Voodoo Extreme reports that Bethesda parent company ZeniMax Media has purchased the domain "ElderScrollsOnline.com," leading them (and us) to believe that an Elder Scrolls MMO may be in the works. You may recall that Zenimax recently opened a new branch -- ZeniMax Online Studios -- specifically to focus on MMOs. Honestly, it makes sense. The Elder Scrolls has always had a rich world to explore, but the games have always been a solitary experience. An MMO version would finally allow players to share their custom characters and exploits with their friends. Not only that, but it might provide players with more motivation to plow through the hundreds of hours worth of side quests and extra content. Of course, the best reason that this rumor would be true is that MMOs are big money these days. With World of Warcraft creating Scrooge-McDuck-sized piles of money, making the next Elder Scrolls online is just a smart move.
Unfortunately, even if Elder Scrolls goes online, our experience will remain solitary, because we'll still be sitting in the corner grinding up potion ingredients. Mmm ... alchemy.
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.
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.
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?
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.
Bethesda Vice President of PR Pete Hines sat down with Gamasutra to talk about Oblivion's Shivering Isles expansion. In the Q&A, Hines stated that the the content will only be available through Xbox Live Marketplace. According to Hines, stand-alone expansions can not work with another existing product on the Xbox 360, leaving Marketplace downloads as the only viable option. Despite Bethesda wanting to have a version for the retail market, they were unable to do so because of this. Should implementing expansions via disc become possible after some extensive work on Microsoft's part, Bethesda plans to explore that option for Shivering Isles.
As for price point, Bethesda doesn't have anything concrete yet. They are still in talks with Microsoft to find the proper balance between value and profitability. After Shivering Isles releases, Hines said that they are planning one or two more pieces of content for Oblivion, albeit not the size of the forthcoming expansion. So are you going to download Shivering Isles? If so, how much are you willing to pay?
Is the anticipated third installment of the Fallout series going to see the light of day on the Xbox 360? It's too early to tell right now, but there are a few things that will give gamers a glimmer of hope. After a brief interlude with Fallout Tactics, the popular RPG franchise is getting a true sequel from Bethesda. Executive Producer Todd Howard informed UK OXM that when work started on Fallout 3 in 2004, the team was only 10 or so strong. After Oblivion finished up, however, most of the staff moved over to work on development for the title. He also hints that while their preproduction process is relatively long, they should soon be able to show it off. Running on the same Gamebryo engine as Oblivion, the chances of there being a port to Xbox 360, with open ended gameplay intact, are high. On top of that, Todd was Executive Producer for Morrowind and Oblivion, which definitely makes the glass look half full. Do you want to see Fallout 3 make it to the Xbox 360?
Some of you may have heard that the PS3 is getting its very own version of Oblivion, the 360's premiere RPG. Having heard this, you may also have heard that the PS3 would be seeing some content that isn't available for the 360 version. Upon hearing this, you may have been somewhat, shall we say, bummed. Fear not, bummed out Oblivionites, for Bethesda has spoken and the news is good. When IGN asked if the PS3 content -- titled Knights of the Nine -- would be available for PC and 360, Bethesda's Todd Howard replied, "We always aim to have all our content available across all platforms, so that is our goal." So there you have it, folks. Expect to see Knights of the Nine available sometime in the not too distant future.
And since we can't resist kicking a little fanboy sand every once in a while, we'd like to point out that Bethesda is still in the dark concerning downloadable content on the PS3. Gotta love that Xbox Live.
Posted Jul 29th 2006 12:00PM by Ken Weeks
Filed under: News
Are millions of people being deprived of the opportunity to pay 230 Yen for Samurai horse armour? Slashdot Japan has an article about a web petition calling for a Japanese language edition of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Translating the 360's best game for RPG-obsessed Japan seems like a no-brainer, especially considering Microsoft's continuing struggle to impress in that market. Listen up Bethesda.
Reality Pump -- best studio name ever -- released a few shots of its upcoming RPG Two Worlds. For those unfamiliar with the game, Two Worlds is an open ended RPG seemingly in the same vein as, say, Oblivion. Reality Pump is promising unprecedented storytelling and interactivity, "giving gamers a real chance to shape the world around them."
The official Two Worlds website promises plenty of other buzz words features as well, including:
8 person multiplayer
Mountable beasts
Lots of items
Oh so trendy HDR lighting
"Hyper-realistic tree physics"
Thank God for that last one. I've been lobbying for developers to nail down tree physics for years. It's nice to see that Reality Pump is brave enough to lead the charge.
In case you haven't noticed, new Oblivion content is available on Marketplace. Here's the description according to Major Nelson:
"The lost Ayleid City Varsa Baalim has been unearthed by a rogue Telvanni arch-mage, in pursuit of a fearsome Daedric Artifact, Mehrunes Razor, which he believes will give him the power he needs to topple the Imperial reign - but what horrors lie in wait beneath the Valus mountains; and can you overcome them to claim Mehrune's Razor as your own?"
You can grab Mehrune's Razor for 250 points. Personally, I'm waiting for the next expansion: Kerrek's Aftershave.
Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion is getting close. Bethesda Softworks released the packaging art and details of both the regular and collector's editions. The regular version will feature:
One DVD, no more, no less.
48-page manual
a nice-looking map... ooh, this is gonna be big!
The Collector's Edition will add:
Different packaging (pictured) which reminds me a lot of the Lord of the Rings special edition DVDs.
A bonus DVD featuring the usual screenshots, renders, etc., but it also features a making-of documentary. Check out the trailer!
A collectible coin (a Septim).
A 112-page "Pocket Guide to the Empire."
It sounds like the guys at Bethesda have really gone above and beyond here...
... but wait! There's more! Bethesda have also posted a very in depth (I'm starting to see a pattern here) Q&A session with fans. If you were hoping you could see your legs in first-person, you might want to sit down.
You can't. But we're sure there's something else in their to please you.
(Update: EBGames lists the price for the regular version at $60 and the Collector's Edition at $70.)
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?
Is the anticipated third installment of the Fallout series going to see the light of day on the Xbox 360? It's too early to tell right now, but there are a few things that will give gamers a glimmer of hope. After a brief interlude with Fallout Tactics, the popular RPG franchise is getting a true sequel from Bethesda. Executive Producer Todd Howard informed UK OXM that when work started on Fallout 3 in 2004, the team was only 10 or so strong. After Oblivion finished up, however, most of the staff moved over to work on development for the title. He also hints that while their preproduction process is relatively long, they should soon be able to show it off. Running on the same Gamebryo engine as 
Are millions of people being deprived of the opportunity to pay 230 Yen for Samurai horse armour? Slashdot Japan has an article about a web petition calling for a Japanese language edition of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. Translating the 360's best game for RPG-obsessed Japan seems like a no-brainer, especially considering Microsoft's continuing struggle to impress in that market. Listen up Bethesda.
