When I built my new computer I used the recommended system requirements (listed in the faq) for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion as my guideline. They released some new screenshots and I snagged them up:

If you never played any of the previous games (last one was Morrowind) the easiest way to describe the game is that it is a mmorpg without all the other people to bother you. It looks hot and everytime I read a preview I get all giddy with excitement. The rumor mill says this one will be out in late March.

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion has gone gold! Here is the press release:

Bethesda Softworks and 2K Games Announce
The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion to Ship March 20

Quintessential RPG for the Next Generation Coming to Xbox 360 and PC

Rockville, MD – March 2, 2006 – Bethesda Softworks® and 2K Games, a publishing label of Take-Two Interactive Software, Inc. (NASDAQ: TTWO), today announced that the highly-anticipated role-playing game, The Elder Scrolls® IV: Oblivion has gone to gold master and will be available in stores in North America and Europe during the week of March 20. Oblivion will be available for Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system from Microsoft and PC in both regular and collector’s editions.

“Our most ambitious project ever is finally done,” said Todd Howard, executive producer of Oblivion. “We’re excited to get the game into everyone’s hands and let them experience it for themselves. We hope they enjoy it. I think it’s our best game yet.”

Oblivion is an epic, open-ended single-player RPG for the next generation providing gamers with one of the most life-like gaming experiences to date. The powerful combination of unprecedented graphics and freeform gameplay allows gamers to unravel the main quest or explore the vast world at their own pace. Oblivion is the fourth chapter in the award-winning Elder Scrolls series that includes Morrowind® (2002 RPG of the year – Computer Gaming World), Daggerfall (1996 RPG of the year — PC Gamer), and Arena (1994 RPG of the year – Computer Player).

“Oblivion will set the new standard for next generation gaming and change the way role-playing games are viewed forever,” said Vlatko Andonov, president of Bethesda Softworks. “We set very high goals and ensure they are reached because that is what our fans deserve and have come to expect from Bethesda Softworks. We are very proud of our team’s accomplishments with respect to Oblivion.”

Oblivion has already garnered numerous awards and an impressive collection of accolades, including being voted “RPG of Show” in 2005 by the Best of E3 Game Critics Awards. Oblivion ranks as one of the “Most Anticipated Games of 2006” according to PC Gamer, GameSpy, IGN, and Yahoo Games among many others, and has been featured on nearly thirty magazine covers worldwide.

“Oblivion is one of the most anticipated video games of 2006 and its release will be a milestone for the Xbox 360 and PC,” said Christoph Hartmann, Managing Director, 2K Games. “A shining example of next-generation role-playing, Oblivion breaks new ground in the genre with unparalleled graphics, revolutionary gameplay and an expansive RPG world.”

Oblivion for Xbox 360 and PC, co-published by Bethesda Softworks and 2K Games, has been rated “T” for Teen by the ESRB.

Hurray!

Gamestop employees lives are no forfeit if I don’t receive my copy of Oblivion on time. I’m not sure I can wait another 10 days or so for this one. And I’m going to cry like a little girl if the game plays like shit on my new pc. I don’t think it will. But I’m just saying if you hear a grown man crying like a little bitch that just skinned her knee chances are it’s me and Oblivion runs like shit. Here are two huge ass landsacpes that’s been released in the last few days:

I just can’t wait to play it.

Giggity Giggity Oblivion!

Oh yeah.

So been playing Oblivion a little. It’s easy to see that the game is the same (more or less) on the pc and the 360. Which is good and bad. The bad is pc users are stuck with this very console like interface. The inventory being the biggest thing to suffer from console design. Only letting you see 6 items at one time. Very annoying.

The good of course is being able to make and use plugins. So to break in my Oblivion Plugins section let’s go right for the good stuff, the UI Mods v1.2. You can get it from that link and register first to do so. Or grab it from me here. Either way you will need WinRar to unzip it. Below you can see what it does in the following two screenshots, before and after:

Just extract the rar to:

C:\Program Files\Bethesda Softworks\Oblivion\Data

And load the game. It’s more of a hack than an actual addon. You won’t need to activate it in the data file menu of the game launcher.

The first official Oblivion plugin is out. Horse Armor which for pc users is only $1.99. The official description says:

Tamriel is a dangerous place. Protect your horse from danger with this beautiful handcrafted armor.

There are two sets of armor you can buy for 500 gold per horse. Only one set of armor can be used on any given horse. You can not change the horses armor after you pick it. Here are the screen shots showing both armor types Steel and Elven:

For those wondering you get a “Oblivion Product Activation Key” that you have to enter in to get the plugin to install. Two other plugins are advertised on the official plugin site with a release date of coming soon.

Orrery
Harness the power of the stars. Rebuild the defiled Orrery and unlock the secrets of this Mages Guild Inner Sanctum.

Wizard’s Tower
In the frozen mountains of Cyrodiil stands Frostcrag Spire, a tower of wonders for your magic-oriented character to call home.

Orrery should be mentioned because it is in the game now. Except it’s a closed door thats locked and goes no where. So it’s sorta like your paying to finish off the game as it was released. Some may scream foul play on this. Personally I don’t care. What’s a dollar ninety nine?

The second official plugin for Oblivion is out now for PC users. It’s called The Orrery and its description is:

Harness the power of the stars. Rebuild the defiled Orrery and unlock the secrets of this Mages Guild Inner Sanctum.

It weighs in at 18 mb and costs $1.89. It’s about a 15 minute quest (spoiler type screen shot) that gets you access to the Orrery in the Mages Guild. This can be used by melee guys not yet a full member of the Mages Guild.

Content wise it’s more than the Horse Armor plugin. The question is that is this enough to justify the 1.89 price tag? It depends on your point of view. A less scrupulous sort of person would goto illegal means to acquire this plugin.