Ten Reasons You Should Have Been At PAX 13

If you didn't get to go to PAX Prime this year, I am truly sorry. You missed out on such a good time; luckily, it comes around every year, so you'll get another chance soon enough! If you need more convincing, here are ten reasons that will seal the deal!

10. Free Swag

Free stuff is always good! Especially when it's merchandise that revolves around your favorite games, characters, and companies. Free swag was in abundance this year. I'm officially set for life as far as lanyards go, I have lots of new comics to read, and I even have some amazing new tshirts to wear!

Really, the free swag is genius incentive to try out new games and products. Sonic Lost World? I'm sorry to say I wasn't all that interested before I laid eyes on the free lanyards they were handing out to anyone who tried the demo. I actually had a lot of fun playing it, and I might want to buy it when it comes out in October! And, not that I needed incentive, but I got another adorable lanyard for trying out Super Mario 3D World (coming out on Wii U November 22nd).

9. Awesome Cosplayers

I thought the cosplayers at Emerald City Comicon were impressive! There were so many amazing costumes at PAX, I don't even know where to begin. My personal favorite was the appearance of The Joker, played by Anthony Misiano. This guy was born for this role.

Ha. Ha ha! Ha ha haha hee hee hoo HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! I digress.

Other incredible costumes included the Supreme Dalek (from Doctor Who), Zorg and LeeLoo (from The Fifth Element), Batman, and Mega Man, just to name a few. Truthfully, I really admire the talent and dedication these folks have to represent a genre they are so obviously in love with.

8. Celebrity Appearances

Tom is an expert photobomber.

Yes, that's me, Rachel, with ADAM SESSLER. Can you tell I'm excited about it? Honestly, he is such a nice guy. He was nice enough to sign our PAX badges, as well!

Zach and Tom also got to meet Keiji Inafune, the creator of Mega Man. You guys will hear more about that from Zach soon! Tom also ran into Arin Hanson (aka Egoraptor) which we were all very jealous of.

7. Pre-Gaming (with the Wii U, not liquor)

Step into the Expo Hall and there are yet-to-be-released games, as far as the eye can see, all for your viewing and playing pleasure. It was like being the VIP of the gaming world. Bethesda, Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Behemoth, Capcom...the list goes on and on. All with arms wide open, saying, "Come, come in to our fortress of crisp, fresh games, and play on to your heart's content!" (not literally though, there is a time limit).

I really didn't mean to make that sound so creepy.

6. Informative panels

Miranda and I attended a very helpful panel on Saturday, and while they're only an hour long, it was definitely chock-full of useful information. Among the other panels offered were The Evolution of a Game Developer, Penny Arcade Q&A, How to Forge the Career You Want in the Videogame Industry, Why Role-Playing Games Matter, and a million more. You can pick, choose, and schedule which ever panels you want to attend, as there are many to choose from, just remember to enjoy the rest of the convention as well!

Who can spot Destructoid in this picture? (It's like Highlights Magazine!)

Psst! Download this awesome app to your phone and it will help you with all of your scheduling needs!

5. Buttons!

Earlier this month Miranda gave you guys a look into our ABOG PAX Prime '13 edition buttons. We had no trouble handing those babies out! In return, we got tons of awesome custom made buttons back! Miranda lined her lanyards with as much as she could, but there were too many to fit! I think each of us will need to buy some bulletin boards to display all of them.

4. Extra activities

An arcade, a paint-and-take workshop, tabletop, tabletop, TABLETOP!! There's no way you'll run out of things to do at PAX. There will always be somewhere to go, something to do, whether it's a bit of shopping, some old-school gaming, or learning a new board game, the convention center is your oyster.

I'd just like to say, in regards to sitting down and playing a game you've never played before with a table full of strangers, the community at PAX is incredibly kind and welcoming. I never once felt talked-down-to, or like I didn't belong. I was happy to be there, even amongst people I didn't know. We were all able to laugh together and have a good time. That, more than anything else (yes, even more than free stuff), is why I'll continue to go to PAX each year.

3. So much merch!

Okay, I could have shopped for days. Oh, I did! My favorite booths were Sanshee, FanGamer, and Pink Gorilla. Sanshee's unique designs and quality materials made for fun and smart purchases. FanGamer had tons of adorable stuff, I couldn't even make a decision. Pink Gorilla, as always, had every vintage game/item you could think of, not to mention plushies galore! I think I made a pretty good dent in my wishlist.

Itty Bitty Dovahkiin from Symbiote Studios.

2. Indie Games

If it weren't for PAX I wouldn't have learned about some great indie games that are out there. Getting the chance to sit down and listen to the creators talk about this project that they worked so hard on and are so passionate about makes me love the game even more. Some great ones include Contraption Maker (from the creators of The Incredible Machine), Mayan Down, and McDroid. I encourage all to give them a try!

1. The ABOG team was there!

You missed all of our lovely faces in the flesh! Too bad. I guess you'll just have to continue to come here to get your fix!

What a good lookin' group of geeks.

Were any of you guys at PAX this year? How about a previous year? Has my article convinced you to attend next year? Let us know in the comment section below!

-Rachel

Header image credit http://twodashstash.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/PAX-Prime-Logo.png

Read More

All Rise For Mighty No. 9

I feel like we've gotten to know each other well enough to share something quite personal about myself.

I love Mega Man.

I do, I do, I do-oooooo!

Alright, so maybe that isn't as dark a secret as I originally let on, given my game collection, various shirts and other merchandise sporting the Blue Bomber, and the fact that my handle on many web pages pays homage to Rock himself... There's just so much to love. Some of my fondest Nintendo-oriented memories revolve around the weekends where my family took a trip to the local video store to rent a movie or a game, and I got to come home with a title from the Mega Man universe. I had a great appreciation for ol' Blue and his games from a young age and it has never once wavered.

My personal favorite, Mega Man 3. Source.

Lately, times have been incredibly troubling for the fans of Mega Man. The creator of Mega Man, Keiji Inafune, had left Capcom for a few reasons, but mostly because he found it a stressful environment to work in. Afterwards, the company decided to scrap multiple projects that he left in their hands. Most well-known among the cancelled titles was Mega Man Legends 3. We are left with shadows of games that could have been, games that had already seen some level of development and that had gathered significant fan excitement. What added most to the shock was that Capcom allegedly

blamed the fans

for these cancellations, saying that there was a lack of support from the community. This sparked quite a bit of outrage. Many people were truly hurt by these words and a few revolutions started to show Capcom that people DO love the series, one of the most notable being 100,000 Strong for Bringing Back Mega Man Legends 3.

Them's fightin' words. Source.

Since these cancellations there has been scant available to the loyal followers, save for a few bastardizations of the character by Capcom's hand. Street Fighter x Tekken boasted an awesome roster of playable characters and Mega Man was to make a special guest appearance in the game. Rather than the traditional character people expected, "Bad Box Art Mega Man" made his debut. While humorous, it seemed like a passive aggressive slam and left many with a sour taste in their mouths. Blue was also completely absent from Marvel vs. Capcom 3.

I've got nothing clever to say that hasn't already been summed up in this photo. Source.

For Mega Man's 25th anniversary, people were expecting Capcom to unveil something special. Every other franchise had always gotten phenomenal treatment for their "birthdays", and the series was due for some positive news. Instead, we were "given" a free download of Street Fighter X Mega Man, which was a

fan-made

game. The creation was in the style of the NES titles, but instead of master robots, Mega Man was up against the characters from the Street Fighter universe. Incredible dedication on the part of the creators who did this on their own, but an incredibly lazy way out for Capcom, who gave nothing else other than some promotional merchandise. It should come as no surprise that, after all that Rock had been through, many fans were very hurt and expected little with regards to the future of the character.

I feels ya, brah. Source.

Capcom was acting like an insanely jealous ex-lover, which only ended up hurting themselves in the process.

ENTER KEIJI INAFUNE.

Source.

I was very lucky to attend a panel at PAX Prime this year where Keiji Inafune spoke with the audience about his career at Capcom. The panel consisted of interviewer Jeremy Parish (of usgamer.net fame), Ben Judd (voice of Phoenix Wright) who served as translator, and the man himself, Keiji Inafune. The whole thing read just like a biography: we learned about Inafune's beginnings with the company, how rapidly he rose to greater projects, and ultimately him leaving Capcom to start his own company, Comcept (disclaimer: website is not in English!). It was truly exciting for me, as a fan, to listen to the creator talk about the development of my favorite video game character.

Tom and I were quite excited to be this close to him.

Straight away, Keiji told everyone in the room that there would be no announcement "of a certain title" at this event, which everyone was probably in the depth of their hearts hoping for. Ultimately, we knew that Inafune no longer has any control over the series. At the end of the panel, he did have a surprise for us. He played a video where he discussed how let down he was about the cancellation of his projects by Capcom, and how he had plans to prevent something similar from ever happening again. It was with that line that he announced his Kickstarter campaign for his new series Mighty No. 9. The crowd went

absolutely nuts

Source.

Though there is no gameplay footage just yet, it is pretty safe to assume that Mighty No. 9 will play just like any Mega Man title, with a few exceptions. Keiji was very happy to express his appreciation for modern technology and what sort of potential that brings to the table. Don't worry, it won't just be a re-skinned clone, there is plenty different about the game to keep people guessing. For instance, the protagonist has the ability to transform to maneuver through obstacles. Bosses, while following the classic "rock/paper/scissors" motif, are not always humanoid in design, which is a far cry from the old days of every master robot being "_____ Man." Not that I'm complaining!

Mighty No. 5 was just supposed to look like "a gatling that looks like it’s actually sprouted limbs." Source.

Keiji made it very clear that he wanted as much fan interaction as he could get when creating this project, which is what drove him to Kickstarter in the first place. Currently standing just below $2,000,000, the initial funding goal of $900,000 was met before two days had passed. Mighty No. 9 has also already surpassed multiple stretch goals, and is well on the way to being released for current and next-gen consoles. In the meantime, the collective Beckers (as Keiji calls us) are perfectly happy with a PC/Mac/Linux release. Keiji Inafune has rallied the fans together like never before with an incredible outpouring of fan art, music remixes, and all around support in what is probably the best, unintentional "F U" to Capcom that could ever be given.

No hard feelings, of course. Source.

At the end of the panel, Keiji had another surprise for the audience: serialized t-shirts. Each of us got our very own unique shirt with our own mighty number. Tom obtained Mighty No. 54, and I was dubbed Mighty No. 195. The man himself got 9, of course. It was pretty cool to see everyone else out and about in the convention wearing their shirts. It was like we were a part of a grand brotherhood. The shirts also came with a postcard with a code that will assign our number to us on the website when Mighty No. 9 goes live. An absolutely fantastic send off. Shortly after, Tom and I met Keiji for a signing/meet and greet. I didn't know what to say that could sum up all the feelings I have about the series, how nostalgic I am for it, all the great memories... I settled for "Thank you. For everything."

While Mega Man's future may be uncertain, his spirit lives on completely through Beck, the star of the new franchise.

How about you? Excited!? AMAZED!? I can't even --

-Zach

Be sure to check out the Kickstarter here!

Header images courtesy of The Megaman Network.

Read More

PAX Prime 2013 Recap

PAX Prime 2013 was an amazing affair, indeed. Every year I struggle with how to spend my time at the convention, and generally I never end up doing all of what I planned. This time around I wanted to sit in on a handful of industry panels, then only attended two. They were about geek business and web video and were a valuable use of my time! Sadly, I didn't make it to either the Penny Arcade Make-A-Strip panel or the Sunday Q&A. The expo hall truly held too many wonders for me to sacrifice all of that time standing in line.

The A Bit of Geek team all together!

Around the expo hall.

The Elder Scrolls Online booth was jam packed.

The streets of Seattle lined with PAX banners.

On Saturday Rachel, Zach, and I arrived a few minutes after eleven and the expo was in full swing. We walked into the convention center and I was immediately hailed by a twitter friend, Brad. We met via streetpass at PAX last year, and correspond from time to time. I was very startled when a stranger dressed as Luigi called my name, haha! Right after that we immediately found Tom on the escalators, and right after that I saw Rex and Dabe, two nice fellows that I met at the Enforcer after party last year. I am still amazed at how serendipitously I ended up seeing people that I knew! The three of us chatted with the spooky and talented Kris Straub, and then immediately fell in line to get our photo taken with the King of Red Lions boat! This picture later led to the three of us acquiring snazzy Wind Waker Pajama Link t-shirts!

The giant Pikmin display at the Nintendo booth was really fun!

The only games I hoped to play were A Link Between Worlds and Super Mario 3D World. Fortunately I got to play both, and they were fantastic. A Link Between Worlds looks wonderful, which is to be expected, and the 2D/wall melding thing was far more seamless than the videos made it seem. My only complaint is the fact that the camera is directly above Link's head. It feels like I'm a bird peering down from a tree. I wish the camera was more at an angle. Super Mario 3D World was mayhem evolved, and the cat power up is incredibly fun. I was delighted to see that the game incorporates a "holding" area for items, so if one player grabs multiple cat power ups, for example, the extra ones will go into the holding area for future use. They should have added that sooner! Hopefully epic fights and divorces will now be avoided over someone accidentally (or vindictively) taking all of the items!

The ABoG team (plus a friend) playing Super Mario 3D World for Wii U.

Morgan playing Beyond: Two Souls.

I spent time wandering the halls and taking cosplay photos on Sunday, all the while Morgan was in line to play Beyond: Two Souls. I checked in on his progress every twenty to thirty minutes, and ended up watching him play the demo. First things first: it's not my kind of game, but it looks truly amazing! It was a suspenseful, knuckle clenching twenty minutes as he battled cops, exploded helicopters, fended off dogs, jumped, rolled, and generally kicked ass in the newest masterpiece from Quantic Dream. I look forward to watching him play through the whole game, for sure.

For the first time since 2004, I took cosplay photos! Rachel was a good friend and basically harassed and pressured me the whole weekend to take pictures. In her defense, I asked her to! I always chicken out and get nervous and afraid that I'm bothering people, so she encouraged me to be more bold and polite and get the pictures that I wanted. It got easier after I asked the first few people, and finally I was asking people for photos even when I was alone. Achievement Unlocked: Not Being a Wuss!

Borderlands.

Batman!

Rachel and Codex from The Guild!

Reese and Cyrus from Animal Crossing: New Leaf.

Luigi! Also, my twitter friend.

The ZoraPrincess Ruto, from Ocarina of Time.

A Supreme Dalek, from Doctor Who.

The talented glitzygeekgirl dressed as Ramona Flowers.

PAX tends to be an absolute dream for geek merch. This year positively destroyed my wallet. I mean, my brain is happy, but woof. The most amazing things are on display at PAX, the kind of merchandise that I only ever see and drool over online. The chance to buy it in person, after thorough inspection, and not having to deal with shipping fees? Yes, please! With Sanshee, FanGamer, the Penny Arcade table, andso many board game displays, I don't know how anyone is expected to control themselves. It's safe to say that I'm set on nerd gear for another year.

Zac Gorman's Magical Game Time, and blooper and pirhana plant plushies!

PAX exclusive CAH expansions.

Burlap bell bag from Sanshee.

Kokiri's Emerald necklace from Sanshee.

I am extremely pleased to say that buttoneering ended up being a huge success! Tom, Rachel, and Zach had no problems dishing out buttons to buttoneers and general interested parties alike! I required extra poking and coercion from Rachel to approach people (again, thank goodness for her!), but ultimately I got all but about seven of my buttons distributed. Rachel, Zach, and Morgan (honorary ABoG member) all ran out of buttons during the meetup on Sunday morning. We ended up with a huge array of buttons each, and not all of us got the same ones. Zach and Rachel found someone with A-MAZING Legend of Zelda buttons that I am very, very jealous of (for instance).There were many people who loved our buttons, and some even picked up on the fact that we were a set! Thus began the clamouring to make sure they got them all : ) It was a truly successful experience, and I can't wait to design new buttons for next year.

After the buttoneer meet up.

The buttons ready to go before PAX.

There are so many reasons to attend PAX: free swag, cool merch, playing not-yet-released-games... But ultimately I love the feeling of it all. I love being surrounded by like-minded individuals, and knowing that I can talk to anyone. I strike up conversations with more strangers during PAX than I do in my regular life all year long. Every attendee is a friend waiting to be spoken to. Every booth attendee knows something about you from the moment you approach. I mean, every booth is tailored to my exact interests. I can walk from a board game room, to an arcade room, to a console gaming room, and something will delight me in each place. I can ask silly questions, I can engage in intense discussions, I can (and have) ask to play a new and challenging game, and receive enthusiasm and support in response. It is a literal haven, and I hope that what I've shared, and what Rachel has shared, and what Tom and Zach will share next week, will bring you closer to our experience. And if you've never attended before, I hope it will encourage you to try and go next year!

If you've attended, what was your favorite part? If you've never attended, what would you most like to do when/if you get to go?

-MJ

*all images, including those in the header, belong to abitofgeek

Read More

Gotta Collect Them All - PAX Buttons!

Last week's article about PAX panels included a brief snippit on buttoneering, and today it's time for a full blown reveal! The A Bit of Geek team will be storming the convention center, armed with one hundred special buttons apiece, and we'll be all set to trade! The "rules" of buttoneering entail that you give a button to get a button, but we're not picky! You don't have to be a buttoneering participant, just ask us for one! We want to spread the cheer and get our name out there : )

Check out that variety! You'll have to find all of us if you want to collect the whole set. Kuribo's Shoe is mine, the Paragon symbol is Rachel's, Spider-man is Tom, and little Mega Man there joyously holding the Triforce belongs to Zach. We plan on taking a few breaks through the weekend to pass out buttons together, so maybe you'll find us then! Oh, and honorary ABoG member Morgan will have a small set of buttons, too. Only forty, so you'd better act fast!

We will definitely be at the buttoneering meetup on Sunday morning, so if you're having trouble tracking us down you can find us there!

Will any readers be participating? If so, let us know and show us your button!

-MJ

*Font portion of header image from buttoneering.org

Read More

Planning for Geek Paradise: PAX Prime 2013

Next week will see geek joy rain down on the streets of Seattle in the form of PAX Prime 2013. For the first time since its inception in 2004, PAX is extending to a full four days: Friday, August 30th through Monday, September 2nd. A Bit of Geek will be there (some of us the whole time, others only Saturday and Sunday) and we are incredibly excited! It will be Rachel and Zach's first attendance, too. We plan on making the most of our time between the expo hall and all of the awesome panels, but we'll also be participating in buttoneering! Be sure to hit that link for all of the information, but the rundown is this: PAX attendees create buttons based on their Penny Arcade forum avatars, and then exchange buttons with other users! I did it for the first time last year and it was a great little game. Although, in a sea of ~70,000+ people it can be difficult to find other buttoneers. Fortunately, there are meetups through the weekend to help participants complete their collections!

A little preview of the button station!

I have written about PAX each year since I started A Bit of Geek, and every year I struggle with what to say. The convention is so huge, and so difficult to pin down succinctly. Every year offers something new and exciting, and it is legitimately one of my most favorite things. Whenever PAX is completed I immediately start thinking about how much I can't wait for next year, and whenever passes go on sale I now nearly have a heart attack since they sell out so quickly. I am so fortunate to not have to purchase a plane ticket in order to attend, so if I ever miss out on passes I will become inconsolably distraught.

This year I spent a considerable length of time observing the schedule, and there are two to three panels each day that I am really looking forward to:

Saturday includes!

Penny Arcade Make A Strip
Turning Geek Passion into Profit
Community Management
Chainsawsuit with Friends
Retrogame Roadshow: The Game Show!

Sunday includes!

Penny Arcade Q&A
The Huge Evolution of Games Blogging
Web Video for Gamers
Nintendo Panel
Cards Against Humanity

It really hurts me that I won't be in attendance all four days. It simply wasn't in the cards this year though. Although, the PAX gods are with me because all of the panels that I really want to see are on the two days that I'll be present! Wahoo!

PAX badge day is one of the best days of the year!

Oh, last year I wrote a series of articles based around getting the most of your PAX experience; you should give them a read! I have one on scheduling your days, how to be social, and keeping energized! Maybe you're a seasoned attendee, or maybe you're a newcomer! Either way I believe there's good information in there. Maybe pass it along to any first timers in your life. I love at least trying to be helpful!

So please tell me, dear readers, are you going to be at PAX? Will you be participating in the buttonneers? Which panels are you most looking forward to? What are your tips for having a great PAX experience? I really and truly want to know the answers to these questions! Few things get me as pumped as the Penny Arcade Expo, so please talk to me about how excited you are!

-MJ

*Header image is a screenshot from the PAX official website.

Read More