I’m sitting here about 2/3 of the way through day 2 of PAX and only now have had time to work on the day 1 coverage of the convention for Game Usagi… that’s how busy and chock-full this show is. But let’s maybe back up for a moment and explain what PAX or Penny Arcade Expo is all about: a culmination of the success andculture of one of the most popular web comics around (Penny Arcade: www.penny-arcade.com). PAX has grown to a powerhouse in videogame conventions. The website and its resulting “expo” is the brainchild of Mike Krahulik and Jerry Hulkins who have created animated alter egos by the name of Gabe and Tycho. Born from humble beginnings, the site grew in popularity with its witty commentary on video game and table top gaming culture. PAX in its current iteration hosts the world’s biggest video game companies and their new content, along with indy game developers and also features a healthy dose of table top gaming-related exhibits.
This year is the sixth iteration of PAX, which is spread over a 3-day weekend and has been growing in size each year. PAX 09 is the first time where the show was sold out before tickets went on sale at the door. On August 21, two weeks before the start of the convention, all 3-day passes were sold out. On August 31 all single-day passes were sold out as well, drawing the largest crowd in PAX history with 75,000 PAX passes sold.
Highlights of this year’s show are:
– Live in-game demos of Star Wars the Old Republic, Splinter Cell Conviction and Assassins Creed 2.
– A keynote by Ron Gilbert.
– A world record for the most Nintendo DS’ in one place and
– Playable builds of almost all major game releases for the end of this year andbeyond.
Please note that we will add many images and videos once we get back to the office, however to keep information on PAX as current as possible, we’ll update you as the show progresses. For day 1 we had some hands-on time with a number of upcoming high profile releases:
Halo 3: ODST: we had a chance to play the “Firefight” mode of ODST, which is a variation on Gears of War 2’s “Horde Mode” and features cooperative game play where the player and a squad of friends take on wave after wave of covenant troops. We were impressed with how the game assigned points to all of the player’s contributions: even if you didn’t kill an enemy, you still got points based on the damage you caused it (much akin to CoD4 and much opposed to the “win-to-progress” mentality of vanilla Halo 3). It gets very competitive as medals and points get awarded and tallied at the end of a match, promising a game mode with a lot of legs for gamers to look forward to. The announced game play changes for ODST, which include stealthier gameplay and a more character-driven story were not apparent during this demo, the new armour mechanics and VISR enhanced vision mode were, but we’ll need more time with them in the campaign setting to get a good sense of their impact on the game. The game uses the same graphics engine as Halo 3 which, considering that game’s visuals, is nothing to complain about. However, there is definitely a sense of deja vuas you observe the environment around you and the enemies you face. Firefight will no doubt be a popular and enjoyable game mode, but we can’t wait to play the game’s campaign mode to get a real sense of what’s new in Bungie’s latest release when it drops September 22nd, 09.
Starcraft II: this is a game that’s been long in development, so it was exciting to see the campaign mechanics in action. Jim Raynor is back as a Mercenary Captain at the helm of the Battle Cruiser “Hyperion”, which fans may remember from the previous game. Kerrigan, who was transformed into the Human/Zerg hybrid “Queen of Blades” in StarCraft: Broodwar, is also back along with a massive swarm of Zerg. We really enjoyed the mission hub mechanic, which this time around is the inside of the Hyperion and allows you to visit the different levels of the ships in order to prepare for your upcoming mission. The armory allows you to upgrade your troops and weapons for instance, while the bridge gives you more insight on the mission requirements. Visually the game looks great, the fully 3D character models are well detailed and the game beams with color. Many unit types make their return but with a new look and upgrades. We’ll need more time with the game to comment on the effect of the new gameplay adjustments, but there’s little doubt that all the time and effort that’s being invested in StarCraft II will pay off in a big way.
Diablo III: another one of Blizzard’s huge franchises, Diablo III was playable in one of the new desert levels. As with StarCraft II, Diablo III has a bold, colorful new look with nice level detail and beautiful effects. The gameplay felt very familiar and so far the main focus has been on the newly announced character classes, such as the Monk character. Diablo has always been addictive, but time will tell what Blizzard has done to rejuvenate the franchise, visually however the game seems to have gotten the overhaul it needed and fans demanded.
Left4Dead 2: another highly anticipated sequel which was playable at PAX. Left4Dead 2 (L4D2) brought us more cooperative zombie slaying, but with a bigger emphasis on sticking together. Valve has really attempted to discourage gamers from going it alone and instead has made gameplay more rewarding for appropriate displays of teamwork. As with Halo 3: ODST, there didn’t seem to be any significant changes to the graphics engine, but there were many gameplay tweaks. Melee weapons are now usable, the most striking (pun intended) was the katana, which delivered many gory but satisfying decapitations. New zombies included those that shoot toxic projectiles at the player and ones that actually jump on your shoulders andtry to heard you into danger. Not a revolutionary update by any means, L4D2 is bound to give fans of the first game exactly what they want, with Valve being sure to add appropriate gameplay tweaks to make L4D2 even more enjoyable than the first.
Splinter Cell: Conviction: Ubisoft had a live in-game demo of Splinter Cell: Conviction and a world-exclusive in-game demo of Assassin’s Creed 2. Conviction’s creative director Maxime Beland spoke about the new design choices, which primarily focus on the concept of the player being the “predator”, stalking its prey and taking it out any way they see fit. Beland played part of the same level shown during the E3 demo in which a younger-looking Sam Fisher (still voiced by the amazing Michael Ironside) searches for his daughter’s killer. The gritty opening scene sees Sam “interrogate” a bad guy by slamming his head first in a toilet bowl, then through a sink. Not soon after that the new “tagging” mechanics are shown as Sam is able to pick his shots before storming into a room by “tagging” enemies as he surveys a room by peeking under the door. New cover and evade mechanics make it easier to shoot at enemies without taking damage and display the enemies primary point of interest when they investigate your whereabouts. Visually the game looked stunning, with gorgeous textures, lighting and detailed character and structural models. Tight-lipped as always, Ubsisoft did have a wold-exclusive announcement considering the return of Sam Fisher’s signature goggles, which now have a new viewing mode allowing you to see enemies through walls. Beland even hinted that Fisher’s famous gun is making a comeback. Out of the many games on display at PAX, Conviction was one of the most exciting because of its offering of visceral action, increased pacing, more freedom and stunning visuals, the game is scheduled for a first quarter release in 2010.
Assassins Creed 2: was also on display with an in-game demonstration by creative director Patrice Desilets of the level set in Florence during the Renaissance. This was not yet the final build, but already it was apparent that the game is going to have some beautiful vistas; Florence seemed to be fully realized with beautiful and historic architecture. Desilets was intent on pointing out the diversity in gameplay with this sequel as he showed a side quest involving an assassination without being seen, ultimately resulting in a poisoned guard who in a berserk frenzy took out the target without main character Ezio so much as having to lift a finger. Diversity was key here as we also got a look at a catacomb level, which initially focused on tests of agility, not unlike Prince of Persia, but eventually resulted in a chase scene with a climatic take down. It was apparent that many of the issues that hindered the first game were addressed here, not least of which is the ability to swim. Still a little rough around the edges, the prospect of playing a sequel to the first Assassin’s Creed without some of the shortcomings it had is incredibly appealing and many people walked away from the demo very excited to get their hands on the game when it’s released November 17th, 2009.
Sneak peaks were also shown of high profile upcoming releases by Jeff Keighly for Spike’s GametrailerTV, along with Q&A sessions with the creative directors for Brutal Legend and Uncharted 2: Amongst Thieves. For Brutal Legend we got to see a glimpse of the back story as the main character who is a roadie named Eddy Riggs for a band called Cabbage Boy, it quickly becomes apparent that this band does not embody Eddy’s idea of the spirit of rock. Uncharted 2: showed us in-game footage of the game’s main character on a train level. It showed some of the new cover and melee mechanics as well as the beautiful graphics and a big, very dangerous helicopter.
— More content to follow….