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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.
G4TV interviews Jumpgate Evolution dev, exhibits lots of footage
G4TV interviewed Publishing Producer Michael Rowland about Jumpgate Evolution at PAX this weekend. You can watch the video of the interview right now. Mixed in with the questions and answers are a lot of gameplay video clips.The clips are the most attractive part of the video, but the interview is helpful too. Rowland suggested that the combat has a "more FPS feel" than the "turn-based" combat of other MMOs. He also said that players will be able to level up just by engaging in PvP with opposing factions. There will be three factions in all when the game launches next Spring.Most of that information can be found at the Jumpgate Evolution website, but check out the video for the gameplay clips. Just try not to be too annoyed by Adam Sessler. Of course the game was actually playable on the floor at PAX. Bet you're sad you missed out on that!
PAX 2008: Polly wants a tank rush
Although we missed the presentation ourselves, the gang at Robot Martini caught Ubisoft's demonstration of Tom Clancy's EndWar audio power at PAX 2008. To do so, they pitted two parrots against each other in a multiplayer match. Check out the video yourself after the break. When Polly says "deploy tanks," you take cover and hide your crackers (har).
PAX 2008: Cosplay, day two
click above to enter the gallery Day two of our collection of people embracing nerd culture to the fullest extent. We're continued to impressed by what we've seen here so far with the cosplayers, in both selection and execution. And don't forget, Darth Vader can rock a mean Alanis Morissette. We've also mega-expanded our general PAX 2008 showfloor gallery to show you every square foot of what you're missing.%Gallery-30788%%Gallery-30778%
Penny Ar-cake makes Gabe cry, us drool
Click to giganticize Penny Arcade's Mike/Gabe told us in an interview that he hates all cake coverage. The good news is, you can't hate our cake and eat it too. So, it's with love and appreciation that we present this glorious photo of a sweet-looking, sugary Penny Arcade cake, featuring deliciousness from the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness.Gabe, you might hate cake, but we think the masses would decimate this Penny Arcade pastry piece with vim and vigor. It was created by cakesmith Brian Kurtz, who is also available for weddings, bar mitzvahs, your LAN party, or "any other situation that calls for a bad-ass 3D cake that will make your guests crap their pants in disbelief." Stay tuned for our interview with Tycho and Gabe later this week.
PAX 2008: Darth Vader and Stormtroopers rock to Alanis
Having just exercised our right to go broke at the Pink Godzilla mini-store on this year's PAX 2008 showfloor, we were surprised and elated to turn around and see Darth Vader and a merry band of Stormtroopers taking the stage to play Alanis Morissette's "You Oughta Know" on Rock Band 2, with vocals being handled by some unknown non-cosplayer. Apologies for the quality, as the moment was rather impromptu, but we had to share this with you.
PAX 2008: Rooster Teeth show off Red v. Blue anime
The Rooster Teeth gang had a rather interesting reveal at this year's PAX 2008 ... an anime of Red v. Blue. Yes, the known machinima has crossed the threshold into Japanese animation. Of course, the voicing and ad lib comedy that's made them famous is still intact. Check out the shaky came footage after the break.
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PAX 2008: Halo Mythic ain't mythical, it's here... sort of
Is this what Microsoft was not so quietly sweeping under the carpet when they nixed the Bungie announcement during their E3 keynote? We have no clue as of yet, and all we can get out of Bungie is a "we can't talk about it." We're going to try and batter down Bungie's doors today to get more info.So far, here's what we know. The menu screen says System Version 1.2, when the Halo 3 retail version is only at 1.1, and there's only a multiplayer option, no campaign. What does it all mean? We caught up with Bungie's Brian Jarrard who told us the screen was from a build that they brought on Friday that "wasn't really meant to be seen. However, it's really not that exciting, it's gotten kind of blown out of proportion."While the shakey-cam photo above from Addict Gaming might be the only visual evidence of Mythic, it's definitely coming. At some point. Bungie wasn't forthcoming with details, but we'll see what we can find out.[Thanks, Robert]
PAX East coming late March 2010, venue revealed
Well, that was fast. After revealing that the East Coast iteration of Penny Arcade Expo is heading to Boston in 2010, we now have more specific details care of BigDownload and PA director of sales Mike Fehlauer. In an interview with BigD, Fehlauer confirmed that the window is "late March 2010" and will be at John B Hynes Veterans Memorial Convention Center, a venue with 193,000 square feet of exhibit space, roughly the same amount as this year's PAX. However, Fehlauer noted that the first PAX EC will not be planned as a huge vent first, with growth planned every year.Penny Arcade will handle exhibitor booking, event planning and other content, while the grunt work (labor unions, hotels, etc.) will be done by Reed Exhibitions (New York Comic-Con). When asked if there are any potential conflicts with the Game Developers Conference, Fehlauer explained that they feel the audiences are disparate (industry vs. consumer) and both events are very different.
PAX 2008: Highlights from Freezepop concert
In case you missed the concert Friday night at PAX 2008, or just want a quick refresher, we've created a highlights reel for the Freezepop show. What you'll see is clips from their opener ("Brainpower" of Rock Band fame), a shiny sea of cell, phone and DS lights, a rather unique "Star Spangled Banner" performance and their closer, a cover of Europe's "Final Countdown." Stay tuned later today for video from the night's headliner Jonathan Coulton.
PAX 2008 hands-on: Defense Grid: The Awakening
Click to enlarge I have to confess this right off the bat: I don't have a high end PC gaming rig. Heck, I don't even have a PC, I use a Mac. Sure, I could load Boot Camp on this thing, but frankly my hard drive is far too crammed with music, photos, and scant room for anything gaming related. I even had to delete my free copy of the "Chess" app to make room for more. However, that is going to have to change. Early this morning I spent some quality hands-on time with Defense Grid: The Awakening. It's a tower defense game that starts out fairly easy, and then quickly gets hard. In fact, I had my ass handed to me pretty squarely when I tried out the "hard" level, and I'm going to have to grab a PC to game on so I can beat the damn thing. They have an Xbox 360 version in the works, but it will come out some time after. Check out the gallery of screenshots below, including two new exclusives, and then hit the break to find out more about the game.%Gallery-30801%
PAX 2008 Music Video: Jonathon Coulton's 'Flickr' and 'Not This One'
Last night we attended the first PAX 2008 concert, featuring The OneUps, Freezepop, and Jonathan Coulton headlining. There are a multitude of great moments (highlight reel to come later this weekend), but one thing that stuck out was Coulton's performance of "Flickr" and special song "Not This One," both songs featuring video accompaniment aided by sound guy Bart Brad. Check out the live performance, embedded above.
PAX 2008: Touring the Pink Godzilla booth
click to enter the store ... vicariously Despite what you may think from the picture, it wasn't the tower of pink plushies that attracted us to the Pink Godzilla store booth. More so, it was that they have mint condition classic games (including the Earthbound and Chrono Trigger) and consoles like the 2nd Anniversary Xbox One from Japan. We're willing to bet that entire wall of games will be sold out by Sunday.%Gallery-30810%%Gallery-30788%
BigCast PAX special goes crazy with Warhammer Online devs
While discussion on Warhammer Online is conspicuously lacking, Mythic Entertainment designer Paul Barnett and producers Jeff Hickman and Josh Drescher managed to to venture into some strange, hilarious and very NSFW territory on BigDownload's BigCast PAX special. Listen to the podcast (again, it's NSFW) here.
PAX 2008: lonely gamers LFG
Looking for group? PAX 2008 has you covered. While you're killing time or waiting for your number to be called in the console freeplay, you can chill out in here, play some tabletop games with your fellow gamers, and run around with a big LFG bubble over your head.We stopped by for a bit, and these rooms are actually a fun place to hang out, and you can easily run into a pickup game of whatever catches your fancy. It's a great way to meet people from all over the country (including one dude we met who came all the way from the UK to PAX it), and they're also near the nice, clean bathrooms. At least, they are clean on day one. We pray they remain that way.%Gallery-30778%
PAX 2008: Lost in Dwarven Translation
Outside the North entrance to the PAX08 showfloor, we found two Lord of the Rings Online advertisements written in ... some code. "It must be French," we thought, admittedly forgetting our origins. Can someone translate this for us? Update: Original headline claimed this was Elvish when, in fact, it is Dwarven. Oops.%Gallery-30778%
Seen@PAX08 LAN room: Waldo and a lonely MacBook
Call it dumb luck, but we caught that ever-elusive striped shirt aficionado taking a break from the PAX 2008 showfloor to play some Team Fortress 2 (we'd love to say he was playing as the appropriately-elusive spy, but we think it was actually Heavy class). Also spotted amongst the masses of giant modded PCs, a lone MacBook Pro. Check out some more crazy sightings from the BYOC (that's "Bring Your Own Computer") room.%Gallery-30811%%Gallery-30788%
Rock Band Weekly: PAX pack with Jonathan Coulton, MC Frontalot and Darkest of the Hillside Thickets
Rock Band is going charitable, with a special PAX Pack for next week's DLC. All three bands are performing at this weekend's Penny Arcade Expo, and all money for the tracks go towards Child's Play charity. PAX Pack 1 (240 / $3) "Skullcrusher Mountain" - Jonathan Coulton "Livin' on the Corner of Dude and Catastrophe" - MC Frontalot "Shhh??." - Darkest of the Hillside Thickets All songs are master recordings and "Shhh" is a previously unreleased track. The songs will be available for download next Tuesday and Thursday for Xbox 360 and PS3, respectively. [Note: Image a Jonathan Coulton lyrical word cloud.]
PAX 2008 cosplay, day one
click above to enter the gallery The first day of 2008's Penny Arcade Expo is coming to an end and we're shuffling over to catch The OneUps, Freezepop and Jonathan Coulton perform in the main hall. Check out all the awesome costumes and fashion statements we bumped into today.%Gallery-30788%%Gallery-30778%
PAX 2008: Ken Levine keyote talks sex, comics and growing up
var digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/PAX_2008_Ken_Levine_keyote_talks_sex_comics_and_growing_up'; Let's destroy your dreams now: Our friend KennyL did not talk about BioShock 2. Instead, Ken Levine kicked off Penny Arcade Expo by talking about his journey from from sex-intrigued comic nerd to Hollywood scribe and back to geekdom (which may in fact be the future plot of BioShock 2, but that is as of now unconfirmed). Regardless, Levine's keynote was a hysterical, vulgar and self-deprecating tribute to puberty and gaming.Levine broke up into three acts, each different parts of his life. In part one, Levine described how he discoverd the adult with science fiction, from his dream to sleep with The Scarlet Witch to his dream to sleep with Jessica-5 from Logan's Run (both the comic book character and the film version's actress). "I wanted to smoke cigarettes and listen to Deep Purple," he said. "I didn't want to go to bed [thinking about Battlestar Galactica], but I did."Act 2 was on the discovery of tribes, and how how his Dungeons & Dragons group moved onto girls. "The truth is, my tribal brothers were simply ahead of me in the game." In Act 3, in which our friend is a failed movie scribe, Levine ends up at Looking Glass Studios (System Shock). The rest, as you know, is history.In his near-final last words, Levine offers a thanks to Tycho and Gabe, "We are united by a common element. Its not the color of our skin or our ideology or where we come from. No it's that we're a giant bunch of fucking nerds," he said to a roaring applause. Listen to it yourself:
