Following up on my previous post, here is the remainder of my time at this year’s Penny Arcade Expo. Saturday I went by myself. I got some time with games and saw friends I hadn’t seen in a long time. I have no pictures from this day, which is a shame.
Briefly, though, I want to mention a few of the games I did see this day.
Orcs Must Die: Unchained is the upcoming 3rd entry in the franchise. I first saw the game several years ago at E3 when it was on just a couple of computer screens. Now the developers have a huge booth, multiple screens running the game and a long line of eager players trying to get their hands on it to test out. Here there are two main elements of the game – PvE (player versus environment) and PvP (player versus player). Taking teams players can battle each other in a sort of “capture the base” type of game using minions and the various abilities players should be familiar with. Players can also team up and go up against wave after wave of enemies to defend their base. After sampling both types of gameplay I have to say Robot Entertainment certainly has a hit on their hands.
Stories: The Path Of Destinies is an action/adventure game with a great visual style and decent combat mechanics, but that’s not what sets this game apart. The choices players make will alter things significantly. Right now there are over 20 different endings depending on the choices players make during the game. Not only that, but there are three different places to begin. Replay value is going to be high in this one. And the dialogue is humorous without being juvenile. Actually, it’s a bit suggestive from what I’ve seen, but not over the top or gratuitous. Fun gameplay, witty writing, and actual choices to make? Sign me up!
Finally Bombshell is an action game that doesn’t bring anything new to the genre, but it was fun to play. The titular heroine is a tough solider out to do her job, and do it well. It just so happens her job is to kick ass. This is an isometric (sort of overhead camera) action game where players build up their character over time with new abilities, most of which will probably be used via the robotic arm. Yes, it’s a gimmick, but it is a gimmick that works very well against the alien onslaught.
Sunday I took Déla to the Penny Arcade Expo. And since I had an extra ticket, Laura suggested that I take August again this day and the next day take Ciárán again. While it was unfair that the two boys would get to attend PAX for a total of two days, one day was enough for both Déla and Xavier, and it would be nice. The caveat for August getting to go again was that he didn’t get to pick any of the things we saw or did.
As with Friday, the first thing I did was take Déla to the enforcers to show her who to look for in case of an emergency. Then we went to Telltale’s booth to try and get her in to check out Minecraft: Story Mode. They were able to schedule her in for later, so we went off to check out other games. This led us to LEGO Dimensions, and a bit of a wait. August was relegated to holding their place in line while Déla and I went off to grab some lunch (to bring back). We found some food and ate it in line while waiting. The line this time was longer than on Friday when August and Ciárán played the game. Instead of a 15 minute wait it was almost 45 minutes. Thankfully the line moved along quite nicely with enough time for Déla and I to get lunch, return and eat it before getting to the front.
When she did get up there, I was surprised she picked the exact same level that Ciárán did previously. August had no say in the matter. He even didn’t get to pick which character he got to play as or which vehicle to use. He was happy just to be there, it was a bonus day for him and he knew it. Déla enjoyed the game quite a bit, particularly the bit about getting to choose which incarnation of The Doctor to play as. Our time with the demo seemed shorter this day than on Friday, but such is life and the line needed to keep moving. Previously Déla had resisted wanting to get LEGO Dimensions, but now she might be converted.
Then it was back to Telltale’s booth and the Minecraft: Story Mode demo. There was a slot for one person to try it out, and it was Déla’s turn. The three of us went in, and I helped get her started, then I took August out and set up at a different booth nearby. Returning I found Déla deeply engrossed in the story and enjoying the demo. She was surprised at first with the lack of open world activities, but once she got into the swing of the adventure game aspect of it, she did quite well. Her biggest difficulty was the controller as she plays mostly on the PlayStation 4 these days, or the PC using a keyboard and mouse. And the choices to make during the game were (figurative) icing on the cake.
Down in the Steve Jackson Games booth we played a couple of tabletop games. First up was Lift It Deluxe, by USAopoly (I think the two companies were sharing the space). This is a game where players use the pieces on the board too recreate the shapes and constructs on cards that are drawn. The catch? A crane is used and there is a time limit. For added difficult there are a couple of spots where the player will need to place the crane on their head instead of using their hand. And yes, this was quite fun.
We then played Munchkin: Nightmare Before Christmas before moving on.
A couple of great cosplay moments took place this day. Déla not only got to run into Dalek Rainier (whom August saw on Friday) but Hagrid as well (toting his pink umbrella).
Towards the end of our time there we were looking for something to check out. August saw Galak-Z, a game he had heard of back in 2013 and was interested in. Because he couldn’t choose what we were to see, he asked Déla’s permission, and in the absence of anything else that immediately interested her, she acquiesced. Déla and I checked a couple of things out while August was here, but nothing really held her attention.
I was immediately struck by the art style which reminded me of Star Blazers or Captain Harlock. And it was intentional. August played this game longer than any other title, even those that featured a fixed time demo of 20 minutes. If there weren’t other people waiting to get their hands on it, August would have continued playing. He talked with one of the developers about how the game was coming along, how the various missions work, etc. The game generates missions and levels procedurally, meaning it is never exactly the same twice. Just visit the game’s website and see for yourself.
And shame on me for not realizing the studio behind Galak-Z is local, based here in Seattle. Previously they worked on Skulls Of The Shogun, which was quite good.
Finally, there was one card game we came across and Déla liked it so much (August and I did too) that I decided to pick up a copy – Superfight. There are two stacks of cards, character and power. Players draw from each, trying to come up with the most powerful combination they can, then argue about who would win. A few additions or alterations to the basic rules come in the form or expansion packs with additional cards or scenarios. It’s a wickedly fun game and I highly recommend it.
Monday was the first day of school for August, Déla and I Ciárán, so after getting them off to school I headed down to PAX with Xavier. As I did with the other kids the first thing we did was visit an enforcer at the entrance and explain that these were the people to seek out if something were to happen. Again, nothing did, but every enforcer I talked to or interacted with in any way was friendly.
After hitting Starfox Zero, because the line was ridiculously short as we entered PAX, we went to the main Expo Hall and pretty much made a beeline for LEGO Dimensions. This was the game Xavier wanted to play above all else.
Instead of going into the open world, Xavier opted to try one of the level demos. He picked Scooby Doo and with little coaching he was able to navigate the requirements for the demo. To say he liked the game would be an understatement. His “go to” games are LEGO games, so this was a highlight. Again.
Wandering around a bit more we came across MekaZoo, a game that August as seen the previous day, but did not have a chance to actually get his hands on. It is a “standard” platforming game where players take control of various mechanical animals to get from one place to another. And yes, he enjoyed it.
Since the first day of school was a half day, Ciárán came down to PAX and joined us for a couple of hours. One of the first things we did was hit the Skylanders Superchargers Racing. The two boys enjoyed the game, and I may wind up having to get not only this game, but another 3DS for the house.
Wandering around a bit more we wound up heading back into Nintendo’s main booth to perhaps get hands on again with Super Mario Maker, but the lines were too long so we opted to get in line and play Splatoon. Yes, a game we already own. The thinking behind this decision was the kids don’t get to play online multiplayer much. Nintendo was also showing off some of the new levels and equipment available for the game via the latest update. We got to play three multiplayer matches, and the boys would have stood in line to play again had the line not grown inordinately long while we were playing. Since I had not played the game yet, even though it is in our house, it was fun to play the game with them. I’m not even sure if the three of us were on the same team. Doesn’t matter, as we all had fun.
Then in was back to LEGO Dimensions. This time Ciárán and Xavier played through part of a level then entered the LEGO Movie open world. Somehow they wound up getting to a point in the game where they have to upgrade the vehicle. It was neat to see how in the game it provides instructions to build the next incarnation of whichever vehicle you are using. Granted, you don’t actually need to rebuild the vehicle, just tell the game you did and it will act as if you did. It is the base the LEGO creation sits on that has all the information necessary to interact with the game.
Then we were gone. It was time to head home. Everybody had a great time at this year’s Penny Arcade Expo, and while I didn’t get to see as many games as I had wanted, I did enjoy spending time with my kids and letting them see the games they were interested in (multiple times in some cases).