[quote name='CocheseUGA']You'll have to excuse me if I don't search the thread. I had to go back about 12 pages just to find the thread.
I had Oblivion for 360, the normal version. I had thought I might want to start over on the PS3 version. Can the extra content be loaded from the GOTY/Shivering Isles discs like the 360 version? [/quote]
Not exactly the same way. On the 360, the GoTY version is two DVDs. The first DVD is basically the original base Oblivion Game and the second contains the Shivering isles and Knights of the Nine content. The expansion disc installs on your hard drive and you play with the base disc. The expansions are detected and patched in the same way as if you bought the DLC. In fact, once installed, the expansion disc is no longer needed. You can even play with an original Oblivion disc if you already owned the original game.
On the PS3 the base game you purchase always installs a large cache file on your hard drive to save on load times and to minimize the low-res to high-res texture pop-in effect that was apparent on the 360 version (wasn't bad at first, but got worse as the DVD drive in my first X360 slowly died). The DLC version of Shivering Isles installs on your hard drive and works essentially like the 360 installed content.
However, if you buy the PS3 disc based version of Shivering Isles, it also installs a cache file to improve performance and has you insert the Oblivion disc ONE TIME during this install to verify you own the original game. From then on you can play the entire game using the Expansion Disc ONLY. My guess is that on the PS3 version of the game the 29.99 Expansion Disc actually contains all the expansion and base game info on one Blu-ray disc. It is essentially the same as the GOTY disc but with a "please insert your original Oblivion disc" copy protection check subroutine inserted.
[quote name='CocheseUGA']How do the graphics compare? Is the extra content worth the extra money?[/quote]
The graphics are only VERY slightly better on the PS3. The game uses lower res textures on far away items that are replaced by higher res textures as you get closer on both systems. On my 360, the higher res textures would sometimes pop-in a little too slowly as my dying DVD drive struggled to load them. However, I have also seen the game played on 360s with different DVD drives which don't seem to have this problem near as badly. The problem has been greatly reduced by the large amount of hard drive caching that the PS3 version does when it installs. The already impressive 360 draw distances are also extended a bit here. On the flip side the PS3 versions colors are a bit washed out compared to those of the 360. (although this is again minor). The minimal difference in graphics wasn't enough for me to switch versions. However, the PS3 version does sport one huge improvement (greatly reduced load times). They are still there, BUT they are considerably shorter on the PS3 version. Considering all of the loading as you enter buildings and caves the few seconds here and there really adds up in a one hundred hour game. EDIT: (this difference is what prompted me to buy the PS3 version even though I already had all the 360 stuff)
While I have yet to play all the way through it on the PS3 version, I've played through the whole game including the main quest and all side quests/ guilds etc. on the 360. The Shivering Isles expansion is actually larger and better than 90% of the stand alone retail games on the market. It is definitely worth it. While the Oblivion main storyline quest was a bit dull compared to all the guild questlines, the Shivering Isles main quest line really shines both in story and creativity. It is definitely worth the extra money.
er is epic. I have to restart because I did too much straight up crawling and thieving and it 
