Will I find myself being sucked in and losing contact with the real world again? Or, perhaps more worrying, will I be unable to attain that same level of immersion for a second time? It's A Mad, Mad World Once I cross the threshold, there's no turning back. Shortly afterwards, the strain on my time and senses became too much and I gave up playing altogether.ДЄs such, it's with some trepidation that I stand here at the portal to the Shivering Isles. I bounced around towns like some demented space hopper and cast hundreds of life detect spells while huddled in a town square, all in order to maximise my stats when I levelled-up. I was forced to perfect a new style of combat, namely back-pedalling furiously while casting spells until my magicka ran dry.Дuly chastened, I began spending hours at the beach, scouring the sand for mud crabs to punch. Bandits that were now dressed in glass armour seemed to revel in giving my character a beating with their glass weapons. Overnight, the world of Cyrodiil went from being my fantasy playground to a horrible nightmare. Succumbed, I went up not one level but nine. When the telltale arrow at the bottom of the screen indicated that I'd gone up a level and needed to sleep, I ploughed on regardless. One thing I neglect, however, was levelling-up. As you can tell, I was completely hooked. Not happy with just the Archmage title, I also worked my way to the top of the Fighters Guild. I had a unicorn for a steed - at least until I drew out my weapon and it turned on me. I travelled to every Daedra shrine on the map, garnering blessings and mysterious artefacts. I progressed quickly through the ranks of the Mages Guild, eventually becoming Archmage and moving into the complimentary pad at Arcane University.

I developed an unhealthy interest in botany as I journeyed to far-flung locations, scouring the land in order to complete my bizarre alchemical collection. I wandered the world of Cyrodiil, picking off goblins and trolls with my sword and immolating mountain lions with my trusty fireball spell. When Oblivion was released, my social life went to pot. Before I enter through, I have a confession to make. Having started at the nearest town, I jumped on the first horse I could find (which got me kicked out of the Mages Guild - whoops) and settled into a Daniel Radcliffe pose, hugging its neck as it paddled its way across Niben Bay to the small island in the middle. So Here I am, standing outside the curious-looking, double-faced entrance to the Shivering Isles. To say that the Shivering Isles creates a 'shiver' of excitement would not only be lazy journalism, but also a marked understatement Expect a goliath feature. With more than 30 hours of material promised, quest-lines that branch more than before and a land that you can watch change according to your vital life-or-death decisions, we're all a-quiver. Grummites who are a little grumpy, but also quite grudgingly sweet at the same time. Elsewhere, there'll be Knights of Order to battle, creatures comprised of tree roots and some green chaps called. Seen left, for example, is a Gatekeeper golem of sorts - comprised of bloodied spare legs, arms and heads that you can find lying in pieces on tables and hanging on walls in a nearby store-room, Red Dwarf Kryten-style. What with this (actually rather sane) god in charge of these islands devoting much of his time to sending people plainly bonkers, you can expect some odd goings-on in the Shivering Isles, alongside the expected new dungeons, quests, creatures and freeform niceness. It's all a bit wrong in this torn realm you see - and while you'll get to meet the bearded mad-deity in person and plough through his trials - rather excitingly your adventure may well end in his usurpation. Someone had better head on into that mysterious door (comprised of linked faces - one looking sullen, the others a bit mad), walk through its open, gaping mouth and do some questing or we'll all catch our death.Д«eyond it you see, is the realm of Sheogorath - the god of madness and dementia who you could watch raining burning dog corpses onto a village of terrified cat people in the vanilla game. Honestly, whoever it was must have been bom in a bloody barn. So What's The setup for this first Oblivion expansion pack? Someone's left the door open in Nibben Bay, and there's a cold draught rolling straight through it and freezing the locals to the bone.

The shivering isles xbox 360