I just got home from the first day of Penny Arcade Expo, and figured it'd be good to drop some thoughts on a few of the games that made appearances 
Winners: 
APB. It wasn't actually playable at the show, but people who knew where to go were treated to a short play through of the game by a Realtime Worlds employee and Mark Rein. I cannot state this enough: This game is amazing. It may singlehandedly force me to buy a gaming-quality computer. When the closed beta starts, I guarantee people will start raving about this piece of art. 
Scribblenauts. Its just as good as everyone says it is. The best part, IMO, is that you can rickroll god.  
Resident Evil 5 PC. I only played it to get into the exclusive capcom saturday party, but I was pleasently suprised at how well 3D can work in a videogame. It really looked nice, and I will keep my eyes out for games that do that in the future.  
Tatsunoko vs. Capcom. Every bit as good as Street Fighter 4, though perhaps Marvel vs. Capcom 2 is a more accurate comparison. A blast to play (though I wasn't expecting much) 
Mass Effect 2. The combat seems more wild, and I don't like the apparant switch to ammo rather than overheating weapons, but all in all, it seems this will be a more than adequate follow up to one of the best current gen RPGs.   
Flipnote Studio. This DSiware program allows you to make your own animated movies, and it's a pretty cool tool. If only you could combine it with Jam Sessions... 
Cave Story. Yes. 
 
Other things: 
Nostalgia. I put some brief time into this DS RPG and I can see myself loving it just as much as any of the many other great DS adventures.  
Sands of Destruction: Another one i only spent a few minutes with, this game seems to harken back to the old days. I might try to put more time in tomorrow 
No More Heroes 2. They were giving away toilet paper with NMH2 themed imprints to people who completed the demo! i got myself a roll. It's quite nice.  
Head Honchos: Met the GB crew on the expo floor, and spoke with Nintendo's Reggie about Golden Sun DS briefly. cool stuff   
Jerseys. It was cool to see all the Seattle Sounders jerseys out (of course with the XBOX 360 logo on the front). I even saw a Dreamcast jersey out there. 
 
Tomorrow I plan to spend some time with Heavy Rain, Uncharted 2, Borderlands, Bayonetta, and Split Second. If there are any other games people want me to talk about, let me know and i'll see what I can do tomorrow. 
 
Hopefully I'll see some of you on Saturday. I'm going to stick my giantbomb tag and avatar to the back of my pass during the GB panel, so see yall there. 

" The best part, IMO, is that you can rickroll god. "

" @AgentJ said:

" The best part, IMO, is that you can rickroll god. "

You wha? You can summon God and Rick Astley? "

" @AgentJ: Do you know if there is a PAX in Seattle next year too?   You should go check out Brutal Legend tomorrow, unless maybe you're not interested in that game. "

Man that sounds pretty awesome.  Damn space/time continuum stopping me from being there!  
 
Hope you enjoy the rest of the expo mate, really interested to hear how Heavy Rain is looking these days. 

I joked about poker on a riverboat with Randy Pitchford at the Borderlands booth while waiting in line (I was going to play it before the floor opened tomorrow but got impatient).

" @Dethfish77 said:

" @AgentJ: Do you know if there is a PAX in Seattle next year too?   You should go check out Brutal Legend tomorrow, unless maybe you're not interested in that game. "

There will be a PAX in Seattle every year for the forseeable future (unless the convention center is deemed too small, which is a possibility since it was at capacity this year). I forgot about Brutal Legend, and I am interested in trying it out, so that should be up tomorrow.  "

I just added one more game. Didn't say much, but I want everyone to know that they should buy Cave Story day one. 

" @AgentJ said:

" @Dethfish77 said:

" @AgentJ: Do you know if there is a PAX in Seattle next year too?   You should go check out Brutal Legend tomorrow, unless maybe you're not interested in that game. "

There will be a PAX in Seattle every year for the forseeable future (unless the convention center is deemed too small, which is a possibility since it was at capacity this year). I forgot about Brutal Legend, and I am interested in trying it out, so that should be up tomorrow.  "

I guess I should start planning for next years PAX then. "

Was also there. Saw one other Luchadeer wearing person at the show, so that was sweet. Can't wait for the panel tomorrow.

I was given a free 3-day all red badge pass of awesome today. 
 
Will be most certainly looking for Luchadeer wearing people. Going to the GiantBomb panel.

I'll be on the floor playing everything tomorrow and then going to the panel.  Neon green Seahawk's hat and I'm 6'3"  Hopefully participating in the beef bowl challenge and asking a very special question if the panel does QA.

Well done Agent J, you are doing GB proud.   I am seriouly jealous.  A games convention and Seattle - that is my kind of heaven.  Only an eruption from Mt Ranier could ruin that.
 
Maybe next year, I must plan a holiday to Seattle just for this - keep the couch empty, just in case  :-)

Dang, I wish I went to PAX. 
 
I totally agree with you on Mass Effect 2, though.

If only Florida was closer to pax, I'll be having fun making keyboard cat play off Cthulhu later this month while I borrow my sister Ds. I also hope that the choices that you make in the first game that affect the second one isn't a gimmick feature.

I don't mind the reloads in ME2 personally. I don't really know that we're reloading ammo though, it looks more like it's spitting out a hot ingot of metal, like a disposable heat sink.
 
We'll see how they retcon the weapons.  
 
Split Second was interesting, I hadn't even heard of it before PAX.
 
I think today after my shift is over at the MS booth, I'll look for APB and dunno what else. I don't have a printer handy so I can't do the name/avatar thing on my badge when I show up at the GB panel.

" I'll be on the floor playing everything tomorrow and then going to the panel.  Neon green Seahawk's hat and I'm 6'3"  Hopefully participating in the beef bowl challenge and asking a very special question if the panel does QA. "

" Well done Agent J, you are doing GB proud.   I am seriouly jealous.  A games convention and Seattle - that is my kind of heaven.  Only an eruption from Mt Ranier could ruin that. Maybe next year, I must plan a holiday to Seattle just for this - keep the couch empty, just in case  :-) "

" @oldschool said:

" Well done Agent J, you are doing GB proud.   I am seriouly jealous.  A games convention and Seattle - that is my kind of heaven.  Only an eruption from Mt Ranier could ruin that. Maybe next year, I must plan a holiday to Seattle just for this - keep the couch empty, just in case  :-) "

Thats if you can keep your body in check for the plane ride.  "

So in mass effect 2 you pick up ammo or you just have to reload?

" @Dethfish77 said:

" @AgentJ: Do you know if there is a PAX in Seattle next year too?   You should go check out Brutal Legend tomorrow, unless maybe you're not interested in that game. "

There will be a PAX in Seattle every year for the forseeable future (unless the convention center is deemed too small, which is a possibility since it was at capacity this year). I forgot about Brutal Legend, and I am interested in trying it out, so that should be up tomorrow.  "

" @AgentJ said:

" @oldschool said:

" Well done Agent J, you are doing GB proud.   I am seriouly jealous.  A games convention and Seattle - that is my kind of heaven.  Only an eruption from Mt Ranier could ruin that. Maybe next year, I must plan a holiday to Seattle just for this - keep the couch empty, just in case  :-) "

Thats if you can keep your body in check for the plane ride.  "

Sedatives and restraints should fix that  :-) "

" So in mass effect 2 you pick up ammo or you just have to reload? "

" So im guessing PAX is the kind of event where you don't need press credentials to see stuff? Sounds fun. "

" @AgentJ said:

" @Dethfish77 said:

" @AgentJ: Do you know if there is a PAX in Seattle next year too?   You should go check out Brutal Legend tomorrow, unless maybe you're not interested in that game. "

There will be a PAX in Seattle every year for the forseeable future (unless the convention center is deemed too small, which is a possibility since it was at capacity this year). I forgot about Brutal Legend, and I am interested in trying it out, so that should be up tomorrow.  "

I thought next year was going to be in Boston. Are they planning on doing a west and east coast simultaneously thing? "

Question: How long are the lines?

" Question: How long are the lines? "

" @oldschool said:

" @AgentJ said:

" @oldschool said:

" Well done Agent J, you are doing GB proud.   I am seriouly jealous.  A games convention and Seattle - that is my kind of heaven.  Only an eruption from Mt Ranier could ruin that. Maybe next year, I must plan a holiday to Seattle just for this - keep the couch empty, just in case  :-) "

Thats if you can keep your body in check for the plane ride.  "

Sedatives and restraints should fix that  :-) "

You make it sound less like you have sensitive innards and more like you are some sort of Werewolf : ) "

Wow, you really make me jealous. I applaud your attendance and I am glad you did a write-up for it. Scribblenauts is looking unequivocally insane yet totally rad. That game is going to be one of the best, or at least strangest, of the year.

Lines for Left 4 Dead 2 and Dragon Age are both similarly insane.

I managed to meet Tim Schafer while over at the Brutal Legend booth!

Scribblenauts still sounds awesome and I like the idea of that little promotional giveaway with No More Heroes 2.