Life at PAX East -- a Day Two Perspective
Like that new car smell, or the comfortable confidence that comes with getting used to a new neighborhood, the comfort level at PAX is growing, as is the sense of community that inspires attendees to hold events that rival those of the host and exhibitors -- but more on that last in a bit.
The wide aisles are packed with the faithful, who brave long lines of up to three hours just to get into the small theaters that have been constructed on the vast floor of the cavernous space that is the event site, where they sit for 15 minutes and view a brief presentation and what seems like an even briefer video or host demonstration of the game before filing out the other side where they have a T-Shirt and poster thrust into their hands.
The Duke's exhibit included an interesting art gallery depicting the Dukester himself in many of his greatest moments!
Nobody is complaining -- because this is what they came for! To get an early and personal peak at the games that are going to factor largely in their lives this Summer and Fall. Nobody was disappointed either -- the talk outside as the faithful break up into their personal groups once again, to move on to the next line -- filled with amazed and happy commentary.
"Did you see that?!" and "Oh my God I cannot wait for that game to come out!"
They Call it AtmosphereAs we sat outside the exhibit space for Portal 2 waiting for the group the doors to open for our turn at experiencing the presentation a furry half-naked Wookie-girl and her Mandalorian boyfriend (arr?) passed by, closely followed by a pair of Sailor Moon girls that, to be frank, would likely face a morals charge if they went out in public dressed like that!
No self-respecting Pokemon Trainer goes anywhere without their Pikachu in tow it seems -- Pikachu!
The flow of costumed attendees was heavy, with more than a few droids and furries, and then a very convincing Mario and Luigi passed by -- and I swear those mustaches were real. While we did not see any Ghostbusters this year, there were some Stormtroopers from Vader's Own and a convincing Imperial General, but the pair that showed the most enthusiasm and character would have to be the Pokemon Trainer, his Pikachu in tow, who worked their way down the aisle, being stopped to pose for photographs every dozen feet or so -- and of course we had to get a picture for you!
Each exhibit is equipped with massive and loud speaker systems creating walls of sound that have palpable boundaries. The sound dominates when you are in the exhibits "sphere of influence" and then suddenly you are in a disturbed area where the next exhibit battles for dominance and both competing sounds wash around you in a confusing cacophony until, a few feet further up the aisle, the next exhibit wins out, the previous sound disappears, and you are now in the zone of influence of a new game.
Contests and Treasure Hunts
Officially the contests that were held by the exhibitors were fun -- but with the types of prizes being offered ranging from solid state hard drives to new high-end uber-gaming-rig PC's, the chances of winning were slim indeed. But it turned out that another sort of contest was available for those who had the time and the inclination -- contests that were sponsored not by the exhibitors but by attendees.
Over in the corner by the tunnel that leads to the makeshift food court is a space pirate who could have stepped right off of the deck of the Serenity -- and probably does know Captain Mal -- who is serving as the assignment agent for an unofficial scavenger hunt.
The clues are small bits of parchment that describe the cosplay character you need to locate -- they are wandering the show somewhere -- who will give you the next clue, which you must solve to determine the next character in the chain -- until eventually you reach the last character, who hands you the treasure map that will take you to the spot deep in the warrens of the top floor where a bag of golden coins (chocolate coins) is waiting for you!
Calibur11 had some interesting case covers on display that help out with cooling your XBox 360 and making it look cool without voiding the warranty -- check them out at calibur11.com.
The official contests were a bit more popular, and entailed dropping your name in a bucket to win bags of Lemon Head Candy and, if you were really lucky, a new iPad. Over at the Maingear Exhibit if you were the last man standing in a custom campaign of Left for Dead 2, your name is entered in a drawing for a custom Maingear computer, and over at the Ubisoft/Intel exhibit there was an Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood multi-player tournement -- the players who came in first and second are entered into the final competition tomorrow, with a chance to win either computer components or a full computer, making for some fierce competition.
Team Gaming Update did well -- with Interns Peter and Henry making it into the final Assassin's Creed tourney tomorrow, while Intern Lucas made it into the Maingear raffle -- which considering the thousands of contestants is a pretty good if unexpected showing!
The Hot Previews
The longest lines were at the exhibits for Portal 2, Red Faction: Armageddon, Battlefield 3, and Brink, though Duke Nukem Forever and The Darkness II had a respectable wait. Over at the Rock Star Games exhibit, where LA Noire was the game, the lines were fast moving but no less long, with an excitement level that was palpable in the air.
Each of the exhibits had something that made it stand-out, like the Duke's painting collection, and Red Faction's ginormous exoskeleton suit -- which gamers were able to walk in to and, when its hydraulic system was engaged, be photographed peaking out of its chest. Good times, mates. Good times!
The massive exoskeleton that stood guard in front of the Red Faction exhibit has a secret...
... fans of the game who finished their preview play could climb inside and have their photo taken!
No comments yet. Tell us what you think to be the first.