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PAX 2009: Quizzical Musings
October 30, 2009
So, a few weekends ago I went down to Seattle, in order to attend the best North American gaming convention, the Penny Arcade Expo (2009!).
Here are some things that I saw which are game-related.
Red Dead Redemption by Rockstar
There was a 20-minute demo I saw, and the game looks like a hoot (that’s good). The wide-open spaces kind of reminded me of Fallout 3, except that when you looked at the interface (the mini-map, the Wanted display), you could tell it was Rockstar (GTA).
One thing that concerned me was that the demo-er (guy) said that the world was going to be bigger than that of GTA IV. Until I saw that you could ride a horse, I was wondering how you were going to be getting around. Also, save points are made with tents (a re-usable item, or a limited one, I don’t know) which also replenish your ammo (I think?).
Runes of Magic: Rise of the Demon Lord
The trailer they kept showing looked like more of the same MMO stuff. But what do cinematic trailers tell you? Nothing. So, I went to their booth. The guy there didn’t know what was what. He thought he’d show us the game by walking around a bit as one of the players, an elf.
One of the things he showed us was that he could pan the camera up and look at the ceiling. WOW!
Everything was reminiscient of WoW. The character equipment screen, the elements of magic. The demo-er discussed stones which could transport you back to your home.
The only difference, something which may make this different, was that each character has a combination of two classes. Let’s see if that works.
Star Wars: The Old Republic (Bioware)
I missed out on the two demonstrations they were giving of this game. However, I managed to score a code for a free copy of the game from Steam. Yippee. Otherwise, a funny anecdote:
So this year at PAX, Get In Line Games (www.getinlinegames.com) was there to entertain the massive crowds (over 4,000?)waiting in lines for various things (entry to PAX, the concerts, this demo, the bigger panels, etc), and they had a large screen/projector set up. Well, on the first morning, inbetween GILG’s stuff, a representative for SWTOR grabbed the mic and asked:
“Do we have any Star Wars fans here?” (crowd cheers)
“I said…..do we have any Star Wars fans here?” (more crowd cheers)
“Have any of you seen the trailer for the new Star Wars game, the Old Republic” (it’s that “balls-worthy” one where dozens of sith are battling with dozens of jedi knights……the crowd cheers)
“Yeah, well have you seen in on a 10 ft. screen before? Do you want to see it?” (crowd goes wild, then they show the trailer. Good times).
That night, right before the concert, the same guy comes out and makes the exact same speech.
Lame.
The next morning, people are waiting in line, enjoying the Get In Line Games, when the same Star Wars guy comes up.
“Do we have any Star Wars fans here?” (crowd cheers)
“I said…so we have any Star Wars fans here?” (crowd cheers)
“Have you seen the trailer for Star Wars: The Old Republic?” (crowd: “Yes!”)
“Sure, but have you seen in on a 10 ft screen before?” (crowd: “Yes!”)
“Do you want to see it again?” (crowd: “NOOOOOOOOO!”)
“…… ummmm….well, here it is”
How humiliating. He’s just trying to do his job.
Scribblenauts,
I wanted to try this game out myself, but there was always a line. Besides, the beauty of this game may very well be seeing how many different ways the game can handle people trying to solve its puzzles. I might have one way to solve them, but how about the next guy? Let’s see what he does…..
The level is simple. Your character is on the left side of the screen. The star (or goal) is on the right side of the screen. Inbetween these two is a wall of what appears to be dirt. This is all on an island, and the camera pans down to show that one possible route may be to go under the land/wall and get the star from the other side.
The player I’m watching types in (by the way, there is a keyboard on the touch screen. I assumed we were going to have to write in letters - I’m glad we don’t. Go keyboard!) the word “Shovel”. A shovel shows up on screen, the character grabs the shovel, digs through the wall, then gets the star. Hooray, you win.
For whatever reason, the player repeats the level. This time, he types in “Submarine”. This is where my mind is blown:
The keyboard on the touch screen disappears. In its place, a question comes up with two choices. “Submarine. Do you mean the VEHICLE, or the FOOD?”.
I’m convinced that this game may very well have thought of everything.
By Roving Reporter Quizmaster at Gamers Gateway
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