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The Digital Continuum: Sci-fi geeks need to experience Jumpgate Evolution
Spring is right around the corner and with it comes warmer weather, rain showers, blossoming fauna and Jumpgate Evolution. As much as I'd love to think there are thousands of you out there that know all about the game, I get the feeling that in actuality the number is significantly lower. Granted, real-time action space shooter MMOs aren't exactly a mass market genre, so it's probably a fair shake overall.But what's really worrying me is that even those who should be excited for Jumpgate Evolution are seemingly unaware of it's forthcoming release. This won't do, and so I present to you the essentials of why a sci-fi fan should give this game some serious consideration for their 2009 MMO budget.
HBO wants you to take their PAX swag
Just as we did with our mountain of PAX swag, the HBO crew has been bitten by the generous bug and is giving away their swag stash to a few loyal Halo fanboys. Someone just like you. But you'll have to do some work (and reading) if you have any chance of winning their coveted PAX swag. Up for grabs in HBO's Take Our Stuff Contest are a few t-shirts, mugs, Bungie goodies and some signed pieces of artwork including a Jen Taylor autographed pic of Cortana. RaWr! To enter, send team HBO a link (no attachments!) of a photo or vid depicting something humorous, clever or beautiful that has to do with the Halo'verse. Entries must be received by September 22nd, so leap on over to HBO for all the contest deets and entry specifics. Be sure to tell them X3F says "HI!"
Last Chance: Win a mountain of Post-PAX swag
You only have a few hours left to enter the second (of two) fanswag Post-PAX Giveaways. Just by reading that first sentence, we predict some 84% of fanboys have already clicked towards the giveaway post to enter. For the remaining 16% who are still reading this, we advise enterting the Post-PAX Giveaway right this very moment. You have a chance to win all kinds of PAX goods including Marty O'Donnell, RvB, Josh Ortega and Pete Hayes autographed goods as well as Fallout 3 and Dead Space merch. Make the jump and enter the Post-PAX Giveaway a second time. And to the remaining 2% of fanboys who are reading this, DO NOT comment on this post with your entry. That's what this link is for. To the last 1% ... we give up on you.
Fanswag: Post-PAX Giveaway part deux
And you thought the Post-PAX Giveaway fun was over? Well, fellow fanboys, you were sadly mistaken, because today we're kicking off our second PAX swag giveaway which is overflowing with all kinds of gaming goodies. And, just like our first giveaway, this is going to be a two day entry affair where only ONE fanboy will come away with a swag bag-o-awesomeness. What kind of deliciousness? How about a Marty O'Donnell autographed copy of the Halo 3 soundtrack, an autographed GoW2 poster, a RvB signed Halo figure, Art of Dead Space novel, Fallout 3 survival guides and much, much more. Complete entry details, rules, prize breakdown and embiggened photos are listed below. And don't forget to enter today AND tomorrow to increase your winning odds. Post-PAX swag FTW! To enter, leave a comment on this post telling us what your greatest accomplishment in gaming is. You may leave one comment per calendar day, eastern time. Posters of multiple comments in a single calendar day will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until 5:00PM eastern on Friday, September 12th, 2008. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec). On Friday, we'll pick one winner via a random drawing. One winner will receive a PAX swag bag consisting of (1) Halo 3 soundtrack autographed by Marty O'Donnell, (1) Halo Grunt action figure signed by members of Red vs. Blue, (1) Gears of War 2 poster autographed by Pete Hayes and Josh Ortega, (1) The Art of Dead Space book, (1) Dead Space comic, (1) Red vs. Blue Trocadero soundtrack ,(1) Halo 3 print autographed by artist Paul Russell, (2) Fallout 3 survival guides, (1) Naruto figure and (2) Legendary game preview manuals, worth $100. Complete giveaway rules can be found here. %Gallery-31669%
Reminder: Enter our Post-PAX fanswag giveaway
Do you remember our coverage of PAX 2008? Did you know we accumulated 34 pounds of swag from the show? Were you aware that we're giving it all away and that you can greedily win it simply by commenting on this post before 5:00PM eastern today? Do you possess the Post-PAX Giveaway knowledge that we're giving away autographed Halo merch, RvB goodies, Gears 2 signed posters and Castle Crashers artwork? Has it come to your attention that you can enter the giveaway AGAIN, because it's a two day giveaway? Did you? Well, DID YOU? Oh, you knew all that, eh? Knew every bit of it. Well then, uh ... carry on ...
Fanswag: The Post-PAX Giveaway [update]
Update: This amazing PAX giveaway has closed and a big congrats goes out to K3yblademast3r for his giveaway winning victory.We finally got around to unpacking our enormous amount of luggage we took with us to last weekend's Penny Arcade Expo and discovered that we have a boatload of PAX swag. Too much swag for one person, so we figured we'd hold a few Post-PAX Giveaways this week for you to take home all the swag goodness. And, wouldn't you know, we're starting today! Today's Post-PAX Giveaway is a two day long event (meaning you can enter twice) where we'll be awarding ONE lucky fanboy a ginormous swag package. What's included? How about an autographed copy of Halo Contact Harvest, some Red vs. Blue goodies, a Gears of War 2 Comic-Con poster signed by Pete Hayes and Josh Ortega, artwork done by Castle Crashers' own Dan Paladin and bunches MORE! Below you'll spot the giveaway entry instructions and a complete listing of what's included in this Post-PAX Giveaway. Remember, only one fanboy can win ... so get to it! To enter, leave a comment on this post telling us what one Xbox 360 game you're most looking forward to playing this holiday. Only one comment will be accepted per person per day. Posters of multiple comments on one day will be disqualified. We'll accept entries until 5:00PM eastern on Wednesday, September 10th, 2008. You must be at least 18 years old to enter. This giveaway is open only to residents of the U.S. and Canada (excluding Quebec). On September 10th we'll pick one winner via a random drawing. One winner will receive a PAX swag bag consisting of (1) Halo Contact Harvest novel autographed by Joseph Staten, (1) Halo Active Camo Master Chief figure signed by RvB's Simmons, (1) set of Red vs. Blue buttons, (1) Gears of War 2 Comic-Con poster signed by Pete Hayes and Josh Ortega, (1) Dead Space comic, (2) Fallout 3 Vault Survival Guides, (1) copy of Castle Crashers with collectible medallion and artwork done by Dan Paladin, (1) Naruto figure, (2) Legendary preview guides and (1) Legendary video preview, worth $100. Complete giveaway rules can be found here.
PAX 08: Lead GoW2 artist and writer talk Lancer polys, deaths and comics
This past weekend, during our PAX 2008 coverage, we got the opportunity to sit down and chat about all things Gears of War 2 with Epic Games senior artist Pete Hayes and lead writer Josh Ortega. During the twenty minute conversation, we learned all sorts of information about Gears 2's art, discussing with Pete the changes that were made to improve the Gears 2 Lancer. Improvements including a complete remodeling to make the Lancer nearly three times the polygons as the Gears 1 model. No joke!During the second part of our interview, we talk about Gears comics, character inspiration and other general story related bits the with Mr. Josh Ortega who also opens up about the hype surrounding the "new and improved" Gears 2 storyline We were also promised that Gears 2 will not leave us with a Halo 2-style ending. A promise we fully expect Mr. Ortega to live up to. Put on your reading glasses, click towards the break and read our complete Gears of War 2 interview.
Savage Moon gameplay finally comes out of PAX
The lucky attendees of Penny Arcade Expo 2008 were able to get their hands on the upcoming PSN game Savage Moon before anyone else. We described the game as "Starship Troopers meets PixelJunk Monsters" at Leipzig -- and it looks like our description was spot-on. Check out the first (off-screen) gameplay footage of Savage Moon, after the cut.
PAX 2008: The Entire Fallout 3 Vault Dweller's Survival Guide
Bethesda's Fallout 3 booth pretty much won the "Oooooooh!" contest at PAX by about a million rads. Not only did they have an Airstream trailer, fully kitted out in 1950s style and with Fallout 3 goodies inside, but they also had some of the best schwag at the expo. Vault Boy Puppet? Yes, please. Fallout 3 Penny Arcade poster? Don't mind if we do. The Vault Dweller's Survival Guide, Pocket Reference Edition? Oh my stars and garters.In the gallery below you can check out the entire guide that they were handing out at the show, and it may very well be the actual game manual. You get 50 pages chock full of tips for surviving in the wastelands, info on the different weapons, details about the creatures you'll encounter, and tips from Vault Boy himself. It even has a map and notes section in the back for your own enjoyment and doodling.Of course, the best advice can be found on Page 39: "Are you in immediate danger? You are beyond help. Drop this book and run." Update: Download it as a PDF!%Gallery-31026%
PAX 2008 hands-on: Magic: Duels of the Planeswalkers
Wizards of the Coast has been very busy talking about the 4th edition of Dungeons and Dragons, which came out this year, as well as its Star Wars and D&D miniatures and the online version of Magic: The Gathering. So, we were really caught off guard when we stopped by the Wizards booth at PAX and happened across this new version of Magic for the Xbox Live Arcade. We did a double take, tapped our mana, and found out more. Find out about the long-titled Magic: The Gathering: Duels of the Planeswalkers after the break.%Gallery-30916%
PAX 08: Torpex talks Schizoid, sales, marketing strategies and XNA development
As part of our PAX 2008 coverage, we had a chance to talk all things Schizoid with Torpex Games' founder Bill Dugan and, in the process, we learned a lot. Dugan talked XBLA development, the troubles with marketing Arcade games and the limitations of working with XNA. He also opened up about Schizoid's game sales, their development problems and even an admittance that he wished Schizoid would have sold as well as Braid. It's a rather candid interview and is one that can be read (in its entirety) after the break. Enjoy!
PAX08: Talking with Champions Online's content lead, Zeke Sparkes
After speaking with John Layman at PAX08, our second Champions Online interview was with content lead Zeke Sparkes. We talked sound effects, travel powers, character creation, controls and zone creation among other things. In fact, we actually got a short period of hands-on time with the game prior to the interview.So far, Champions Online had only been playable with the Xbox 360 controller, but we were able to finally try the keyboard and mouse controls at PAX. Instead of hitting a face button on the Xbox controller to do your basic attack, you tap an assigned number-key on your keyboard. As you do this, you build up energy and can move through the rest of the powers, which for us were set to the rest of the numbered keys. Overall, the keyboard and mouse controls feel tight and responsive for a game scheduled to launch in Spring of 2009.
Celebrating Labor Day and recovering from PAX
Hey kids, this is just an informative update to inform you about some information regarding today's blogging schedule. Today being Labor Day and us being from the U.S., we're taking it easy (Xav is from Canada, but we're being told the day of labor is also celebrated up north) and we're all collectively attempting to recover from PAX. So, be warned, news may be light today, but our schedule should return to normal in the days to come. Happy Labor Day, happy Monday, happy existence ... it's time to go back to sleep. Sleep is good.P.S. We wrangled up a mountain of swag to giveaway, so watch for PAX fanswags in the weeks to come.
PAX 08: Experience the Penny Arcade Expo in pics
With the Penny Arcade Expo being all but a distant (yet fond) memory, we figured we'd post a few expo pictures for those who weren't lucky enough to attend and for those who gave up trying to navigate the chaos that was the show floor. Below you'll find a gallery full of PAX pictures that include the Microsoft booth, the Dead Space dude, Cortana and the Chief, Jonathan Coulton and so much more. Live your PAX dreams vicariously through us by beginning the photo clicking process.%Gallery-30944%
PAX 08: Wrapping up the X3F Sticker Gallery
It's the day after PAX which doesn't only mean we're trying to catch up on sleep and attempting to figure out where we left our swag bags (please, don't ask), but it also means we have more X3F stickerings to share with you. And even though we didn't successfully ninja-stick anyone, we did slap X3F sticker goodness on the Red vs Blue crew, Mr. Joseph Staton, Major Nelson (and his webby web man Litheon) as well as TriXie, Dirty Diva, Knuckles Dawson and a few others. We now close this successfully executed chapter of X3F stickerings ... mission accomplished.%Gallery-30799%
PAX 2008: Dragon Age: Origins, now with blood and ceilings
The Dragon Age: Origins booth at PAX08 has been surrounded all weekend by both walls and people lining up to get inside. So when PAX opened for the third and final day this morning, we bolted straight to the game booth and avoided the nasty line. By joining in with the first group of the day to see the game demoed live. It didn't take very long for the room to fill up and once the doors close, we were elbow-to-elbow with what turned out to be some pretty enthusiastic BioWare fans.%Gallery-30910%
PAX08: WAR's Paul Barnett and Jeff Hickman interviewed, page two
Massively: In the last three to eight months it's just been update, after update, after update. Massively: And there's been a lot of communication of the updates. Massively: Yeah.
PAX 08: A few fresh New Xbox Experience tidbits [update]
Update: Even though we would have loved to capture video of the New Xbox Experience, Major Nelson requested that no video be taken due to the fact that the dashboard code hasn't been finalized. So, we respected his wishes. That said, Major's no video request didn't stop others from doing ninja-recordings.Yesterday, we scurried across the Penny Arcade Expo show floor to make our way over to the Microsoft booth to view Major Nelson's final presentation of the New Xbox Experience. A fresh from their Seattle lab, newest and most updated version of the Fall update that showed off a few newly interesting facts. What exciting dash goodness? Check the list below: Holy beautiful transitions! This latest Fall update build included never before seen transition effects including nifty fades, smooth sweeps and (our personal favorite) the guide pop up animation. We can't explain the transition effects, but trust that their addition definitely enhances the overall dashboard experience. Yum! Dashboard themes will now instantly load a preview when hovered over. And, as an added bonus, the preview loading effect is sexy as hell. While in a party, each person's gamer picture is placed on the top right hand side of the dashboard. When alone and party-less, only your gamer picture and gamercard are displayed. Your overly Wii-like Avatar's comic-style text balloon displays your gamercard's motto. EVERY Xbox 360 game's Xbox.com information (including game description, features and screenshots) is pulled into the dashboard while browsing the Xbox Live Marketplace.
PAX 2008 hands-on: Mirror's Edge, even edgier with an audience
Our first stop on the whirlwind tour of EA's heavy hitters was with our favorite running, jumping, sliding, wall-climbing, Faith. Mirror's Edge continues to impress, and we were lucky enough to get a few minutes on a kiosk with her. However, the best thing about it isn't in the game, it was the cheering crowd behind us. Head behind the break to get the full skinny on our PAX experience this data-running hottie.%Gallery-17126%
PAX 2008: Cosplay, day three
click above to enter the gallery Day three and our the final lookg at our collection of people embracing nerd culture to the fullest extent. We're continually impressed by what we've seen here so far with the cosplayers, in both selection and execution. And don't forget, if you come without a costume, you can always make one out of whatever they're handing out. Be sure to keep checking out our general PAX 2008 showfloor gallery, which shows you every square foot of what PAX was all about.%Gallery-30788%%Gallery-30778%
