The first thing you notice when you walk into a convention such as PAX Prime is the sheer size of the event. If you've been, or you are here now then you know what I'm talking about. You instantly feel so tiny in a world full of ceiling-to-floor banners, giants dragons and displays hosting a plethora of gaming screens and graphics. Then, as you start to walk around and fold in with the thousands flowing through the exhibition floor, as you queue in line waiting to play the latest sequel or offering from the many studios represented you realize that you aren't so insignificant after all.
You see PAX is a convention for the masses. It's for the gamers and the fans. Everything (for the most part) is hands-on and the excitement that the development teams and the studios have for their games is passed right on to the fans. It's a gamers paradise, or as I like to call it - Disneyland for gamers. I'm not saying media hacks such as myself are ignored, by no means, it's just not for us. It's for the gamers.
So being both a gamer and media, I thought - where should I start? Well, I started right up front of the expo hall, at the Gunnar Optiks booth. By now you all know my not-so-secret love affair with Gunnars, especially if you follow me on Twitter. (Also, be sure to follow the official PAX Prime hashtag for PAX updates and all the Tweets.) I suggest all gamers who have a bit of cash in their pocket and a three day pass stop by the Gunnars booth. Get a pair of Gunnars, focus those eyes in a crowded and bright convention center and kick some ass at Counterstrike.
Next up I walked over to the 2K Games booth and checked out the preview they had set up for Borderlands 2. Sadly the game was not in a playable mode yet, and the room we were in started to reek of "geek who lives in his mom's basement." However, the preview was pretty sweet and the game boast some new crazy weapons and a very improved A.I. system that will make it much more interesting than the first. Also, they've expanded Pandora (the world in the game) beyond just a desert. It now encompasses all types of climates.
Earlier this year I wrote about a game called Firefall, an online PvP first person shooter. I was impressed by the look of the game, a very animated reality. This year, Firefall (Red 5 Studios) went all out. They had banners on the escalators, in the bathrooms and a giant statue display outside of the expo hall. The money this company spent on marketing this game, just at PAX, must be outrageous. Good for them I suppose, but it's going to come down to if people actually enjoy the game.
My next stop was the outer banks. I visited the booth of Taitale Studios to check out their game Novus Aeterno. Related to this, if you are reading this before 11am PST, I have a one-on-one panel with the founder of Taitale, 19 year old Nick Tamlers Nieuwoudt. I'll be talking with him and his international team of young developers about developing a seamless persistent MMORTS in the Unicorn room. After looking at the game and talking about their ideas for the future, this is going to be an amazing game. Pay attention to this one kids.
After that I wandered around the floor some more, then proceeded to meet GeekDad's Dave Banks and Jonathan Liu for some board games. I'm not much of a board game player, in fact outside of Risk I really don't play them at all. That didn't stop me from beating them silly in not one game but two. Today they'll be looking for some revenge for sure, and I accept their challenge. Win or lose, it's fun playing board games with friends.
That all being said, gamers should take note of the outer regions of PAX Prime. If you are feeling overwhelmed by the presence of the large studios, head to the outskirts of the convention floor and peruse the independent studios. Check out some of the table top gaming. Go play a board game. Come watch the GeekDad panel at 10am on Sunday. Relax. It's a long weekend.
All images: C.Silver
