Back from PAX
Sorry to those who read (anyone?) this blog, I have been doing a few other things.
One of those things was the Penny Arcade Expo. I only went Saturday, but it was still a great experience.
One of the best comparisons that can be made is that PAX is Disneyland for gamers. No, it isn't nessisarily the best place on Earth. What it has is long lines for short experiences, yet it is still increadably fun.
The main downside is the lines, notably the lines for the freeplay rooms. The PC freeplay was more forgiving, since there was plenty of PC's, all loaded with assorted games, mostly FPS's. The console freeplay didn't have as many consoles, but more games, although you had to wait until the apropriate console opened up, thus making the line move slower.
One thing to keep in mind for next year's PAX is to go in a group. This is so then one person can get into a given line early (as all the panels' lines had hundreds of people lined up just a half-hour before it starts). Also, at the beginning of the day, the exhibit line parallels the preregistered's line. Have at least one person in that line, while the other people go in for swag or tournament sign-ups.
The only other bad part was the DS's. Yes, there was too many of them, at least too many in one space. The lag all the DS's created slowed Mario Kart DS and Tetris DS to a crawl, and made it near impossible to download a game. Hopefully, the larger venue for PAX '07 will disperse all the DS's a bit more.
The exhibit room was half demos, half sellers. There was some exclusive items there, like the new Penny Arcade book, but mostly stuff you could get outside PAX anyway.
On the demo's side, unfortunatly, no Wii and no Sony presence. I got to play Elite Beat Agents, Final Fantasy 3 (DS version) and Guitar Hero 2 (first time I played the game; I sucked at it). At the console freeplay, I played the fun, and crowd generating, game Dead Rising. It's not quite good enough to sell a 360 to me, but still a good incentive.
The panels were fun. Heck, just look at yesterday's Penny Arcade comic, as the heart and lampshade was not originally in it until the crowd requested it.
What made PAX work was not just the events, but the people around it. Everyone was friendly and attributed to the atmosphere. Even if you don't play very many games, you shouldn't be afraid of going to this event.
Overall, PAX was a great event, and one I'll be attending all three days next year.
One of those things was the Penny Arcade Expo. I only went Saturday, but it was still a great experience.
One of the best comparisons that can be made is that PAX is Disneyland for gamers. No, it isn't nessisarily the best place on Earth. What it has is long lines for short experiences, yet it is still increadably fun.
The main downside is the lines, notably the lines for the freeplay rooms. The PC freeplay was more forgiving, since there was plenty of PC's, all loaded with assorted games, mostly FPS's. The console freeplay didn't have as many consoles, but more games, although you had to wait until the apropriate console opened up, thus making the line move slower.
One thing to keep in mind for next year's PAX is to go in a group. This is so then one person can get into a given line early (as all the panels' lines had hundreds of people lined up just a half-hour before it starts). Also, at the beginning of the day, the exhibit line parallels the preregistered's line. Have at least one person in that line, while the other people go in for swag or tournament sign-ups.
The only other bad part was the DS's. Yes, there was too many of them, at least too many in one space. The lag all the DS's created slowed Mario Kart DS and Tetris DS to a crawl, and made it near impossible to download a game. Hopefully, the larger venue for PAX '07 will disperse all the DS's a bit more.
The exhibit room was half demos, half sellers. There was some exclusive items there, like the new Penny Arcade book, but mostly stuff you could get outside PAX anyway.
On the demo's side, unfortunatly, no Wii and no Sony presence. I got to play Elite Beat Agents, Final Fantasy 3 (DS version) and Guitar Hero 2 (first time I played the game; I sucked at it). At the console freeplay, I played the fun, and crowd generating, game Dead Rising. It's not quite good enough to sell a 360 to me, but still a good incentive.
The panels were fun. Heck, just look at yesterday's Penny Arcade comic, as the heart and lampshade was not originally in it until the crowd requested it.
What made PAX work was not just the events, but the people around it. Everyone was friendly and attributed to the atmosphere. Even if you don't play very many games, you shouldn't be afraid of going to this event.
Overall, PAX was a great event, and one I'll be attending all three days next year.
posted by SeanM at 9:40 AM
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