Velkommen tilbage

Velkommen tilbage! Du havde nok ikke regnet med at se mig tilbage efter denne lange pause men tillad mig at forklare årsagen bag mit fravær. Jeg var i færd med at skrive mit speciale, og det tog såmænd en vis mængde ressourcer at få færdiggjort. Det er sandt! Inden længe kan jeg (forhåbentligt) kalde mig selv Cand. Mag. i Medievidenskab fra Aarhus Universitet. Det er fine sager, kan du tro! Hvad skrev jeg om? Det vil jeg hjerteligt gerne fortælle dig om, og tak fordi du spørger!

Jeg skrev om narration og indlevelse i open world-computerspil, hvor jeg fokuserede på Grand Theft Auto IV og The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Det var lidt af en drengedrøm at få lov til at skrive om de to spil, så jeg var rigtigt glad for mit emne hele vejen igennem den 6 måneder lange arbejdsproces. Fordi det involverede meget mere arbejde, end jeg havde forestillet mig, kunne jeg desværre ikke holde bloggen opdateret. Jeg ved det: Der var tårer og gråd i de danske og internationale hjem! Men nu er jeg tilbage på hesten og i gang med aktiv jobsøgning, og tro mig når jeg siger, at det er ganske hårdt. I skrivende stund hober de mange afslag sig op i min arme indbakke. Jeg har stadig rigeligt med ansøgninger derude, så der er da masser af muligheder endnu, men det er bestemt ikke en let affære at komme ind på arbejdsmarkedet. Det handler derfor om at holde sig selv i gang og fokusere på det noget af det mest fantastiske i livet: gaming!

Hvad har jeg så lavet og spillet i de sidste 6 måneder? Jamen altså, jeg har jo været lidt her og der. Jeg har blandt andet spillet Borderlands 2, BioShock Infinite, Assassin's Creed III, Batman: Arkham City, Sleeping Dogs, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, Warframe, Path of Exile og Dawn of War II. Som I kan se, har jeg holdt mig selv ganske fint i gang. Jeg har også været aktiv på videosiden, hvor jeg har lavet 2 meget fine trailers til mit speciale. Ja! Jeg har lavet trailers til mit speciale, og dem vil jeg faktisk gerne dele med jer her, såfremt I ikke allerede har set dem. Enjoy!

Det var vist alt for denne gang, vil jeg tro! Fremover vil jeg være langt mere aktiv på bloggen, men fordi jeg har gang i 63 andre projekter for tiden, vil jeg nok ikke kunne holde den dagligt opdateret. Jeg lover, derimod, at der bestemt ikke vil gå 6 måneder igen! Forvent opdateringer hver anden eller tredje dag. Det bliver rigtig fint, kan du tro! Så er der vist ikke andet at sige end: velkommen tilbage!




English version

Welcome back! I guess you hadn't expected to see me again after this long break but allow me to explain my absence. I was busy working on my Master's Thesis for the last 6 months and that sure took its toll. I handed it in a couple of days ago and yes: before long I hopefully get my Master's Degree in Media Sciences from the University of Aarhus! That's very nice, indeed! What did I write about? I'll be happy to tell you and thanks for asking!

I wrote about narration and immersion in open world video games where I focused on Grand Theft Auto IV and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. It was kind of like a dream coming true to be able to write about those games so I enjoyed myself during the long process even though it got tough at times. Since it absolutely required more than I had imagined to write this thing I sadly couldn't maintain the blog. I know: there were tears in many homes! But I'm back again and ready to give it another shot! At the moment I'm looking for work but let me tell you that it's not easy to get a job these days. As I'm writing this rejections are piling up in my inbox, and though I have plenty more applications out there, it looks even more sad for each passing day. The trick is to keep smiling and maintain focus on one of the most important things in life: gaming!

So, what have I been doing and playing for the past 6 months? Well, a bit of this and a bit of that. I've been playing games like Borderlands 2, BioShock Infinite, Assassin's Creed III, Batman: Arkham City, Sleeping Dogs, Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, Warframe, Path of Exile og Dawn of War II. As you can see, I've been happily occupied. I've also been active producing videos. I've actually made two trailers for my Master's Thesis! Yes, that's right: two trailers for my Thesis and I would like to share them with you. If you haven't already seen them then please do enjoy!

I guess that sums it up for now. I'll be more active on the blog in the future but because I'm busy with many other projects I can't promise to keep it daily updated. I do promise, however, that it won't take 6 months again until the next update! I expect to be able to write something new about four times each week. It's going to be great, to be sure! I guess there's nothing more to say than: welcome back!

Skyrim-DLC (stadig) på vej

Ejer du en Playstation3? Spiller du The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim og er ked af, at Bethesda Softworks endnu mangler at udgive Hearthfire og Dawnguard? Så er der imidlertid godt nyt nu: Bethesda siger nemlig, at de for tiden arbejder på den seneste udvidelse, Dragonborn, men efter den vender de tilbage til de to første udvidelser, som de planlægger at udgive til både PC og PS3 tidligt næste år.

Bethesda siger: "On PS3 in particular, we turned our attention to Dragonborn, as we thought it was the best content to release first, and we didn’t want folks to wait longer. Once it’s ready to go for everyone, we’ll continue our previous work on Hearthfire and Dawnguard for PS3." Men dog vil de ikke udtale sig om hverken pris eller nærmere udgivelsestidspunkt, så alle PS3-ejere må (desværre) væbne sig med yderligere tålmodighed: "Each one takes a lot of time and attention to work well in all circumstances and all combinations of DLC. Once we have a better idea of release timing and pricing, we’ll let you know." Men et er helt sikkert: Bethesda arbejder hårdt på at få udgivet alle udvidelserne til PS3 og PC, og man må give dem ret i, at Dragonborn formentligt er den rette at fokusere på. Tålmodighed, mine kære dragefødte venner. Tålmodighed er en dyd.


English version:

Do you own a Playstation 3? Are you playing The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim but are unhappy about Bethesda Softworks not having released both Hearthfire and Dawnguard yet? Well it seems you are in for some good news: Bethesda has stated that they are indeed working on the latest expansion, Dragonborn, but when they are done with that they will turn their attention back on the first two expansions, which they plan on releasing for both the PC and PS3 early next year.

Bethesda says, "On PS3 in particular, we turned our attention to Dragonborn, as we thought it was the best content to release first, and we didn’t want folks to wait longer. Once it’s ready to go for everyone, we’ll continue our previous work on Hearthfire and Dawnguard for PS3." However they are not too keen to talk about possible pricings and/or release dates so every PS3-owner need to be a little bit more patient: "Each one takes a lot of time and attention to work well in all circumstances and all combinations of DLC. Once we have a better idea of release timing and pricing, we’ll let you know." One thing is for sure, though: Bethesda is hard at work on getting every DLC released for the PC and PS3, and we must agree with them in Dragonborn being the most important expansion to focus on. Patience, my dragonborn friends. Patience is key.

Bethesda arbejder på DLC til PS3

Bethesda Softworks arbejder for tiden hårdt på, at både PC og PS3-ejere kan komme til at nyde de officielle udvidelser, Hearthfire og Dawnguard, til Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, som har været tilgængelige på Xbox360 ganske længe. Studiets officielle Twitterkonto bød forleden på følgende budskab: "We’re also close on new Skyrim content for PS3 and PC." Noget godt er på vej!

Men udvidelserne på især PS3 har dog været præget af tekniske problemer, og studiet sagde således tilbage i august, at "This is not a problem we’re positive we can solve, but we are working together with Sony to try to bring you this content." PS3-ejere må altså vente lidt endnu på udvidelserne, men Xbox360-ejere kan imidlertid se frem til at nyde den seneste DLC, Dragonborn, allerede d. 4. december.


English version:

Bethesda Softworks is hard at work as of late to make sure that both the PC and PS3 owners will be able to enjoy the official expansions for Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Hearthfire and Dawnguard has been available on Xbox360 for quite some time, but the official Twitter account has finally stated that "We’re also close on new Skyrim content for PS3 and PC." Something huge is coming!

Work on the expansions on especially PS3 has, however, been marred by technical issues and Bethesda Softworks said back in August that "This is not a problem we’re positive we can solve, but we are working together with Sony to try to bring you this content." PS3 owners need to wait a little bit longer to get the expansions but Xbox360 owners can look forward to be playing the latest DLC, Dragonborn, on December 4th.

Dragonborn DLC kommer til Skyrim

Så er Bethesda Softworks klar til at udgive den seneste udvidelse til det kritikerroste rollespil: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Udvidelsen går under navnet Dragonborn og fortæller historien om den første dragefødte kriger. Udvidelsen kommer til at foregå på øen Solstheim, som nogle gamere vil kunne genkende fra Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. I spillet tager man kampen op med den første dragefødte, en ond Dragon Priest som er ude på skræmmer, og ydermere kan det afsløres, at man omsider får muligheden for at flyve på drager. Tjek traileren nedenfor og se det hele i aktion!

English version:

Bethesda Softworks is finally ready to release the latest expansion for their critically acclaimed roleplaying game: Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. The DLC is named Dragonborn and tells the story about the very first dragonborn. It will be set on the island of Solstheim which some players will remember from Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind. Gamers will be combating the first dragonborn, an evil Dragon Priest up to no good, and yes: dragon mounts will also be available with this DLC. Check out the trailer below and see it all in action!

Hearthfire: Bør man købe?

Som I alle muligvis ved på dette tidspunkt, er det nu muligt at købe den seneste udvidelse til Bethesda Softwork's episke eventyr, men bør man anskaffe sig den? Det er det spørgsmål, som spilsiden gameinformer.com har taklet, og jeg tænkte, at jeg også ville dele mine tanker omkring Hearthfire.

Jeg skal skynde mig at være ærlig og sige, at jeg faktisk ikke har udvidelsen selv, og før I afskriver mig som en uvidende tosse, så lad mig fortælle hvofor. Hearthfire virker, for mig i al fald, lidt ligesom Horse Armour udvidelsen til Oblivion: Det var en billig og trist udvidelse. Javist, det så da pænt ud, når man kom ridende igennem Cyrodiil som en anden konge, men var det i virkeligheden pengene værd? JA! På det tidspunkt var det helt klart. Jeg kunne ikke få nok af Oblivion, men efter en række år kan jeg nu også se, at man skal være mere selektiv vedrørende sine valg af DLC.

Hearthfire giver dig mulighed for at købe et hus i Skyrim, og skønt dette kunne være en underholdende tilføjelse og muligvis skænke nogle flere timer til et spil, som i forvejen kræver en investering på over 200 timer, kan jeg ikke se bort fra, at det virker lidt hult. Hvad får man egentlig ud af at købe sit eget hjem? Man kan jo ikke gå online og vise huset til sine venner, og man har kun begrænsede muligheder for at tilpasse og personliggøre huset. Jeg kommer næppe til at købe Hearthfire, idet jeg ikke fornemmer nogen konkret værdi i forhold til historien eller gameplay komme til udtryk. Bethesda Softworks har forhåbentligt noget bedre gemt oppe i ærmet i forhold til DLC, efterhånden som vi nærmer os Skyrim's etårsdag.

English version:

As you all know at this point it is indeed possible to purchase the latest add-on for Bethesda Softwork's epic adventure but should you get it? That is the question that the gaming site gameinformer.com is wrestling with and I thought I'd share my thoughts regarding Hearthfire as well.

I must be honest and say that I haven't got Hearthfire, and before you go ahead and think of me as a ranting ignorant, at least let me explain. Hearthfire feels a bit like the Horse Armour DLC for Oblivion. It was a cheap and kind of a sad add-on, if you ask me. Sure it looked awesome riding through Cyrodiil on horseback but was it worth the money? YES! At least at the time. I couldn't get enough of Oblivion. But years later I have come to realize that one must be more selective regarding available DLC.

Hearthfire gives you the opportunity to create your own home and though this could be entertaining and maybe provide several more hours to a game that already demands 200+ hours to truly appreciate, I have to admit that Hearthfire feels shallow. What is it exactly about this house that makes it worth a purchase? You can't go online and invite your friends over for a party, and the customization options are limited. It is highly unlikely that I'll be getting Hearthfire because I can't see the actual value in terms of story or gameplay. Hopefully Bethesda Softworks will have something better in store for us as we're approaching the one year anniversary for Skyrim.

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Dawnguard

Ja tak! Så er den her omsider: Traileren til den første udvidelse til The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Bethesda Softworks' episke eventyr får til sommer udvidelsen, Dawnguard, og den kan hentes via Xbox LIVE for 1600 Points. Tjek traileren ud nedenfor og se om ikke Dawnguard, kan friste din indre rollespiller til atter at tage rollen som Dovakhin!




English version:

Yes! It's finally here: the trailer for the first game add-on for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. Bethesda Softworks' epic adventure is getting the expansion known as Dawnguard this summer, and it will be available on Xbox LIVE for 1600 Points. Check out the trailer above and see if Dawnguard will be enough to rekindle your inner roleplayer and once again become the Dovakhin!

Mød Skyrims' første DLC: Dawnguard

Så faldt nyheden omsider! The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim får omsider sin første udvidelse under navnet Dawnguard, og vi er flere, som klapper i vores små hænder lige nu! Udvidelsen kommer til sommer og lander på Xbox360 før de andre platforme, og vi kan forvente mere nyt omkring udvidelsen til E3.

Todd Howard og resten af holdet hos Bethesda Softworks har imidlertid lovet, at udvidelserne til Skyrim ikke kommer til at minde om Horse Armor-udvidelsen til Oblivion, og allerede her scorer de heftige point i min bog. Ligeledes har de sagt, at spillet får færre og større udvidelser fremover, og igen scorer studiet bonuspoint i min bog. Hvad vil Dawnguard indeholde? Er det Snow Elf Prince? Hvem ved?! Jeg ved bare, at jeg er spændt på at se det!

English version:

The day has finally come! The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will soon be receiving its very first DLC named Dawnguard, and we are many who finds joy in all of this! The expansion will hit the Xbox360 first this summer before landing on the other platforms, and we can expect more juicy news at this year's E3.

Todd Howard and the rest of the crew at Bethesda Softworks promised us that the expansions to Skyrim would not be in the form of the Horse Armor DLC for Oblivion and for saying this Bethesda Softworks gets some serious points. Likewise they also stated that the game would receive fewer and more substantial expansions, and this just counts as bonus points! What Dawnguard will contain is still unknown. Is it the Snow Elf Prince? Who knows? But I am very excited about it!