Shivering Isles is now available

[PeteJ]

It doesn't gel like Oblivion does, with generally scruffy looking textures and harsh colour palettes. The lighting is also very stark which highlights the lack of environment shadows in the Oblivion engine. I'm sure some of it is intentional, but it just doesn't work to my eyes.

I still think some areas of Cyrodill are incredibly beautiful, but the best I've seen of the Shivering Isles so far is just about passable.

Don't let that put you off too much, the game is still great and it's considerably more wacky and creative in the Shivering Isles.

I disagree that it looks scruffy - looks exactly the same to me just bat **** insane.

[Skull Commander]

I wish that they would release a retail disc version, as if my 360 messes up again (a high possibility since it's my fourth one), then I will have to be online to play it because of microsoft's daft security feature.

[Charlie]

Fourth 360? Jesus. And there's me feeling short changed because I suspect my first 360 is about to bite the dust after 13 months. You must really like the console to buy four of them!

[Skull Commander]

Exchanged everytime. To add insult to injury I'v only had it for 8 months!

[Dezm0nd]

I've just gotten round to buying this, looking forward to seeing the mental realm

[sj33]

I think Shivering Isles looks totally gorgeous, but I'll agree it's a love/hate style.

[erhgiez]

Okay im a bit confused, just killed the gatekeeper and was told there were two different realms, dementia and mania, one door for each, but each door leads to the same the world, whats the difference between the two? as from the way the guy explained it seemed mania was all bright and colourful but dementia was dark and weird, but its the same for both! im confused, i can see why they call it the gate of madness!

[sj33]

I only went through the Dementia one, but Dementia is simply the lower half of the isle. Mania is the upper half. I don't think it really matters which you go through as you can go anywhere anyway.

[erhgiez]

Ahhh ive read into it a bit more, it seems as if which ever gate you go through thats the world you will play shivering isles in, once you go through one you can't switch between them which is a shame. just doing the gatekeeper again so i can see the difference

Edit: Hmmmp nope no difference, bit dissapointed, I was expecting two very different versions of the same world