The Last of PAX: The Indie Games that caught my eye

I realize this is a severely late review of games from PAX, seeing as PAX ended over a fornight ago, but I definitely wanted to spend some time on these delightful gems.

When I’m at PAX I always take a moment to peruse Indie Row to see the games that are flying under the radar. (I don’t however spend much time at the PAX10 because they seem to get plenty of limelight and press). This year Indie Row was packed. Usually its the place to go to get away from the crowds, but this year it was a struggle to get in to see anything of the games. As such most of my knowledge of these games comes from cinematic trailers and art pieces. The developers were constantly swamped with people talking to them and the demos all had lines. Totally different from my previous years’ experiences, but I’m sure its really great for those devs! Now, as with most of my PAX reviews of non-demo’d games, what piques my interest is the presence of, and subsequent representation of, women in the games. So I can’t tell you how most of these games play, but I can sure tell you that their take on gender put them far out ahead of the crowd.

Everquest Next: My biggest nerd moment at PAX Prime 2013

Just look at all that nerd excitement. Best swag ever!

Everquest Next, ya’ll. Ever-effin-quest Next was at PAX.

This was the gaming highlight of my PAX weekend. I am a huge fangirl for EQ. That’s where I got my PC gaming start. It was my first MMO. It’s where I met my husband. EQ2 kept me company through college and let my husband and I play together even when he was deployed halfway around the world. The Everquest games are the games I compare all other games to, for gameplay, for lore, for social experience. Not for graphics though, EQ and EQ2 definitely shows their age. I’ve been waiting for EQNext since the day it was announced. And when I found it in a small booth in a tucked away corner of the expo hall, I shit you not I had a frickin squee fest right then and there.

And then to find out that the booth was not only going to be a presentation, instead of just a looping trailer video, but a presentation with Terry Michaels (Sr Producer of EQNext), Omeed Dariani (SOE’s Global Brand Manager), and Linda Carleson (Director of Global Community Relations and General Awesome Dwarf Cosplayer). I knew I was in for some good shit.

The Elder Scrolls Online: PAX Demo Review

Going into PAX this was the game I was most excited to see. Day 1, minute 1 (well after I got by swag bag from the queue room) I headed straight to the Bethesda booth to get in line for the demo. It took an hour and a half of standing on very hard concrete, but it was worth it to get an amazing 20 minute session of playing the game. So worth it, in fact, that I stood in that line again the next day just so I could spend more time looking at the game again. Now, before I get into an in-depth review of the game, y’all need to understand two things about my perspective. One: I am a primarily an MMO player and a TES player second. I’ve only played Oblivion and Skyrim, and I’ve never actually finished either game despite having spent well over 100 hours in each. Second: I am not into hardcore game mechanics or such. I play a game based on the feel, looks, and lore. The mechanics have to be decent, but as long as the combat feels fun and solid, the looks are good (and not horribly problematic) and story setting interesting, then I’ll gladly play it and enjoy it for at least a little while.

With all that being said, I freaking loved what I saw of the Elder Scrolls Online.

PAX Prime 2013: A review in bullet points

I’ve got so many words to write about PAX and only so few fingers to type. So I’m going to do away with the flowery prose of getting from point A to B to C and just do, well, points A, B, and C. Maybe even all the way to Z. We’ll see. (Is it just me or is this oddly rhyming as well?)

Also your IT lady and the whole of accounting and HR. Basically all your nerds are here and having way more fun than y’all folk stuck in the office.

Et tu PAX?

So let’s talk about what went down in the waning hours of PAX Prime this year and all the other concomitant issues that surround the creators of Penny Arcade and PAX, Gabe and Tycho. Well mostly Gabe, but Tycho’s is complicit in it all as well. Yes, we’re talking about the Dickwolves again. I’m only going to do a quick overview because a lot more people have said a lot more intelligent things about it and have kept a lot more tabs on the whole mess than I have or ever could: