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  • Subject: PAX 2K4 - A long write up.
Subject: PAX 2K4 - A long write up.
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PAX 2K4 Write-Up

The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) was my first "big" convention. Fans of console video games (Xbox cough Halo 2 cough), PC games, tabletop games, competitive gamers, and Halo 2 fans had fairly good reason to attend. Overall, the experience was fun, but paying $20 for parking is rather irksome.

The Expo

The physical structure and layout of the convention made sense for the most part. The tabletop games were on the first floor, with the theater for movies, celebrity appearances, and industry workshops for the lack of a better term on the second floor, nothing on the third, and the PC LAN games, Console LAN games, Exhibitors' room, and vendors on the fourth.

The first floor was "meh." There was some D&D, games I've never seen before, and a sparse few playing Magic The Gathering. I would have jumped in and played a game or two, but I saw a lot of blue decks, which is the color that my deck really just can't handle.

Both busy and neglected at times, the theater played both seasons of RvB, had a short Q&A session with the creators of RvB, played the movie Wizard, and had a handful of workshops about the gaming industry, like "The current state of the Industry" Q&A and "Getting into the Industry." The line for the RvB event was quite long and the event seemed to be one of the most popular as this picture can help to illustrate, and was outdone only by the Halo 2 event(more on that later). That was only half the line, and at the time the theater was full.

After the RvB showing we spied them in the main lobby signing DVD inserts or something:

One
Two
Skip
A few

My friend JD and I sat in on the "current state" Q&A session, which was really quite informative and thought-provoking. The panel consisted of a Nintendo regional publishing manager (or something like that, who declined to acknowledge anything about Too Human), a motion capture animation director, a programmer, a project manager, and a tester. In a jovial and humorous tone, the panel touched on a healthy variety of the current hot issues, like the trend of paying developers based on review scores, broadband vs. dial-up (Three people in the audience admitted to having dial-up; I almost got a picture of their hands in the air, but wasn't fast enough. As I went for my camera my wallet fell out; big thanks to Omeganaut #3 for returning it intact.), big name licenses like Spiderman and games, the sales model of The Phantom, and the relationship between publishers and developers, and how big name retailers are strong-arming the industry.

The free-play PC LAN games weren't really anything all that special and can be played at home, or that's the reasoning I used for not playing. The console free-play gaming was rare because most of the consoles were being used for the console tournaments. Microsoft's Xbox seemed to be running almost everything in exhibition room. Black Arrow, Ghost Recon 2, Mech Assault 2, Conker Live & Reloaded, and Fable are the memorable Xbox titles that were playable. The Matrix Online and Guild Wars were the only PC-playable titles to my knowledge on the floor; TMO looks incredibly boring in that you don't really control the majority of your battles, and I've played Guild Wars when they had the E3 server set up - it still looks like it has the potential to be a worthy title. Ubisoft was also showcasing Splinter Cell 3, which had really nice looking graphics. Sony and Nintendo were nowhere to be seen.

The highlight had to be the Ubisoft Frag Dolls, and specifically seeing them work over random-made 5-man teams at Black Arrow. Oddly enough, nobody was allowed to observe the screens of the Frag Dolls as they played. Winning teams or the top three players with the most Frag Doll blood on their hands walked away with copies of the game.

There were also some tabletop games being exhibited, one a card game called "Horus Heresy" and another a miniatures came entitled Warmachine. I was blind to JD's sarcasm when he said he didn't see how I thought it resembled the Warhammer games(interesting tidbit, there is a period of time in the 40K universe called the Horus Heresy). One of the booth dudes asked us if we were familiar with the game, but I told him we were familiar with Warhammer and hoped it would have displayed our disinterest in an attempt to have him leave us alone. Un-phased, he went on to explain the differences between the Games Workshop titles and this one his commission was no doubt ridding on, like the blend of technology and fantasy, magic AND flint-lock pistols, and that you could play with an army that cost only $40 to build!

Vendors were in low number. PAX/PA gear, Japanese candy, sodas & anime junk, Bawls(I gotta get my hands on some Bawls; Tasting some Bawls was the highlight of my PAX adventure - say those out loud, they're really humorous!) soda, and MC Frontalot Tees was it. I would have bought RvB shirts no question, but ended up with a couple of Naruto figurines and a deck of Naruto-themed playing cards. And I consumed some Bawls.

Tournament play might have been fun if we had brought a team with us. I did observe Gabe in the console room as his name was called twice for the Splinter Cell: Pandora Tomorrow tournament, and he responded with exactly what I would have expected him to. Smash Bros. and Soul Calibur II just aren't that much fun to watch, and the Halo tournament was over by the time we arrived in Bellevue.

[Edited on 8/30/2004 9:52:46 PM]

  • 08.30.2004 8:28 PM PDT
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Bungie/Halo 2

Microsoft's campus is quite large. How do I know this? Because I told [CENSORED] I'd get a picture of Frankie, and figured that I could get one as he would be packing up Xboxes and copies of Halo 2 before heading over to the convention. Why not just get a picture at the convention, you're probably asking. Well, apparently, there was quite a line for Halo 2 on Sunday morning, and at 8 am. the Enforcer staff, or volunteers, decided to distribute "tickets" to the event. Having arrived a little past 8:20 am and figuring that would have been plenty of time to get in line. I was confounded when I was asked, "You don't have a ticket?"

"A ticket!?" I responded.

"They handed them out at about 8 this morning. If you don't have one, it's too late."

I was shocked and dismayed. If something ever draws me to a convention again like the prospect of playing Halo 2 did, I won't make that mistake again; I will start the line a day early.

Anyways, good luck navigating that campus if the need should ever arrive. Admitting defeat, we went back to PAX. JD got to do some hands on with Ghost Recon 2, with tutelage from one of the better looking Frag Dolls. Then, at 1:15pm, Frankie is down at the registration desk. Just short of running down the escalator, I made it. "Frankie! I told [CENSORED] I'd get a picture with you!"

He paused for a moment. Dropping names, most of the time it can work to your advantage, but there's the possibility of that one time when…

"OH! Yeah." He notices my kilt. "Are you wearing a Utilikilt?" He starts shaking his head, it looks like in shame, as I confirm that I in fact am wearing one. One of the PAX "Enforcers" said something about not knowing if it was a matter to be proud of or shamed, or something like that. I'd be lying if I said I was really paying attention because, I mean, for God's sake, I was standing next to Frankie, the alpha and omega, or at least the very talented mouthpiece, of Halo 2 knowledge that all of us have and will continue to (hopefully, unless the bug fixing no longer warrants them) receive.

"They're cheaper than the real thing, especially when you're a poor college student like me." Smooth move ex-lax, I may as well have added an OMG and a LOL to go with the juvenile and uneducated "me." But, alas, it's true. An authentic tartan kilt is just too costly and impractical for daily use.

"At least it's comfortable, right?" The Enforcer asked.

"Yeah." They are damn comfortable, Utilikilts, and garner you quite a bit of attention at conventions it seems. One young woman shouted it was sexy, claims JD, but I thought I heard her say "sucks." Another girl came up and asked what I was wearing underneath it, to which I responded that she really didn't want to know. On Saturday I was the only one in the building. On Sunday I spotted one other.

"How do I work this thing? Anything special?"

Right, I almost forgot I handed my digital camera to a different Enforcer. I started to explain how to take then picture when the flash went off. Well, it's a picture at least. I owe him my thanks for taking it.

I apologized to Frankie, saying that I would have waited till' the event but couldn't get a ticket to get in, and ran off to go find JD and tell him that I was ready to go when he was, with what I could accomplish of my mission complete, seeing that getting my hands on Halo 2 wasn't a possibility. Frankie was pretty cool. At least he didn't bite me or hurl a large log my way, and I'm convinced he could have done so if he wanted to, Scots are really strong. This span of time almost went by the fastest, and was almost the most exciting. But only almost.

The Naruto wall-scrolls were all sold out. And then I was approached. Maybe it was the Halo t-shirt, maybe it was the cash that was visible when I paid for some Naruto cards, I can't really say.

"Excuse me, would you be interested in purchasing a Halo 2 ticket?" Was my luck getting exponentially better? Was this God's way of telling me that I wasn't going to survive the drive back?

"How much do you want?"

"30."

"I'd go for 25." I lied. I would have gone for every penny I had on me, easily $50. It sounds sad, but have you had the chance to play Halo 2 yet?

"That works." The exchange was made. I was going to play Halo 2. Ticket in hand, it was time to stand in line.

For 2 hours, with shuffling from chaos to numerical order to having to stand single file, with a myriad of Enforcers who were mad with excitement to those who were just plain mad. After 1.5 days of the -blam!- they had to put up with, I can't blame them. The kilt was noticed, the grunt tee was noticed, my fatty, or as non-Kennewick residents seem to call it, Duke controller was noticed, and Irish people -blam!- rock.

Ticketholder "77" got something special from Frankie, because Bungie likes the number 7, duh. I can't say what it was because I had poor visual contact. I started out with ticket "102", but as the line dwindled down, and the people I was in between realized they wouldn't get to play together, I traded for "97." JD had my camera and went in to the audience section, took some pictures, and as I was going in handed me the camera back.

The consoles were behind the TVs and out of reach, so I set my fatty down. Frankie told us that if we needed to change our settings, to do so by pressing "start" in the game. After a few seconds I couldn't find greenthumb, but I now speculate I was looking in the wrong section, and unpaused and went to playing. In the course of 9 minutes I got a flag cap, got "You're supposed to melee them!" yelled at me after I shot somebody in the back with the new super-sexy shotgun (as I said, I'm a greenthumb, I don't melee the retarded default way), and got a killing spree. I dual wielded two SMGs, and an SMG and a needler. I thought that you could switch between your dual setup and your single weapon, but instead learned that when you switch, one of your dual-weapons gets tossed. I also got to try out the sniper rifle - the bullets seemed "wider" and I got 50% of my shots to connect. A great staple gun the battle rifle will be. I won't miss the old pistol in the least when I'm packing that baby.

JD was taking pictures of the game and I for most of the time. I drove the ghost, which felt a lot more solid, and the boost feature sure will come in handy. The stationary turrets are also mad powerful. Somebody in your sights who doesn't have any cover nearby is as good as dead. In the end I came out 5th of 12. Not bad since I don't use the S-controller and I wasn't using greenthumb.

And it felt like it was done before I even started. I can't wait for Nov. 9th. The rest, as they say, is history. We went home. It was cool.

  • 08.30.2004 8:29 PM PDT
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...long...

I'm not going to stay up all night to read this.

  • 08.30.2004 8:34 PM PDT
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Posted by: LegendaryCam04
...long...

I'm not going to stay up all night to read this.


Can't really say I blame you.

  • 08.30.2004 8:36 PM PDT
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Ajenteks, you didn't happen to "know" the girl standing in line with the sign, did you?

...

*runs to his room*

  • 08.30.2004 8:39 PM PDT
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Posted by: ObbiQuiet
Ajenteks, you didn't happen to "know" the girl standing in line with the sign, did you?

...

*runs to his room*


No. I bet there were some nerds who would have been more than happy to "work something out" though.

  • 08.30.2004 8:40 PM PDT
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Posted by: ajenteks
Posted by: ObbiQuiet
Ajenteks, you didn't happen to "know" the girl standing in line with the sign, did you?

...

*runs to his room*


No. I bet there were some nerds who would have been more than happy to "work something out" though.


Indeed.

I wonder who that censored person was. It really is quite mysterious.

  • 08.30.2004 8:42 PM PDT
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Posted by: ObbiQuiet

I wonder who that censored person was. It really is quite mysterious.


Frankie could answer a lot of censored stuff if he felt so inclined to. Unless they like, put the answers in an envelope and taped them to the ceiling maybe.

[Edited on 8/30/2004 8:45:09 PM]

  • 08.30.2004 8:44 PM PDT
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*shakes head*

  • 08.30.2004 8:45 PM PDT
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i didn't read it(and never will)
did you go

  • 08.30.2004 8:46 PM PDT
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Posted by: flamechu
i didn't read it(and never will)


Oh snap!

  • 08.30.2004 8:52 PM PDT
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Interesting, but after that whole 'This is the last time people will see the E3 build' speil my attention is on, "What the bloody hell could the next one look like?!"

  • 08.30.2004 9:19 PM PDT
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Posted by: Abolitionofman
Interesting, but after that whole 'This is the last time people will see the E3 build' speil my attention is on, "What the bloody hell could the next one look like?!"


With only 70 days or so to go, I'm betting the game will go gold sometime in October. I don't think there's going to be another build that the public will see before Nov. 9th. I'd like to be wrong though.

  • 08.30.2004 9:32 PM PDT

- Mike

you should have posted this in New Mombasa! good story tho i read it all!

  • 08.30.2004 9:46 PM PDT
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geezus so thats what frankie looks like in natrual light.....

lol j/k

You know I think the ssecond half (everything to do with halo 2) probably could've gone in New Mombasa.

  • 08.30.2004 10:12 PM PDT
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Posted by: ShinomoriX2

You know I think the ssecond half (everything to do with halo 2) probably could've gone in New Mombasa.


Maybe, but what's been said that everybody doesn't already know in regards to Halo 2?

  • 08.30.2004 10:15 PM PDT
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Great write-up, I enjoyed it. This only makes me more adamant about going next year, regardless of how far away it is. Hopefully I'll see you there. ^_^

  • 08.30.2004 10:16 PM PDT
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Posted by: Surge
Great write-up, I enjoyed it. This only makes me more adamant about going next year, regardless of how far away it is. Hopefully I'll see you there. ^_^


Thanks. The Halo 2 tournament should be rather interesting and fun :P

  • 08.30.2004 10:19 PM PDT
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oooh QUESTION:

Dude were those weird colored hands at all annoying? Sure looks like it.

[Edited on 8/30/2004 10:23:05 PM]

  • 08.30.2004 10:22 PM PDT
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Posted by: ShinomoriX2
oooh QUESTION:

Dude were those weird colored hands at all annoying? Sure looks like it.


Nope, not in the slightest. If I didn't see that my teammates were Elites, I wouldn't have really even been able to tell.

  • 08.30.2004 10:24 PM PDT
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Bumped for day crew.

  • 08.31.2004 3:52 PM PDT
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Ajenteks, your pictures don't work.
:(

Any chance of a fix?

  • 08.31.2004 6:00 PM PDT
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Posted by: ajenteks
Oh snap!


hey
that's mine

  • 08.31.2004 6:03 PM PDT