've played Oblivion for 200 hours, you've gotta be sick of gray stone castles." The new expansion pack has been estimated to have an additional 30-40 hours of gameplay available to players, and the Realm of Madness is said to be 25% of the size of Cyrodiil. There are 32 unique ingredients to the expansion, 10 new creatures, 9,500 new lines of dialogue, 200 new weapons and 80 pieces of armor.

To get into the realm a gigantic guardian must be defeated. Once defeated, the player can construct a new one to replace the one he or she defeated during a later quest. The new enemies include a skeleton that is fully destructible (each piece being a separate object with its own physics applied), a large bug-like insect with a glowing green rear (The Elytra), and a tree-like humanoid (The Gnarl). The Dark Seducers and Golden Saints are returning from previous installments in the series as the protectors of Dementia and Mania, respectively. Golden Saints are skilled in Blade and combat, while the Dark Seducers are more skilled in Blunt and magicka. There are new spells that include the ability to summon Sheogorath's personal servant, Haskill, and a new type of Zombie called the Flesh Atronach. Using materials found on the Isles called "Madness Ores"(Easily found with Grumites or in their lairs) or "Amber Ore"(Easily found with Gnarls or in their lairs) and templates for armour called "Matrices", new types of armor can be forged. The player can also choose to side with either the Golden Saints or the Dark Seducers and become the duke of either Mania or Dementia at the end of the main quest. The expansion does not contain any new music or any new playable races.