Seattle’s videogame-crazy Penny Arcade Expo would do just fine without revealing any new gizmos or games. The annual fan-driven show, currently the largest in the United States, attracts over 70,000 fans in search of the hobby’s errata: board games, nostalgic game lounges, nerd-inclined concerts and nitty-gritty discussion panels.
Huge companies, of course, come as well, taking one last opportunity to preview the fall’s biggest games and tease far-off projects. They’re smart to aim both barrels at PAX’s thousands, who stormed the main exhibition hall to see — and shout about — the latest in games.
“In 2009, you guys put the word out about Borderlands,” a Gearbox Software representative told PAX fans while showing off the cult hit’s sharp-looking sequel. “You made us a success.”
Fans will probably make Borderlands 2 a success as well, as they cheered for the game’s arctic environments, smarter enemies and always-moving quests. The 2012 game’s zombie-clown villains crawled and hopped up difficult ledges while working together to flank players; luckily, the game’s knack for overpowered guns has been upped to even the score.
Star Wars: The Old Republic, the maybe-this-Christmas MMO from Electronic Arts, might not have chosen the right venue for a long-awaited preview. TOR’s polished dialogue and writing were obscured by the din of PAX, so developers BioWare showed off player-versus-player battles instead. While glossy, the combat’s ridiculous similarities to World of Warcraft overpowered any glee I got using a lightsaber instead of an ax.
Lucky for MMO fans, Seattle’s ArenaNet proved itself ready to change the genre with Guild Wars 2, shown in its most playable state yet after years of delays. The game was a wonder to run through as its dynamic quests, easily modifiable characters and sudden swells of combat felt so fresh compared to WoW’s archetypal warriors and endless “kill 15 rats” quests.
Even better, its dialogue unfolded with flashy, full-screen decision trees that affect play much like Mass Effect (whose upcoming 2012 sequel, Mass Effect 3, drew five-hour lines to play its solid preview).
Even more than the big dogs, PAX prides itself on elevating the best in unknown games via its dedicated indie hall. Standouts included Fez, a retro-styled platformer that rotates its flat world in 3-D to unveil hidden paths; The Splatters, a blobby, physics-filled puzzle game that looks like Angry Birds if made by Mensa; Retro/Grade, in which players pilot a spaceship back in time to the beat of an amazing soundtrack, using a Guitar Hero controller; and Word Fighter, a later-this-year iPad game that turns Boggle into a weapon-filled, two-player battle.
Yet even new gizmos and rising indie stars, particularly the endless lines around indie sensation Minecraft booth, couldn’t unseat Halo, a series so big it received its own fest within PAX. There, the game’s new (Master) chieftains, Microsoft’s 343 Studios, insisted that their forthcoming releases — this year’s HD remake of the original Halo, and next year’s Halo 4 — would stay true to the series’ spirit. “[Series creators] Bungie work down the road from us, after all,” said 343 executive producer Dan Ayoub. But based on Halo CE Anniversary previews at Halo Fest, he shouldn’t worry about the old guard stopping by Microsoft to raise a ruckus. The original campaign has received a wall-to-wall graphical upgrade, and the game’s classic multiplayer maps have been tweaked for their Xbox 360 debut, filling Halo Fest’s halls with whoops and hollers.
Par for the PAX course, really. Co-founder Jerry Holkins best represented the complete sensory overload of PAX, seen at almost every event, dressing up in chain mail for a live game of Dungeons & Dragons; dancing at the massive Just Dance 3 demo station; rocking out to the cellos-and-guitars of the Video Game Orchestra; and even walking his mother around to shake hands with folks dressed in videogame costumes. “It felt like an Elvis concert,” Peta Countryman said about the crowds of Penny Arcade fans coming up to her son. “People apologize for interrupting our time with each other and I say, ‘No, that’s what this is all about.’”
Huge companies, of course, come as well, taking one last opportunity to preview the fall’s biggest games and tease far-off projects. They’re smart to aim both barrels at PAX’s thousands, who stormed the main exhibition hall to see — and shout about — the latest in games.
“In 2009, you guys put the word out about Borderlands,” a Gearbox Software representative told PAX fans while showing off the cult hit’s sharp-looking sequel. “You made us a success.”
Fans will probably make Borderlands 2 a success as well, as they cheered for the game’s arctic environments, smarter enemies and always-moving quests. The 2012 game’s zombie-clown villains crawled and hopped up difficult ledges while working together to flank players; luckily, the game’s knack for overpowered guns has been upped to even the score.
Star Wars: The Old Republic, the maybe-this-Christmas MMO from Electronic Arts, might not have chosen the right venue for a long-awaited preview. TOR’s polished dialogue and writing were obscured by the din of PAX, so developers BioWare showed off player-versus-player battles instead. While glossy, the combat’s ridiculous similarities to World of Warcraft overpowered any glee I got using a lightsaber instead of an ax.
Lucky for MMO fans, Seattle’s ArenaNet proved itself ready to change the genre with Guild Wars 2, shown in its most playable state yet after years of delays. The game was a wonder to run through as its dynamic quests, easily modifiable characters and sudden swells of combat felt so fresh compared to WoW’s archetypal warriors and endless “kill 15 rats” quests.
Even better, its dialogue unfolded with flashy, full-screen decision trees that affect play much like Mass Effect (whose upcoming 2012 sequel, Mass Effect 3, drew five-hour lines to play its solid preview).
Even more than the big dogs, PAX prides itself on elevating the best in unknown games via its dedicated indie hall. Standouts included Fez, a retro-styled platformer that rotates its flat world in 3-D to unveil hidden paths; The Splatters, a blobby, physics-filled puzzle game that looks like Angry Birds if made by Mensa; Retro/Grade, in which players pilot a spaceship back in time to the beat of an amazing soundtrack, using a Guitar Hero controller; and Word Fighter, a later-this-year iPad game that turns Boggle into a weapon-filled, two-player battle.
Yet even new gizmos and rising indie stars, particularly the endless lines around indie sensation Minecraft booth, couldn’t unseat Halo, a series so big it received its own fest within PAX. There, the game’s new (Master) chieftains, Microsoft’s 343 Studios, insisted that their forthcoming releases — this year’s HD remake of the original Halo, and next year’s Halo 4 — would stay true to the series’ spirit. “[Series creators] Bungie work down the road from us, after all,” said 343 executive producer Dan Ayoub. But based on Halo CE Anniversary previews at Halo Fest, he shouldn’t worry about the old guard stopping by Microsoft to raise a ruckus. The original campaign has received a wall-to-wall graphical upgrade, and the game’s classic multiplayer maps have been tweaked for their Xbox 360 debut, filling Halo Fest’s halls with whoops and hollers.
Par for the PAX course, really. Co-founder Jerry Holkins best represented the complete sensory overload of PAX, seen at almost every event, dressing up in chain mail for a live game of Dungeons & Dragons; dancing at the massive Just Dance 3 demo station; rocking out to the cellos-and-guitars of the Video Game Orchestra; and even walking his mother around to shake hands with folks dressed in videogame costumes. “It felt like an Elvis concert,” Peta Countryman said about the crowds of Penny Arcade fans coming up to her son. “People apologize for interrupting our time with each other and I say, ‘No, that’s what this is all about.’”
