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PSA: Visit OnLive at PAX, get a free OnLive console
OnLive has announced a tasty little scheme for PAX. Anybody who heads over to the site and signs up for a PlayerTag can snag a free OnLive console. All you have to do is show up at the OnLive booth during the Seattle show this weekend and tell them your PlayerTag. Simple. Recently, OnLive added a slew of social features to its games streaming service, including Facebook achievement posting and group chat. It also found itself dominating headlines all over the web when game retail giant GameStop pulled OnLive tokens from sealed copies of Deus Ex: Human Revolution on PC.
Massively's guide to PAX 2011
What can be said about PAX Prime in Seattle, Washington that hasn't been said already? Everyone knows that it is the largest public gaming event in North America. Attendance totaled 67,600 last year, not including press and exhibitors. And this year, even more gamers will descend on the Washington State Convention and Trade Center. The latest and greatest games -- released and unreleased -- will be available for public consumption. Developers will mill around the showroom floor, answering your questions. Not to mention that no one will look at you funny because you play video games! This year, MMORPGs really stand out in the crowd. Seattle native NCsoft has a huge presence at the convention, borrowing a theater just to showcase its games. BioWare comes armed with its heavy-hitter, Star Wars: The Old Republic. And free-to-play titles like Firefall, Lord of the Rings Online, and Wakfu promise to strut their stuff at this year's PAX. Punch past the break as Massively outlines the must-see booths for MMO fans. And don't forget the panels, including a couple of MMO spotlights for PAX Dev, the gathering of fans and developers at Sheraton Seattle Hotel on the 24th and 25th.
Rusty Hearts' closed beta swings into phase 2
It's an exciting time for the hyper-kinetic Rusty Hearts, as the title is not only moving into its second closed beta phase today but ramping up for a blockbuster appearance at this week's PAX. Perfect World is upping the ante for potential testers, offering a free costume item for those who log into the game in the first 12 hours. This costume piece will persist through open beta, so there's no worry it's going away anytime soon. Rusty Hearts' closed beta phase 2 is also increasing the amount of content available in the game, including a complete town restructure, a fine-tuning of the PvP system, the ability to compare yourself to other players, a side quest system, a revamp of the skill tree, advanced crafting, and unique cosmetic looks for crafted weapons. If you don't have the pleasure of attending PAX, the Rusty Hearts dev team has a present for you anyway: the full PAX walkthrough video that will be on display at the convention. You can check it out after the jump!
Hi-Rez prepping Global Agenda's largest expansion
Hi-Rez Studios has big plans for Global Agenda, and the autumn months will see the sci-fi shooter's largest expansion to date made available to everyone for free. The Recursive Colony patch (version 1.5 if you're counting at home) will include a new open zone with instanced missions, quest chains, social spaces, and mid- to high-level content. New enemies, daily repeatable quests, and further avatar customization options are also on the way. "Players seeking a quest-driven, narrative experience post level 20 can now level up in the new open zone as an alternative to, or in addition to, our instanced missions," said Hi Rez's Todd Harris. "We've also included a new set of instanced PvE and PvP content for players at all levels." Said PvP content takes the form of a new mercenary map (Push Dust) and a new acquisition map (Colony Caverns). Finally, if you're going to be at PAX Prime this weekend, stop by the Hi-Rez booth (number 252) and be the first to check out the new content.
SWTOR lead spills the beans about the Eternity Vault raid
At Gamescom this past week, Star Wars: The Old Republic concentrated on showing off endgame to prove to players that it is indeed an MMO. At the press conference just prior to the convention, Lead Designer Gabe Amatangelo demonstrated the very first part of the Eternity Vault raid content you will find in TOR. The demonstration group wiped on the second encounter, but we were assured that there was more. But how much more? Thanks to The-Force.eu, we now know. Amatangelo explained the encounters to the German fansite as follows: "The Eternity Vault has five. It has five encounters. 'Bosses' is such a loose term. One of them, you have to hack this puzzle. You've got to split up the group, and you've got to fight back a bunch of different waves while people are trying to solve a puzzle in tandem." This information should comfort some fans of the game; there is more to this dungeon than a simple tank-and-spank. More SWTOR information is headed our way as we gear up for PAX. Stay tuned this weekend as we give you the latest information from our reporters on the show floor in Seattle.
Ubisoft bringing the big guns (and the tiny, hidden blades) to PAX
Ubisoft isn't messing around at PAX Prime this year, evidenced by the fact that the company is bringing just about every game it's currently working on to the show -- and even some that are already out. Here's the full list: Assassin's Creed: Revelations From Dust Just Dance 3 Might and Magic Heroes VI Might and Magic Heroes Kingdoms Rayman Origins Rocksmith Shoot Many Robots Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Online Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Future Soldier TrackMania Canyon In addition to having games to play, Ubisoft is also looking for attendees to pre-order upcoming games by hooking them up with exclusive goodies. A pre-order of Future Soldier will net PAX attendees an exclusive gun skin, a Revelations pre-order gives you an Altair avatar, Just Dance 3 has a neon watch, Rayman Origins has a custom T-shirt, and pre-ordering Rocksmith gets you an exclusive guitar strap. Attendees can also check out the Assassin's Creed panel in the Main Theatre on Friday at 6pm PT. There, Ubisoft will show off single-player footage of the game, hopefully adding to what we've seen come out of Gamescom.
Antec to sell NCsoft-themed PC enclosures
So it's official, Antec and NCsoft are going out. OK, maybe it's not quite that creepy, but a new press release does note that the two companies have an "official relationship," which will be publicly consummated at next week's PAX Prime event. Antec, known primarily for its PC hardware and upgrade components, will be opening an online boutique featuring custom PC cases emblazoned with artwork from NCsoft franchises including Aion, City of Heroes, and Guild Wars. Antec's PAX Prime booth will also be hosting an exclusive City of Heroes Freedom demo for convention attendees, and you can read all the details via the full press release at MarketWire. [Thanks to Jessie for the tip!]
Sonic CD coming to XBLA, playable at PAX [update]
Major Nelson, majordomo of all things Xbox, took to his blog this afternoon and posted a detailed list of all the games and events that will be spread out across Microsoft's five booths at this week's Penny Arcade Expo. It's about what you'd expect; Gears of War 3 Horde mode, Forza 4, Mass Effect 3, etc, until you get to the list of Booth 432's XBLA titles. Right near the end, snuggled squarely between Retro City Rampage and War of the Worlds, is an unannounced XBLA port of Sonic CD. We've reached out to Major Nelson and Sega for comment, but as of yet no additional confirmation has been provided by either party. We suspect they're too enthralled by Sonic CD's masterful theme song to even move, let alone respond to our e mails. Update: A communique has hit our inbox from Sega PR: "We don't have any details at this time, but we'll be sharing some more information soon."
Portal lead Kim Swift to debut downloadable game at PAX
After 2010's disappointing Dark Void, we'd nearly forgotten that Airtight Games had hired Portal Creative Director Kim Swift to lead development on a "new, unnamed project." Square Enix has rekindled our interest, announcing that it's picked up publishing rights to the game and will reveal the "top-secret joint project" at PAX this Saturday (7pm in the Pegasus Room for those of you in attendance). The only information we can glean from the announcement is that it's "downloadable" and "an incredibly fascinating and quirky game" so ... take that for what it's worth. Airtight Games' site says that while it's working on another "ambitious AAA title" it's also working on "a new mid-sized game with all kinds of physical possibilities." Physical possibilities, eh? That sounds like the one!
The Road to Mordor: Not all who wander are lost
These are exciting times for Lord of the Rings Online, for sure. The Fellowship -- and hundreds of thousands of groupies following in its wake -- has moved south, and we are growing ever closer to Mordor and Mt. Doom. In a month, Middle-earth will grow significantly with the addition of Rise of Isengard, and level-capped players will suddenly have a whole new buffet of content to devour. It's also a good era for exposure for the game, as plenty of people will get to see the expansion at Gamescom and PAX, not to mention those already in the beta proper. While we haven't heard anything about the game's finances or player numbers lately, there's no reason to believe that it's not still going strong. That said, I want to take a step back today, as I sometimes do, and look at the larger picture. How is LotRO positioned against the current competition and the heavy-hitters yet to come? What does Turbine need to be working on over the next year or two? Are we just wandering aimlessly, or is the path laid out for journey for a long time to come?
En Masse offers open house, hands-on with TERA at PAX Prime
En Masse Entertainment is throwing open its doors to the public during this year's Pax Prime, and if that doesn't excite you, maybe the chance to get your hands on TERA's latest build will. If you're going to be in the Seattle area on Saturday, August 27th from 6-10 p.m. EDT (3-7 p.m. PDT) and you'd like to attend, send an email to community@enmasse.com with your full name, TERA website user name, and birthdate. Fans will have the chance to share feedback with the production team after the hands-on period as well as attend a Q&A session with En Masse COO Patrick Wyatt. Full details are available at the official TERA website.
Orcs Must Die players at PAX Prime get Cardboard Tube Samurai skin, comic book
Robot Entertainment is not only bringing tower defense title Orcs Must Die to PAX Prime later on this week, but the company is providing a show special as well. At the booth in Seattle during the show, they'll be giving out special codes for the game's War Mage character, designed after Penny Arcade's own Cardboard Tube Samurai, to visitors who sign up for the company forums. The first 200 people to play the game each day of the show will also pick up a prequel comic book from the company. The rest of us, at home, who can't play the game live on the floor of PAX? All we get is to wait until the game comes out later this year on XBLA and PC.
New Firefall hands-on coming to Gamescom and PAX
Those heading to Gamescom and PAX Prime later this month have a treat on waiting for them: a hot new demo of Firefall, the free-to-play persistent world shooter. Red 5 Studios is gracing both conventions with a hands-on experience to let players see if it lives up to the growing hype. The Gamescom crowd can expect to enjoy the full demo and some intense coop events, while PAXers will get to see additional multiplayer maps as Firefall debuts its open-world experience. Not heading to either convention? Red 5 hopes you don't give up hope, and invites you to sign up for the Firefall beta program, which is currently in the friends and family stage but is set to expand significantly after PAX. Firefall is slated to launch this December, which is not a minute too soon to those anticipating this title. Enough talk -- it's time for action! Hit the jump to check out the awesome new trailer showcasing Firefall's gorgeous cel-shaded look, crazy action scenarios, and glowy glider wings.
Retro/Grade headed to PAX Prime with fancy ID cards
Retro/Grade developers 24 Caret Games will print customized ID cards for PAX Prime attendees this August, giving some peace of mind to those dreading sudden separation from their like-minded groups in Penny Arcade's increasingly packed event. The crew from 24 Caret will be at this year's Seattle-based soiree, showing off its game and holding a promotional contest -- and that's where the ID cards really come in. Entry in the high score contest is tied to pre-registering for a card (which you can do right here) for free -- if you're not into that kinda thing, generic Rick Rocket cards will be available otherwise at the show. That said, if you pre-register, it'll also net you a totally swanky identification for the duration of PAX, undoubtedly helpful in your repeated self-introductions as "The guy who plans to conquer your Retro/Grade high score."
Perfect World offers gamers a shot at a trip to PAX Prime
Bummed because PAX Prime is sold out -- and your wallet's looking thin, anyway? Well, how would it sound if we told you that you had a chance to go to the mega-convention in Seattle next month for free, including round-trip airfare? Pretty good, huh? As part of its efforts to promote Rusty Hearts, Perfect World Entertainment is giving away a convention package to one lucky winner (and his or her best friend). If you register for the Rusty Hearts beta by July 27th, you'll automatically be entered to win these two three-day PAX passes. To make a good deal even better, the winners will have the opportunity to have dinner with the producers and developers of the game! Rusty Hearts Producer Mark Hill is flat-out psyched for the event: "This is a great year for Rusty Hearts to make its debut appearance at Penny Arcade Expo. We cannot wait to interact with Rusty Hearts fans on a personal level and we hope to get everyone as excited as we are by giving away these two passes to the otherwise sold out show. We have really been looking forward to bring Rusty Hearts to a gaming-centric consumer event, and I can't wait to see how the PAX crowd reacts to the game." Massively still has a number of Rusty Hearts beta keys to give away, and each of these comes with a special Massively Pack(TM) of in-game items!
Minecraft's Adventure Update will be playable at PAX
If the promise of 24/7 board gaming extravaganzas and endless 3DS StreetPass swapping aren't enough to get PAX Prime attendees excited about the event, perhaps this will: Notch has announced that Minecraft's Adventure Update will be playable on the show floor. The expansion, which is still largely under wraps, will tack over 40 new features onto the game, including NPC villages, additional farming opportunities and randomly-generated dungeons. For those who didn't snag tickets to the sold-out, late-August convention, don't fret too much -- we can only assume the line for Mojang's booth is going to wrap around the expo hall like an anaconda. Your time would be better spent actually playing regular Minecraft and building a complex machine to do all that Adventuring for you.
PAX 10 says these are the best indie games
The top 10 indie games in the entire world have been selected as this year's PAX 10, each of them winning some free booth space at PAX Prime from August 26-28 in Washington. Chosen as the "best in gameplay, originality and overall fun-factor," winners include Atom Zombie Smasher, Jamestown, Fez and seven others you're probably not cool enough to have heard of. Find out who won (and by process of elimination, who lost) according to the press release after the jump.
PSA: PAX Prime 2011 sold out
The official PAX Twitter announced today that PAX Prime 2011, which won't even take place in Seattle until August, is sold out. Full stop. Penny Arcade's marketing man Robert Khoo told us previously that the show got clearance to sell about 10 percent more badges than in prior years, but that didn't seem to make much of difference. It would seem PAX East was a failure on one level: despite welcoming 69,500 attendees in March, it did nothing to reduce demand for the Seattle show taking place August 26–28. If you didn't grab tickets and still want to go, prepare to put up a fight with the scalpers.
ArenaNet announces summer convention schedule
Guild Wars 2 fans, are you trying to decide which conventions you want to make it out to this summer? Well, ArenaNet's latest blog entry may just make your decision a little bit easier, as it outlines which shows the studio will be making appearances at and what to expect from each. First up on the list (from July 21-24) is "the granddaddy of all pop-cultural conventions," San Diego Comic-Con. ANet will be sending out "an elite team of artists and devs... to meet fans and do signings." The next outing (August 17-21) sends ANet to the magical land of Cologne, Germany for Gamescom, which will include a playable demo of Guild Wars 2 as well as "a bunch of new surprises that [the devs] can't talk about yet." Attendees are also encouraged to deck themselves out in their best Guild Wars-related finery for ANet's costume contest. Then it's back to ANet's home turf of Seattle, Washington (August 26-28), where the "entire studio will descend upon PAX Prime." The studio says to "expect big surprises, cool swag, interesting panels, and a ton of Guild Wars 2 demo stations." And lastly, not letting the cessation of summer stop the runaway train that is ArenaNet, from October 21-25 the studio will be dropping in on gay Paris for Paris Games Week, "where [the devs will] bring [their] hands-on demo for [their] French fans." Do note that E3 is not included in this smorgasbord of conventions, with ANet citing its desire "to focus on shows that allow [it] to share Guild Wars 2 directly with gamers." For the full details and any future updates to the schedule, head on over to the official post on the ArenaNet blog.
Star Wars: The Old Republic lists 2011 event appearances
Are you ready for the Star Wars: The Old Republic Hyperdrive or Bust World Tour 2011? OK, that might not be an official thing (and seriously, wouldn't you love a t-shirt with that on it?), but BioWare has announced the community events that TOR will be attending this year. So if you're willing to make the journey and eager to get some face-time with both the game and the developers, here's where you can make it happen: E3 in Los Angeles, CA (June 7-9) San Diego Comic-Con, CA (July 21-24) Gamescom in Cologne, Germany (August 17-21) PAX Prime in Seattle, WA (August 26-28) Eurogamer Expo in London, UK (September 22-25) New York Comic Con (October 13-16) Paris Games Week (October 21-25) DreamHack in Jönköping, Sweden (November 24-27) You can read all of the details of The Old Republic's worldwide journey on the Star Wars: The Old Republic Community Events page.
