This post is coming a little late, mostly because I forgot my camera bag in Stephen’s car and didn’t get it back until a couple of days ago. In any case, you might remember that I was in Seattle last weekend for PAX Prime 2011, one of the largest gaming culture expos and events in the Pacific Northwest.
Last year, I was a team of one to cover PAX Prime 2010, but this year, we had a team of four. That made my workload a lot easier and it was a little more organized in terms of seeing all there was to see. I didn’t have a chance to sit in on any of the panels this time around, but I did get to explore the trade show side a little more.
Sixth Avenue Inn Hotel Room Video Tour
Whereas I only made a day trip to Seattle for last year’s Penny Arcade Expo (PAX), we spent a couple of days in Seattle for this year’s event. So, the MEGATechNews and Futurelooks co-team nabbed a couple of hotel rooms.
The Sixth Avenue Inn in Downtown Seattle is anything but glamourous and the in-room Internet left something to be desired, but it got the job done. Here’s a quick hotel room video tour:
I’d like to thank NZXT for picking up the tab on our rooms.
Plants vs. Zombies Playing Dance Central 2
Easily one of the bigger highlights of the weekend was when a group of friends, all dressed up as the zombies from Plants vs. Zombies, decided to storm the Dance Central 2 stage over at Harmonix. Yes, we have dancing zombies.
This is anything but a big gaming announcement, but it was still a lot of fun to watch.
Street Fighter X Tekken
There are games for all kinds of gamers at PAX. Myself, I’m a fighting game fan, so I was immediately drawn over to the Capcom and Mad Catz booths to check out Street Fighter X Tekken. I’d seen videos and screenshots, but it’s another thing altogether to get my hands on a playable demo.
You can check out my Street Fighter X Tekken impressions over at HadoukenOnline.com. I’m pretty stoked about it.
GAEMS Portable Xbox 360 and PS3 Gaming Case
There are still a couple more videos being processed for my MEGATechNews coverage of PAX, but one of the cooler innovations already covered is the GAEMS portable solution for Xbox 360 and Sony PlayStation 3 Slim.
It’s not terribly expensive at $299, considering you get an all-in-one protective case, HD LCD, and all the other doo-dahs you need to game on the go.
Gaming and Cosplay
While most of the attendees at PAX Prime wore street clothes, there were more than a few who took the opportunity to dress up as their favorite characters. These cosplayers put a lot of effort into making their costumes and it shows. Here’s the cast of Mortal Kombat taking on Green Ranger from Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers. Is this the next crossover game from NetherRealm Studios?
Above are a series of clickable thumbnails with some other cosplayers and gaming highlights from PAX. The Scorpion cosplayer is particularly impressive. He even did the angry scowl for me.
On the Futurelooks side, you can check out their PAX Prime video coverage from a number of PC-related companies, including AMD, Cooler Master, and Asus ROG. That’s our videographer Corbin doing his thing.
Putting My Quarter on the Ledge
It was a very busy weekend, but it was also a lot of fun. These kinds of events are best attended with a few friends who can share the joys of gaming and gaming culture with you. More likely than not, I’ll be back for PAX Prime 2012.
The Zombies and the dress up remind me of a Star Trek convention kinda sort of. I need to attend one of these shows at some point just to see what they have.
The room looks actually nicer than the one’s in Tapei in the way of size in the living area. An Inn to me is just someplace you sleep at anyway, not a place to hang out in your spare time on a trip. Not bad for a downtown establishment and you had entertainment just outside.
the life like figure of gow 3 is awesome
On that note Sourish, at first I thought wow… if that guy is real… he sure is massively jacked. Then I looked at it some more saw that it was obviously a fake. Nonetheless though you are right the GOW 3 guy is impressive.
I think for Halloween this year I might cosplay a character from my childhood, well see how that goes!
-Jean
Yes, that is what I thought too, haha. Still, a mighty fine job they did with that model regardless if it’s that hard to tell if it’s real or fake. I wish I could go to one of these events some time. Great photos and videos, Michael.
The “clean remote” is not something I’ve come across in my hotel-stay in this part of the world.
I can’t help but notice about your eye-bags, you need to get more sleep!
That looks like a ton a fun. I have never been able to go to a gamer conference but have always wanted to. I also thought the Zombie’s were cool, and fun to see. hopefully one day I will get a chance to go to one of these.
Looks like fun, I have not heard of PAX before, is it a conference that is still going on.
Yes, it happens three times a year: PAX East in New York in March, PAX Australia in Melbourne in July and PAX Prime in Seattle in September.