Just when I thought I was out ... they pull me back in. That's right, the tired and overused line from The Godfather III. Bite me. I had put one-hundred thirty-seven hours and change into Oblivion last March and April. And now it's a year later and I'm once again donning my character and finding myself back in the game with the expansion pack The Shivering Isles. The expansion is available through Xbox Live Marketplace and it will run you 2,400 Microsoft Points. Is it worth the $30 and roughly one gigabyte worth of hard drive space? If you liked Oblivion, then the answer is a resounding yes. If you didn't, well, then the answer is a resounding no. Shivering Isles is an expansion that doesn't mix things up. It's more of the same. Oh, they offer new areas complete with new towns and non-player characters replete with their own new quests for you to complete. They offer new armor and weapons and items. You get new dungeons with new puzzles and traps. You get new creatures to fight and loot. The land mass of Shivering Isles makes up roughly twenty-five percent of Oblivion's world. So you're getting a sizable adventure. You're just not getting anything new. If you thought anything broken about Oblivion, nothing has been fixed here. If you loved Oblivion, then you're getting more to love with Shivering Isles. Two things have stood out in my travels of the Shivering Isles. The graphics and the art direction are fabulous. The world of the Shivering Isles is gorgeous. Especially the night sky of the lands of mania. It's a wonderfully and impossibly filled sky of glowing purples and blues and yellow. It's entirely fantastical. It's about as far away from realism as possible. And it's a breath of fresh air for it. The other thing that's stood out is the character of Sheogorath who happens to be the God of the realm and the one who puts you on your quest. He's entirely insane and is wonderfully handled and voiced. He walks the fine line rather well. He's out there enough to get the job done without going too far over the top. Within the story, you're in his realm. He wants your help in ridding the Shivering Isles of what's called the Greymarch. The Shivering Isles reflect its creator in Sheogorath. The Shivering Isles are split into the lands of mania and dementia. Everything and everyone in them are insane. They're either manic, or demented. The lands of mania are bright and colorful and are right at home within Alice and Wonderland. The lands of dementia are dark and depressed and are right at home within some horrific fairy-tale. It's very cool concept that seems to have been handled perfectly. I've been spending my time just doing side quests and exploring. It's time to start in on the main quest proper. Hopefully it'll maintain the quality level exhibited thus far.
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