The PAX East 2011 Experience
By natetodamax 42 Comments
Penny Arcade Expo East 2011. It Happened.
On Friday and Saturday I was fortunate enough to be able to attend PAX, and I must say it was probably the most amazing event I've ever been. Never before have I felt so, I don't know, comfortable in a place like this, you know? You just get this great feeling as soon as you walk in and realize that you share a common interest with everyone around you. Whether it's playing shooters, RPGs, adventure games, or whatever, you can relate to just about every person that you walk past. And that's great.But enough introductions. I didn't get to play as many games as I would have liked to at the show mostly because the lines were just ridiculous, but I was able to find myself with a controller at various times throughout the show...
I Entered The Bastion
One of the very first things I set out to do upon arriving at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center was to find Supergiant Games' booth and not only play Bastion, a game I've been very optimistic about since I heard about its inception, but also meet its creators and snag myself one of their hot bandanas. Frankly, it took a while to actually find their booth because it was relatively small compared to the larger exhibits flanking it. I immediately hopped in line after a small bit of disappointment felt after seeing that Greg Kasavin wasn't there.
Up to that point, all the footage I had seen of Bastion looked great, but the main draw for me was the narrator. I didn't realize how fluid and entertaining it would actually be to play until I started up the demo myself. It started up with our intrepid hero waking up on a bed and setting out on his adventure. Within 10 seconds, I accidentally fell off the ledge, and chuckled as the narrator (voiced by Logan Cunningham, who was there) commented, "He falls to his death." Even better, when I respawned, he remarked, "Just kidding." Great stuff so far.
As I began acquiring weapons, I started to love the game more and more. The combat felt more than just a simple button mashed. If you go up to the foes with large hammers and just mash the melee button, you're going to get crushed. But utilizing the extremely helpful rolling dodge maneuver, I was able to get around my foes just as they attacked to lay down some more hits. When things started getting crowed, I could roll backwards and quickly shoot some arrows into their faces and follow up with some hammer strikes as they got close. The whole demo just felt incredibly polished, and it only elevated my excitement for the final product. Supergiant Games is shooting for a Summer 2011 release. Can't wait!
Before I left, I met the man known as Greg Kasavin and exchanged some words. He's just as great a person in real life, I'll have you know.
I Experienced The Need..... For Speed....
I Shot Dudes In SOCOM 4
Any opinions I give on SOCOM 4 should be taken with a pinch of salt, since I haven't played a SOCOM game in years. And even then, I'm pretty sure it was only the first one. Therefore, there's no way I can definitively say that this one is better or worse than any previous games in the franchise. All I can say is that I wasn't especially crazy for it. Nothing about the shooting felt right to me, and aiming down my red dot sight (achieved by clicking in the right stick after going into the standard over-the-shoulder aim mode) and trying to shoot guys was nearly impossible due to the strange and erratic sensitivity that wasn't helped by my gun's exceptionally large amount of recoil. Maybe it just takes practice? I dunno.
Either way, I got a multiplayer beta code for it. I don't have a PS3, so if any of you want it let me know.
I Was Educated On The Background Of Bioshock Infinite's Columbia
The first panel I attended on Friday was about the setting of Bioshock Infinite and how it came to be. Columbia and the world it's in was heavily inspired by the real world culture of America during the early 1900s, something that the team at Irrational Games seem to be well versed in. In addition to providing insight regarding the conception of the floating city of Columbia, the panelists also showed us some footage of a very early version of the skylines and a hilarious scan of a napkin drawing from (I think?) Kevin Levine (someone who was there could probably clarify who drew it, I don't remember exactly) given to the art designers "detailing" the transition from a city under the sea to above the clouds.Overall the panel was brilliant, and had some great moments of its own. Ken Levine is a really great speaker, although he was at a loss of words when someone asked him during Q&A what the average size of a Big Daddy's penis was.
I Felt The Magic And The Love Of The Giant Bombcast, Live!
The thing I was most excited for on Friday was attending the Giant Bombcast, Live!. I lined up approximately three hours early because I knew that it was going to be mad packed. And mad packed it was. The line was huge well over an hour before it even started. About 30 minutes before the show, the Giant Bomb crew walked down the hallway to get to the theater. The eruption of applause and cheers from us waiting in line as they were just walking past was unbelievable. It must have felt amazing to be cheered on that loudly just by being present. Crazy!After everyone was seated, a process that took probably 5 or 6 whole minutes, we were treated to an amazing live rendition of the Giant Bombcast theme by a band featuring John Drake on drums and Phil Reno on guitar (Reno or Remo?) I honestly can't wait for the panel to go on the site just so I can listen to that again. Ryan Davis was 100% correct when he said "That was the coolest shit ever!" Indeed it was, Mr. Davis.
If I were for some reason going to label one part of the panel as flawed, it would probably be the Q&A portion. Honestly, I thought it ran on for too long. The crew could have easily spent that time talking about the show, but all was well when Jeff did the most unexpected and incredible thing ever about halfway through. I don't want to spoil it if you don't already know what I'm talking it. Just you wait. It took a fraction of a second for everyone in the audience to catch on to his schemes when he started leading into it, but the excitement flowing through the room when we realized what he was doing was just amazing.
After the show they apparently stayed in the theater and chatted with some of the attendees. I really wish I could have stayed for that, but I needed to get back to the hotel. All was well though, because the next day this happened:
I Bought Persona 4 And Final Fantasy XII
What?Yeah. I found myself with over $200 at the show and couldn't pass up these two games. Together it cost me $60 for both of them. I started playing Persona 4 earlier today and it's scary how strongly the Endurance Run memories are coming back. I find myself remembering the things that Jeff and Vinny said at certain points in the game and I hear them in my head. Voices in my head? You know it.
If You Weren't At PAX...
... why not? Seriously, what's up? Stop making excuses like "I live on the other side of the planet!" or "I need to save my money for groceries!" Screw food! Attend PAX next year. You won't regret it. It's an amazing feeling being surrounded by people who share a common interest and being able to be as nerdy as possible without worrying about people looking at you all weird-like. Plus, you get to see stuff like this:
(If anything, this blog has showed me that I should invest in a camera that doesn't suck!)
Final Results
Personnel Spotted
- The entire Giant Bomb crew
- Alex Navarro
- Greg Kasavin
- Logan Cunningham
- Darren Korb
- Geoff Keighley
- Adam Sessler (He's so short!)
- Morgan Webb
- Cliff Bleszinksi
- Jeff Green
Notable Quotes from the Show
- [after picking up a pin or something off the floor] Dude: "Holy shit it's a DRAGON!!"
- [when describing Bioshock Infinite's skylines] Ken Levine: It's like a rollecoaster except you're hanging in the air and you have a fucking gun.
Galleries
Here are the rest of my photos from the show. Can't guarantee that all of them are in perfect quality, unfortunately.Cosplay
Gallery
Show Floor
Gallery
Personnel
Gallery
Swaaaaaag
Horray for posters of games I don't own!Gallery
Probably the best thing I brought back from the show:
