FiringSquad: What are the dev team's favorite new monsters in the expansion?

Mark Nelson: There are so many, it's hard to choose. The Scalon is one of my new favorites. They're large, hulking, amphibious creatures that can really startle you. It doesn't hurt that they have the ability to become invisible when they are about to jump out and attack.

FiringSquad: What other content and gameplay elements have been added to Shivering Isles?

Mark Nelson: There are a ton of new quests for the player to experience in the Shivering Isles. In addition to the main quest, there are a bunch of miscellaneous quests spread throughout the world. I'm very proud of the quests. I think they're among the most expansive, interesting quests that have ever appeared in an Elder Scrolls game.

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. A ETA of Q2 2007 has been given.

GamerNode have previewed the Oblivion expansion pack Knights of the Nine, the retail version of which also includes the existing released plug-ins.

Knights of the Nine is an upcoming add-on pack for Bethesda's smash-hit The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. To date, it is the largest add-on content Bethesda has created for Oblivion and it'll easily rival the size of a standard expansion pack. After getting my feet wet with a preview of the expansion, it's pretty clear that this will provide more content for fans of not only the game but for gamers everywhere.

Knights starts out with an attack on Anvil's Chapel of Dibella. When you venture there, you'll meet a prophet who foretells a prophecy of an ancient evil (named Umaril) arising from the past to lay waste to all who oppose him. But in order to combat him, you'll need to acquire the equipment from the legendary warrior who laid the smack down on him back in the past. Note this quest-line is only for good folks, but that doesn't mean you evil folks are immediately ruled out.

It'll set you back 800 Microsoft Points on Xbox 360, $9.99 on the PC or $19.99 for the retail version.

It looks like Oblivion has slipped off the PlayStation 3's launch lineup for North America, history seems to be repeating itself again.

The game is now due to be released Q1 2007 on the PS3.

Bethesda Softworks Announces Oblivion™

for PLAYSTATION®3 and  PSP®System

Award-Winning, Best-Selling Role Playing Game Slated As
PLAYSTATION®3 Launch Title in North America and Europe

September 28, 2006 (Rockville, MD) -- Bethesda Softworks® announced today that its blockbuster role-playing game, The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion™  will be a launch title for the PLAYSTATION®3 computer entertainment system this November in North America, and next March in Europe when the new console is expected to be released there. In addition, The Elder Scrolls® Travels: Oblivion™ will be released on the PSP®(PlayStation®Portable) system in the Spring 2007 in North America and Europe.  

Both the PLAYSTATION 3 and PSP system titles will be published exclusively in North America by Bethesda Softworks, while in Europe, Ubisoft will serve as co-publisher. Complete details on both games are available in Official U.S. PlayStation Magazine's (OPM) exclusive cover story (November issue), which hits newsstands Oct. 10. In its article OPM previews the gameplay, graphics, and new content in Oblivion and concludes: "If any game is worth the price of the PS3, Oblivion is it."

Released in March for Xbox 360™ video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and Windows, Oblivion has already earned high praises and awards from publications around the world. Official Xbox Magazine (US) gave Oblivion a 9.5 out of 10 and an Editor’s Choice award, calling Oblivion "An Absolute Masterpiece." G4 TV named it the Best Game of 2006, and PC Gamer (UK) ranked Oblivion #1 on its list of the Top 100 PC games of all time.

Metracritic.com lists Oblivion as the highest rated game of all time on Xbox 360. Oblivion has also been nominated for numerous awards in upcoming events, including the Golden Joystick Awards (five nominations) and The British Academy of Film and Television Arts awards (five nominations).

"We're very excited to be able to bring a game like Oblivion out for launch for the PLAYSTATION 3," said Bethesda Softworks president, Vlatko Andonov. “Oblivion's countless awards and commercial success to date make it clear that  PLAYSTATION 3 owners are in for a real treat this November."

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.

After the mysterious and untimely death of the Emperor, the throne of Tamriel lies 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, you must find the lost heir to the throne and unravel the sinister plot that threatens to destroy all of Tamriel.

The Oblivion mod scene has now had a particular interesting release, although still early the MulitTES4 now enables some multiplayer features, the describe from their website:

MultiTES4 is my attempt at an Oblivion mod/add-on that, you guessed, adds multiplayer to this awesome game. I started the work on this project around the 7th of May, 2006. It's come a long way, and has a long way to go, but with perseverance and a little luck, it'll go a long way. At the moment, MultiTES4 consists of three components: A client application, a server application, and a Oblivion 'esp' modification file. All these combined with a little luck (and a whole heap of code) and voila, we have multiplayer!