The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles

"Bring on the Isles!"

Bring on the Isles!

When Bethesda announced an expansion to one of their top selling games Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion I was pretty excited. I had been playing Oblivion for a while now but was getting bored of it. I needed a vacation, and the Shivering Isles seemed like the right place.

Story 10/10

This game has an excellent story, even better than Oblivion. You step into Sheogorath's Realm because he is seeking a champion. I quote Sheogorath with "Bring me a champion, rend the flesh of my foes, a mortal champion to wade through the entrails of my enemies".Once you arrive at his palace, he tells you that the Greymarch is coming. When The Daedric prince of order comes and destroys half of his realm and he need someone to stop it, you obviously. The quests he sends you on are some of the funnest quests I've ever done in the History of Oblivion and its expansions

Graphics 10/10

Bethesda really outdid themselves with Shivering Isles. I had been amazed by the graphics in regular Oblivion and I was amazed all over again by this game. The colourfulness of the Mania side of the isles and the Dark and dreary Dementia side made it seem like I was exploring 2 different countries, it really but a big smile on my face.

The trees and foliage were perfectly designed. The whole province seemed surreal with giant towering mushroom trees and everything. It was just like stepping into another dimension. With such a wide variety of colours you couldn't go wrong

The character designs were of the map. Bethesda took a chance by seeing if they could give a character a beard and it really paid off. The outfits you could see on the citizens of the isles were amazing. Overall, Bethesda continued to shine in the graphics department

Sound and Music 5/10

This is where Bethesda messed up. They stuck all the characters in the game with the same voice actors from Oblivion and didn't bring on any big name actors (unlike Patrick Stewart from Oblivion). It gets really annoying to hear lines repeated over and over again. Only 2 characters really had good voices, and they were Sheogorath and Haskill. The sounds for the new creatures were also good.

The music is also the same from the last game. I was hoping that Bethesda would bring in some new music to fit the mood of the Isles but they didn't. Some parts seemed kind of odd because the music really didn't fit the situation. Bethesda better bring in some new music in their next game.

Gameplay 10/10

This game is incredible to play! You still have the openness of Oblivion but you have much more to explore. The guys at Bethesda brought in new characters, creatures, armour, weapons and pretty much anything else you can think of. You can go around solving problems like finding a fork for an Argonian or going into caves and killing anything that moves. The new ore system that they put in really added a good effect to the game. There is nothing better then coming out of a cave with tons of Madness ore or amber.

The beauty of the game really adds to the experience. It feels so surreal to walk under a giant mushroom or clear a cave clean of giant bugs. You never feel compelled to do any work. So you can just relax and do the main quest when you see fit.

Final Recommendation

This game shouldn't have to be recommended. I urge the person reading this sentence to go out and buy this expansion if you already haven't. I can guarantee you won't be sorry

Overall 8/10

This is an amazing game. The sound brought it down but its not really that big of an aspect. I sometimes forget that its only an expansion. Well if this is Bethesda's idea of an expansion, then I can't wait to see what they have in store for Elder Scrolls 5.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 08/01/07