Top 5 experiences of PAX Prime 2014

I’ll come right out and say it: best PAX in years! The community seemed, on the whole, much more positive, the games and panels were great, and the extracurricular events were pretty awesome. Over the next week or two I’ll be writing up thoughts on individual games, so this seems like the time to share my overall impressions of the show. I mean, doing a full review of every panel and party would be a little over the top anyway. Nobody wants to read that and, frankly, I’d rather not try to write it. How about I just do my top 5 PAX Prime 2014 experiences? Sound good to you? Because that’s pretty much what I plan on doing.

5. Trion After Party

I’ve been to after parties for PAX before, and there’s always a ridiculous number to choose from each day of the convention. What made Trion such a good time was that they actually combined the party with meaningful announcements about their games. It was there that they announced the launch date of ArcheAge. Sure, it doesn’t hurt that they also gave everyone that attended a shirt, a bag full of swag, and free food as well as a couple complimentary drinks. The whole thing was also held at the rather swank W Hotel and really felt like Trion cared about making sure people had a good time.

4. Sunset Overdrive Bus

This crazy, easily recognizable bus was decked out in all sorts of Sunset Overdrive themed graffiti and also had a big nasty mutant lashed to the front. During PAX it was being used to transport convention goers up to Lil’ Woody’s up on Capitol Hill for some freaking tasty burgers. While on board, there were clips of Sunset Overdrive to check out on the monitor, adverts for places in the game, and a fridge full of Overcharge Delirium XT. What more could a hungry and thirsty fan ask for? Now, if you had gone by the convention center the day before PAX, you’d find that you could get a lift on the bus to #3 on this list.

3. Microsoft Pre-PAX Launch Party

Hundreds of fans converged on the Microsoft campus in Redmond to check out over two dozen games coming soon to the ID@Xbox program. There were a lot of really good games being shown off, free food and drink, and also a raffle for an Xbox One. That’s where we got our hands on Slash Dash for the first time. Seriously, it’s an awesome multiplayer game. What I like about this event is that they didn’t try to take anything away from PAX and instead just added extra value to those of us that were around before the real event got started.

2. Gearbox Panel

If you’ve ever been before, you know just how good these panels are. Randy Pitchford and Mikey Neumann are two of the most dynamic personalities in the industry. Not only did those two host the whole shebang, but they announced a whole lot of info about upcoming games. Of course, then Randy Pitchford told the story of making the pre-sequel through a magic trick. That was pretty damn entertaining! And so to top that off, Randy did an ice bucket challenge live on stage in front of everyone. But hey, if that’s not enough, everyone present was given a code for a free season pass for the upcoming DLC for Borderlands: The Pre-Sequel. These guys know how to please a crowd. Curious? You can watch the whole thing on Twitch!

1. Not Us, Not Here: Bullying and Misogyny

Okay, yes, I may be just slightly biased for my top pick of the convention since I’m married to one of the presenters. Seriously though, it was probably one of the most engaged audiences that I’ve seen in a panel that didn’t promise any swag for attending. With the recent issues that have been popping up in the gaming community lately, this was one of the more poignant panels of the show. On top of which, it wasn’t simply a panel with advice like “don’t be a dick” which has its place, but isn’t exactly news to people. This panel actually dispensed a lot of good advice on dealing with bullies and victims with compassion and empathy. I would urge readers who haven’t yet done so to check out Megan’s write up on the panel. There was also a story about it published by the Associated Press (though they seemed to completely ignore Megan’s presence).

So that wraps it up for PAX Prime 2014. I had a great time and even after 4 days, I was kinda sad that it had ended. Well, right up until everyone showed up at the Dorkadia offices afterward and played Cards Against Humanity until midnight. Then I was really happy I didn’t have to get up early for a fifth day of coverage. Now to see about booking that flight and hotel for Australia…