The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles Reviews

A trio of reviews for Bethesda’s The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles expansion pack bring us into the weekend. The first is at PALGN with an overall score of 8.5/10:

This isn’t a completely unconditional purchase. If your own Oblivion adventure has long since come to a close, and you would need an entirely fresh approach to make the trip back again, then Shivering Isles probably isn’t worth the time. The revolutionary gameplay Bethesda develops with every new Elder Scrolls instalment is still here in fine form, but Oblivion was such a long game in itself some players may have reached their personal limit of appreciation. However, there needn’t be any hesitation to burn those points if you’re still yearning for some more medieval madness, because the Shivering Isles adds even more incredible gameplay to an already stunning RPG formula.

The second is at Eurogamer with an overall score of 7/10:

I can’t see anyone who enjoyed Oblivion enough to get through the main quest not buying this. There’s lashings of new fighting and exploring, and it’s more gorgeous than ever before. But maybe it was just the artist’s turn to smoke the hookah of inspiration. There were plenty of people for whom the easily-broken game mechanics and problematic levelling system of Oblivion was too tortuous to contend with. This expansion does nothing to fix any problems these folk might have had – it’s just the same game as it ever was, only this time with a slightly weirder backdrop, and less interesting questing.

And the third is at Extreme Gamer with an overall score of 9/10:

The Shivering Isles expansion for Oblivion was everything I expected, and a little more. This expansion into the land of the mad shows us Bethesda’s dark side which sparks more creativity within the plot, characters, and design. Stepping through that portal near Bravil will reignite your passion of Oblivion, and remind you why you’ve loved the game originally. If you’re a fan of Oblivion, Shivering Isles has enough content that is worth the price of the download.