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PAX East's Omeganauts assemble, the Omegathon begins
Click to Omega-size Behold: The ledger containing the names of all 32 Omeganauts participating in the inaugural PAX East Omegathon. Earlier today, their names were randomly drawn during Wil Wheaton's keynote presentation, they were paired into teams of two, and tossed immediately into the unforgiving gauntlet known as Mario Kart: Double Dash. Already, 16 of these contestants have been culled by the first round of the competition. Those who survived must now face three more rounds before claiming the lofty prize of an all-expense paid trip to GAMESCOM and $2,500 spending cash -- rounds which will pit them against one another in Geometry Wars 2, an unknown rhythm game, and PAX's' always entertaining mystery finale. Stay tuned! %Gallery-89124%
The Daily Grind: What are you most excited about seeing at PAX East?
2010 marks the first year that the Penny Arcade Expo -- PAX -- has traveled to the far east (read: Boston) to hold their gamer-friendly, geektastic convention. As you might expect, an elite squad of specially-trained Massively reporters will be on hand to extract as much crucial information as we can -- as much as possible under the limits of the Geneva Convention, of course. But before you hear our first reports from the scene of this exciting convention, we want to know: what are you most excited about seeing or hearing from PAX East? Is it the keynote speech by Star Trek: The Next Generation's Wil Wheaton? The hardcore, nailbiting Omegathon? Or perhaps -- just perhaps -- breaking news and revelations about some of your favorite MMORPGs from developers like Turbine, NCSoft, 38 Studios, EA and others? Take a gander through the official schedule and tell us what's got your attention!
PAX East 2010 Omegathon in the hands of fate
True champions of the Omegathon have always had to rely on skill to preserve them. But in the PAX East 2010 edition of the event, the oft-cruel hand of fate will play a much larger role. As revealed today, competitors will be selected (at random!) at the convention and then partnered up (purely by chance!). Once paired, the 32 combatants will be put through the following grueling trials: Round 1: Mario Kart: Double Dash Round 2: Geometry Wars 2 The Semi-Finals: A Rhythm Game The Final Round: A Mystery! The lucky duo that escapes fate's grasp will walk away with tickets, airfare and hotel accommodations for GAMESCOM and $2,500 a piece. But is that prize worth tempting chance's unpredictable wrath? ... Well, yeah, pretty much.
PAX 2009: And the final Omegathon event is ...
It's been a long, hard struggle for this year's Omeganauts. The initial lineup of 20 contestants has been whittled down to the only two participants who made it through the gauntlet unscathed. Now, we'll shortly know the winner following the final round: A no-holds-barred match of ... Skee-Ball. (Seriously.) We'll let you know the results as soon as the dust settles! Congratulations to everyone who participated in the annual uber-tournament, and a super special congratulations to whoever manages to bowl wood with the greatest amount of dexterity. For those playing along at home, the final lineup for the tournament is posted below. Round 1: Mario Kart Wii Round 2: Bookworm Adventures Round 3: Halo 3: ODST Round 4: The Beatles: Rock Band Round 5: Connect Four Final Round: Skee-Ball
Video: Joystiq @ The Omegathon for Halo 3: ODST
The PAX '09 Omegathon wraps up later today, but last night, we snagged some footage of the third round, which was dedicated to Nathan Fillion: The Game Halo 3: ODST. Three teams of four faced off in the new Firefight mode, with the top two teams advancing to the next round. This was the first time that anyone outside of Bungie has played the mode on Legendary difficulty, so there were some neat surprises, including Wraith tanks lobbing plasma at players and Covenant Engineers that bestow overshields to any nearby enemy, even Grunts. The players seated at the big screen also got to try out Sergeant Johnson, instilling them with extra courage and cigar-chomping bravado. Oh, and a Hunter got stuck in a wall during the third round. See it all in the video above.
PAX 2009 Omegathon events and contenders revealed
At last, the terror-inducing gauntlet of games that participants in this year's Omegathon must navigate has been revealed by a recent press release. Listed below are the six rounds that will serve as the unforgiving battlegrounds for twenty contestants (who are named after the break) -- we can't wait to see how tournament-style Bookworm Adventures will play out. Blood will be shed, boys will become men, girls will likewise become women -- and only one will triumph with tickets to this year's Tokyo Game Show (and $5,000 in walkin' around money) clutched in their victorious paw. Round 1: Mario Kart Wii Round 2: Bookworm Adventures Round 3: Halo 3: ODST Round 4: Unnamed rhythm game (DJ Hero or The Beatles: Rock Band, perhaps?) Round 5: Connect Four Final Round: ????? %Gallery-30939%
PSA: PAX 2009 now accepting your registration
Where can you discover the wonders of puppetry, rap with game developers, ogle cosplayers, and hang with the Luddites in a three-story annex of board games -- all while getting quality time with upcoming games? If you answered, "PAX," we salute you. If you said: Poughkeepsie, New York, we'll give you a second guess.The Penny Arcade Expo is one of our favorite gaming events, hands down. The East Coast version of PAX won't launch until 2010, so you've got one more opportunity to make the pilgrimage to the original Seattle location. Lucky for you, registration opened today! You can pick up a three-day badge for just $50, and pre-registrants are also eligible to participate in the Omegathon gaming competition. The grand prize: all-expenses-paid trip to the Tokyo Game Show and, uh, other prizes. Plus, we'll be there!
PAX 2008: Meet the Fallout 3 Vault-boy puppet dance troupe
While waiting for the (much-delayed) final Omegathon to start last night, over a dozen Vault-boy puppets (of Fallout 3 fame) congregated to show off their grooving and shaking skills to a crowd of bemused onlookers. It's really what made the cheesy music infinitely more anti-meh. Check out their moves in the video above, as well as in our Omegathon gallery.%Gallery-30939%
PAX 2008: Omegathon finale crowns Geko, Gabe as winners
Within 15 minutes, it was all over. After Tycho and Gabe revealed this year's final PAX 2008 Omegathon challenge, 1987's Vs Excite Bike, finalists Fallout (blue rider) and Geko (red rider) went at each other with all they had. Unfortunately, the close competition didn't last, as Geko won every round to become this year's best Omeganaut, winning an expenses-paid trip to Tokyo Game Show in October.Following Geko's winning victory, Tycho and Gabe picked up the Famicon controllers to challenge each other as the blue and red riders, respectively. The race was once again painted red, as Tycho kept overheating his bike and crashing after the ramps. He managed a victory in the 3rd round after knocking down Gabe twice in a row, but every other round went to Gabe and red rider, giving the Penny Arcade co-creator a two-win streak after his 5-2 Halo 3 victory last year. After the race was over, Tycho and Gabe stood up to thank the crowd, who promptly began to shuffle out and away from the now-concluded convention. Geko took the stage one final time, plush Marissa's bunny in tow, to talk to the few who stayed behind.Stay tuned, we'll have more on the pre-Omegathon "puppet troupe" later today. Gallery quick-jump: Pre-Omegathon line and various pipe cleaner art The puppet troupe Omegathon! The End %Gallery-30939%
PAX 2008: And the final Omegathon challenge is ... Vs Excite Bike!
Vs Excite Bike! We think it's a fitting end to this year's Penny Arcade Expo. We can now present you the final Omegathon 2008 lineup: Round 1: Peggle Round 2: Boom Blox Round 3: Geometry Wars Round 4: Rock Band (Our guess is Rock Band 2) Round 5: Jenga (let me show you my moves!) Final Round: Vs Excite Bike We'll have more on the final round once it's over, so stay tuned. %Gallery-30778%
PAX 2008: Omeganaut shows us his special Jenga move
Ben Gray, aka MNC Dover from Monday Night Crew, was eliminated from the Omegathon on Saturday, but they were nice enough to let him pass along his words of wisdom, and his ultra-secret Jenga move. If you want to know how to get a leg up on the competition, check out the video above.One thing's for sure, if you use this move you'll never get invited to play Jenga ever again. Which might be exactly what you're looking for.
Custom consoles for PAX Omegathon champions
If you're one of the elite 20 Omeganauts competing in the multi-game Omegathon at this year's Penny Arcade Expo, you're eligible to win this collection of custom PAX consoles, including a Wii and two other things. If you're not one of the elite 20, you can just hope that the first and second-place winners already have consoles and decide to eBay these.For the second-place contestant, these three nicely-customized consoles will be the prize. But for the winner, these will just be a bonus to go along with the $5,000 and the Tokyo Game Show trip. Winning the Omegathon, at least, might be easier than finding a Wii in a store.
PAX schedule gets posted, devoured, fretted over
PAX 2008 is less than three weeks away, and they've finally released their schedule. The best way to describe it is chock full of goodness. There's something for everyone in here, with panels like, "History of Harmonix: THE ROCKENING" and "Writing For Video Games," but we imagine all the attention will be focused on the "How To Get Your Girlfriend Into Gaming" panel at 11:30 AM on Sunday. Of course, that conflicts with the Wil Wheaton panel, so you're going to have to choose your poison.Joystiq will be there frantically trying to clone ourselves so we can cover as much as possible. There should be some surprise announcements, plenty of hands-on gaming action (including a lot of tabletop games), and of course The Omegathon! Stay tuned to Joystiq during PAX, August 29th through the 31st for as much coverage as we can pack in.
Weekly Webcomic Wrapup: DIY Omegathon edition
Why waste afternoons playing video games by yourself when you can best your opponents on the virtual battlefield? We beseech you, dear reader, to consider devising your own Omegathon competition, modeled after the five-game event seen every year at the Penny Arcade Expo. Here are some suggested guidelines: At least one game that is "off the grid" (i.e. not on a television screen). At least one retro title (e.g. Pong, Tetris, Daikatana) A variety of genres such as puzzle, first-person shooter, racing, etc. At least one embarrassing title that gets competitors active. Usually a rhythm game Bear in mind the length of each competitive match -- although Civilization would make for an interesting event, if you place it early with 10 contenders, you're going to lose enthusiasm fast. Don't have any friends? Create an Omegathon for yourself -- it'll be exactly like preparing for Ninja Warrior by building your own obstacles in your yard. Tell us your ideal Omegathon run and check out our picks for the week's best gaming comics. Be sure to vote for your favorite! On Daddy take downs Gamemaster not included Game whiz Prescription meds Tony Hawk's burial ground At least it's over soon You're not doing it right The power of one Fiction versus Non-Fiction Man has always hated Best Buy It's not what you think
Video: 13 minutes of H3 Guardian multiplayer
Earlier this morning we reported that the super secret surprise game that concluded the PAX 07 Omegathon was some Halo 3 multiplayer. Now fellow fanboys, you get to watch over thirteen minutes of said multiplayer fun. Embedded above is part one (part two embedded after the break) of some off-screen recorded video of the Halo 3 Omegathon battle featuring the multiplayer map Guardian and new weapons galore. Hear the crowd cheer as the rocket launcher levels the competition, the energy sword is wielded, firebombs are used, plasma turrets are detached and a gravity hammer is equipped ... the excitement is oh-so contagious. Watch the video above and part two embedded after the break and we think you'll agree that every minute of this Halo 3 Guardian multiplayer extravaganza is good times ... even though the competitors' Halo skills are somewhat lacking.[Via Joystiq]
See video of new Halo 3 levels from PAX
Two challengers are brought before a massive audience to test their opponent's gaming mettle on a gigantic screen. Though the game is familiar to them, the rules have been changed. There are new levels that they're unfamiliar with, new items they've never used. Two will enter the battle, but only one will leave victorious. It's the final round of Video Armegeddon and the game? Super Mario Bros. 3! ... No, wait, that's not right. It was the Omegathon, and the game was Halo 3. But the similarities are striking, aren't they?Now, you can be a part of the unofficial sequel to The Wizard with this video direct from the competition. Though the audience gets pretty pumped whenever they see new weapons like the flame thrower, the excitement when the sword is brought into play is palpable. The battle continues after the jump.
PAX 07: The final Omegathon challenge was ... Halo 3
PAX just wrapped up in the traditional way, with the final Omegathon challenge -- and this year they broke from the tradition of old-school games by going with Halo 3 as the final game. Gabe and Tycho unveiled the title to an ecstatic crowd, who were expecting something much more along the lines of Donkey Kong. And if that wasn't enough to whip the thousands of geeks into a frothy frenzy -- they also had the Minibosses come out and blast out a quick tune before the last two contestants sat down for their final challenge.The final Omeganauts, Accelon and MNC Dover, sat down on stage to play a brand new, never-before-seen level populated with never-before-seen weapons -- a slick move that guaranteed that neither player had an unfair advantage. Both players' screens were displayed on massive projectors so that the crowd could get into the action as well, and get into it they did. As each player explored the new level, a huge forest ruin high in the trees, the crowd oohed and aahed at each new weapon and new vista that the players discovered.
Eight-bit collectors are ob-NES-sed
When most gamers talk about rounding out their collections this holiday season, they're probably thinking of about picking up some bargain priced PS2 or Xbox games. For an elite group of obsessive NES collectors, though, it's all about finding decades-old 8-bit games that are not always so bargain-priced.MTV's Stephen Totillo profiles some of the people who have made it their goal to collect all 700+ NES games in their original boxes. Between them they've sold everything from PS3's to T-shirts to fund a quest that can easily run into the thousands of dollars. Rare games like Stadium Events or a gold Nintendo World Championship cartridge can demand hundreds or even thousands of dollars by themselves.The most interesting part of the story is what these collectors do with the games once they have them. Collector Jason Smith has played all of his 700+ games for at least 15 minutes, while Omegathon winner Luke Armstrong only tried a few dozen of his carts before giving up. That might seem like a colossal waste, but as Totillo correctly points out, "if one amasses the world's greatest stamp collection, one doesn't then mail a bunch of letters."
The final Omegathon challenge was ... [update 1]
Tetris! But not just any version of Tetris. They chose the illegal, unauthorized Tengen version, the only NES variant with 2 player support. The winning Omeganaut, LeRoy, bested his challenger in a best out of three before claiming his prize: a tricked-out Scion. PAX loyalists may recognize LeRoy from last year's competition where he lost by a single point in Combat. How does that saying go? Try, try again ...As promised, we'll deliver a Joystiq t-shirt to the first person who accurately guessed the challenge's secret identity. So, the prize goes to Protoster who wrote "I'll go with tetris" as comment 13. Congrats LeRoy, congrats Protoster. We're going home, as usual, empty handed (swag bag excluded, of course).[Note: I wrote this post live from the event, but it was apparently stuck in post-limbo. We'll be running some additional content from PAX throughout the week, including videos, interviews, and giveaways.][Update: Clarified inclusion of Tengen's Tetris; corrected last year's final challenge. Thanks, existonfile & Covarr.]
PAX: Tycho melts faces at Guitar Hero Omegathon challenge
Tycho and Penny Arcade's biz dude Robert Khoo started round four of the Omegathon correct with an intense round of STP's "Trippin' on a Hole in a Paper Heart" in Guitar Hero II ... on Expert ... twice (it crashed half way through the first time). Then, 'cause he can, Tycho smashed his guitar. I wanted to yell out, say something about how starving kids in Africa don't even have guitar controllers at all, but the spirit of the evening washed over me, and my outrage morphed into delight.After their intro, the eight remaining Omeganauts took the stage for four rounds of one on one Guitar Hero II. Eight enter, but only four will leave. More pics and info after the break.
