Welcome to PAX Prime 2012

PAX Prime 2012 On The Go

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The first rush of people pouring into Expo has happened, and now we can all settle in for some fun! I'll be doing a running commentary of interesting things as I hear about them.

Sunday, 6pm

The Omegathon is done, The Final Countdown has played. A few final notes before I head off to start the final boss level of PAX - teardown.

-- Power Defense by PlayEveryWare is an interesting twist on the tower defense genre on the DSi. They also win kudos from me for this year's the most creative swag - co-branded packets of Emergen-C. By Sunday, those things were a godsend.

-- The Marvel Heroes booth made my day with a proper Daily Bugle press pass, signed by J. Jonah Jameson. So I'll end with a pic of my newly decorated Stan hat.

I hope you're all having fun at Edwin and Clover's house, and I'll see you at PAX East.

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Sunday, 2pm

I'm sorry for the lack of updates, but I've been having too much fun playing games! Here's a couple things we've seen.

-- Got our hands on a copy of the Cities expansion for 7 Wonders. We've got an 8 person sample game going here, and while we're not done yet, I can definitely say this is a game-changer. They've added new types of cards and new strategies that bid fair to open up several new avenues to victory.

-- Steve Jackson games has upgraded their popular little time-waster - Cthulhu Dice Metal. Comes in bronze and silver variants, with and without enameled symbols. This thing is seriously heavy. Now you can go mad, and dent your table at the same time!

-- Mayfair Games has found another place that needs settling - the Star Trek universe. They're selling Star Trek Catan at the Uncles Games booth. If you buy it here, you also get a supplemental sheet of planet cards.

-- This Talia is a civilian, and this is her first cosplay with prosthesis. Well done!

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Saturday, 8pm

-- Update on the Bubble-blowing Record: Nintendo North America posted this Tweet and photo announcing their successful, record-smashing 536 simultaneous bubbles blown: https://twitter.com/NintendoAmerica/... The previous record was 304.

-- In case any of the boardgame gang needed something else to spend money on, take a look at Leviathan (pics to the right) a game of miniature naval combat. Very nice models, and it looks like a serious time-sink.

-- Geek Chic is here with their gorgeous furniture, and this year they brought a new addition that will be dear to Wordsmythe's heart - moustaches. See a pic of the Moustache Emporium to the right.

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Saturday, 3pm

-- Acquisitions, Inc. (Mike, Jerry, Scott Kurtz, and Wil Wheaton) are playing D&D, starting at 3:30. You can watch it at Main Theater, and they're streaming it online at http://twitch.tv/PAX.

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Saturday, 2:00pm

They're trying to break a world record!

-- As part of the Kirby 20th Anniversary festivities, head to the Queue Room (4A) right now, and you can be part of an attempt to break the world record for the most simultaneous bubble-gum bubbles blown. I'll try to get some pictures and the result.

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Saturday, 11:00am

More Pics! Moar awesome!

-- Looney Games is launching their newest offering -- Cthulhu Fluxx -- at five different locations in the center! There's a limited edition card included if you buy it here.

-- My intrepid reporters got to take a look at Jet Set Radio, and say it's just like the original. Since it was truly awesome before, that's a ringing endorsement. My gang grew up playing that one and they've all been doing a geeky potty-dance for that once they heard it's going to be out on XLBA in September.

-- Everyone I know raised a cynical eyebrow when Sony announced Playstation All-Stars Battle Royale, but a little hands-on shows that if you like Brawl-style fighting games it's a solid bet. Especially if you're a PS3 household with little ones. If nothing else, Fat Princess getting all harsh on Kratos has intrinsic entertainment value for me.

-- I don't know much about Defiance, other than they've got an awesome set-piece in their booth. See pic to the right.

-- Metal Gear Rising: Revengence is here and looks very good from afar.

-- Cosplay watch: An awesome Geth, and Firefall has some great professional work in Expo (though I am curious where the other half of her pants are).

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Friday, 3:45pm

Expo Hall Pics and Factoids!

-- Someone has actually managed to make the Flash look awesome! Take a look at the upcoming game Injustice. The DC heroes are getting harsh on each other in this fighting game, and they will launch for on the PS3, 360 and Wii U sometime in 2013.

-- LittleBIGPlanet Karting. Is this Mario Kart for the PS3? It sure looks that way to me. You can try it for yourself in Expo.

-- Sly and the gang are off on a new heist in Sly Cooper: Thieves in Time for February 2013.

-- If you're curious about the WiiU, there is a playable unit and several launch games on the Expo floor.

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Breaking News!

Two major announcements at Q&A just now: PAX Prime will be 4 days next year, Australia will be the next location! That's all the details I have right now, though.

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-- If you know anyone desperate for a haircut, Ubisoft is giving buzzcuts at their Farcry 3 booth (612, behind Assassin's Creed 3). edit: I should also add they're going to hairspray-paint the logo on your newly sheared head.

-- For all you boardgame buffs fond of awkward conversations, Cards Against Humanity is in stock again, and has released their 2nd Expansion pack today. They have a booth in Expo and I know they at least started the day with copies, or you can order online at their site. You can also listen to Max Temkin speak at the Kickstarter Panel on Saturday.

-- Lost and/or Confused? A helpful thing for those cases is the Guidebook PAX2012 app, which is available for iPhone, Android, Windows Phone, and Blackberry. Download whichever one you need from the bottom right corner of the PAX site's homepage.

-- GamerswithJobs Slap and Tickle at the Rockbottom Brewery, 6pm, Saturday night. Please RSVP at the thread if you're coming along or if you need more information.

WiiU Unit in Expo Hall
Sly Cooper 4: Thieves in Time booth
LittleBigPlanet Kart
Injustice - The Flash
Cthulhu Fluxx
Defiance booth setpiece
Firefall Cosplayers
Mass Effect 3 Geth Cosplayer
Leviathan boardgame
Leviathan models
Geek Chic Moustache Emporium
Cthulu Dice Metal
Star Trek Catan and supplemental world sheet
PAX Cosplay - Liara
Power Defense co-branded Emergen-C packs
My Stan Hat, with my new credentials

Comments

PAXtralia! So excited! Can't wait until we find out which city it'll be in.

Tanglebones wrote:

PAXtralia! So excited! Can't wait until we find out which city it'll be in.

Me either. I'm also trying to find out if they're adding Thursday or Monday to the time. Then I get to amend my time-off requests.

Someone should commission Hedgewizard to make some "reports from the front" videos to embed in this article

I have DominicKnight and my daughter out working on something like that right now. But if he wants to do it I'd be happy to help.

Um, this is all great, but is it front-page news? The fraction of people on the site who are at PAX is vanishingly small. Perhaps this should be in a Catch-All?

I love the GWJ front page, but sometimes I think they forget that most of us readers are.. you know... at our jobs.

Nathaniel wrote:

Um, this is all great, but is it front-page news? The fraction of people on the site who are at PAX is vanishingly small. Perhaps this should be in a Catch-All?

I love the GWJ front page, but sometimes I think they forget that most of us readers are.. you know... at our jobs.

I know it's hard to imagine, but a majority of the people who visit this site don't read the forums. When there's a big convention going on it's nice to point them in the right direction.

6pm? As long as Rockbottom is walkable, I'm there. There's a couple of nice panels then, but youse guys are better.

Edit: University and 4th? Easy peasy.

Nathaniel wrote:

Um, this is all great, but is it front-page news? The fraction of people on the site who are at PAX is vanishingly small. Perhaps this should be in a Catch-All?

I love the GWJ front page, but sometimes I think they forget that most of us readers are.. you know... at our jobs.

I'm trying to find a correlation here, as technically if you're at your job you shouldn't be on the site anyway (to use my Dad's logic).

Remember, by running a site the Sheawns and Co. have to provide content for a wide variety of readers. It's okay if there's an item on the front page you don't care about. That happens.

That said, I'd probably be a bit more jealous if PAX East weren't a regular for me, and I'll be hitting up Escapist Expo in two weeks.... oh who am I kidding, I am jealous. Nothing like a PAX.

Hope you guys are having fun!

EDIT: That was one giant Kirby.

ccesarano wrote:
Nathaniel wrote:

Um, this is all great, but is it front-page news? The fraction of people on the site who are at PAX is vanishingly small. Perhaps this should be in a Catch-All?

I love the GWJ front page, but sometimes I think they forget that most of us readers are.. you know... at our jobs.

I'm trying to find a correlation here, as technically if you're at your job you shouldn't be on the site anyway (to use my Dad's logic).

Remember, by running a site the Sheawns and Co. have to provide content for a wide variety of readers. It's okay if there's an item on the front page you don't care about. That happens.

That said, I'd probably be a bit more jealous if PAX East weren't a regular for me, and I'll be hitting up Escapist Expo in two weeks.... oh who am I kidding, I am jealous. Nothing like a PAX.

Hope you guys are having fun!

EDIT: That was one giant Kirby.

Yes, he was. The thing is as tall as me! Must have been a giant pain to move around in though. I'm home for a little sleep before heading back to teardown tomorrow. This was definitely one for the record books.

Nathaniel wrote:

Um, this is all great, but is it front-page news? The fraction of people on the site who are at PAX is vanishingly small. Perhaps this should be in a Catch-All?

I love the GWJ front page, but sometimes I think they forget that most of us readers are.. you know... at our jobs.

You may perhaps be surprised how many people in attendance at games conventions are using PTO to be there.

Nathaniel wrote:

Um, this is all great, but is it front-page news? The fraction of people on the site who are at PAX is vanishingly small. Perhaps this should be in a Catch-All?

I love the GWJ front page, but sometimes I think they forget that most of us readers are.. you know... at our jobs.

If you don't want to read it, you don't have to read it.

Quintin_Stone wrote:
Nathaniel wrote:

Um, this is all great, but is it front-page news? The fraction of people on the site who are at PAX is vanishingly small. Perhaps this should be in a Catch-All?

I love the GWJ front page, but sometimes I think they forget that most of us readers are.. you know... at our jobs.

If you don't want to read it, you don't have to read it.

Says you:
IMAGE(http://worldsstrongestlibrarian.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/09/A-Clockwork-Orange-1971.jpg)