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Ron Gilbert to give keynote speech at PAX 2009
A collaboration between this adventure game luminary and the pair of comic-producing philanthropists isn't too surprising -- after all, Gilbert did consulting work on Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness. Surprising or no, we're still buying two passes to show how awesome we think this is. (No, you can't have the other one. It's symbolic.)
First PAX '09 details revealed
The nerd herding event will also feature performances by Freezepop, Jonathan Coulton (sing "Brookline!"), MC Frontalot, Anamanaguchi, Metroid Metal and Paul & Storm. Registration is already open, with a three-day pass costing $50. Remember, this is one the few events where having the best-looking velvet dice bag makes you cool ... don't be the guy that shows up with dice in a Ziploc bag.
PAX East registration is open ... only 356 days to go until show
If you're planning on going to GDC, don't worry, that show takes place March 9-13 in San Francisco. It'll certainly be interesting to see how game marketing and PR treat this new high-profile East Coast gaming convention. Team Joystiq will be there in full force ... considering a third of our staff is within driving range.
[Via Kotaku]
PSA: PAX 2009 now accepting your registration
Where can you discover the wonders of puppetry, rap with game developers, ogle cosplayers, and hang with the Luddites in a three-story annex of board games -- all while getting quality time with upcoming games? If you answered, "PAX," we salute you. If you said: Poughkeepsie, New York, we'll give you a second guess.The Penny Arcade Expo is one of our favorite gaming events, hands down. The East Coast version of PAX won't launch until 2010, so you've got one more opportunity to make the pilgrimage to the original Seattle location. Lucky for you, registration opened today! You can pick up a three-day badge for just $50, and pre-registrants are also eligible to participate in the Omegathon gaming competition. The grand prize: all-expenses-paid trip to the Tokyo Game Show and, uh, other prizes. Plus, we'll be there!
Child's Play Charity dings $1 million
Major contributing factors to this year's current donation total included a gala dinner that brought in $200,000 as well as proceeds from special PAX'08 Rock Band tracks, presented by Harmonix. And they say gamers are all ticking time bombs of hate ... Well, how much have you given to the Child's Play Charity, Bill O'Reilly? Putcha inside voice on then, son.
Joystiq Poll: Best cosplay of PAX 2008
Click to see the top 15 cosplayers
Gallery: PAX 2008: Best of Cosplay
The Conduit's publisher soon to be announced
Chris Kohler spent some time with the demo of the game, declaring the control customizations "excellent," though the default control scheme was more than sufficient for him. Aside from a general lack of enthusiasm about the environments, which look "flat, boring, and basic at this point," Kohler enjoyed the demo, which was mostly focused on shooting some aliens. He left the demo behind after dying to a boss creature -- the game is "definitely a challenge."
Gallery: The Conduit
PAX 2008 hands-on: Spore, have we seen enough already?
But is the game coming out a bit too late, or just in time? It feels like it's starting to wear out its welcome just a bit. Like that house guest that just won't leave, is Spore in danger of becoming a bore? German gamer mags have already given the game fairly disappointing scores, and in all honesty, we were ready to leave our demo early, even though we went hands-on with the whole thing. Find out why after the break.
Gallery: Spore
PAX 2008: The Entire Fallout 3 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide
In the gallery below you can check out the entire guide that they were handing out at the show, and it may very well be the actual game manual. You get 50 pages chock full of tips for surviving in the wastelands, info on the different weapons, details about the creatures you'll encounter, and tips from Vault Boy himself. It even has a map and notes section in the back for your own enjoyment and doodling.
Of course, the best advice can be found on Page 39: "Are you in immediate danger? You are beyond help. Drop this book and run." Update: Download it as a PDF!
PAX 2008 hands-on: Magic: Duels of the Planeswalkers
Wizards of the Coast has been very busy talking about the 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons, which came out this year, as well as its Star Wars and D&D miniatures and the online version of Magic: The Gathering. So, we were really caught off guard when we stopped by the Wizards booth at PAX and happened across this new version of Magic for the Xbox Live Arcade. We did a double take, tapped our mana, and found out more. Find out about the long-titled Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers after the break.
PAX 2008: The Penny Arcade Interview
Note: Photo above taken at interview
[MP3] Download the Interview
Gallery: PAX 2008: Omegathon Final
PAX 2008: Population 58,500
So, what's to be done for PAX 2009? More expansion, of course, to ease overcrowding. "At 2 or 3 of the main theatre events 3-4% of the line wasn't able to make it," said Khoo, "but we hear those 3-4% loud and clear. We have a few ideas to manage that problem for 2009 including wristbands for popular events or just a straight-up hard count of people in line. The worst thing is if people line up for something and end up not getting in." The next PAX will take place again in late August, with the first PAX East Coast opening its Bostonian doors in late March 2010.
PAX 2008: Meet the Fallout 3 Vault-boy puppet dance troupe
Gallery: PAX 2008: Omegathon Final
PAX 2008 hands-on: Need for Speed Undercover, rollcage edition
From the depths of the M.C. Escher nightmare of Dead Space we slid into the sweet embrace of a high-octane car. Need for Speed: Undercover knew that it needed to impress people with something besides picture-pretty cars racing along at high speed through city streets, so it wrapped itself inside a glorious steel gaming cage. A gaming cage that looked like something they'd use to teach driver's ed out of in the future. Find out all about this must-have, but can't-buy gaming accessory after the break.
Gallery: Need For Speed Undercover
PAX 2008: Cosplay, day three
click above to enter the gallery
Day three and our the final lookg at our collection of people embracing nerd culture to the fullest extent. We're continually impressed by what we've seen here so far with the cosplayers, in both selection and execution. And don't forget, if you come without a costume, you can always make one out of whatever they're handing out. Be sure to keep checking out our general PAX 2008 showfloor gallery, which shows you every square foot of what PAX was all about.
