Ed Oscuro
03-29-2007, 04:18 PM
Well, I bought the game the day it hit my store (the day after release, which for some was the 27th), and finally played it a bit in the wee hours of the morning today.
It's...different. The outside world didn't look quite as stunning as I had hoped, but interior architecture is awesome (particularly the dungeons), and my inventory is filling up with wierd stuff.
Beyond that, I don't know what to say. There's a lot of enemies which have pronounced strengths and weaknesses to different elements, so you have to choose your magical weaponry carefully. Personally, I find it a bit troublesome, but it's very natural to me as a hardcore Elder Scrolls player since Morrowind - the game was definitely designed with the experienced player in mind.
There's no new music (ugh, same dungeon theme - oh shit, a bird just hit my wondow, stupid fetcher), but there IS new dialogue. Lots of it. Even the little phrases people say when you leave them are re-recorded - the words and actor might be the same, but they will say it differently. That's nice.
There's lots of new books (I've already transcribed one of them at the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages Wiki (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Shivering)), all-new flora and fauna, and the ability to craft your own equipment (via Molds and Madness Ore, at the least).
Fans of Morrowind will recognize the giant mushroom trees from the northern shore - and yes, they actually are called Mushroom Trees (small ones are Saplings), as the landscape is covered with them.
How does this expansion compare with previous expansions - namely Tribunal, Bloodmoon, and Knights of the Nine (i.e. all the online downloads + the Knights of the Nine mission)? It's definitely better than Tribunal in terms of looks (everything is), and KotN was pretty short and didn't add much. Bloodmoon was pretty awesome, from what I've played, and had some innovative features like a settlement built during the time you completed missions. You could even be a werewolf, although I STILL haven't ever allowed myself to be infected with vampirism or anything of the sort, being a sort of paladin-like character. Shivering Isles adds the sort of stuff that interests me more - crafting stuff and experiencing new lands. I have yet to see if it's really up to my expectations, though.
I am hoping that the forest gets a bit thicker in parts, and I also noticed that the island can be covered quite quickly running from end to end - but it still quite big and looks nice.
Also, Sheogorath has the WIERDEST greeting for you. He's one creepy mother-SHUT YO MOUTH
It's...different. The outside world didn't look quite as stunning as I had hoped, but interior architecture is awesome (particularly the dungeons), and my inventory is filling up with wierd stuff.
Beyond that, I don't know what to say. There's a lot of enemies which have pronounced strengths and weaknesses to different elements, so you have to choose your magical weaponry carefully. Personally, I find it a bit troublesome, but it's very natural to me as a hardcore Elder Scrolls player since Morrowind - the game was definitely designed with the experienced player in mind.
There's no new music (ugh, same dungeon theme - oh shit, a bird just hit my wondow, stupid fetcher), but there IS new dialogue. Lots of it. Even the little phrases people say when you leave them are re-recorded - the words and actor might be the same, but they will say it differently. That's nice.
There's lots of new books (I've already transcribed one of them at the Unofficial Elder Scrolls Pages Wiki (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Shivering)), all-new flora and fauna, and the ability to craft your own equipment (via Molds and Madness Ore, at the least).
Fans of Morrowind will recognize the giant mushroom trees from the northern shore - and yes, they actually are called Mushroom Trees (small ones are Saplings), as the landscape is covered with them.
How does this expansion compare with previous expansions - namely Tribunal, Bloodmoon, and Knights of the Nine (i.e. all the online downloads + the Knights of the Nine mission)? It's definitely better than Tribunal in terms of looks (everything is), and KotN was pretty short and didn't add much. Bloodmoon was pretty awesome, from what I've played, and had some innovative features like a settlement built during the time you completed missions. You could even be a werewolf, although I STILL haven't ever allowed myself to be infected with vampirism or anything of the sort, being a sort of paladin-like character. Shivering Isles adds the sort of stuff that interests me more - crafting stuff and experiencing new lands. I have yet to see if it's really up to my expectations, though.
I am hoping that the forest gets a bit thicker in parts, and I also noticed that the island can be covered quite quickly running from end to end - but it still quite big and looks nice.
Also, Sheogorath has the WIERDEST greeting for you. He's one creepy mother-SHUT YO MOUTH