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How Metascores Are Calculated
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4 Elements
Stars indicate the most critically-acclaimed games. |
Shivering Isles features more than 30 hours of new gameplay and allows you to explore an entirely new plane of Oblivion – the realm of Sheogorath, the Daedric Prince of Madness. Shivering Isles adds to the existing world of Oblivion so you can continue playing with your existing save game/character, or create an all new character just to explore the new content. Within the Realm of Sheogorath, players can explore the two extreme sides of the god's madness – the sublimely creative and the completely psychotic. Something is happening to the Shivering Isles and Sheogorath himself looks to you to be his champion and defend his realm and its inhabitants from destruction. Do you have the strength to survive his trials, tame a realm fraught with paranoia and despair, and wear the mantle of a God? The 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. You'll encounter more than a dozen new creatures including hideous insects, Flesh Atronachs, skeletal Shambles, amphibious Grummites. Throughout your adventure, you will discover all new items, ingredients, spells, and more, and have the talented craftsmen of Crucible and Bliss forge new armor and weapons just for you. [Bethesda Softworks]
All critic scores are converted to a 100-point scale. If a critic does not indicate a score, we assign a score based on the general impression given by the text of the review. Learn more... 95
Game Informer
Shivering Isles is a bona fide masterpiece and the best that the Elder Scrolls series has to offer.
 91
Just RPG
The download is pricey, but the content is varied, interesting, and most important, plentiful.
91
Gaming Age
Shivering Isles is like Oblivion unleashed and on some kind of psychedelic steroid. While the gameplay remains the same, the artists and level designers kicked things up quite a few notches.
90
AceGamez
Aside from the lack of new music and some minor crashes, if you have played through Oblivion and are looking for a fresh new experience then you can't go wrong with The Elder Scrolls IV: Shivering Isles.
90
VideoGamer
The perfect expansion; it gives you the chance to be good and become Sheogorath's Champion but also lets you be periodically evil, killing and torturing, you can even be the Oblivion version of Frankenstein and create you own monster.
90
2404.org
This expansion is a must-have, plain and simple. A gamer on a budget could wait a bit for the price to come down before buying this addition to the game, as exhausting all possible adventures in Oblivion can take a year of real time, but anyone ready for some different-flavored action won’t be disappointed by this worthy addition to the Elder Scrolls series.
90
GameDaily
With expansive lands and quests, the Shivering Isles brings forth a landscape that adds further dimension to the already impressive world of Oblivion. Players can find much sadistic joy in going mad.
90
Cheat Code Central
As far as gameplay goes, Bethesda has delivered in just about every way. In fact, I think they've improved what Oblivion had to offer.
90
Games Radar
This 15-30 hours of gameplay is a must-play for anyone, even if you didn't finish the main game.
90
GamePro
It delivers more of what made Oblivion great: creative quests, a huge land to explore, and tons of things to do there, making this expansion is a solid purchase for anyone who was a fan of the core game.
89
GamerNode
Shivering Isles is an excellent addition, and any Oblivion fan would be well advised to purchase it. An entirely new land to explore AND some of the most original environments in an Elder Scrolls game? Yes, please.
89
GameZone
The new environment additions are beautifully twisted, the characters are much more memorable this round being hilariously insane sometimes, and the last and best add-on in Shivering Isles are the missions.
89
AtomicGamer
The relatively short playtime and lack of new music or any major Hollywood voice talent are all a letdown, but the gameplay is great and the imagination that went into the Madgod's world really makes this expansion pack shine.
87
Jolt Online Gaming UK
Undoubtedly the expansion is better value on the PC, and you don’t have to worry about logging into Xbox Live in order just to play it, but both packages still represent good value at a solid 20-40 hours of additional gameplay.
87
PC Zone UK
It's overflowing with creative vision and imagination. [June 2007, p.66]
86
GameSpot
Shivering Isles adds more than enough new and interesting content to give you a great reason to dive back into the world of Oblivion.
85
IGN
It respects a player's ability to make decisions, offers some useful armor sets and weapons, and delivers up a vivid, more imaginative variation on the traditional high fantasy province of Cyrodiil.
85
GamingExcellence
With new weapons, enemies, spells, environments, quests, and a story that makes the Knights of the Nine seem like child's play, the Shivering Isles really delivers on the promise of a great expansion pack.
85
Worth Playing
Despite the gatekeeper glitch, and a few tolerable crashes at transitioning points, Elder Scrolls IV – Shivering Isles is certainly money well spent. Characters are well developed and the main storyline is interesting.
85
Game Over Online
From a shear hours-per-dollar perspective the expansion pack is more than worth it. For those who explored every nook and cranny of Oblivion and were somehow craving more, have at it – you doubtless will not be disappointed. For those, like me, who maybe had enough, more time on the all-you-can buffet line isn’t really a good thing.
85
PC Gamer
As Sheogorath would state in a melodious Scottish accent, Shivering Isles is "more of the same, only completely different." [July 2007, p.62]
84
Gamer 2.0
Bethesda Softworks wisely followed the “if it ain’t broke” axiom and left much of the core gameplay unchanged, opting instead to toss on oodles of new content and leaving no stone unturned as to how to make the game that much better.
83
The Onion (A.V. Club)
More of the same, but weird, wicked—and psychotically pretty.
83
Game Almighty
Kudos to Bethesda for going the extra mile and delivering an expansion pack worthy of their history...as well as taking a risk on such a bizarre setting.
83
Strategy Informer
There’s a bounty of new swag, interesting characters and quests to be had in these isles of Mania and Dementia; a great expansion to an already great game.
83
The New York Times
The game does ask the player to make choices, but they seem best decided by a coin toss, as there are no practical or moral reasons to choose a particular path. While a theme of duality runs through the game, it is more narrative conceit than game-play enhancement.
82
My Gamer
Like everything they release, The Shivering Isles is a highly polished gem, well worth every penny. I just wish that they'd tried a little harder to give "honorable" characters a way to win.
82
PC Format
It seems that Oblivion wears insanity quite well, and it's a refreshing approach to the established universe. [May 2007, p.65]
80
1UP
OK, so Shivering Isles doesn't reinvent the fireball. But the impeccable design and construction of the original game breathes life into this expansion -- not, as you might assume, the other way around.
80
GameSpy
Its original problems are still there, but they're more than made up for by the amount of fun to be had in the main quest line. In its current state, the expansion is already fun enough to justify the $30 purchase, and, like the original, we're sure it's only going to get better as time goes by.
80
Boomtown
My only real problem with Shivering Isles is the not-so-great mission structure and how the worlds of Sheogorath seem a bit more dead than the regular game - despite the beauty of the new world. As a supplement to Cyrodiil, however, they work great.
80
Gamers Europe
The only real problem with this expansion is finding the time to play it.
75
PC Gamer UK
This odd land is worth exploring, and its meaty questline worth bashing through. Whether it's worth £18 for the privilege comes down to your appetite for Oblivion's combat.
70
EuroGamer
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.
Steve P. gave it a0: Peter R. gave it a7: James H. gave it a9: Steve K. gave it an8: Sean O. gave it a10: Harm L. gave it a10: |
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