{"id":16880,"date":"2017-09-06T00:01:09","date_gmt":"2017-09-06T00:01:09","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/?p=16880"},"modified":"2017-09-05T20:12:17","modified_gmt":"2017-09-05T20:12:17","slug":"pax-west-2017-part-1-cooking-up-a-super-packed-pax","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/2017\/09\/06\/pax-west-2017-part-1-cooking-up-a-super-packed-pax\/","title":{"rendered":"PAX West 2017 Part 1: Cooking Up a Super-Packed PAX!"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>The Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX for short, is one of the largest video game conventions open to the public.\u00a0 I go to PAX every year, at least the ones in Seattle (PAX West), and San Antonio (PAX South).\u00a0 This past weekend I went to PAX West, and it was notable because I think I had more meetings at this PAX than any other!\u00a0 More than 15 meetings, in fact!\u00a0 So with all those games to cover, we\u2019d better get started!<\/p>\n

WB Games<\/strong><\/p>\n

One of the titles that WB Games was showing off at PAX was LEGO Marvel Super Heroes 2.\u00a0 I consider myself lucky to have been able to review most of the LEGO titles that have been released in the past, and I owe it all to the fantastic PR team that I\u2019ve worked with over the years.\u00a0 I wish I could\u2019ve met more of them at PAX.\u00a0 Anyway, in the demo I played, I was controlling most of the members of The Guardians of the Galaxy.\u00a0 There was Star Lord, who could fly with a jet pack, the green lady, and the guy with all the tattoos.\u00a0 Sorry I don\u2019t remember their names, I\u2019m not a big comic book fan so I forget characters easily.\u00a0 I didn\u2019t play as the raccoon guy but I did switch to baby Groot for a bit, who was pretty useless but so darn cute.\u00a0 Anyway, in the demo I solved a simple puzzle to exit their spaceship, only to battle a giant boss robot on the ground below.\u00a0 Judging from the demo, I have a feeling that time travel and manipulation will play a big part in it.\u00a0 And the other big thing I noticed was how good the graphics are.\u00a0 It\u2019s certainly a big step up from other LEGO games, as it seemed there was a billion things going on at once.\u00a0 Very action-packed!\u00a0 Hopefully I\u2019ll be able to review this game as well when it comes out later this year.<\/p>\n

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WB Games was also showing off some kind of new Lord of the Rings based game, and they had a big dragon at their booth on display.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

This must\u2019ve been the Year of the Dragon at PAX, because there were tons of dragons around the show.\u00a0 And I\u2019m not the only one who noticed this, too, as I overheard another pair of showgoers noticing the same thing.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a dragon.<\/p>\n

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There a dragon<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Everywhere a dragon, dragon.<\/p>\n

Oh wait, this one\u2019s a dinosaur.<\/p>\n

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Merge Games<\/strong><\/p>\n

PAX is also great for indie developers to show off their creations, and I played a lot of them at this show.\u00a0 The first was Unbox from Merge Games.\u00a0 This is a colorful 3-D platformer starring a cardboard box.\u00a0 Yes, you heard that right.\u00a0 In the game, your box has the power to keep five boxes of himself inside like a nesting doll, so you can jump in the air five times in a row.\u00a0 That\u2019s how you get around the levels.\u00a0 You can talk to other boxes and checkpoints are at mailboxes, and in the demo I travelled around a seaport dock area.\u00a0 Hopefully I\u2019ll get to review the full game when it comes out on consoles later this year.<\/p>\n

ThinkGeek<\/strong><\/p>\n

At PAX you can also buy all sorts of various video game themed items from various vendors.\u00a0 Clothes, plush toys, backpacks, and much more.\u00a0 One of the largest of these vendors was ThinkGeek, who I had a meeting with at the show.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What they were showing off at PAX was a new line of clothes and accessories based on The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild.\u00a0 Here\u2019s a shot of some of their wares on display.<\/p>\n

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And here\u2019s another.\u00a0 I have to say that most of these items were out of my price range, but then, most of my clothes cost only around 20 bucks.\u00a0 But they had tons more to sell than what was on display at PAX, so if you want to see more, check out their web site.<\/p>\n

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Another gaming clothes company I\u2019ve met with at previous PAX shows was JINX.\u00a0 At this year\u2019s show they showed off a line they\u2019re selling at Hot Topic, as well as their online store and eSports line.\u00a0 I talked about them more in my previous PAX South article, so check that out if you want to read more about them.<\/p>\n

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Lightfield<\/strong><\/p>\n

Another indie game I played was Lightfield.\u00a0 In this 3-D racing game, you pilot a flying spaceship.\u00a0 The gimmick in this game is that when you are flying in the air, you move pretty slow.\u00a0 But if you attach yourself to a wall or floor, you\u2019ll go faster.\u00a0 There\u2019s even a button that you can hold down to stick to walls like a magnet.\u00a0 It was tricky at first to figure out where you need to go on the track, but if you follow the arrows and the streams of other racers, it becomes a lot easier.\u00a0 It reminded me of futuristic racers like WipeOut and F-Zero.\u00a0 Hopefully I\u2019ll be able to review it when it comes to consoles either this year or the next.<\/p>\n

Figment<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this game, you explore isometric viewed floating island worlds that reminded me of Toe Jam & Earl.\u00a0 You play as two characters who must solve puzzles and defeat enemies in the inner workings of someone\u2019s mind who is going through a traumatic event.\u00a0 The art style reminds me of a mix of M.C. Escher and Dr. Seuss.\u00a0 Hopefully I can review it as well when it comes out on consoles either this year or next.<\/p>\n

Team17<\/strong><\/p>\n

I knew this publisher sounded familiar.\u00a0 They helped release Yooka-Laylee as well as another game called Overcooked that I\u2019ll be reviewing soon.\u00a0 At PAX they had a TON of games, but I only had time to play one.\u00a0 It was called Yoku\u2019s Island Express.\u00a0 In the game you play as a dung beetle in a 2-D platforming setting.\u00a0 You roll around a ball of\u2026something.\u00a0 It doesn\u2019t look like dung, though, thank goodness.\u00a0 But you can\u2019t jump, so in order to get around, you use the L and R buttons to control flippers to maneuver around the playfield like a pinball machine!\u00a0 It\u2019s really fun, and if you enjoy games that mix platforming and pinball, like Sonic Spinball, you\u2019ll really enjoy this game.\u00a0 I\u2019ll be looking forward to it when it comes out on consoles later next year.<\/p>\n

Cartoon Network Games<\/strong><\/p>\n

I\u2019ve had the pleasure of working with Cartoon Network Games for many years, reviewing games based on Cartoon Network\u2019s most popular shows.\u00a0 Their newest cartoon is called O.K. K.O.: Let\u2019s Be Heroes.\u00a0 In the cartoon, the main character is a young boy named K.O. who lives in a world filled with super heroes and villainous robots.\u00a0 He wants to become a hero himself so he goes to work at a convenience store.\u00a0 But this isn\u2019t any regular old convenience store, this store supplies heroes with everything they need.\u00a0 I haven\u2019t seen much of the show yet, as it just came on about a month ago, but you can tell it was designed by some of the same folks who worked on Steven Universe.<\/p>\n

Cartoon Network Games is making a game based on the show called O.K. K.O.: Let\u2019s Play Heroes.\u00a0 You play as K.O. and tromp around the store and surrounding areas.\u00a0 Gameplay is like a 2-D beat \u2018em up brawler, but you\u2019ll also spend a lot of time talking to your friends and co-workers and helping them out.\u00a0 Your goal in the game is to collect trading cards based on K.O.\u2019s favorite heroes, but you can also use them as special attacks as well.\u00a0 The game has a similar art style as the show, and retains a lot of its humor as well.\u00a0 I\u2019m sure fans of the cartoon will love it when it comes out as a downloadable game for consoles later this year.<\/p>\n

Cartoon Network Games also has a sequel to a Steven Universe game I reviewed on iPad a while back.\u00a0 The original was called Attack the Light and it was a turn based RPG with action elements, kind of like a Mario RPG.\u00a0 If the sequel, called Save the Light is any indication, it\u2019ll be a lot of fun as well.\u00a0 It\u2019ll be available later on to download on consoles, and I hope to get to review it!\u00a0 Unfortunately it wasn\u2019t playable at PAX.<\/p>\n

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Adult Swim Games<\/strong><\/p>\n

Don\u2019t let the name fool you.\u00a0 Even though they have \u2018adult\u2019 in their name, many of Adult Swim Games\u2019 titles are OK for kids, at least older ones.\u00a0 At PAX I saw a group of kids playing one of their titles called The Duck Game, and I\u2019d be OK with most kids playing the new Toe Jam & Earl game they published.\u00a0 But the game they were showing off at the convention is an upcoming title called Battle Chef Brigade, and aside from some of Square-Enix\u2019s titles, it was one of my favorite games at the show!<\/p>\n

Battle Chef Brigade is a mix of match three puzzles and 2-D hack and slash.\u00a0 You are an aspiring chef and when you are in the kitchen preparing food, the game is like a puzzle where you must match colored orbs for points.\u00a0 When you run out of pieces, or what the game calls \u2018ingredients,\u2019 you must venture outside to defeat monsters who will drop ingredients.\u00a0 When you have enough, you can go back inside and cook again.\u00a0 This part of the game reminded me of Odin Sphere, a game from VanillaWare.\u00a0 In fact, one of the artists of this game, Eric Huang (who is super cool), told me that VanillaWare was a big inspiration for this game.\u00a0 Speaking of the art, the cartoon characters in this game have an anime look to them, and remind me of Phoenix Wright, one of my favorite DS and 3DS game series.\u00a0 I\u2019m really looking forward to this game when it comes out on Switch and other consoles later on.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s all for now!\u00a0 Check back later for Part 2 of my PAX articles where I play games from companies like Atari, SEGA, Square-Enix, and much more!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Penny Arcade Expo, or PAX for short, is one of the largest video game conventions open to the public.\u00a0 I go to PAX every year, at least the ones in Seattle (PAX West), and San Antonio (PAX South).\u00a0 This past weekend I went to PAX West, and it was notable because I think I […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":16876,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-16880","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-miscellaneous"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16880","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16880"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16880\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":16881,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16880\/revisions\/16881"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/16876"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16880"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16880"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.gamerdad.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16880"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}