From the greatest franchises ever, and still going strong with the highly anticipated Skyrim releasing this fall, is that of The Elder Scrolls. Winning awards and critical acclaim with each iteration, Bethesda's RPG open-world series began back in 1994 with Arena. To this day, I still own the box, all of its contents and a strategy guide for it. It's that awesome.

While we await the release of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, we cannot help but look back on what got us to this point. The previous game in the series, Oblivion, got itself a special collector's edition which hits retailers today to help unfamiliar gamers get a look at another province of Tamriel before we head north to Skyrim and we have all the details on the contents of The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion 5th Anniversary Edition.

The anniversary edition of Oblivion will release for PC, PS3 and Xbox 360 for the incredibly low price of $29.99 (the price of two Call of Duty map packs). It comes with both of the major DLC expansions, the traditional game map and a sweet metal collector's case.

  • The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion: With the empire ready to crumble, the gates of Oblivion open and demons march upon the land. You must find the lost heir to the throne and unravel the sinister plot that threatens to destroy all of Tamriel.
  • Knights of the Nine: A fallen King has been unchained from the darkness of Oblivion to seek vengeance upon the Gods who banished him. Only a champion pure of heart can vanquish the evil that has been released.
  • Shivering Isles: Enter the torn realm of Sheogorath — a world where Mania and Dementia reign. Do you have the strength to survive his trials, to tame a realm fraught with paranoia and despair, and wear the mantle of a God?

The North American 5th Anniversary Edition also includes:

  • Collector’s Steelbook: A beautiful collectible metal case masterfully embossed with Daedric symbols.
  • Making of Oblivion: A behind-the-scenes documentary on the making of Oblivion.
  • Oblivion Game Map: A full-color map of Cyrodiil and the Shivering Isles.
  • Save on Skyrim: Contains a $10 mail-in rebate offer for the purchase of The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrimand a Skyrim strategy guide.

The Elder Scrolls IV Oblivion 5th Anniversary Edition

So, for $30 you actually save $10 on the next game - which you'll undoubtedly be getting if you're interested in this - and you get the best and complete package. For a fan of the series who may have already played through Oblivion, this is worth it as a collectors package in and of itself.

Check out our E3 2011 Skyrim preview and if you'd like to go back a little further into Elder Scrolls history, be sure to check out the amazing Morrowind mod which overhauls all of the game's sounds and visuals.

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