Gamesylvania

Like the MC Frontalot song “First World Problem” says, some problems are pretty good to have — like having to many cool things to do at PAX! Did you attend the keynote speech Wil Wheaton gave or did you check out the Journalists vs. Developers Grudge Match hosted by EA’s Jeff Green? Did you spend all of your time in the console free play room or did you hang out with your D&D friend’s in the tabletop area? Maybe you just walked around in the main hall and checked out everything the vendors brought to see as PAX, such as Skate 3 or APB? There’s just too much stuff to do here, and that’s definitely a problem worth having.

The show floor has been exceptionally crowded, and today isn’t even the “busy” day. I have a hell of a time getting from one end to the other and can’t even begin to comprehend everything I’m seeing. Some cosplayers here and there, people handing out free stuff, NVIDIA and ATI duking it out over who can hook up more displays to their computers (NVIDIA actually one-ups ATI by making their multi-displays… wait for it… 3D!). Meanwhile, one developer in the back of the room is showing off real guitars with colored frets, hoping to create a Guitar Hero-like game that actually teaches you how to play guitar. Unfortunately, it’s not hooked up to anything, so who knows if it’s just vapor ware or if this thing can actually do what they say it will.

The vibe is definitely different here, but it depends on what you bring to the party as far as the experience you’re going to have. If you’re willing to take a passive course and accept what comes your way, you’ll probably have a great time. That said, if you do a little bit of planing before heading into the fray, it can go a long way towards making sure you see some really cool stuff.

One of the best things I’ve done today, and something I feel has been greatly missed at previous PAXes is the classic arcade room, filled with some pretty obscure games and pinball machines — all free to play. The feeling in the room was absolutely positive. So much joy and nostalgia going on, almost everyone had their own story. At one point, the Flash pinball broke down. When one of the vendors opened it up to fix it, I was one of a few who stood around to take a whiff of that authentic, old arcade smell. A guy standing next to me related how many memories of his dad it brought back because they had a pinball machine growing up. I know exactly what he’s talking about. Crowds grew around a few machines and cheers, as well as shouts of anguish, could be heard all over the room. We watched a guy beat Dragon’s Lair three times last night, and the roof tore off the place every single time he slew the dragon. Even if the rest of my PAX experience is terrible, this one memory will endure.

Capping off the evening were the concerts. I was only able to catch Metroid Metal and MC Frontalot, but that was enough. Overall, day one has been a lot of fun and I can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings.

And now, PICTURES!