As of this writing, we're about halfway through PAX 2008. The first day didn't shut its doors until a ridiculous 3:00 A.M., yet people already back by 10:00 A.M. for day two.
I must admit a little bit of disappointment over the lack of costumes here, though. Maybe Comic-Con spoiled me, but the cosplay is light at PAX. That said, apparently Darth Vader and his stormtrooper group took the "Rock Band 2" stage earlier in the day.
If I had seen that, I might not be complaining.
Posted 8/29/08 8:08 pm EST by Patrick Klepek in lego batman, mortal kombat, Mortal Kombat Vs DC, PAX 08, valve
The media had two hours to run around the Penny Arcade Expo hall before the masses.
This gave me a chance to check out a few games -- some I've played, some I haven't. I'll have detailed impressions next week, but some quick thoughts:
"Mortal Kombat vs. DC Universe" -- This build had The Joker and Kitana as playable characters. The Joker isn't a character for new comers; his moves aren't easy to decipher, but I couldn't help but laugh at him dancing around, laughing after hitting Batman with a cheap shot to the face. Kitana, however, feels just like she did in "Mortal Kombat II."
"Left 4 Dead" -- Valve was showing the Xbox 360 version for the first time. Other than a resolution difference, there's not much to report. It's still one of my most anticipated games. I also played with the A.I. for the first time; more next week.
"LEGO Batman" -- It's impressive how much better this one actually looks over its "Star Wars" and "Indiana Jones" counterparts. And whereas "Indiana Jones" was stretching to incorporate enough characters and action events, the Batman universe provides more than enough for Traveller's Tales to play with.
I'll be at PAX all weekend. Check back for more soon!
[Image Credit: Warner Bros.]
Posted 8/29/08 6:29 pm EST by Patrick Klepek in PAX 08, Photo Spectacular
The doors of the fifth annual Penny Arcade Expo are open.
The minutes and seconds before the doors were opened were filled with much screaming and chanting before the clock struck 2:00 P.M.
I only noticed one kid trip and fall over himself as the crowd trampled in. He picked himself up and kept moving, though, so I don't think we need to worry about him.
Posted 8/29/08 2:55 pm EST by Patrick Klepek in PAX 08, Photo Spectacular
Two hours from now, the doors will open for the three-day, fifth annual Penny Arcade Expo here in Seattle.
It's hard to imagine that more than 50,000 people will cram their way through these doors and onto the various available rooms of PAX this weekend, but that's the plan.
You'll want to keep your eyes on MTV Multiplayer this weekend, too, because we'll be updating from the show floor throughout the weekend. Additionally, keep checking our Twitter for live updates of our encounters and experiences and Flickr for photo ops.
If there's something specific you'd like to see coverage of from PAX, leave a comment or shoot me an e-mail and I'll put it on my list. For some more pictures of the currently-empty, pre-PAX lobbies, keep reading.