Category Archives: Oblivion

Around the web (and in print, too)

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Here’s a quick look at news I found on our games online (and some in print as well)..

Can you believe it’s been over four years since Oblivion was released? Last week The Koalition’s Gary A. Swaby posted a new article discussing how the RPG holds up today. Here’s an excerpt where he discusses quests within the game.

“Elder Scrolls: Oblivion is damn near unbeatable. Sure the main storyline quest is beatable within a couple hours, but the main quest is nothing. There are literally hundreds of quests in this game, and given the world which Bethesda has created for you, you will definitely attempt to complete as many as you can. The fact that there are two huge expansion packs doesn’t make it any easier either.”

Oblivion also gets mentioned in BitMob’s Top 5 Video Game Sequences written by Omar Yusef, where they included the Dagon Shrine questline …

“It was this specific mission that appropriately demonstrated Oblivion’s breadth. The game allowed players to brazenly hack and slash their way through difficult scenarios or sneak past them. Each problem players were faced with could be approached from a number of angles. In essence, the Dagon Shrine proved that Oblivion catered to almost every type of role player, which is why it’s worthy of commemoration.”

One final bit on Oblivion. The latest (June) issue of OXM has a small feature titled, “The Developer’s Cut,” where developers discuss content from their games that didn’t make the final release. On page 87, Todd Howard discusses content cut from Oblivion. Head to your local newsstand (or your mailbox) to read it, as well as a new preview for Hunted: The Demon’s Forge.

Putting a bow around this roundup, author Grant Tavinor recently released a new book, The Art of Videogames, featuring Fallout 3 on the cover. Throughout the text, you can find references to DOOM, Oblivion, and Fallout 3 (I’m particularly interested in reading the chapter “The Morality of Videogames”). For more on the subject, Tavinor recently wrote a column for Kotaku in response to comments from film critic Roger Ebert.

Updated: GameSetWatch’s Emily Short has an in-depth look back at her play experience with Fallout 3. Read the article here.

The First-Person Observer addresses age-old Elder Scrolls dilemma

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Ever wonder what the shopkeepers of Tamriel do with the metric tons of armor you sell them? The first edition of The First-Person Observer answers this question, and more.

The Observer is the latest site designed by friend of the Bethblog Christopher Livingston. You might remember Livingston as the man behind Livin’ in Oblivion, an ambitious chronicle of the writer’s adventures in Oblivion as a hapless Nord named Nondrick. His latest outlet — delivered in the guise of an Onion-like digest — focuses on what Livingston does best: cheerfully satirizing video game devices.

“I Don’t Know What I’ll Do With All This Used Armor I Keep Buying,” by simple-minded Innkeeper Bogrum Gro-Galash, explores the dark side of Oblivion’s planned economy. Give it a read here.

Planet Elder Scrolls Hall of Fame — March Entries

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APY at Planet Elder Scrolls has announced the latest Hall of Fame mods. Get these installed…stat!

Oblivion Mods

  • First Person Sitting Perspective Fix by Kirel: Now when you sit down in first-person mode, the camera will follow your movement.
  • Dark Green Glass Armor by Ohanzee: This mod gives a new look to glass armor — featuring a dark green tint.
  • Hoarfrost Castle by Antistar: A new castle mod (pictured above) that features an outstanding view over the Great Forest, the Heartlands, and the Nibenay basin: from Bruma, to Chorrol – to the Imperial City.

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Xbox 360 Oblivion: GOTY on Sale for $17.99 at Amazon

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The Bethesda forums may be down, but Bethesda games can still be played. And if you still haven’t checked out Oblivion: Game of the Year Edition, today’s Amazon Deal of the Day may entice you.

Microsoft’s Larry “Major Nelson” Hryb sends word that the Xbox 360 edition of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition is only $17.99 on Amazon today. As a reminder, the GOTY edition includes both the Shivering Isles and Knights of the Nine expansions.

Around the web: Phobos Anomaly

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A few important reminders to kick off this roundup:

1. You can still win a big TV, game console and sound system on GameStop courtesy of Brink.

2. Phobos is not, in fact, populated by cyberdemons. Yet.

Now that we have that out of the way, let’s get on with the cool links. Fallout fans should be sure to check out the last one.

Let us know in the comments if you’ve seen anything else out there that’s worth a look.

Go! Shivering Isles!!

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You might recall in December we shared this crazy awesome Fallout 3 fan art from Japanese artist White Lotus. Today Tetsu Takahasi, head of ZeniMax Asia, emailed me White Lotus’ latest work (and my newest desktop wallpaper) — a tribute to Oblivion and The Shivering Isles. Amazing stuff!

Tetsu also let me know that a localized version of Oblivion Game of the Year Edition is coming to Japan on April 22nd — for both Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3.

IGN remembers the 2000s

In the past couple weeks, IGN has recounted their top games of the past decade. Within the lists, Oblivion made their top 10 list for 2006 (at #4), while Fallout 3 took the top spot for 2008. In addition to a year-by-year countdown, they also put together their overall top 10 for the decade – naming Fallout 3 to the list at #7.

Head to IGN to read the full list for each year for both movies and games.

Planet Elder Scrolls names Hall of Fame mods for January

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Planet Elder Scrolls has announced the latest Hall of Fame mods for Morrowind and Oblivion. Here’s a look…

Morrowind mods

  • Leveled Magicka by hessi9: This mod increases your maximum magicka at 4% per level (at level 26 your starting magicka has been doubled. The mod requires having either the Bloodmoon or Tribunal expansion.
  • Rise of House Telvanni by Pozzo, Bhl, and Karpik777: Pictured above, this mod is an extended version of Pozzo’s Rise of House Telvanni. By a series of quests and political decisions the player can either lead House Telvanni to political predominance or expand it moderately.
  • Hilgya the Seamstress by Plangkye: A new shop in Dagon Fel selling some fancy threads for Better Bodies 2.o.

Oblivion mods

  • Benirus Manor – Necromancer’s Lair by Vypress: Vypress’ first mod, Benirus Manor adds a necromancer’s lair to the basement of Benirus Manor in Anvil.
  • Harvest [Flora] by Quarn and Dejunai: This mod changes the physical appearance of plants if you have harvested them.
  • The Heart of the Dead by BFreyermuth: A sizable new quest mod that features new characters, hours of new quests filled with new dungeons, and more.

Congrats to all these modders for their contributions to the community.

Around the web

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This week at USA Today’s Game Hunters, Todd Howard shares his favorites games of the Naughties, Aughties, Oughties, or simply the 2000′s. Already his comments about Gran Turismo 3 have had traction (tires…traction…get it??) with readers. To see the rest of his favs, head here.

Read more after the break…

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