Robo Heroes!

CGMagazine @ Wizard World's Toronto Comic Con

Hey everyone,

Last weekend the CGMagazine crew was at Wizard World's Toronto Comic Con at the MTCC. We had tonnes of fun, interviewing fans as well as few local artists. Be sure to stay tuned to CGMagazine.ca for those videos but until then here's my awesome photo gallery to tide you over. If you're feeling exceptionally social why not head over to the CGMagazine Facebook page and join the conversation. You can tell us about your favorite artists, celebrity guests, costumes or simply what you thought of the Con.

Stay cool everyone and remember that E3 is just over a month away.

-Tim

Tim Atax PAX: Epilogue and Best of Show Awards

Hello everyone and welcome to my final entry in the Tim Atax PAX series. PAX East has come and gone and I feel much richer for having been in attendance. It was incredible to be apart of something that speakers to gamers in a way that no other convention or event does. Despite my nonstop appointments, long days and guilt about not being able to see absolutely everything the show had to offer I did in fact have a blast attending and covering PAX East for all the CG Magazine readers. I hope that you enjoyed my coverage, contests and tweets from this past weekend. I did it all for you the readers. In the future you can look forward to more great content from PAX in the form of developer interviews, previews and many more articles that will appear in Comics & Gaming Magazine and on cgmagazine.ca over the coming weeks.

I would also like to thanks all the PR companies, developers, publishers, and everyone else who took the time to answer my questions and give me and our readers some insight into the games they are working on. For all this I thank you.

Now it's time to stoke some egos, so let's move on to the Tim Atax PAX Best of Show Awards. These awards come with no cash value, just bragging rights, and are based on my observations alone.

Best Booth
2K
With plush carpet, great swag, massive statues of our heroes from Borderlands 2, and a full size post apocalyptic bus, the amount of detail in 2K's massive booth was astounding. Not only did they have a  great layout but the environments created for both Borderlands 2 and Spec Ops: The Line were very impressive and really got fans into the experience. 

Runner up: Wizards of the Coast

Best Demo
Borderlands 2 (2K)
Two of the game's playable classes were available in the demo. I chose the Siren Maya and proceeded to phaselock and shred my way through the Caustic Caverns. On top of that I was given 15 skill points to spend so that I could customize my character and get a feel for some of the new abilities. The game looked great, played really smoothly and not once did I see it crash or stutter. It was stable, fun and really gave me a taste of that sweet sweet Borderlands honey. I'm sure it was the highlight of the show for many gamers.

Runner up: Hell Yeah!

Best Fan Interaction
Riot Games
The Riot Games booth would also a contender for loudest booth, if such a category existed. Not because of the music they were playing but because of the screaming League of Legends fans. Every time I was anywhere near this booth there were people going nuts inside it. With giveaways, tournaments, pro demos, and lots of dance contests the Riot Games booth was so bananas that PAX Enforcers were constantly in there trying to keep fans from spilling out the aisles.

Runner up: Harmonix

Best Costume
Full size Bumble Bee.
This person's costume was so massive that they required a permanent PAX Enforcer with them at all times. The costume was about 9 feet tall and incredibly detailed. I can't even say for sure that the thing didn't actually transform but it sure looked like it could transform and roll out at any moment.

Runner up: Guitar playing Link.

Best Video
Assassin's Creed III (Ubisoft)
Assassin's Creed III may not have been playable at PAX East but that didn't stop Ubsoft from stoking the fires on my hype train. Behind closed doors I experienced a 10 minute gameplay video that not only convinced me that this could possibly be the best Assassin's Creed yet but it could also be Ubisoft's best game to date. We'll have to wait until the fall to find out for sure but from what I saw, my hopes shall remain high.

Runner up: FireFall (Red 5 Studios)

Best Indie Game
Guacameele (DrinkBox Studios)
It is with great pride that I bestow this honor upon a local developer from right here in Toronto.
Guacameele is a colourful, wonderfully hilarious side scrolling brawler that had me and any other journalists I spoke to buzzing. Great job guys, I can't wait untl this one comes out.

Runner up: Primal Carnage (Lukewarm Media)

Personal Highlight of the Show
Interviewing Suda 51 CEO of Grasshopper Manufacturer.
I can no longer say that I've never done an interview with a Japanese game developer. Also how awesome is it that my first Japanese developer interview was with none other than Suda 51 one of the most unique minds in the industry. It brought a giant smile to my face when he told me that he was impressed that I'd traveled 10 hours by car just to be there. Doumo arigatou Suda-san.

Runner up: Meeting Jeff Green and Shane Bettenhausen.

Again, massive thanks to you to everyone who made my weekend in Boston amazing. I especially want to thank Eric Moon and Kenickie Street for traveling with me, sharing the driving, and sharing my hotel room. Your company made this trip extra awesome and from the bottom of my heart I thank you.

-Tim

Tim Atax PAX: Day 3 Sunday

As with most conventions Sunday is typically one of the slower days and PAX is no exception. Today I barely saw any cool costumes which would account for my lack of pictures. There may have been fewer costumes but there was still plenty of games to see.

I began the day a visit to the Wizards of the Coast booth too learn about their upcoming transmedia property Kaijudo. Kaijudo is a new animated show, website and trading card game which will be rolled out over the next few months. It may not appeal to Magic: the Gathering fans but some of the younger gamers out there will really find something about this new universe to enjoy.

I then stopped by our friends at Paradox Interactive to see what those crazy swedes were showing. First I got a chance to play the upcoming game from Magicka developer Arrowhead games. It's a 2.5D side scrolling multiplayer shooter inspired by 80's action action films like Terminator, Die Hard and Lethal Weapon. As a fan of those films and others like them, I found myself asking why has no one done this before. These influences combined with Arrowhead's trademark sense of humor make this my most anticipated title from Paradox. I also got a chance to play War of the Roses a third person medieval brawler, which as you might have guessed is not based on the film starring Michael Douglas and Kathleen Turner. It has a decently steep learning curve so I didn't feel too bad about being killed many times over but I will say that it's one of the best looking games i've ever seen from Paradox.

I finished my day and weekend with a visit to the Hi-rez studios booth to take in some Tribes: Ascend action. I was fortunate to catch the last 10 minutes of a pro 7 vs 7 match and I completely agree with Hi-Rez's claim that this is the fastest shooter out there. It's free to play and will see a full release in the next week or so. Give it shot and you may find yourself enthralled by the deep team based strategy and frantic pace of matches.

To make up for my lack of photos I give you this video of a cast of Mass Effect cosplayers taking on some Bon Jovi on the Rock Band free play stage.

The video was sent to me by PAX East attendee Peter Anderson who got himself a free subscription to CG Magazine for his efforts.



That's it for the third and final day of PAX East 2012. I hope everyone had a great time because I know I sure did. Check back tomorrow for a full wrap up and my picks for best of the show.

-Tim

Tim Atax PAX: Day 2: Saturday

As the sun rose over the South Boston harbor Penny Arcade Expo geared up for it's biggest day. I say it's the Expo biggest day because Saturday passes have been sold out for weeks, so with counterfeit measures in hand Enforcers began to let the sea of convention goers on to the show floor. As lines began to form I made way over to the Ubisoft both to check out Far Cry 3 and Assassin's Creed 3. Far Cry 3 was a little underwhelming in my opinion but it was a pre-Alpha build so there's lots of time for improvement. Assassin's Creed 3 wasn't playable but I did see some gameplay and I will say that I’m as hyped as ever for this game and can't wait to play it.

I also spent a good amount of time at the SEGA booth where I got a chance to play Sonic the Hedgehog 4 episode 2 and I was really glad to see that Tails is back and that this is the best looking Sonic game yet. I also got a chance to play some Lollipop Chainsaw from developer Grasshopper Manufacture. I have a feeling that this could be one of the most original hack and slash games ever. I've never seen rainbows and sparkles pour out of the necks of zombies before and I liked it.

The highlight of my day was that I was given the honor of conducting my first interview with a Japanese game designer. The designer was Suda 51 CEO of Grasshopper and I was so nervous going in that I was literally shaking. As we began to talk I relaxed when I remembered that he's just like any designer; funny, insightful and just really loves what he does.

I wanted to mention something that I saw yesterday but forgot to mention in yesterdays post. Keep your eyes open for a game called Raven's Cry from TopWare. It's an incredibly dark pirate tale of revenge and from what I saw, may have gamers seeing pirates in a whole new light, errr...dark, as opposed to the romantic image portrayed by Disney and Sid Meier.

Anyway that will wrap up day two for now and as always here's my photo gallery for your viewing pleasure.

-Tim

Tim Atax PAX: Day 1 Friday

Well day 1 of PAX has wrapped up, and as many gamers make their way back to their hotel rooms and various places of lodging, I shall sit here on my laptop and update all of you back in Canada land on the craziness that was a whirlwind day at the east coast's largest gaming expo.

The biggest experience that most gamers had today was getting hands on time with Borderlands 2. I was lucky enough to be one of the first to get my hands on Gearbox Software's slick new rpg/shooter hybrid. I was really impressed with how smooth the controls are, and that the game has gotten a bit more frantic; but what's most impressive is that the enemies evolve. Beasties start out as simple younglings, but if left alive long enough will evolve into their adult or “badass” form rather than just spawning in. Creative Director Paul Helquist told me that “variety is key,” so fans can expect a myriad of different experiences in Borderlands 2.

It was then off to an interview with Matt Higby, Creative Director on PlanetSide 2 which is one of the most ambitious titles I've ever heard about. 2,000 players will wage war over an entire continent in this epic MMOFPS which is a little far from release, but still sounds like a blast.

I also got a chance to play some Orcs Must Die 2 by Robot Entertainment—which finally has co-op, a feature which was heavily requested by the OMD community. I really like the different play style that was added with the new playable character, especially her “Charm” ability which can enchant enemies to attack their Orc brethren. I then played some Guacamelee, which is a new metroid-vania style brawler from Toronto's own DrinkBox Studios, developers of the hugely successful Mutant Blob Attack for the PlayStation Vita. Keep an eye on these guys; I wouldn't be at all surprised if they take the downloadable world by storm.

I wrapped up my day with a visit to Wizards of the Coast to check out what they have planned for the next season of D&D Encounters, which will focus heavily on the Drow and the Underdark. I then had my mind figuratively blown on the Magic the Gathering tip when I learned that Duels of the Planeswalkers 2013 will be available on the iPad this summer.

It was a great day and I can't wait to see more tomorrow, so be sure to check back tomorrow for more of Tim Atax Pax! Until then, here's my day 1 photo gallery to hold you over.

Tim Atax PAX: Day 0

Hello everyone and welcome to Tim Atax PAX, a chronicle of my journey from to Toronto to Boston and subsequent adventures at Penny Arcade Expo East. This blog will be updated several times over the next few days with all sorts of content from crazy cosplay to gratuitous gaming. You can also follow all of my real time updates on twitter by following @CETim and my official hashtag #TimAtaxPAX. So please follow along, drop comments, ask questions and peruse all the awesome photos I upload.

Day 0

I began my journey bright and early this morning as my travel companions and I set out from Toronto to jam on down the I-90 all the way to Boston. The car ride was pretty uneventful except for the super geeky music including Jonathan Coulton, The Minibosses, and various hits from the early 1990s. As we crossed the border into the US the Customs Agent asked us where we were headed. I happily replied “Boston!” he then let out a sigh and asked “Are you going to some gaming convention?” Again I replied with an ecstatic “Yes!” He then waved us through without any follow up questions. My guess is that there were quite a few Canadians “shippin' up to Boston” on their way to PAX. During the drive we amused ourselves with American highway culture, commenting on the silly names for restaurants like “Steak & Lube” and trying to scam free WiFi from buses we passed along the highway. Fueled by a cooler full of tiny sandwiches and copious amounts of coffee we manged to pull into Boston at about 9pm this evening.

Before I sign off remember to follow me @CETim on twitter for updates and if you're lucky enough to be at PAX East this year, be sure to check for updates on the #TimAtaxPAX contest where a few lucky attendees will win free subscriptions to Comics and Gaming Magazine.

Now it's getting late and we have a very early start to a very busy day as we kick off Day 1 of Tim Atax PAX.

-Tim