PAX West is nearly upon us. If you have been a Bigshinyrobot.com reader for a hot minute, you might have seen our coverage over the years. PAX is one of the largest annual gaming events in the world. A mega-video game convention that fills Seattle’s Washington State Convention Center with crowds, cosplay and a dizzying assortment of games. The enthusiasm is always palpable. We are really excited to be able to get our hands on all the titles that have been on our radar for 2018 and beyond.

While we do appreciate the Cyberpunk 2077’s, Anthem’s, the Fallout 76’s and other Triple A blockbusters … our focus is always on indie games. They don’t typically have long lines and you can often have a good conversation with the dev(s) that actually made the game. We plan to spend the better part of the weekend in the Indie Megabooth/Minibooth just playing and talking to creators. However, even within the indie game scene at PAX, there are some things that we won’t be able to play. There just is not enough time

First, let me address some of the outdated trends and uninspired gimmicks that I would like to see downgraded, not upgraded as we move into the future.

Real Gameplay

Quantity or quality? On one hand, would you rather have a company that shows off 50 titles, a list that includes 15 exclusives OR one that sticks to a handful, but presents them in much greater depth? Ultimately, I have to say I prefer the latter. Real game play footage feels like an extremely finite resource at these kinds of events. At PAX, you DO actually get to play the games. Raise one up for real gameplay and not just cutscenes in real time.

VR still waiting

The last few years of PAX, gaming felt like an industry on the cusp of a VR breakthrough. In 2018, however, it doesn’t feel any closer. There are a handful of compelling new VR experiences at each event, but it feels like many of the peripheral and other experiences are sitting on the fringes — both literally and metaphorically — waiting for a crack at the big show.

Space Marines

I get that gaming constitutes a 21^st century location for what Swiss psychologist Carl G. Jung called “compensation.” That is, a place where individuals can engage with symbolic alternatives to their work-a-day experiences, a place to wrestle with the unconscious manifestations of their sometimes problematic habitual attitudes. When did we start celebrating these generic, poor man C.O.D. simulators and mediocrity?

Now, here is a short list of some of the sure shots that I plan on spending a lot of quality time with:

Control– I know I shouldn’t let myself get too excited about a Remedy Entertainment game after the MEH that was Quantum Break, but Control looks like it might be the game Remedy should have made in the first place. Control might also not have been possible without Quantum Break, as it appears to take the supernatural elements of the studio’s last game and amplify them tenfold. You play as the newly appointed director of a government agency that tackles otherworldly threats, and based on the trailer, you have access to telekinetic powers for combat and puzzle-solving. This one speaks to me.

Untitled Goose Game– This is a stealth action game about being a asshole Goose. From what I can gather, It looks to be a clever mix of stealthy heist shenanigans and player-created slapstick humor. Maybe like a Metal Gear element with a Splinter Cell bent. Metal Goose Solid? The gameplay that I have checked online had me in tears. I can’t wait to “Honk” my way through that Farmers garden and cause gander chaos.

UFO 50– I’m not sure “50 in 1” is a genre of game any more than “mix tape” is a genre of music. UFO 50 is clearly winking at those old (and awful) collections of retro-tanged games. The concept seems to be “Hey, what would it be like if one of those crappy combo cartridges was actually… good?”. I have heard that you’ll probably need a hundred hours to beat them all. All 50 GAMES! Count me in.

Black Future ’88– This side-scrolling 2D roguelike cyberpunk shooter is set in an alternate post-apocalyptic version of 1988, Black Future ’88 follows players as they attempt to scale a giant, evil corporate tower and put an end to a malicious AI that threatens the entire world. It’s not complex, it doesn’t have to be. I’m hoping that It has an same addictive “one more run” feel. I’m really looking to play the hell out of it.

Fork Parker’s Crunch Out– A title made exclusively for the SNES. In Fork Parker’s Crunch Out, you play as the executive of a video game company pushing employees and developers to their limits in order to meet the deadlines. Sounds like fun, right? but it also sounds like a good allegory for the types of pressures that play out in real workplaces. Working 80 hour weeks for over a year to bring us this important lesson in self-care. Ok, it DOES sound like work. I’ll check it.

Valfaris– A heavy metal infused 2D action-platformer and the next game from the team behind, Slain: Back From Hell. Brutal combat. Deadly enemies. Stunning pixel art. Savage soundtrack. It checks all of the boxes. I have a feeling it will have that extreme pick-up-and-play potential, with runs lasting anywhere from a minute to an hour. If so, I’ll be there for an hour.

PAX West has the staples like freeplay areas, cosplay lounges, and tabletop gaming rooms. PLUS, Geek creators and influencers will host panels talking about new initiatives and issues facing the gaming community. AND…Concerts, tournaments and PARTIES fill out the evening for the enjoyment of the night owls present. Since we always make this trip on our ‘Rock N Roll Tour’, besides performing, busking and pop-ups we plan on attending the following events and you should too! If you see the Big Shiny Robot posse be sure and say ‘WHAT UP’ …

Predator Gaming After Party– This one is at The Showbox on Friday, August 31th starting at 9 pm PDT. Get your hands-on the latest Predator gaming hardware powered by Intel, watch an epic musical performance by A-Trak, pick up exclusive swag, play games and well, DRINK.

Life is Strange 2 Fan Meet Up Party with What’s Good Games– The Unicorn is the place from 6pm-9pm on Friday, 8/31. Last year, there was a line around the block so this time they booked the entire venue. Entry is free for all but the first 100 people in line will get free drink tickets. It’s open to anyone 21+ in the Seattle area, no PAX badge required.

Screenwave Media’s GIANT PAX West party– This one has the musical stylings of The Minibosses, Kirby Krackle and Professor ShyGuy live at the Rebar. 7PM-2AM. Also, on Friday, 8/31.

Red Bennies – The Lo-Fi performance gallery is one of my very favorite spots in Seattle. A night out in Eastlake like no other. Red Bennies will be opening for Bad Saint, Kid Leather and Claire Michelle. More info: http://thelofi.net/ . Friday, 8/31.

The Mix Seattle 2018– The Media Indie Exchange (MIX) is all about the games created by indies and indie game enthusiasts. Guests will have opportunities to play unreleased amazing indie titles, vibe with the teams creating them and get involved with prize package opportunities. This one runs from 2pm-11pm basically all day on Saturday, 9/1.

Pink Party Prime X– It’s back, and it’s bigger and better than ever. 10 years in the making, it’s Pink Party X! Neumos is the spot on Saturday night (9/1). If you go, try either the Mana or Power drinks and level up.

Poropalooza: Poros in Wakanda– Dance it off at the club that doesn’t quit with some of your favorite ESports players, Influencers and with geeks from every fandom. Q Nightclub, 9pm-2AM. Sunday, 9/2.

NPC Collective presents: Nerdcore Night at The Lo Fi– Some of the best doing it: Shubzilla, Kadesh Flow, 1-Up, MC-Ohm-I, Lex the Lexicon Artist & More! Free with a Pax West badge. Show starts at 7:30PM. Sunday, 9/2.

PAX West 2018, will take place in and around the Washington State Convention Center between August 31st and September 3^rd.

–Dagobot



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During the PaxEast 2016 Panel for the “World of Warcraft” movie. During the panel the director Duncan Jones revealed a lot of information about his creative process and inspiration for the film as well as the poster below. You can catch the full panel as well, just after the photo!

You can watch the full presentation here.

The count down is on for PAX Prime in Seattle and gamers from around the world are gearing up for their biggest event of the year. While some of the 65,000 may be veterans, many enthusiasts will be attending for the first time in their life. To you, I dedicate this PAX primer.

Star Wars Battlefront

Playing a video game that feels like playing a movie of Star Wars? It’s 2015, and indeed it seems like we are finally going to get it. With a new film on the horizon, nostalgia, and an established developer (DICE) who has a lot of experience in the genre, ‘Battlefront’ is set up for success. The game looks gorgeous and while some are saying that it is an amalgamation of what came before it. That’s not necessarily a bad, of course. There is plenty to love in the previous games, and what EA has learned from them—the dynamic gunplay, large maps, the scale of objectives, the seamless changing of roles on the battlefield, and the teamwork. The campaign mode is going to rule. Playing against friends on an ongoing contest to conquer the galaxy. The lack of a single player mode is disappointing. We’ll have plenty of awesome new story-based Star Wars projects to come, so giving ‘Battlefront’ a pass this time doesn’t seem like that big of a deal. This story needs no introduction. No origin.

Mirror’s Edge Catalyst

In comparison with other AAA games ‘Mirror’s Edge Catalyst’ could most certainly be perceived as an underdog, with it being a sequel to an underrated cult favorite that has only seen the light of day to a vocal outcry from fans of the original. Despite having been announced quite a while ago, we still haven’t got a very good grasp on what direction Catalyst will take the series in – will it be more action oriented? Or will it feature an even deeper emphasis upon those no-gun runs? Fortunately the game will be playable at PAX Prime 2015, so our questions should be answered.

The original ‘Mirror’s Edge’ was a wholly unique game that impressed the few who played it upon release, and with a greater budget being pumped into Catalyst by EA, we hope that the flaws of its predecessor have been ironed out and that this time around it’ll reach a wider audience. We’ll be able to see for ourselves whether it’s capable of doing this at PAX Prime.

Assassin’s Creed Syndicate

It’s difficult to get too excited about the next Assassin’s Creed game considering the buggy mess that was Assassin’s Creed Unity, but Ubisoft have got a habit of following up a disappointing entry in the series with an impressive one. From first impressions this seems like it will be the case with ‘Assassin’s Creed Syndicate’, which introduces a new setting in the shape of the Victorian era, which brings with it a gothic edge that could help eradicate the memory of Unity’s sloppy frame rate and myriad of glitches from our minds.

Ubisoft are bringing their A game to PAX Prime this year, and regardless of our own reservations ‘Assassin’s Creed Syndicate’ will undoubtedly be one of the most heavily anticipated playable games at the event for veteran fans of the series.

Street Fighter V

The next entry in the seminal fighting game series is the biggest game of 2016 for members of the fighting game community, who will be lapping up any hands-on time with the game they can get prior to its release. With PAX Prime likely to see a brand new character being unveiled, the event is therefore firmly on the radar of the FGC.

For those who aren’t a part of that community, the prospect of a new Street Fighter game is still exciting. With ‘Street Fighter IV’ having proven to be a widely influential release in the fighting game genre, inspiring the reboot of the ‘Mortal Kombat’ series among other things, it’s exciting to think of what impact ‘Street Fighter V’ will have on the genre, too.

Hyper Light Drifter

After a hugely successful Kickstarter campaign in which it attracted over $600,000 in pledges, for many ‘Hyper Light Drifter’ will be the highlight in terms of PAX Prime’s indie game showcase.

It certainly has a lot going for it – a smooth and stylish visual direction, combat that feels weighty and a variety of weapons to choose from that lead to a cornucopia of brutal death animations, Hyper Light Drifter certainly looks like it will be one of the most fun games to play at PAX, indie or otherwise. Couple that with a development studio in the form of Heart Machine that actually appears to be running on schedule with its plans, which is something of a minor miracle when it comes to crowdfunded games, and there’s plenty to be excited about when it comes to this action RPG.

XING: The Land Beyond

Upon first witnessing ‘XING: The Land Beyond’ you will walk away under the impression that you have just experienced the modern reincarnation of ‘Myst’, given this mysterious first-person puzzler’s close ties with the PC classic. While XING certainly has the appropriate extra bells and whistles adorning it in order to bring it into this generation, it is still cut from the same cloth as ‘Myst’ and that is no bad thing.

Placing you in the ghostly shoes of a deceased traveler, XING explores the particularly heavy subject of death whilst allowing the player to explore a lush, tropical environment filled with puzzles and zero combat. There has been a minor renaissance of first-person puzzle games and I hope that trend continues.

Hob

We know very little of ‘Hob’ other than it’s being created by Torchlight developers Runic Games, that it is coming to PC and consoles (though exactly what consoles it is coming to has yet to be specified) and that it features no text or dialogue, with its plot instead being conveyed by the player’s surroundings.

Like Torchlight, ‘Hob’ also adopts an isometric viewpoint but judging from Runic’s previous comments, it will have a greater emphasis upon its puzzle-solving rather than following in its predecessor’s footsteps as an RPG. I desperately want to get my hands on ‘Hob’.

YIIK: A Postmodern RPG

When a game starts drawing comparisons with Earthbound it inevitably pricks the ears of those who remember the SNES classic. While on the surface YIIK may look like it borrows very little from HAL Laboratory’s RPG, its modern-day setting coupled with its surreal themes and an out-there sense of humor suggest that it will appeal to fans of that game and many more beyond it, as there are very few games in the genre like it.

We’re still yet to get a handle on what YIIK is, and though its “A Postmodern RPG” subtitle may sound so hipster it feels like it should come with an ironically curled mustache, we’re more than down with its Westernized Persona appeal. YIIK is a game that isn’t on the radar of many people, though after PAX Prime that could all change.

-Dagobot



Get at me on twitter: @markdago



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Want to make that 20oz bottle of Coke have the same value as Two-Liter? Pour the 20oz bottle into the bigger container, then fill the rest with water. While not all games are like adding water to hit that seventy hour mark, it is what we usually end up with. Every game hitting that seventy hour mark tends to be water added. I can only think of a few exceptions to this fact. This process is commonly referred to as the grind. However it bares many other names such as fluff, filler or something that is made to look like more than it really is.

Now grinds maybe good for some people who feel having something to waste time away on a game with minimal reward is great value. Perhaps its time those people explore iPhone/iPad/iPod games if that is their poison instead of investing in four hundred dollar game consoles and sixty dollar games and complaining because the value is condense to a pure more concentrated form. 

When I was younger and had more time, I would not only love, but demand my games gave me extremely long experiences, something that made me gravitate towards RPG’s most of the time. But these days, I barely have time to play a 5-8 hour games. I can take a twenty hour epic once in a while, but I just cant handle it if every game I get in my hands happens to be something like that anymore, especially now that I have the cash to buy multiple titles and would like to actually play them all. I never finished ‘Skyrim.’

I don’t mind long games but I do appreciate it when they are broken down into sections. ‘Last Of Us’ did that really well. The under-appreciated, ‘Alan Wake’ too. Even if you’re playing through in one sitting, it does a good job of regulating the sense of pacing. Breaking up the overall narrative into chapters or volumes, each with its own defined story arc that rises and falls is a great way to let the player take a breather now and then without feeling like they’re missing anything. It also lets you really relax since you don’t need to worry about whether any action you take might get you into a three hour rabbit hole when you have laundry to do. It’s amazing how our preferences change as we get older.

Even though I have a more busy life now, I still want that game experience that I can explore and/or grow with. Whether that means leveling up a character or improving a score or finishing a side story of a seemingly ever expanding world, or whatever. I just want more my from my games. I don’t want less that what I was getting years ago. We have the ability and know-how to keep the content and experiences that we have and love now, we just need to repackage it for the increasingly fast-paced audience.

Personally, I’d really like to see the industry make a shift toward smaller, cheaper games. Build an engine and make six or seven three-hour games that are creative and risky and tightly told rather than two epic games with soaring budgets that pad themselves out to justify their value and then you have to retire the engine and rebuild because, ‘Oh My Glob! It’s been six years.’ Games would get easier to consume, cheaper to buy, cheaper to make, and could tell more cohesive, riskier stories.

The best part about shorter games is that inevitably it means there will be MORE games. Instead of spending 3 years making a $60 game, a studio can spend 3 years making 3 games for $20. That gives players more choices, and purchasing habits can better inform what types of experiences are good/bad without punishing studios as much when there’s a flop.

Short or long? Whatever length it is, make my time with your game awesome. Do that and I will happily give you money. I’m just glad the market is diverse enough to reward players of all types with plenty of options to satisfy their tastes.

-Dagobot



Get at me on twitter: @markdago

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This year celebrates ten years of Pax Prime here in Seattle, and I’ve got lots of photos to share with you from the ground – Cosplay, Video Games, Tabletop and More!!! Enjoy!

I had the opportunity to sit down at PAX Prime today with the developers from Motiga and get my hands on ‘Gigantic,’ a 5v5, 3rd-person, PvP/PvE action game. Full disclosure, I’ve been really looking forward to get a chance to play since their announcement trailer sucked me into their visually-stunning and explosive, fantasy world. Although we won’t get to play a full release until early 2015, the game has entered friends and family Alpha testing and Motiga brought a ton of awesome stuff for players to explore at this year’s PAX Prime – including developer/community workshops, hands-on gameplay and a Lo-Fi party! 

At the outset, I was already impressed with Motiga’s presence at PAX. Their developers were at the ready to engage with their players and help them learn how to play during the hands-on demo. Even though I only got to play one match, I was left really wanting to play more and am looking forward to when public testing is made available. The matches on the current map seem to take about 25 minutes long on average, and the entire match feels super engaging. You never find yourself at a point where you’re just farming up experience or waiting for some action to take place. To me it ended up feeling like a really good hybrid between a fast-paced, third-person shooter and an action MOBA. So, when Motiga says their game is gender-blended, they really mean it, and it’s executed on beautifully. 

A match is divided into what feels like two phases – a capture-and-hold phase and “The Clash” with your Guardians. The capture-and-hold play supports map exploration, pvp / pve and strategic play, while “The Clash” turns to an all-out-brawl between the two teams and their Guardians.

Exploring the map and capturing points feels really good – every time you capture one you get the chance to spawn a creature that will then defend the point for you while you move on to another part of the map. This results in players feeling less like they need to be camping points to protect them, and then subsequently encourages teams to be mobile and versatile in their engagement strategies. I was also extremely impressed that when we got to the Clash and our Guardians came down the map to face off, we felt supercharged by the change in pace even though our team was losing. I felt like there was still a chance to make a difference and our team rallied despite knowing victory was a long shot. To me, this is something I really wish more pvp games would support, and it’s pretty difficult to design for in general. 

I got a chance to play Charnok, the Draconic Sorcerer; a Hero with fire-themed upgrade paths that were really fun. Since the art style is so colorful and pops right out at you, you end up feeling pretty awesome when you lay down a vibrant stream of fire or smash a volcanic meteor into the environment and players around you. There are still a few readability issues with some of the larger AOE attacks, but it’s obvious that they’re working on making the visuals both bad ass and readable.

To sum up my thoughts overall, I think ‘Gigantic’ is going to be really successful with its blend of fast-paced action, PVP/PVE design, and its ability to immerse you in strong emotions (and fun!) throughout the entirety of a match. I definitely recommend you check it out and keep an eye on development. If you like 3rd-person action and high-octane PVP/PVE, you’ll definitely want to give this a go!

To learn more about Gigantic: check out their website and sign up for Alpha testing here! 

Photos: Comcept LLC

Fans of Mega Man are no stranger to Keiji Inafune, this former Capcom producer created a character that stole the hearts of millions of gamers world wide.  After leaving Capcom Inafune went on to show his darker side by releasing Soul Sacrifice for the PS Vita, and has now set his sites on Kickstarter.

After a countdown from the number 9 at his panel during Pax, the Kickstarter project was announced.  With a goal of $900,000, the project is already 75% funded not even a full day in.  Promising to bring gamers “classic Japanese side-scrolling evolved”, this game looks absolutely phenomenal.  This game is being developed for PC with gamepad support and like all projects comes with multiple backing options. 

The backing tiers are as follows:

• $5 – Special access to the Mighty No. 9 forums and your name in the credits
• $20 – A digital copy of the game
• $40 – Artbook, Strategy Guide, and retro style game manual
• $60 – printed game box, printed manual, and exclusive in-game golden hero
• $99 – Beta Code, In Game Transformation, and a T-Shirt!
• $120 – Printed Art Book/ Strat Guide
• $175 – Enemy Mascot Plushie and other Region Shirt

The offers grow past this up to and including dinner with Keiji Inafune himself! That $10,000 prize only has 2 spots left. If you want to support something amazing, it’s time to jump in and spend $20.00!  You can donate HERE

Via – Polygon 

2012 turned out to be a big year for video games ending in the number 3.

Need proof? Well, the top four titles garnering the most nominations from the National Academy of Video Game Trade Reviewers for its upcoming award show had 3 after the franchise name (well, one ended in III, if you want to get technical about it).

Leading the pack was Ubisoft’s Far Cry 3, which picked up 12 nominations, followed by 10 apiece for Mass Effect 3 and Max Payne 3. Ubisoft’s Assassin’s Creed III bookended the group with nine nominations.

Ubisoft Montreal’s Far Cry 3 leads the field with 12 nominations for the upcoming NAVGTR awards.

However, only one of the four – Far Cry 3 – earned a nod in the biggest category, Game of the Year. The other nominees for the top prize are Borderlands 2, Journey, Spec Ops: The Line, Torchlight II and The Walking Dead.

Developed at Ubisoft’s world-renowned Montreal studio, Far Cry 3 is first-person shooter that incorporated role-playing game elements into its story-driven, action-packed plot. Published for the PC, Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, the story involves a group of young thrill-seekers who are kidnapped on a remote island by pirates. The open-world sandbox setting is about 10 times larger than the game environments featured in previous Far Cry titles, according to the game’s narrative director, Jason Vandenberghe, in an interview he did with PlayStation Universe (psu.com).

Meanwhile, Assassin’s Creed III was also developed at Ubisoft Montreal. The game follows the actions of Connor, a half-English, half-Mohawk assassin who is tasked with killing Templars in the run-up to, during and in the aftermath of the American Revolution.

Further cementing Canada’s role as one of the top video game producing nations, Mass Effect 3’s 10 nominations, for Edmonton-based BioWare, can only be viewed as a soothing salve after the final installment of the role-playing/shooter trilogy met with a mixture of fanboy outrage and widespread discontent. Many were upset by what they viewed as a poorly executed ending that didn’t really match players’ expectations based on BioWare’s assertions during the series’ run that the consequences of choices made by gamers during the trilogy would impact the ultimate outcome of the game.

Fans went so far as to post videos on YouTube showing all the ending variations, which amounted to a mere handful.

BioWare responded by releasing a free downloadable content pack called the extended cut that sought to clarify the ending (going so far as to add a fourth possible outcome to the original three) and leave open the possibility of future Mass Effect titles.

For my money, the title that was most deserving of recognition wound up tied for fifth with eight nominations … the brilliant, episodic downloadable title The Walking Dead.

Developed by Telltale Games, The Walking Dead is a point-and-click adventure based on the popular TV show. It follows fictional character Lee Everett through five installments as he tries to survive a zombie apocalypse among other survivors.

The game – available on PC, Mac, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 and iOs – was also nominated in two acting categories: Best voice-over performance by Dave Fennoy as Lee Everett and best-supporting performance by Melissa Hutchison as Clementine.

In total, there are 53 categories, including: Innovation in game technology, animation, art direction, in-game cinema direction, control precision, design, graphics, dramatic score, use of sound and writing.

The awards, voted on by more than 900 reviewers, aim to recognize achievements in art, technology and production. The winners will be announced March 24 in Boston at the PAX East game show.

To see a complete list of nominees, visit http://navgtr.org/nominees.

The full video of this year’s Acquisitions Incorporated live D&D Campaign is finally live! Give it a watch before reading the article below. Please note that this video contains adult language and content, but of course that helps to make it the best two hours of live D&D you can get on the internets! Enjoy!

Of all the events that happen at PAX, the one I look forward to most of all is the chance to watch Jerry Holkins (Penny Arcade), Mike Krahulic (Penny Arcade), Wil Wheaton (Tabletop, The Guild, etc.), and Scott Kurtz (PVP) team up to form Acquisitions Incorporated and play D&D under the always incredible Dungeon Master Chris Perkins (R&D – Wizards of the Coast). This year, the live session was brought to the beautiful Paramount Theater across from the Washington State Convention Center. This theater isn’t just a large, classy-gold-trimmed venue,  it’s also the perfect place for way more PAX attendees to witness the epic journey of Acquisitions Incorporated in person.

Since the performance will be available online to watch at some point (hopefully soon) I won’t be spoiling the campaign itself, but I did want to cover some of the things I thought they did incredibly well this year.

First of all: Holkins, Krahulik, Wheaton, Kurtz and Perkins were incredibly fun to watch and were great at humoring the audience while various attendees shouted out ideas and criticisms. There was a moment in which the audience suggested Wheaton climb up a rather unsavory place to explore, and it was definitely one of the highlights of the night. The fact that Wheaton went along with the audience’s suggestion was really pretty hilarious (especially since it was potentially quite dangerous for his character).

Also, if you have been watching prior Acquisitions Incorporated live campaigns or following the podcast – there are some awesome throwback references to previous episodes in the campaign that you will really enjoy.

Holkins rolls the first critical miss (1) of the game…on his first roll.

Second: the set, though simple – was pretty good. The map/mini setting they choose looked great and this year’s backdrop of a giant demon was a nice touch, too.

Wheaton and Perkins share words about the turn the campaign has just taken. Also, Wheaton has acquired Chris’ pony.

Third: the Acquisitions Incorporated campaign is still going strong after years of development. Perkins is an amazing DM and he makes me want to work harder to write a really good D&D campaign for my friends back home to play. I actually got the chance to attend the “Ask the DM” panel this weekend in which Perkins and other R&D members (Greg Bisland and a few other awesome folks) from Wizards of the Coast answered audience questions and covered some suggestions for becoming a better dungeon master. Hearing him speak is a great experience because the passion, enthusiasm, and knowledge he brings to the table is phenomenal. If you ever get the chance to hear him speak I highly recommend it.

My only wish is that each year’s live D&D event could be a bit longer, but sadly at the end of 2 hours (plus waiting in line a couple hours before that) I don’t think our bladders could honestly take much more.

Enjoy the following photos from the show and stay tuned because I will embed and link the Youtube videos once they have gone live!

At PAX Prime 2011, a D&D game was played like no other. This particular game boasted a geek ensemble cast of players who decided to play a D&D session live in front of  many fans and cameras. You know you’re something when hundreds of people show up to watch you play D&D for nearly three hours and let me tell you, it’s worth it.  They even have a couple of “bards” that perform little narrative tunes on guitar for them as they play. Follow Scott Kurtz, Wil Wheaton, Mike Krahulik, Jerry Holkins, and Chris Perkins as they travel to Newhamp Shire to receive a mysterious magical item from a family member that passed away…

You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, and it will only cost you a standard action…

Cast:

Jerry Holkins – Omin Dran
Scott Kurtz – Binwin Bronzebottom
Wil Wheaton – Aeofel “Al” Elhromane
Mike Krahulik – Jim Darkmagic
Chris Perkins – Dungeon Master

Videos and information received from www.wizards.com.