Shivering Isles adds 250 Gamerscore points to Oblivion
by Ross Miller 
{ Feb 8th 2007 at 11:45AM }
It looks like The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion will be the first to take advantage of Microsoft's recently-amended Achievement points policy and push past that 1000-point gate of old. Speaking to Gaming Bits, Oblivion developer Bethesda has confirmed that the upcoming expansion Shivering Isles will have 250 Gamerscore points, divided amongst 10 achievements, to unlock.According to the new Achievement point policy, up to 250 points can be added to a disc-based Xbox 360 title via premium downloadable content, which means Oblivion has maxed out its Gamerscore potential.
Shivering Isles is set for release via Xbox Live this Spring; it will also be available for PC and PS3. No word on if it will be released before Microsoft's Xbox Rewards contest ending April 12, so plan on augmenting your Gamerscore elsewhere.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Myke @ Feb 8th 2007 12:05PM
I'm sorry, I just don't quite understand the addiction to gamerscores. Is it just a "street-cred" kind of feeling by collecting every single point you can get your hand on. It just kind of perplexes me. I play games for fun, and I'm pretty good at them to be honest, but some (NOT ALL) of these gamerscore "elite" almost turn gaming into a 2nd job, or a self-esteem boost. Maybe I'm wrong, but I think I'm right.
X @ Feb 8th 2007 12:06PM
@ Myke:
If you second guess yourself, then your wrong :lol: Just kidding - You are right Myke :)
LuckyChowmeinDude @ Feb 8th 2007 12:16PM
Gamerscore!!! gimme gimme
Delive @ Feb 8th 2007 12:24PM
Gamer points are designed to get people to play and buy games they normally would not touch to get the gamer points from it. It brilliant. People who don't like FPS play PDZ for points, King Kong = easy 1000 points. Is it a good game? not at all, but it's an easy 1000 points. Some people played US and Japanese versions of THE SAME GAME to boost their gamer score. It's silly to me, but it's brilliant because it gets people to buy games they would normally never touch.
aegies @ Feb 8th 2007 12:29PM
And I'm sold. Gamerpoints for Oblivion are the only real way to keep track of your progress through the main parts of the game. And having become recently re-addicted to the damned thing through the free Mehrune's Razor download and the Knights of the Nine, I don't really feel like I've got a choice. And it doesn't feel too bad at all.
http://eat-sleep-game.com
Jake @ Feb 8th 2007 12:31PM
Myke, I don't understand either. That's the beauty, though. It doesn't hurt people that don't care and it pushes sales for people that do. Some people just like the feeling of accomplishment, even if it is an arbitrary prize.
Look at MMORPG's. It isn't like the new Robe you pick up is going to make the game funner. Or the new level. It is just an arbitrary accomplishment that tricks you into thinking you really did something.
Hell, I'm playing R6V and can't help but play the easier levels more often so I can rank up to Captain faster. But, I do get more than just an achievement. I get to use the Desert Eagle and wear pink armor, too. Woot.
LunarDuality @ Feb 8th 2007 12:37PM
Let me respond to (and refute) the claim by "Myke".
First, my gamerscore is over 21,000 as of this moment, so you could say that I'm a pretty hardcore gamer. And yes, I've played King Kong (although I actually liked the game...to each their own). And yes I go to websites to find tips to getting achievements.
But that is where your assumptions break down. I don't play games I don't enjoy on some level just for achievements. And having a high gamerscore isn't interesting to me as "street cred". I have two interests in Achievements:
First, I am a completist and Achievements gives me something clearly deliniated to shoot for when I first pop a game into my 360. And each time I hear and see an achievement notice I get a sense of satisfaction.
And Second, it's all about comparing achievements with your friends. It's cool to know who to ask about a certain difficult achievement or challenge your buddies to an achievement race or the like. It adds an easy way to prove what you've accomplished in a game and compare it to others.
So, for me it's not about boosting my self-esteem or making it into a 2nd job. It's about the fun and thrill of competition and the satisfaction of accomplishing a goal. And those things are pretty damn addicting themselves -- Gamerscore is just the trappings of those experiences.
qbix @ Feb 8th 2007 12:56PM
@Myke: You seriously think that? Ever since I was a child I remember wanting to get my three initials on the list of high scores at the arcade place near my house. Bragging rights have always been a part of gaming but achievements go beyond that.
I think that achievements are a way for developers to encourage the player to experience the game in a way that many would not bother to if such a system wasn't in place. There have been many occasions where I went for a specific achievement and realized that the game I was playing had a lot more to offer. Best example of this is Condemned. The game is scary to begin with but try to go through the game without ever using a firearm and looking for every single piece of evidence, dead birds, and metal pieces and you'll find yourself looking in the darkest corners with only a lead pipe and a flashlight hoping a psychopath doesn't come out of nowhere to kill you. Trust me, this made the game a classic in my collection.
I welcome achievements... just not dumb or impossible ones (I'm looking at you GRAW and Farcry!)
Myke @ Feb 8th 2007 1:00PM
Ok, qbix and "Lunar Duality" are clearly missing the point of my post, did you notice that I clearly put (in caps for god sake) that NOT ALL of you gamerscore folks are crazy. Playing a game for the sense of completing it and playing both the japanese and the american versions JUST for the gamerscore are clearly two different things, you guys need to chill for a second, I knew my post would get some people rilled up but jesus, cool down for a second.
AceQ @ Feb 8th 2007 1:35PM
They have one great feature when used properly. They can get you to play a game beyond completion. Some games are very easy to complete without seeing ½ the content of the game. When done right, they can force you to look harder, explore all areas and generally get a better dollar value out of the game.
Condemned: Criminal Origins had some achievements that made you much more aware of the surroundings and gameplay elements at hand. Fun to strive for!
People that go nuts for them and only play games the achievements though -- pretty dumb.
When you get 1000/1000 out of a game you should have gotten every ounce of game play out of it. I’m not saying the developers are smart in the usage of achievements (King Kong), but the potential is there.
qbix @ Feb 8th 2007 1:15PM
Dude, I'm not rilled up at all. I just think that people who are obsessed with their gamerscore are not that different from people who are obsessed with getting a high score, a world record, or be the best of the best at whatever it is they love doing. It is nothing new, specially not to gaming. I don't think this is too difficult to grasp, that's all.
NATO_Duke @ Feb 8th 2007 1:24PM
OMG - are FarCry achievements even obtainable - ugh!
I have to agree about the comments on Condemned. I played through it this week, after forgetting I had it, and the achievements add to a sense of fear in the game. You search for the birds, silly as it sounds, and are pissed when you fall through a floor and know you can't get them all becasue of it. I think that game did a great job and presenting the best aspect of achievements in making the story develop as you forced yourself into threatened positions you would normally avoid.
I also think that achievements will make many people buy a 360 game over a ps3 version if they have both systems. The sense of accomplishment and manner to track progress is a nice incentive when the screenshots are near identical. It is enough to sway people in the 360 direction for many I bet.
With that said - I am so mad that they aren't giving the achievements for horse armor here. I mean c'mon - I had to talk to that weird lady who eats horses to get it on my steed. That deserves at least 50 points. (I am kidding.)
Myke @ Feb 8th 2007 1:26PM
Yeah, qbix, I perhaps shouldn't have put your name in there along with "Lunar Duality", sorry, I see where you're coming from, it's just that I was asking a simple question, I wasn't being condescending or anything and then someone feels the need to (refute) my "claim". I'm all about doing my best on games too and not giving up until I feel I've done something significant, but I just think there IS a big difference between people who buy the Burger King games even though they hate them and hunt down import copies of games they already own just so that they can claim that they are "hardcore" when in reality all they are doing is wasting time playing games they've already played in a different language to grinding through games that they honestly dont even like. thats all =)
qbix @ Feb 8th 2007 1:58PM
@Myke: No worries. I'm glad we cleared that up :) I also see your point. Playing the same game in two languages is really going above and beyond.
@NATO_Duke: Farcry achievements are actually obtainable but it is pretty stupid to make you play the same story line at all difficulty levels in order to get them. Why not just give you the points for all three if you finish it on the hardest level, like Call of Duty 2? GRAW is the one with a near-impossible achievement. "Climb to the top of the universal leaderboard". I think only beta testers have this achievement... oh and the guy that's actually on top of the leaderboard.
NATO_Duke @ Feb 8th 2007 2:10PM
Yeah, FarCry's rubbed me the wrong way. I just didn't like the feel of the game compared to the pc version and don't think I unlocked any achievements before I got bored with it. I was thinking they were all hard to get to - but that may just be my poor memory.
The climb to the top of the leaderboard ones are pretty weak to use I would agree. Anyone who doesn't get the game day one will be hard pressed to ever get that nugget.
Vidikron @ Feb 8th 2007 3:37PM
I like achievements, but I'm clearly not a point whore. As other have mentioned, I too get a sense of achievement when I get one, but I don't usually set out to get them. By that I mean I will generally just play through a game as I normally would and whatever points I happen to get along the way are the only ones I'll likely ever get. I don't care about 1000/1000. In fact, I rarely play any multiplayer (other than co-op)... I'm more of a single player campaign guy. The only games I ever get serious about online are FPS and for online FPS I almost always go with the PC. I just usually focus on 1 PC online game for months/years and do the rest of my more casual gaming on consoles. Anyway, back to my point... because I don't play much competitive multiplayer I usually don't have access to half the points anyway.
But, really, a lot of those online points are pretty cheap anyway. There are some people who will join online games together and simply let their friends kill them over and over so they can get the achievements that say things like, "Get 15 kills without dying in an online deathmatch". Stuff like that really cheapens those points.
Then you have people who subscribe to things like Gamefly and rent every crappy game under the sun just to pump up their scores. Pretty silly. That's why I don't really care about another person's gamerscore... you really don't know how they play games and how they came about their scores. It's not hard to pump it up if you want. I'm not going to play crappy games nor do I have the time to waste chasing down every possible point. So I let others worry about comparing stroking their e-penis.
But all that said... I do think they are a good thing overall. And I will browse a game's acheivement list to see if any sound like they fun to try for. If nothing sounds all that exciting I'll just move on to the next game.
Jake @ Feb 8th 2007 3:44PM
I don't go for achievements but it is pretty cool when you are playing an online match and you get the flashy thingy for an achievement. You go and look at it to see you just got your 100th Torque Bow kill and are like "damn, I play this too much." They you pop back to your game and see someone stuck a grenade to you while you were basking in your own awesomeness. Blam.
ALH @ Feb 8th 2007 4:07PM
My achievements score is pathetic compared to how much i love getting achievements. To me theyre a reward for messing about in-game. For example,seeing how many zombies you can kill in a row with a parasol in dead rising - thats the kind of stuff i would waste my time doing anyways, and its nice for that to be rewarded.
dantebk @ Feb 8th 2007 7:00PM
I played Oblivion on PC before I bought a 360, but I sort of wish I had played it on 360 in retrospect. I've never gotten 1000/1000 points before, and with this expansion, maybe I could get 1250/1250.
I don't consider myself a GamerScoreWhore though. I will try to get almost any achievement I think I'm capable of doing because I like the little feeling of accomplishment, but I won't go for ones that kill the fun or seem tedious beyond belief (see most "Do X 1,000 times in Ranked matches" achievements).