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Better Get Your Tix for PAX

That's right kids get your tix early, because the sixth annual Penny Arcade Expo will have a limited number of tickets sold.  Apparently the 58,000 gamers that stormed the halls of the Washington State Convention Center for three days last year were a burden on the PAX Enforcers.  While the expo currently uses all of the WSCC and the Pike Annex Center across the street, last year's expo was overcrowded.

Ultimately, this is the right move.  Though we don't know how many attendees the Con will be limited to, one can guess that it wouldn't be much more than the 58,000 and change that mobbed the streets of Seattle last year.  And with the East Coast PAX to begin in 2010, these adjustments will hopefully mean that roaming the booths of my nice little West Coast PAX won't feel like waiting for a train in China.

Things weren't bad last year, but at several big time booths - Bungie, Bethesda, and Valve - had so many people waiting for playtime that it congested the pathways; making human traffic jams.  Moreover, the Enforcers last year were so outnumbered by the last day of the expo, the stress had turned most into complete pricks.  And lastly, getting any hands-on time with a big time games meant missing other panels, and demos.

It's great to see PAX growing, as the attendance grows so will publishers commitments to the Con.  But what's even better is to see that the people who make PAX happen are ahead of the game in making sure the expo doesn't become the clusterf$#k Comic-Con has turned into.

PAX DAY 3

Sunday

Taking the "johnny-come-lately" approach today.  Eating breakfast at the hotel restaurant, checking out, moving the car, and heading to PAX.  Really just thinking about the last Omegathon round and what the game will be.

10:00am - Halo Wars

Skipped saw it yesterday.

10:30am - New Xbox Experience

I stayed on Saturday to watch the Xbox Experience.  It was a lot of fun Major Nelson showed off some stuff we've never seen in the new dashboard/experience.  Previously to the demo he held up a no filming sign with a huge smile and joked that it would be on YouTube in 10 mins.  And while it wasn't quite 10 minutes, he was right. 

Check it out.

1:00pm - Omegathon Round 5

Jenga.  Two eliminated, two advance.  Everyone is psyched about the last round.

2:00pm - Expo Hall

Bought a PA shirt (paint the line 2) and got to try out the new LoTR Conquest game.  The exhibitor got pissed when I changed the options.  The default settings were for Minis Tirith, but when I switched it to The Black Gate, the guy almost had a heart attack.  wasn't really impressed with the demo anyway, like the Star Wars Battlefront games before it, LoTRC has loose targeting and feels like characters are constantly slipping on ice.  EA, I'll never understand why they would put something in a public demo that they wouldn't want played. 

5:00pm - Omegathon Final Round

My guesses for the Final Round were Tom Clancy's EndWar, or SOCOM: Confrotnation.  In the end Gabe and Tycho settled on VS Excitebike for the Famico system.  A game that was never released in the United States.  VS Excitebike is a two player version of the game where you can race against each other in up to nine consecutive races.  For the last round of the Omegathon it would be determined that the first to four wins would take the winner to Tokyo.  And in the end it was Joesph Urbansky or Joey Geko who took the win with a 4-0 victory.

End of Day#4

Headed home.

PAX DAY 2

Saturday

There must have been a lot of good parties last night.  Hardly anyone is here for the 10:00 opening of the expo hall.  I passed MC Frontalot and the Frag Dolls outside the lobby, apparently we're all staying at The Paramount Hotel.  It's nice staying in the city, I sort of miss it.

Plan today is to catch as much of what I wanted to see.  Honestly I'm a little tired, and probably going to take a nap around noon.

10:00am - Expo Hall

I audibled.  Got to the MS booth early enough to catch the Halo Wars demo.  Too bad it was only 5 mins long.  What was shown was a UNSC base building a barracks and two Spartans hijacking wraiths.  Then we are given a demonstration of the Spirit of Fire's capability; they fire the MAC cannons and call in a carpet bombing.  Then the demo abruptly ends; RED FLAG!  Someone next to me still eating his breakfast is asking for the release date; answer: sometime in the first half of 2009.  Me thinks it's more likely that it won't launch until the fourth quarter.

11:30am - Omegathon Round 3

Pictionary.  Not interested.

12:30pm - Expo Hall

Checking out the Brothers in Arms Hell Highway booth.  They are airbrushing tattoo's and for the bold they'll ship you a free copy of the game if you get your head shaved boot camp style; the line is long.  Bungie is showing Assembly, the latest map that is coming via DLC.  There are a lot of Halo fans gathered around the booth for the Recon Challenge, beat two Bungie employees on the new map and "you can haz recon."  Starting to get tired, headed back to hotel for a nap.

2:30pm - Bethesda presents Fallout 3

Crap.  Napped through Fallout 3 demo.  Though via Crecente's post it seems that it's a moot point.

3:30pm - Expo Hall

Checking out Pink Godzilla booth and PA booth.  For some reason I don't see anything I want to buy, that is of course, for myself.  Run the gamut of the outer ring of the expo hall; several headset's with mics.  Just about all of them carry the same specifications 8 seperate channels, HD, etc.  There are also new energy drinks, Pac-Man on your phone and lots of table top games.  I actually like how PA does their floor planning, if this was e3 all of these companies would be in the hidden away in the Kentia Hall downstairs.

4:30pm - Microsoft TBA

It's only Rock Band.  Going to get something to eat.

6:00pm - Ubisoft presents PoP & FC 2

Prince of Persia looks good.  You'll have a partner named Ellica who can help you to jump long distances and works in a "save me" feature.  If you fall she'll grab you and take you back to the last checkpoint.  Unfortunately the game has a orb collecting system.  After you clear a level of the world Ellica uses her light powers to bring life back to that area; and light orbs appear which are to be collected as the game's currency.  You can probably tell that I'm not too enthused, there are quite a few orbs and I'm just not that big a fan of collecting anything within a gameworld.

FarCry 2 is looking like FarCry.  Be advised this is not an insult.  It's just that FarCry has a certain look to it and it's similar in this iteration.  The game is going to be difficult, the AI is intelligent and you'll have to do recon if you want to be successful, i.e. no run and gun.  There are 12 individuals within the game that are playable, but you'll only be able to select 1, the other 11 will work as your allies.  Develop friendships, access new weapons, and receive help in missions; this is sounding a lot like GTA IV.  If you die a friend will come revive you, if they die they are deleted from that gamesave, and no longer available.

The map editor was impressive.  The editor works less with micro management and more with parameters to help you easily edit terra formations, weather, buildings, and environments.  It looks as if a pretty decent map could be made within a half-hour.

7:00pm - Meet the PAX 10!

The creators of the PAX 10 give their insights to game development.  Some of it is very helpful, however, the venue is the Walrus Theater and those who aren't close to the stage, like myself, can't hear much.  People are passing from the Expo Hall to the Main Theater and their not be quiet about it.  It's just a shame.

8:30pm - Omegathon Round 4

Rock Band.  One band advances.  One guy on the failing band gets 99%, talk about a raw deal.

10:00pm - Movie: Nerdcore for Life

Skipped due to two reasons: 1) had to get dinner, 2) didn't want to miss the Minibosses.

11:30pm - Concert: MC Frontalot / The Minibosses

Midnight; The Darkest of the Hillside Thickets are still playing everything is running a little late.  Guess I could've made the the movie after all.  Oh well.  TDotHT definitely have a following, but there is an arrogance to their on stage presence that's turning me off.  I'll come back for Frontalot.

Frontalot's doing his thing.  And I see that a lot of people are reciting the words, mark of a good musical artist.  But I can't understand the lyrics, the vocals are just too high pitched for me.  Probably doesn't help that I don't listen to rap at all these days.  If I do, it's old stuff like A Tribe Called Quest, Mos Def, or Kanye West.  Frontalot gets an encore, set gets extended two songs and I'm a little pissed because I've been waiting to see the Minibosses.

Finally at approximately 1:15am the Minibosses take the stage.  It was awesome.  I've seen the videos via YouTube, but to here the old classics like Castelvania, Mega Man 2, and Tecmo Bowl with traditional instruments in person; I just can't put it into words.

End of Day #2

Straight to the hotel I go.

PAX DAY 1

Friday

The sights, sounds, and... smells of PAX.  I arrived at around 1:15pm at the WSCC hoping to get in line and make the 2pm showing of GOW2 at the Microsoft booth.  Last year's crowd wasn't as packed as this years was.  Some kids are hitting a inflatable ball and counting the successive times that it's hit into the air, and booing the anyone who lets it fall.  As the line-up gets longer the room becomes hotter and the smell becomes stronger, and I make a mental note to come about 90 mins late next year, there's really no reason to show up early or on time; because you don't really need the wristbands for the concerts (everyone can get in). 2:45pm the line starts, 2:55pm we're in the expo hall.

2:00pm - Gears of War 2

Unfortunately no new info here; the demo shown is the exact same from e3.  The multiplayer demo on the other hand is fun.  Honestly, I've never been good at GOW, and there's been no change here.  I'm getting dominated by kids who have just picked up the game.  Looks like there are some of the original GOW1 maps on here but as far as names of which, I couldn't tell ya.

3:30pm - Omegathon Round 1

Popcap's Peggle.  Enforcers are telling us that spectators are not allowed for the first round.

4:30pm - Expo Hall

Spent most of my time wandering the expo hall, though I spent a lot of time watching Fallout 3.  This was one of about four games that had lines so long that it really wasn't worth waiting for.  Never been much of a PC gamer so this game is all new to me.  Todd Howard is helping a kid play the game.  At any time you can scan your enemy, find his weak spots and select the proper weapon to take him down.  After you've killed you enemy you can take his booty and even his clothes.  The game is an early build, it doesn't quite have that polish you'd expect; but it looks like a hell of a lot of fun and that is more important.

6:00pm - Ubisoft presents EndWar

Li Jou and an onslaught of marketing reps are going to demo Tom Clancy's EndWar.  Ubisoft has always made a strong showing at PAX and this year is no different.  EndWar is impressive and the voice controls work really well.  Voice commands work by selecting the unit, the action, and then the target.  So a basic command would work like the following: Unit 1 move to Alpha.  The response time could be quicker but the game is responding to voice commands that are given at various speeds and voice inflections.  AI is fairly intelligent, but you have to put your troops in the right positions to be effective.  Jou states that he wants you to to have a connection to your units, not just treat them like cannon fodder.  FYI, all buildings can be destroyed and all buildings can be captured.  This is a must buy for me.

Lastly, the team shows off a short movie of two parrots using the voice commands for the game.  And it's hilarious, there's someone in the background who is giving the commands, but the parrots are repeating those commands into the mics and the game is responding, very clever stuff.  As we leave we're given beta codes; no worries you can get them too, you'll just have to pre-order the game.

8:00pm- Omegathon Round 2

Boom Blox, I'm late.  Took too much time getting over here after the Ubisoft demo and now I'm near the back.  I can't see much of the action that's going on, but it looks like the Omeganauts are having fun.  I've never played Boom Blox before so I can't really tell what's going on, but it looks like enough fun to rent.

9:00pm - Screening: The Guild

All nine episodes are screened.  I've never seen the show before, it's really good.  It's written well and in webisodes short enough to watch all of season 1 well within a hour.  After the screening Felicia Day (writer/actor), Sandeep Pahrik (actor), Kim Every  (producer), and Greg Benson (director) field the Q&A.   Day states that season 2 is written in full and they are waiting to shoot.  She would like to partner up with a big company and distribute the series via large retailers, but she hasn't found the right deal yet. 

Pahrik, Every, and Benson talk about their respective projects, but Q's keep getting geared towards Day and her "hair color."  Lastly they field a couple of questions from smaller comedy teams about breaking through and getting noticed.  Q&A wraps up and sales of "The Guild" start outside of the Raven Theater.

End of Day #1

Drinking shoes are put on.

PAX recap

Today is the last day of PAX.  I thought that I would be more dilligent about posting stuff.  But this is one expo that is more geared towards fun and staying up really late (the beer, totally my fault).  Thus no posts thus far.  However, my impressions of everything that I've seen over the last three days will be up tonight and as well as a few other thing; i.e. a review of "The Summer of Arcade." 

My PAX schedule.

Friday

2:00pm - Gears of War 2

3:30pm - Omegathon Round 1

4:30pm - Expo Hall

6:00pm - Ubisoft presents EndWar

8:00pm- Omegathon Round 2

9:00pm - Movie: The Guild

Saturday

10:00am - Expo Hall

11:30am - Omegathon Round 2

12:30pm - Expo Hall

2:30pm - Bethesda presents Fallout 3

3:30pm - Expo Hall

4:30pm - Microsoft TBA

6:00pm - Ubisoft presents PoP & FC 2

7:00pm - Meet the PAX 10!

8:30pm - Omegathon Round 4

10:00pm - Movie: Nerdcore for Life

11:30pm - Concert: MC Frontalot / The Minibosses

Sunday

10:00am - Halo Wars

10:30am - New Xbox Experience

1:00pm - Omegathon Round 5

2:00pm - Expo Hall

5:00pm - Omegathon Final Round

I won't be bloggin during PAX.  But my twitter should be pretty active.

What to do the day before/after PAX.

Eight more days before PAX; 8 more days before a wave of people from all over the country and beyond descend on Seattle for three days of music and art at Bumbershoot and video games and nerdcore at PAX.  So since many of you will be visiting my home city, I decided that I would create a list of things to do if you get in a day before, or you feel like staying a day after Labor Day weekend.  I know I wouldn't want to travel the Monday after.

Here is where you can find the itinerary.  I took a couple of things for granted:
1) I assumed that you were attending PAX and thus had a hotel in DT/financial district of Seattle.
2) That you have never been to Seattle before.
3) That you weren't interested in venturing too far from the main touristy stuff.
4) That you can walk 5.7 miles in a day and not get exhausted (the hills in Seattle will make these 5.7 miles feel like 10).

Starbucks
You should probably catch a cab to get you here, just tell him it's the Pike Place Starbucks.  If he's an idiot he'll drop you off in front of Pike Place.  Hopefully you get an experienced driver.  FYI, This is not just any Starbucks mind you but the first Starbucks.  The one that started it all.  The inside has been preserved to the original old world state.  Get here early, the lines sometimes go out the door.

Pike Place Market
It's likely that you'll see the infamous neon sign before you see the coffee shop, but alas the PPM is a three tier odyssey with everything from antiques to comics to flying fish.  A must see.

Seattle Aquarium
If you want to you can follow the map to walk down hill to the Aquarium.  But if your feeling adventurous you  can find stairs that will lead you down to the piers from PPM.  This is not a must see, but merely a stop on the way to the next locale and a reason to get down to the waterfront and walk the piers of Seattle.

Ivars Acres of Clams
Really good fish and chips, from a Seattle original restaurant.  Save some bucks and order food from outside.  Try to distance yourself from the restaurant after you get your order, tourists have been feeding the seagulls so much that they expect to get half your plate.

Westlake Center
Nothing really to see in Westlake that you can't see in any other overpriced mall in the country.  But take the escalators to the third floor.  There you'll find the Seattle Monorail and a shortcut to Seattle Center.

Seattle Center
It's gonna be packed. The Seattle Center is home to Bumbershoot every summer on Labor Day weekend, it's a great festival, but it's gone a little "Disney" the last four years or so with the special BS passes.  If your taking this route on Thursday or Monday, you should be fine.  If it's during the weekend, expect long lines for eveything:Space Needle, IMAX, Pacific Science Center, and food.

Experience Music Project
Right outside the SC and a must see if you've never been to Seattle and a big music fan.  Paul Allen's tribute to Seattle musician and music is a little overpriced but worth it to fans of all genres of music.

Dick's Drive-In
It's probably time for lunch and Dick's will be on the other side of SC, cut through the park for drive in burgers/fries/shakes for five greenbacks.

Westlake Center
You could probably hang around SC, but there's nothing really to see find the Monorail station within SC and head back to Westlake.  Now's a better time to hit the local shops, up a block and a half is Pacific Place, and around the area you can find Niketown, the Fox Sports Grill, Nordstroms HQ, among others.

Seattle Art Museum
SAM has been expanded over the last three years and is actually on par with other Museum's I've been to (excluding MMoA in NYC).  If you're a fan of art, you really get your bang for your buck at SAM.

Cheesecake Factory
Time for dinner.  There's also Gordon Biersch and a few other resturants at the top of Pacific Place.

Sleep then go to PAX/Home.

Upcoming PAX posts.

With PAX just about two weeks away I am going to be turning my attention to all things related to the indie expo and what my plan of attack for the con will be. So here's a little list of what's coming up.

- What to do in Downtown Seattle.
- My PAX schedule.
- Daily PAX Updates.
- Post SWAG Bragathon.

L8rs.

Penny Arcade TV

Looks like Gabe added a TV stream so that people can watch him draw the comic.  It's currently down right now, but he'll post when he'll turn it back on.  FYI there's also chat functionality, so so can BS with other PA readers.