Of course no one has that much power, and I never did complete that last Shivering Isles godhood quest...

Zero Punctuation [The Escapist]

People like myself and some people that work here actually grew up as hardcore PC guys, and now we're older, we have kids, we don't have that much time, so we've transitioned. We're console players now.

But we still have those PC game sensibilities. Those are the games we like. So I think BioShock has a little bit of that too. You can definitely feel the old System Shock roots in that game. So hopefully there's a trend there.

I think that we do have a pretty good understanding what all of the different sections of our fan base are interested in, but it comes back to the thing of, you know, gotta make the game that we think is the best. Certainly, try and take those things into consideration, but there are people in the office who spend 14, 16, 18 hours a day making this game, and sometimes, if you're going to break a tie, you go with our instincts.

Personally, if I spent 18 hours a day working on something, I'd be in a mood much less amenable to taking suggestions from fans, so props to the Bethesda crew. Hines also shared some learning experiences about their AI and the ways they've refined it since the Oblivion days:

Like having somebody go off and get themselves killed while you're in the middle of a forest isn't fun, but it is fun if you walk into a town and everybody is acting in a believable fashion. And when you overhear conversations, they're referring to each other by their first name. Like, it just adds another level to the realism.

So I think we've tried to focus on putting more of that stuff in front of the player, and less stuff like, "Oh, this happened two towns away from you!" Just, hey, by the way. That doesn't mean anything.

But what would you prefer, to explore humongous, varied worlds with a little content in each place, or a smaller, more compact world with more a higher quest/location ratio?

Fallout 3 [Gameplayer via GamingToday]

GDC's Jamil Moledina has updated his "Director's Cut" blog with details on four new sessions that will be taking place at next year's conference. Here's the summary, for those not into the whole reading thing:

• A talk by Ken Rolston and Mark Nelson of Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion discussing collaborative writing
• A talk by Rob Pardo, VP of Design for Blizzard, about the company's approach to multiplayer game design, both what they've learned through titles like World of Warcraft and how they're applying them forward
• A talk with Harmonix's VP of Product Development, Greg LoPiccolo that is a postmortem of a postmortem - a first for GDC - of course, about Rock Band
• A talk with Haden Blackman of LucasArts about the convergent pipeline used in making the upcoming Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

I find all of these pretty interesting, but top of my list is the Harmonix postmortem postmortem, that could be quite interesting.

A Few of Our Favorite Things [GDC]

So, we got in touch with Bethesda Softworks to get confirmation, expecting a nice eulogy attached alongside the response. The official word? "We haven't changed our stance that we are not talking about this title right now," says Pete Hines, V.P. of Marketing and Public Relations at Bethesda.

Finally! Some closure.

We've not heard word from Bethesda Softworks, but the game has indeed been removed from Gamestop's online store. We're waiting to hear back from the Elder Scrolls developer on the matter and hope to dash your dreams officially soon.

Thanks for the tips, Ryan and Paul.

Rolston is referring to all of his writing philosophies —a lifetime's worth of genius or folly—being pumped into our open and willing/possibly-still-intoxicated-from-last-night ear drums.

He presents us with his BIG WRONG IDEAS, a deconstructionist approach that makes bold claims like theme is more important than character and paper is better than plastic to clarify point and purpose.

It was outright insanity I tell you.

He explains that linear forms like film and novels are better at telling stories than games—something that's looking to be flat-out true at the moment—and concluded that inference (such as the ruins in Morrowin) is the best way for gamers to experience compelling narrative which can, at peak, invoke an intangible melancholy.

In the Renaissance, melancholy was a sign of genius. We don't think he was necessarily referring to that interpretation.

Whether or not you enjoy Rolston's opus RPGs, he is certainly trying to accomplish new feats...other than that 50-person mouth spray. That's totally been done before (just check out the German primetime).

Fortunately, it doesn't look like this will have any effect on Silent Hill Origins, which is being worked on by a separate team and appears to be shaping up nicely.

Checking in on retailer GameStop's site it looks like the game is showing a December ship date, pushed quite far back from the original Spring 07 goal, which supports the delay but not the cancellation. More on this as it develops.

While different techniques can be used to achieve this effect, usually the same shot is taken multiple times at different exposures. Then the light information is combined through post-production, sometimes resembling content from a popular rpg.

OK, I'm done boring the hell out of you now. Back to cock jokes and 8-bit genitalia.

The Secret Underground Ukrainian Restaurant [stuckincustoms]

While the flap over the Forza Motorsport 2 content may still be too young, it raises some interesting questions. Does the ESRB need to extend its warning to consumers beyond the "game experience may change during online play" splash screen? It would be much easier for a gamer to come across content that causes offense in a game like Forza 2 than to witness the unfinished "adults only" Hot Coffee mod material.

I would tend to agree that games that have the ability to see user created content added to the game and its online experience need to be more clearly labeled by the ESRB, at the very least in attempts to better inform consumers and to protect the industry's developers. What do you think about new ratings for games that are more open to user created content?

Call the ESRB! [Curmudgeon Gamer]
Why wouldn't the ESRB act on Forza? [Cathode Tan]

I didn't get a chance to play through the game fully until I picked up the PS3 version, despite owning both the 360 and PC versions at various points in time. I spent an entire weekend completing as much of the game as I could, and then realized I had trapped myself into a version of the game that hadn't gotten Isles yet. I don't relish the thought of buying yet another copy of the same game to finish the saga, but as of right now it looks to be my only choice. Boo.

Bethesda Softworks Announces The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year Edition

Expanded Version of Award-Winning Role Playing Game, for PC, Xbox 360, PLAYSTATION®3 system Available In September

July 9, 2007 (Rockville, MD) - Bethesda Softworks®, a ZeniMax Media company, announced today that it will release The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion® Game of the Year Edition (GotY) for Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft, PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system from Sony, and Windows this September. Oblivion GotY will include the original version of the award-winning RPG Oblivion along with the official expansion, The Elder Scrolls® IV: Shivering Isles™, and the downloadable content, Knights of the Nine™.

This new product will allow players who have never played the 2006 Game of the Year to experience Oblivion for the first time with additional content. In addition, gamers can continue their existing games of Oblivion and experience the new quests and areas offered by the expansion and downloadable content.

Released in March 2006 for Windows and Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and in March 2007 for PLAYSTATION®3 system, Oblivion has already earned countless awards from publications around the world and won numerous Game of the Year and RPG of the Year awards. Gamerankings.com and MetaCritic.com list Oblivion as the highest rated game of all time on both Xbox 360 and PLAYSTATION®3 system.

Oblivion features a powerful combination of free-form gameplay, unprecedented graphics, cutting edge AI, character voices by acting legends Patrick Stewart, Sean Bean, Terrance Stamp, and Lynda Carter, and an award-winning soundtrack. Gamers can choose to unravel Oblivion's epic narrative at their own pace or explore the vast world in search of their own unique challenges.

With more than 30 hours of new gameplay, Shivering Isles allows you to explore an entirely new plane of Oblivion - the realm of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. Shivering Isles features a bizarre landscape split between the two sides - Mania and Dementia -filled with vast, twisting dungeons mirroring the roots of the trees they are buried within. Sheogorath himself looks to you to be his champion and defend his realm and its inhabitants from destruction as you discover all new items, ingredients, spells, and much more.

Knights of the Nine features an all-new faction and quests for noble characters and answers many of the questions surrounding the Ayleid ruins found throughout Oblivion. Players can join a new faction and found their own order of holy knights - leading them into battle against a sorcerer-king and his demonic minions while exploring massive dungeons and searching for legendary relics - the holy armor and weapons of the Divine Crusader.

Earlier this year, a petition from Japanese gamers popped up online. They were eager to play a localized version of the then unlocalized RPG Oblivion. Those gamers got their wish, and the game has been brought to The Land of the Rising Sun in Japanese. This week's Famitsu brings word that Xbox 360 games Mass Effect and BioShock will be getting full localization. This news should make 3,000 Japanese people buying Xbox 360s every week very, very happy! Brian Ashcraft

This Week In Japan [Next-Gen]

The Wall is the first cross-platform current gen title from Russia. The PS3/Xbox 360 game combines genre elements from FPS, RTS and RPG games. Slated for a second quarter 2008 release, it's being developed by pc game maker Play Ten Interactive and will incorporate Emergent's Gamebryo dev tech, which was employed in Oblivion and Civilization IV. Says Dmitri Kruglov, CEO of Play Ten:

Only Emergent offered us a complete and flexible set of existing and upcoming tools and services to make the PC to console transition so smooth... Emergent gives us the flexibility we need as we break ground in Russia.

The Wall [Next-Gen]

Then in December we were told by Xbox Japan that a localized version was in the works, for release sometime this year. Well thanks to a co-publishing agreement with Japanese publisher Spike, the game is now set to ship on July 26th.

"We are pleased to be partnering with Bethesda Softworks to bring this landmark role-playing game to Japan," said Mitsutoshi Sakurai, CEO of Spike. "We are sure that Oblivion will enjoy the same level of success and critical acclaim it has achieved in other parts of the world. "

SPIKE TO CO-PUBLISH THE ELDER SCROLLS IV: OBLIVION FOR XBOX 360 IN JAPAN

Tokyo, Japan - May 17, 2007 - Spike today announced that it has reached an agreement with Bethesda Softworks , a ZeniMax Media company, to co-publish the blockbuster role-playing game, The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft in Japan. Developed by Bethesda Games Studios, Oblivion is the latest chapter in the epic and highly successful Elder Scrolls series and utilizes next-generation video game hardware to fully immerse the player in an experience unlike any other. Oblivion is scheduled to ship in Japan on July 26, 2007. The retail price will be 7,800JPY.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion begins after the Emperor's mysterious and untimely death leaves the throne of Tamriel empty. With the Empire ready to crumble, the gates of Oblivion open and demons march upon the land, laying waste to everything in their path. To turn the tide of darkness, players must find the lost heir to the throne and unravel the sinister plot that threatens to destroy all of Tamriel.

"We are pleased to be partnering with Bethesda Softworks to bring this landmark role-playing game to Japan," said Mitsutoshi Sakurai, CEO of Spike. "We are sure that Oblivion will enjoy the same level of success and critical acclaim it has achieved in other parts of the world. "

The Elder ScrollsR IV: Oblivion sold over 3 million units worldwide in 2006 and has earned countless accolades from publications worldwide, including numerous 'Game of the Year' and 'RPG of the Year' awards. In addition, Gamerankings.com and MetaCritic.com list Oblivion as the highest rated game of all time on Xbox 360 and PlayStation3.

According to GamesIndustry.biz, one of the leading video game retailers in the United Kingdom has refused to carry Bethesda's RPG masterpiece The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion for the PlayStation 3, which went on sale today. Not one of GAME's 400 stores will be stocking the game on their shelves, and a quick check at their website shows the title listed as out of stock.

Why would one of the top UK video game retailers choose not to sell a multi-million selling game title for the PlayStation 3 they will freely distribute for the Xbox 360 and the PC? They aren't talking, and GI seems to have no clue either. It's a grand mystery!

Until GAME changes its mind, PS3 owners over there will just have to hunt a little harder for one of the best games the system has going for it at the moment. I know! Consider it a preliminary, warm-up quest for the main event. Just don't kill anyone. Michael Fahey

GAME refuses to stock Oblivion for PS3 [GamesIndustry.biz]

Update - CVG has the scoop here. Supply problems is all. Mystery solved. Back to Pokemon.

Man, when those Bethesda guys (and women) sign stuff, they don't screw around. This is the full cover of our copy of the PS3 version of Oblivion absolutely loaded with signatures from the team that created the amazing game.

Yours for free if you win our PS3 Uber-contest. Brian Crecente

Two days left [Kotaku]

If you want it, you better get cracking. The download weighs in a just a hair under a gig. Now go! Michael McWhertor

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Shivering Isles (Now Available) [Major Nelson]

Hey reader people, don't forget about our super amazing totally bitchin' PLAYSTATION 3 contest! We are giving away a one-of-a-kind customized PS3, copies of Fight Night, Madden, Call of Duty, Ridge Race and developer autographed copies of both Resistance and Oblivion. To bring everyone up to speed:

The contest is based on Crecente's sadistic treasure hunts. Long-time readers will know what we're talking about. Basically, we give you a clue about a post we've done, and then y'all must go find it. If you find the correct post, there will be another clue, which you'll need to track down. And so on. This contest will have five questions, or "Missions" as I call them. The contest ends Friday March 30 at midnight EST. Send all your answers with links to kotakucontest@gmail.com with the word contest in the subject line. The winner will be randomly selected from the correct entries and announced the following Monday. Be sure to take a look at our rules. Anyone who posts answers on Kotaku or anywhere on the internet will be banned and made an example of. Here's your first mission:

Mission #1: The PS3 launch reached new levels of nutso. Save for one. One store's was just plain boring. Well, which one was it?

Can this contest get any cooler? CAN IT? Brian Ashcraft

So the folks over at Insomniac Games couldn't help but notice that our spiffy Playstation 3 giveaway, while now featuring a copy of Oblivion signed by some of the Bethesda devs, was still very much lacking in any Resistance Fall of Man-nary...Um, yeah.

And they couldn't have that, so they've offered to throw in a free copy for our one lucky reader. Better still, they've even offered to have some of their devs sign the copy as well.

So let me get this straight, our giveaway now includes a one-of-a-kind laser etched PS3, copies of Fight Night, Madden, Call of Duty, Ridge Racer and signed copies of both Oblivion and Resistance.

This is officially now our coolest contest ever, I think.

Sadistic PS3 Contest [Kotaku]

Bethesda Softworks Veep and Kotaku reader Pete Hines noticed that our Playstation 3 contest had plenty of sexy console in it but that the games were a tad dated. So he emailed to ask if we'd like a copy of Oblivion to throw into the mix.

Damn straight we would. Right after I said yes, I got to looking a gift horse in the mouth and emailed Pete back to see if some of the development team would sign the game before shipping it out to us for the contest. Yes, yes they will be. Hotness.

So now you'll be trying to win not only that amazing laser-etched PS3, but copies of Fight Night, Madden, Call of Duty, Ridge Racer and a copy of Oblivion signed by some of the dev team. And let me tell, all you really need is Oblivion, the game will suck up every free second you have until you beat it.

Viva la Kotaku Readers! Brian Crecente

I guess they don't count the Knights of the Nine content as an expansion proper. Still, I think we can all absorb this knowledge comforted in the fact (okay, speculation) that Bethesda is hard at work on The Elder Scrolls V. Michael McWhertor

No more expansion for Oblivion... [OXM]

Spokesperson Pete Hines told trade weekly MCV, "We plan to support downloadable content on PS3, but we couldn't tell you how or when it will be out, because it's not clear how we're going to do that yet."

So while Oblivion will run much more smoothly and look better overall on the PS3, there'll be no horse armor. I ask you then, what is the point? Michael Fahey

Questions Over Oblivion PS3 Online Plans [Next Generation]

While BHG may be more well known for their real time strategy output, including Rise of Nations, they've apparently had a RPG brewing for several years and tapped into Rolston's expertise. Even though he threatened to retire from the game game last year, Rolston explains "Tim and his army of visionary charmers came along with a strikingly original and cunning concept for a console RPG...so now I'm back in the harness and chomping at the bit!" Rolston then neighed with delight and was fed an apple as part of his contract.

With Bethesda's Morrowind and Oblivion a part of Rolston's pedigree and BHG's upcoming Xbox Live Arcade game Catan due to hit sometime this year, don't be surprised to see the unannounced title hit the 360 when it's officially revealed. Michael McWhertor

Veteran Designer Ken Rolston Joins BHG

IGN: Did you ever think about including SIXAXIS motion support?

Pete Hines: We didn't think about doing anything with the SIXAXIS stuff. We just wanted to make sure it played well and doing something new with the SIXAXIS just wasn't even necessary. Obviously if we ever have a game that would work well with the SIXAXIS then we would consider using it... but that wasn't an option for Oblivion.

IGN: What do you think about SIXAXIS?

Pete Hines: I think that its value depends upon the game. It didn't make sense on Oblivion but I'm sure there are some games it does make sense on. To be honest I would rather have the rumble instead of the SIXAXIS motion stuff.

Hines also added "when you're playing Oblivion it's nice to feel the weapons connecting with an opponent, so the absence of the rumble is notable when playing Elder Scrolls." Hey, you're not the only one, Pete. That does sound nice. Michael McWhertor

Bethesda Enters PS3 Oblivion [IGN via Max Console]

A BGN Original - Ye Olde Pickup Lines of Oblivion [Busy Gamer News]

Epic Games may need to invest in a bigger glass case, as they've been nominated for an amazing ten awards from the Academy of Interactive Arts and Sciences. Other titles getting copious nods include The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion with eight and The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess and Viva Pinata with six each.

Gears saw noms in the following categories: Overall Game of the Year, Console Game of the Year, Outstanding Innovation in Gaming, Outstanding Achievement in Animation, Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction, Outstanding Character Performance - Male, Outstanding Achievement in Game Play Engineering, Outstanding Achievement in Online Game Play, Outstanding Achievement in Visual Engineering, and Action/Adventure Game of the Year. Phew!

The awards will be handed out on February 8 alongside the upcoming DICE summit in Nevada.

Check the official site for the full list of nominees while I ponder how Okami missed a mention for Outstanding Achievement in Art Direction. I swear I'll figure it out! Michael McWhertor

10th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards

Supereditor Simon Carless points his court of GameSetWatch readers to an interesting bit of info on the PlayStation 3 version of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion culled from this month's EGM. (For the record, I'm a subscriber—just haven't received my issue yet.) When following up on a comment from the game's executive producer on the PS3's slower Blu-ray drive, EGM reveals that:

The PS3 Oblivion team compensated for the slower drive by duplicating data across the Blu-ray disc, making it faster to find and load

Wow! How digitally MacGyverish of you, Bethesda!

Some of you might moan about the inclusion of a new, expensive, unrequested technology with little to no noticeable benefit driving up the price, but that's negative thinking. I prefer to look at it this way: I'm getting twice the game with my future Oblivion for PS3 purchase. Advantage: Sony! Michael McWhertor

PS3 Oblivion Seeing Double To Counteract Blu-Ray [GameSetWatch]

Sadly, I got suckered into pedaling my way through a tortuous ten minutes of Need For Speed: Carbon only to realize I'm terribly out of shape and despise being on display. Plus, I found myself irrationally jealous of the man who got to play Oblivion on the nice bike. Avoid this hall at all costs if you hate being the subject of humiliation gaming! Michael McWhertor

The new issue of British PC gaming mag PC Zone, on stands today, reveals information about The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion's first full expansion pack. Unlike the paltry offerings we've received so far (not including the excellent horse armor, of course), the Shivering Isles expansion promises over 30 hours of new gameplay. New quests, new monsters, and a whole new land that changes based on your decisions as you play.

Setting the scene, it's explained that an ominous-looking gate has opened in Nibben Bay, the portal leading to a torn realm - the Shivering Isles - ruled by Sheogorath, the god of madness and dementia. Apparently, adventurers will meet the god and "plough through his trials", but it's additionally hinted that ultimately we may well be usurping the deity.

The magazine also has the first screenshots as well, so if any of our European friends with a scanner would be so kind, we'd surely appreciate it. Michael Fahey

Oblivion expansion: First concrete details [PC Zone Magazine via Voodoo Extreme]

Wow. They asked for it, and they got it. Back in August, we reported that Japanese Xbox 360 owners had filed a petition, calling for Oblivion to be translated into Japanese. The title was available in an English-language Asian version; Japanese gamers who wanted to play it had to muddle through in a foreign language. But with 360 sales low, localization didn't seem like it was even worth it. Xbox Japan pinged the Kotaku mailbox and sends word that The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will available in Japanese sometime next year. Inspiring, really. Brian Ashcraft

Previous: Japan Wants Oblivion... In Japanese! [Kotaku]

For the next ten days, you can get the Mehrunes Razor download for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion free via Xbox Live. It's spelled out very well in this Bethesda Softworks update:

We're pleased to announce that we've worked with the good folks at Xbox Live to give away one of our most popular downloads for Oblivion - Mehrunes Razor - for a limited period of time. Starting this Friday, Dec. 22, Xbox 360 gamers will be able to download Mehrunes Razor for free. This offer is only for a limited time...from Dec. 22 to Dec. 31. On Monday, Jan. 1 it will go back to its standard price.

Normally a 250 point download, the free quest will give Oblivion owners the chance to earn Mehrunes Razor—a weapon with the ability to kill foes instantly—and discover 17 new magic items, all within the fringes of the Niben. Exciting! Michael McWhertor

I received this cool little leather Oblivion book in the mail yesterday. Actually, it's really just a leather book cover, which is even cooler because you can slap it on anything the right size. It came wrapped around a daytimer, but I'm going to see if I can find a Moleskin that will fit in it. Brian Crecente

Another PlayStation 3 launch game bites the dust.

Following yesterday's announcement that Sega's next-gen Sonic the Hedgehog would ship after November 17th and the cancellation of NBA Live 07, comes word from Bethesda that The Elders Scrolls IV: Oblivion would also see a delay.

The game is now schedule to ship in the first quarter of 2007, with no specific reason given for the delay, but we're guessing the limited number of PS3 launch units, combined with alleged issues on the downloadable content front might have something to do with it. PC gamers and Xbox 360 owners will still get their expansion, Knights of the Nine, before the holidays.

You know what this means? More money for extra copies of Resistance! Michael McWhertor

The Elder Scrolls Forums: News and Information

Good news for all you Oblivion fans out there. The new expansion for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, titled Knights of the Nine, will be available in several forms when it's finally released later this moth.

The content will be included as part of the PlayStation 3 version, while PC users will have to pay $19.99 for the 10-20 hours of new gameplay. Lucky Xbox 360 owners will be able to download it directly from Xbox Live Arcade for a mere 800 Microsoft points. Or in real money, around $10.

With all the attention being paid to microtransactions lately, it's good to know someone out there is listening. Flynn De Marco

Microsoft's Major "Larry" Nelson and 1Up's woolly Andrew Pfister talk about the current micro-transactions brouhaha. Both make good points, but man, Lar gesticulates like crazy. Brian Ashcraft

Micro-Talk Micro-Transactions [Destructoid]

Well, that Oblivion PS3 content didn't stay exclusive for long... or at all, I guess. Bethesda has announced that Knights of the Nine will be coming to the 360 and PC on November 21st, as well as being sold as an expansion pack in stores along with all of Bethesda's other, over-priced microcontent. Content which will include

• The Horse Armor Mod. Be still my heart.
• The Orrery
• The Wizard's Tower
• Vile Lair
• Thieves Den
• Mehrunes' Razor
• Spell Tomes

...and the new Knights of the Nine content, featuring an all-new faction and quests. Natch. Florian Eckhardt

Bethesda Softworks Announces Knights of the Nine [Evil Avatar]