360 Shivering Isles shake retail

In March, Bethesda Softworks released the first expansion to Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion for the PC and Xbox 360. While the PC version of Shivering Isles made it to retail shelves for $29.99, Bethesda chose to offer the Xbox 360 version exclusively as a digital download for 2,400 Microsoft points ($30). This arrangement posed a bit of a problem for many Xbox 360 owners, however, as Shivering Isles occupies nearly 1GB of precious hard drive space, and as noted in GameSpot's review, it isn't exactly an afternoon affair to get through.

That plight has now been addressed, as Bethesda Softworks today announced it would be releasing the Xbox 360 version of Shivering Isles to retail this October. The Xbox 360 retail version will also include the Knights of the Nine add-on pack, which debuted on Xbox Live in November for 800 Microsoft points ($10). The retail disc, including both the expansion and add-on, will be available for $29.99.

Shivering Isles expands Cyrodiil's already expansive reaches with a new plane of Oblivion. The quest-driven expansion lets players explore the warped home of the Prince of Madness, and it introduces new items, ingredients, and spells into the original game. Likewise, the Knights of the Nine add-on further explores the Elder Scrolls lore, and it adds a new faction, as well as a new line of quests.

Like Oblivion, Shivering Isles is rated M for Mature. Announced during this year's E3 Media and Business Summit, the Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion Game of the Year edition will be available next week for the PC and Xbox 360, and will include the original game, Shivering Isles, and Knights of the Nine. It will retail for $59.99 on the Xbox 360 and $49.99 on the PC.