As summer gives way to autumn, gamers have had a lot more to look forward to than an increase in new video game releases. In the past month, two of the year’s biggest gaming conventions have taken place, shining a spotlight on some of the most anticipated new titles in the world of gaming.
The first show, Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) 2010, took place in Seattle, Washington the first weekend in September. Established in 2004 for by Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, creators of the popular web comic Penny Arcade, the show celebrated all walks of the gaming culture, bringing together console, computer, and tabletop gamers for a weekend of celebration.
The show itself has grown in popularity immensely over the past six years, with a sister show, PAX East in Boston, taking place for the first time earlier this year. This year’s PAX Prime boasted the highest numbers in the show’s history, with just over 67,000 people in attendance.
The show is also often noted for its musical performers. This year saw the return of favorites Jonathan Coulton and MC Frontalot, as well as performances by Anamanaguchi, who provided the score for Scott Pilgrim vs. The World on Xbox Live and PlayStation Network, and The Protomen.
As for the games on display, there were a large and varied selection of games represented, including some tabletop games. Wizards of the Coast was in attendance promoting their latest release, Dungeons & Dragons Essentials, a starter set designed to give a new players an easier time picking up and playing the game. Included are several pre-made characters, Player and Dungeon Master Handbooks, and several gaming dice.
Josh Dudley, a senior in History, likes the concept of the product.
“It seems like a good idea,” Dudley said. “The artwork is great, and anything that lures in new players is a boon.”
On the video game front, the massively multiplayer online (MMO) genre saw several high-profile games on display including the much-anticipated Final Fantasy XIV, which will be available September 30, and Guild Wars 2, a series popular for its lack of a monthly subscription fee to play.
Among the most interesting MMO games at the show was End of Nations, an online real time strategy (RTS) game with a persistent world and battles including over fifty players. The game is said to feature an innovative leveling system, whereby higher-level players will have access to better skills, but will still be able to compete with low-level and new players fairly.
Joe Bostic, design director for the game, was on hand at the event, giving more information on the style of play.
“Your army in End of Nations can be thought of much like a collection of miniatures for a tabletop wargame,” Bostic explained in a recent interview. “You collect many and decide which to bring into battle according to how you plan to meet the challenges of that battlefield.”
Console games were also present, with the Xbox Kinect once more on display, showing off its family-friendly catalogue, as well as creative titles such as Child of Eden. Similar to its predecessor Rez, the goal in Child of Eden is to shoot down various enemies, thereby producing musical effects and furthering the intensity and variation of the game’s soundtrack. By mixing sound, sight, and touch, Child of Eden hopes to distinguish itself among other Kinect offerings in 2011.
Several highly anticipated sequels were also on display at PAX. Duke Nukem Forever, in development for the past twelve years, was finally shown in playable form, now in the hands of Gearbox Software. Dead Space 2 and Portal 2, both coming out next spring, were demoed as well.
While PAX showcased numerous properties developed in the United States and the UK, the 2010 Tokyo Game Show (TGS), which took place this past weekend, was far more steeped in the Japanese development scene. The show featured several strange games and concepts, as well as familiar favorites from Japanese developers.
One of the headlining announcements of TGS was the reveal of the latest game in the Devil May Cry series from publisher Capcom. Simply titled DmC, the game will act as reboot to the franchise, featuring a younger version of series protagonist Dante, and is being developed by Ninja Theory instead of Capcom itself.
Another big announcement was the return of Steel Battalion, a series that hasn’t seen a new release since 2004, now a Kinect exclusive. The original two games were infamous for their use of a specially designed controller with over forty buttons to play, so the change to a motion controller for the new game, subtitled Heavy Armor, should prove interesting.
Alongside this big news, several fan-favorite companies announced new games. Nippon Ichi, known for their strategy games, formally announced the latest game in their flagship series, Disgaea 4. The new game will follow a vampire as he tries to overthrow the government in the underworld, and will keep the tongue-in-cheek humor the series is known for.
Fans of the Xbox 360 budget title Earth Defense Force 2017 were also given reason to celebrate, as a sequel, Insect Armageddon, was revealed. The new game will introduce three-player online co-op, a feature missing from the first game.
Lastly, though not announced at TGS, Namco revealed the latest game in the Tekken series, Tekken Tag Tournament 2, this past weekend as well, a return to the tag combo system first introduced in 2000.
Jon Edwards, a sophomore in Creative Writing, shared his enthusiasm over the announcement.
“I’m a big fan of the Tekken series,” Edwards said, “so that Namco Bandai finally announced this game has got me excited.”
Overall, the convention season started by E3 has continued strong, with PAX and TGS both housing several surprising announcements, as well as new, innovative games trying to bring something new to the market. Convention goers and gamers in general have plenty to be excited about as we continue into the Fall torrent of great game releases.
