(Editor’s Preface: This was written two days ago and should be going up tomorrow so if you see any time anomalies on anything I may have written here, blame the TARDIS. — Nex)
In 1842, the city of Seattle was founded as an outpost for fur trappers, and anglo-saxon missionaries intent on converting the heathen natives from their lives of naked, sexy sin to the much less naked, much less sexy life of Christianity.
Fast forward a century and a half and Seattle is home to the annual Penny Arcade Expo — a conventionthat combines the technological fetishism of a Neal Stephenson wet dream with the sort of psuedo-socialist, hippie-commune sensibilities of a 1973 Grateful Dead tour. People have come from around the world to spend a weekend basking in the collective euphoria of being amongst their own, and the smell certainly attests to that fact.
I’m actually writing this from a train car speeding towards Seattle last Thursday, as I intend to be too drunk to read for most of the time I’m there, but I thought you guys would like to know just what I intend to see at the event. Here’s a short list:
Rock Band:The appointment we have with them is my first chance to playRock Bandand I fully intend to melt all of your faces. With any luck we’ll have some video up for you guys, and I want to warn you now to keep your elderly relatives and small children away from the screen, lest I actually ROCK THEM TO DEATH.(Editor’s Note: Um … it didn’t quite go down like that … you’ll see … — Nex)
Aaron Linde:As much as I’m generally a hermit, venturing out of my solitary existence only to smooch pretty girls and fight dragons, Aaron is my definition of everything that is good and right in people who adore gaming. He’s knowledgeable, intelligent, and can bench press a Buick.
cue heartwarming piano music ALL OF YOU!Seriously, any of you who aren’t here are severely missing out, and you should make your arrangements now to be here next year. I’d send you a postcard with a picture of a sad puppy on it, but honestly, all the puppies here are WAY too happy.
Here’s what the editors have been playing this week. Expect lots of BioShock with a 20% chance of precipitation.Colette Bennett:Boring, but true – just lots and lots ofBioShock. It’s so much better than I ever could have imagined. I also just started the reissuedFF1for PSP, which will come in handy on my flight to PAX tomorrow.Dick McVengeance:It’s moving time for me, so I’ve only gotten in a bit ofLament of Innocence. I can’t wait to get my hands onMetroid Prime 3damn soon, though.Leigh Alexander:Um, duh?BioShock?AndPersona 3andPokemon. Both are such massive time eaters I can’t seem to finish either. Especially because, y’know,BioShock.
Nex:I put a lot of EXTRA time into playingWorld of Warcraftthis week. Even with my main at the maximum level, I’ve still got so much stuff to do. On the upside, I just got my epic flying mount and am finally decked out in full purples again, so I’m no longer lagging behind my guildies.
Also, I played a lot ofHeroes of Might and Magic V. When I bought it and its expansion a while back, I only barely played it, and even then it was all custom games, so I’m finally playing through the campaigns. I’m about 70% of the way through the first (of 9), and with the amount of time I’ve already put into it, and how zen the entire thing is, I think I can enjoy the title for another 100 hours or so, even without any multiplayer or custom gameplay.
BlindsideDork:BioShock…but I was hoping to sink my bullets intoOperation: Vietnamon the plane ride to Seattle but no store carries it. So I am takingRebelstarand some other DS titles I haven’t beaten likeCustom Robo Arena.Orcist:On the way to and from Seattle, I’ll be wrapping upCastlevania: Portrait of RuinandFinal Fantasy IIIfor the DS. Unfortunately, that’ll be about it until I get settled in at school since moving will take a considerable chunk of time out of my post-PAX week. After that, I’ll attempt to finishShadow of the Colossusall quick like, and maybe dive back intoLegend of Dragoon.Topher Cantler:I still can’t get enough ofTaiko no Tatsujin DS, and I played a little Sam and Max Hit the Roadthis week, too. Looking for some good DS games to get me through my horribly long flight to PAX, the most exciting of which is sure to beCan a DS battery make it from Baltimore to Seattle??; which was known asLet’s sit still for 8 straight hours!in Japan.
Jim Sterling:“Oh la de da, we’re all going to PAX, we’re all big old bum chums who will bum each other up the bum with our bums, tra la la.” You all, for the record, make me want to wretch. In other news, I’ve mostly been playingOblivionwith a mind to finally getting as damn near completion as I care to. I’m making good headway, too, so it won’t be too long now. By the time this goes up, I will hope to have hadBioShockdelivered as well.Dale North:BioShock… until my Xbox 360 died. It seems like we’re hearing more about Xbox deaths since the game came out, but it may be my imagination.Puzzle Quest PSPandDaigasso DSfor the plane ride!Chad Concelmo:I took Niero’s wise advice from a few weeks back and purchasedKororinpa: Marble Maniafor the Nintendo Wii. To put it mildly, I am enjoying it ever so much (seriously, the game rocks!). Oh, there is also a little somethin’-somethin’ I like to callBioShock. Quick, how many times was the wordBioShockmentioned in this post? Answer: 74.Faith:I’ve been playingHeroes of Manaon the Nintendo DS,Eternal SonataDemo on Xbox Live, theBioShockDemo on Xbox Live and that’s about it. I’ve been too busy this week to play a lot of games. I did get to ride theTomb Raiderroller coaster and that was freaky. More on that later.
Rev Anthony:Starts with aB, ends with an-ioShock.Savant:I am currently playing the sequel toBioShockthat’s set in Mississippi —BayouShock!In the game, you fight these big, hulking “cajun daddies” with hot sauce guns. Yeah, it’s pretty intense.
In all seriousness, I am playingBioShockuntil my good eye bleeds.
Gameboi:I’ve been playing some game calledBio.. something. Pardon my poor memory, but my mind is blown. Maybe once I reach the end of the game, everything will come back to me..tiff:My personal phalanges have only had time enough recently to pawn overCastlevania: Portrait of Ruinon my commute to work. On the side, I’ve been giving over-the-shoulder advice to my brother as he’s re-playing LucasArt’s adventure gameThe Dig, but he pretty much knows what he’s doing. No time forBioShocks though. Layme.
That’s the end of it! What have you kids been playing this wee?BioShockperhaps?
