Return from PAX '08

I am officially exhausted from this past weekend. So, instead of actually writing anything useful, I'm just going to give you my impressions of what I saw, along with a few pictures.

First and foremost; Halo 3. The Bungie booth was absolutely swarming with people, many of whom I actually recognized, or at least knew from the internet. Lots of discussion (and I brought a blank 360 faceplate, so also signing) took place amongst myself and many of the Bungie staffers. They sure know how to please a crowd. Bungie has created a spectacular community atmosphere, and their booth absolutely beamed with it. On top of a new map they allowed us to sit down and play, they also seemed to have dropped a few hints at a possible expansion pack, so to speak. Bungie definitely stole the floor from just about every one else, and they weren't even showing a new game! I happily await to see what this monster brings forth.

Speaking of monsters, The Behemoth was at the show with Castle Crashers. I didn't actually play it at the booth, due to the fact that myself and my group beat it in our hotel room before coming to the show. I did, however, get to have a nice chat with some of the Behemoth staff, and I was surprised to learn they're much in the same circumstance as myself with Sandswept Studios; that is to say, they are small, spread out, and more or less bootstrapping the development. Congratulations to them for smashing every and all XBLA sales with roughly 1 million dollars in a 3 day period. [source: vgcartz]

Starcraft 2 certainly caught my eye, and I am eagerly waiting for that one to be released. I didn't actually get to play it since I'm not much of a "Let's stand in line for an hour" type of guy, but I watched a few games and I am thoroughly impressed. It's looking to be one of my favorite games of all time, right next to the original Starcraft.

Left4Dead had a massive line, but I the game looks fun enough. Killing Zombies is a great past-time in gaming. I'll definitely be sure to check this one out.

I didn't really see any other games that intrigued me, but all the booths looked busy enough.

Now I'd like to talk about booth layout for a minute. The Bungie booth was open and inviting. People could crowd around it and jump in the middle to play. The Blizzard booth was similar. Players could walk about freely, not feeling like they had to wait in some strangely shaped line, or walk around any tough obstacles to get a chance to sit down and play, or even get a simple look at what was going on.



On the other hand, many developers tried to jam people into tight lines, or even funnel them through a doorway to get a chance to even SEE what was going on. Very bad move, at least in my opinion. I was entirely uninterested in anything that required me to stand in a line to even watch someone play. It made me sad.

And before I finish this; Seattle is a beautiful place with some awesome weather. Rain and cloudy skies are my favorite.

Hopefully I'll be at PAX '09 as an exhibitor.