by Brian Reno
The Penny Arcade Expo is, with the death of E3, the largest annual gamer gathering of the year. Something over 19,000 people showed up this year which is a truly massive gathering of video game fans, which certainly seems more entertaining than “Press Only” shows.
The spot they picked to hold PAX ’07 was probably the best possible location. The Washington State Convention and Trade Center in Seattle, Washington was more than roomy enough to accommodate everything going on. It was a refreshing change from say, Comic Con, where everything feels a bit more packed together. For those of us with mild claustrophobia, it was a welcome change. In addition, the Center has a Cheesecake Factory across the street, and a Gameworks (a large arcade center) adjacent to that. Is there a better building placement in Washington? I submit that there is not.
I, personally, did not enter the show until several hours after the door opened, so I can’t say anything about Wil Wheaton or his keynote speech. I hear it was life-changing, but also hilarious, two traits that make exceptionally fine keynote speeches.
The rest of the show was pretty entertaining. Attendees were more than willing to pack themselves into two floors of free play rooms and tournaments, so the gaming angle was covered quite well. I understand the tournaments themselves went off without a hitch with most participants being very good sports. I hear the competition in the Super Smash Bros.: Melee tournament was, however, brutal.
Along with all the game rooms came the Exhibition Hall, and the three theaters chocked full of panels. The Exhibition Hall was fairly gigantic in size and had a lot of big-name developers weighing in. I stopped by the Blizzard booth to check out the Feast of Winter Vale upcoming expansion for the World of Warcraft TCG, which is expected to hit (appropriately) sometime this winter. They were also demoing the newest expansion (whose name escapes me) and were more than happy to play teaching games.
Along a similar vein, the Spoils TCG booth caught my eye fairly quickly, and not just because of the spiffy posters detailing some of the card art. It looks like some kind of Steampunk setting, something I’m always very happy with, and it appears to not take itself too seriously at all. I think I saw some rather ridiculous internet jokes make their way onto actual playing cards, so if the game itself is as entertaining as the flavor text, it should have no problems. More on this in a later feature.
The whole TME group also stopped by the Kane & Lynch: Dead Men booth, where they were showing off the current build of the game. Kane & Lynch: Dead Men is a very immersing 3rd person shooter, with a lot of really cool features. I was particularly impressed with the environment and the player control of it, but you can read more about it in our Kane & Lynch special as soon as it is uploaded.
All in all, Day One was a success. The Enforcers kept everything in check through the trying phases 0f R0ll Call and ticket sales, and still kept everyone smiling and in good moods to play some games. Is there anything more you can ask for in a convention?
