Alienware, the people who make graphically intense computer rigs, threw a party at PAX 2011, at the Trinity Nightclub in Seattle on Saturday night. Aside from the projected Alienware logo on the wall, there wasn't anything remotely related to the Alienware brand.
The atmosphere was just like any other dance club. Add to the mix free admission for those who were on the guest list, PAX clubbers were treated to some good tunes, Go-Go dancing, and fun.
Chun-Li even made an appearance, wearing much less than usual. Was the videogame-themed Go-Go Dancer a happy accident? Her dance moves were exceptional.
Monday, August 29, 2011
PAX 2011 Pics with PAX friends
PAX PEOPLES
One of the things that I look forward to most, is meeting up with friends who I haven't seen in a while. There are the usual characters the I see every year at PAX, and then there are those who make it out to PAX every few years. And then there are those who I randomly run into, like an old classmate of mine, who I haven't seen in over 7 years.
This year was filled with many familiar faces, and a few new ones which makes PAX 2011 my favorite PAX yet.
People that I met when I first started going to PAX in 2005, have all grown up and matured. Kinda strange, but true! Time flies, indeed. Sharing a drink with friends once a year made me realize that social gatherings like this should happen more than just once a year. Getting all these people together in one place though is hard, glad they showed up to PAX!
You know you're old when, more and more gamers use PAX as a backdrop for a marriage proposal.
SEGA at PAX "VFer Looking to Challenge other VFers." If I put up a classified ad during PAX, it'd probably sound a little something like that.
SEGA gave gamers a chance to play the latest in the popular fighting game series during the Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle (Aug.26-28), and though Virtua Fighter may not be as big in North America, as it is in the Japan, the fans are just as enthusiastic.
When I caught the news on the SEGA BLOG that two arcade machines, were being brought in from Japan, and were playable (free) during the entire PAX weekend at Gameworks, I admit I was ecstatic.
In fact, everything else at the expo took a back seat to Virtua Fighter 5: Final Showdown, which required no PAX badge to play. I was itching to get to Seattle so I could get some rounds in, and to see what sort of competition would show up. Were there any Virtua Fighter fans out there PAX? And like a blinding kick to the face, I soon discovered there were.
Not since 2008, during a trip to Tokyo for TSG, have I played head-to-head Virtua Fighter 5 against an opponent in the same room. Online gaming on the XBOX 360 just isn't the same, and the Penny Arcade Expo isn't really known for being much of a Virtua Fighter scene. It still isn't, but SEGA brought something special this year, with an event outside the convention centre.
Situated in the main floor of the arcade, the machines were easy to miss if it wasn't for a few banners, and models. (There were two other Virtua Fighter 5 non-Final Showdown machines on the second level of Gameworks, but they were not free)
I stopped by on the Friday afternoon, and as expected there wasn't a big crowd around the machines, except for a few hardcore members of the VirtuaFighter.com forums. Most people travelled from other cities just for this game. Saturday night however was the opposite, being it was the SEGA party at Gameworks, VF5FS was a main attraction.
As usual with all versions of Virtua Fighter, things change, enough to take notice. VF5FS has changed quite a bit in terms of command input, dodging, throws, and general tuning. I personally find it frustrating when my favorite critical moves and combos have been shuffled around. VF5FS feels like a new game, refreshing for veterans, and more approachable for newbs interested in getting into it. That's not to say the game has been dumbed down for newer players. VF5FS is still quite complex, which makes it all the more satisfying when you learn how to play it.
Though, the best part of about going to PAX is the people, and in this case, it was the other Virtua Fighter fans. I really enjoyed the arcade vibe. Some of the really high-level players were nice enough to offer up some tips, and advice, and for the weekend it was like Seattle had an actual VF scene, if only for PAX. (Shouts to Chanchai!)
I honestly cannot wait for this game to hit the arcades officially in NA, as well on the home console in Summer 2012. It will be interesting to see how this game is marketed, as well as the reaction it will receive. Will Virtua Fighter finally catch on in NA? Even if it doesn't but remains as a game for specific fighting gamers, I'd still be very pleased to play it.
THANK YOU SEGA FOR MAKING PAX AWESOME!
Check out the Live-stream from the event and some pics!
ncsoft aion assault on balaurea launch party seattle
AION ASSAULT ON BALAUREA LAUNCH PARTY
NCsoft threw a party at the Experience Music Project, in Seattle during the Penny Arcade Expo weekend. This is what it looked like. No sound.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
Penny Arcade Expo 2010 Timelape Kinect Gears of War
WATCH IN HD!
PAX 2010, a partial time-lapse.
Another expo has come and gone, leaving attendees exhausted from all the fun, but eager for what awaits in next year's expo. With the weekend long event now over, looking back at some of the sights and sounds of PAX is a good way to get all excited once again, and if you've never been to PAX perhaps these wonderful images would convince you to attend in 2011.
I wanted to make a video that captured the hustle and bustle of the Penny Arcade Expo, and what better way to do so than with a time-lapse. I figured since the majority of the time, gamers at PAX are either waiting in lines, or sitting on beanbags, the best time to film PAX would be as attendees enter the building.
And speaking of lines, I've been to all sorts of conventions, from E3, TGS, GDC to SDCC, and I think PAX has hit the point where the Expo floor, has become just like any other convention. Waiting in lines certainly feels that way. Lots of waiting, and waiting.
But don't let my mention of long expo lines dissuade you from attending the Penny Arcade Expo. The convention is filled with a multitude of things to do, see, and play, the Expo floor, is merely an aspect of the craziness. I may not have gotten to everything I wanted to film, but this should be enough.
The video above is actually a partial time-lapse, in addition to regular speed footage of random gaming, from Kinect, to Marvel vs. Capcom 3, even a Tetris Tourney, as well as a PAX party at the tail end.
Who knows, you might appear in the video and not even know it!
Enjoy!
Monday, September 13, 2010
PAX 2010 CHIPTUNE MUSIC ROCKS MAGFEST JAMSPACE
SeanBad at PAX. Watch in HD!
SeanBad @ MAGFEST
It was only a matter of time before the Penny Arcade Expo, gave music fans an alternative to the headlining musical acts at the popular gamer convention. Though these artists may not grace the main concert stage with the likes of Jonathan Coulton, Protomen, or Anamanaguchi, the electronic beats, and nostalgic sounds of classic gaming, performed by a single person armed with a Nintendo Game Boy, is certainly a musical experience not to be missed.
It seems like only last year that chiptune artists were outsiders to the PAX masses, playing impromptu performances on the steps of the Washington State Convention Center, denied entry maybe, but surrounded by curious onlookers as they jammed to 8-bit sounds. Maybe there wasn't enough interest in electronic dance music in the past, to accommodate these musicians inside the expo, but oh how things have changed.
Certainly, for a chiptune DJ, there is no 5-piece band to fill up a stage, nor geek laden rap lyrics, or folk rock music for the audience to sing along to. However, this year is an entirely different story for chiptune music at PAX Prime, thanks to Jamspace, a venue for anyone who plays an instrument to perform, and MAGfest Music, and Gaming Festival, bringing together such a great group of musicians.
Now PAX goers can get their electro chiptune fix, with lots of flashing lights in a dance party environment. The great thing about Jamspace is that you can walk into the room at any time of the day during the convention and hear some great music. I didn't know what to expect when I first entered the room, but an artist by the name of SeanBad was rocking the crowd.
I made this video from footage taken the day SeanBad performed. It features the track 'Kiwis,' a remix of the Live Animal track.
Keep your eyes and ears on SeanBad, he could play at Blipfest one day alongside Nullsleep, Bitshifter, and the other 8bitpeoples.
It's that time of the year again, when you reemerge from the shadows of your cavernous bedroom, ready to take on the competition in the presence of your fellow gamers at the Penny Arcade Expo. You've been tuning your skills at Rockband, perfected combos in Street Fighter IV, tightened your stacking abilities with Tetris DS, and trained your trigger finger for brutal accuracy... Some you may have been counting the days to this event since the last expo concluded, last summer, and if you weren't, the Ticker has been serving as a reminder of the impending festival. It's safe to say you can rejoice, for the time you will be reunited with your fellow nerds is right around the corner.
It's been many years since my very first PAX in 2005, but my enthusism has never died down. I'm always anticipating the event, just to see how much it has grown, changed, and how much it has remained the same. Each year at PAX brings new memories, friends, and random little things that make meeting up with the nerdcrew, all the more entertaining.
Despite having been to the massively popular San Diego Comic-Con, the much exoticzed Tokyo Game Show, Game Developers Conference, as well as E3 back in the day, PAX remains a smaller approachable event, in comparision to those other shows, even though it grows each year in turn-out, the attitude I hope, is still all about the gamer, and the community.
Provided for attendees is a venue where it's totally okay to lounge around and play games, all day, into the night. If you've always been curious about PAX, and are on the fence about going, there are many blogging gamers out there, who have documented their experiences at the expo. Like cdngrrl.1up.com,escaping_burger.1up.com, that_jon_guy.1up.com, missho.1up.com, and of course me rez2cool.1up.com
Will be tweeting the event on all 3 days Sept 4-6th. http://www.twitter.com/albertart -- beginning with the always fun Labor Day weekend road trip.
Eff yeeeah! :p
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Seattle's Schmancy Plush toys
Plushy!
I think most people have had a plush toy at least once in their life. As a kid, I had a bunch of stuffed teddy bears, parrots, and other animals, which were shared among my siblings and I. I guess you can say I've always been a fan of plush toys, but like many other peeps out there, playing with plush was a phase of childhood which dropped off quickly during the middle-school and teen years. I mean come on, what teenage male, has plush toys? Honestly?
Yet, Plush toys are still around, and no longer for kids. Artists who grew up with these stuffed creations have started the trend of making plush for a generation of grownups, and like the vinyl toy movement, designers inject their own quirky humor and personality to these toys, beyond the boring teddy bear design. Designer plush creations have been gaining in popularity, appearing in group art shows around north America, and in boutique shops.
One such store called Schmancy in downtown Seattle, Washington is more devoted to catering to the plush crowd then to the vinyl toy lovers. Which is totally fine by me, I think it's pretty cool. On my recent trip to Seattle, I discovered this store purely by mistake. I had been wondering about the state of vinyl toys in Seattle, and asked the folks at Golden Age comics. They directed me to Schmancy, but the store wasn't what I expected. It was full of plush, and not vinyl! Which was a welcome surprise, because I had never seen a store that was more specific to plush. Schmancy does have vinyl but it's clearly outnumbered by stuffed toys. In Vancouver the plush scene is non-existent, and the vinyl scene is pretty weak compared to other cities like Seattle, so finding this store on 1932 2nd Ave was definitely a welcome sight and a treasure for plastic and plush fans.
Established in 2004 the store offers up a wide selection of plush, and events like art shows every month, and the once a year Plush You! group plush show. The owner Kristen is extremely nice, and will discuss with you her love of plush and passion for the store. What makes this shop even more special is it's connection to companion shops 'Fancy' and 'Pants', creating the trio of Fancy-Schmancy-Pants. Just goes to show the support each store has for each other.
I'd be interested in making a plush toy at some point. It just requires a whole set of new skills, compared to customizing vinyl toys. Sewing and stitching is required learning for plush, and I haven't done that since being forced to take that class in high school.
Be sure to stop by the store if ever you're in Seattle.
Star Trek, Star Wars, Stargate, Blade Runner, Aliens, Terminator, and MORE!
You can tell how geeky someone is, if they are willing to drive 2 hours away, to another city, in another country, to check out a museum -- a science fiction museum at Seattle Center.
There's nothing wrong with liking sci-fi. I mean these days it's become totally acceptable in a technology obsessed culture we live in. Driven by our trinkets, gadgets, and all the stuff that makes our lives more convenient, or entertaining, technology wouldn't be possible without the science behind it, and the science wouldn't be possible if it wasn't for the brains who think outside the box.
Technology heavily inspired by science fiction novels, TV programs, animations, comics or film, it's like we're living in a movie, minus the flying cars. We love our gadgets, computers, computer games, the internet, our cellphones, our flat panel LCD/plasma TVs, our cars and all the high tech stuff within them. Technology and science, and the ideas within science fiction are awe inspiring, and it's everywhere even in the most mainstream of television programming.
I think gamers are more in tune with the sci-fi crowd, because of all the sci-fi themed games, and the technology that comes with playing videogames whether on a computer or console. Videogames have become that happy medium where a person can interact with a computer program, it's AI, virtual world and forget about real life. Man and machine, together. The methods in which we play games are also pretty far out, the motion sensitive, and wireless technologies in gaming are pretty futuristic if you think about it. Touch-screens, and tablet pens are beyond a keyboard and mouse. "Say what? You're swinging a remote instead of a baseball bat? You're tilting your controller to drive a car? You're playing with a plastic drum set in a virtual band?"
When I heard that the sci-fi museum in Seattle had a Star Trek exhibit we geeked out, and took a quick road trip down to America. The drive was easy especially being midweek, during the daytime, so it was pretty much clear sailing.
The last time I was in Seattle, I had gone to the Penny Arcade Expo, and Bumbershoot music festival near the tail end of summer. That was a pretty fun time, and being back in the same area, I couldn't help but think back to how awesome going to both those events were.
We soon realized there was much more than just Star Trek to look forward to.
Who needs to go to New York comic-con when the sci-fi museum has some pretty sweet toys on display in the museums Robots exhibit.
Also in the Museum is the 'Experience Music Project' that is one part history lesson, another part interactive exhibit, where you can learn various instruments like keyboards, drums, and guitars.
If you're in Seattle, or are willing to travel to Seattle, the Sci-fi museum is definitely worth the trip! No picture taking allowed though, unless you're as skilled as I am with the iphone sneakery.
Sunday, September 07, 2008
Seattle Bumbershoot 2008 - Thumbs Up
Bumbershoot rocks!
The annual end of summer music, and arts festival Bumbershoot, offered something for everyone over the labor day long weekend in the Emerald City. As a first time festival goer, who was somewhat unsure of what to expect, I was pleasantly surprised by the variety of things to see and do, that it was practically impossible to get around to everything, leaving me with a feeling of wanting to come back next year.
What is Bumbershoot exactly? Read up on it's history here.
The festival spans 74-acres at the Seattle Center, from the Space Needle, to the Key Arena, and everything within and around it. The area is densely populated with pure entertainment, vendors, stages, exhibits and all sorts of people. The event was also easily accessible via the Monorail.
One thing that I think surprised me the most about Bumbershoot is that it does not favor a specific musical genre, or style, or demographic of people for that matter. Performers from Beck, Estelle, Death Cab for Cutie, to the Stone Temple Pilots, The Offspring, Bedouin Soundclash, Final Fantasy as well as folk, country, jazz and electronic acts to name a few, performed on various stages all over the grounds throughout the day and night. Families, and young people all coming together to enjoy the festival. Skate ramps, screenings, drop-in art classes with live models, comedy performers like Human Giant, and thought-provoking exhibits like "The Power of One" illustrate the diverse appeal and interests of the festival. The food was international, from Thai, and Filipino, to your basic Corn on the Cob, and Russian baked goods. And the free samples of the festival sponsors like Starbucks, Rockstar Energy Drinks, and Cliff Bars wasn't bad either.
Despite how chaotic, Bumbershoot may sound, it was actually very well organized, and controlled. Even though I went to Bumbershoot half the time (the other half was spent at the Penny Arcade Expo), I still was able to find something to do. Even if it meant breaking off from my friends group, exploring the festival grounds by myself, and discovering The Power of One exhibit. It was such a strong contrast to all the entertainment going on, that it actually affected me and brought down the festive mood. In a good way. The images of mutilated soldiers of war, and the struggling people of different countries, was eyeopening.
Estelle put on a head-bopping, ass shaking performance. The UK singer charmed the audience with her down-to-earth personality, and shed some light on her songs, love, breakups, and being in the music industry. Her live performance should be recorded as an album because after hearing her in person, listening to her studio record just isn't the same. The band added so much to the music, it was like hearing remixes.
Stone Temple Pilots performed for a packed crowd, that rocked the festival. Anyone who has forgot who they are was definitely reminded when they played familiar hits from their albums. I was planning on attending Beck's performance, but I ended up being unable to secure a ticket to the show, so I opted for the GameWorks 1UP meetup instead at PAX.
All in all, Bumbershoot was fantastic, and I plan on attending next year. You should too! And if you're stressing about the price for a 3 day pass.. it's totally worth it with the amount of stuff you get access to.
Friday, September 05, 2008
Suckage in Seattle
Awful Chinese food, and lack of electronic stores in downtown.
When I first arrived in Seattle for PAX it was pretty late, the drive ended up being longer than I thought because of the Canada/USA border crossing delays, odd sunny-rainy weather, and the traffic issues it caused. Hungry and being somewhat familiar with certain landmarks in downtown, I ended up going to Chinatown thinking that I'd be able to eat at the Japanese market Uwajimaya, (The foodcourt has multicultural cuisine). Though by the time I got there, it was practically closed. Plan B was to eat somewhere in the area, since most Chinatowns kick ass, and Asian restaurants typically stay open late.
There was this one restaurant that I had been meaning to go to since my last trip to Seattle, so I decided to check it out. It was pretty packed, and it seemed to be a popular spot, hungry we (my dad came along to PAX) proceeded inside. Everything seemed cool, I look at the menu, and I was surprised to see they had fried brown rice, rather than the usual fried rice. Taken by the idea, I ordered it, along with some noodle dish. At this point I was really excited about the food, until not even 2 minutes later, the waitress brings out the food. I was kinda shocked at how fast they "cooked" it.
The food was luke warm, like it had been sitting under a heat lamp for hours, and it had a flavor of cheap soy sauce, lard, and just general shit quality. I was disgusted. I take a look around, and I see everyone enjoying their food, the thing is, there weren't any Asians eating. Usually the lack of Asians at an Asian restaurant is a bad thing. I should have noticed sooner. I tried to eat as much as I could, but I got to a point where subjecting myself to such an atrocious meal was morally wrong.
I flagged the woman down for the bill, tossed some cash on the table, and literally walked out as she was ready to pour more tea. Worst fucking Chinese food evar. Even worse than Panda Express.
When I told a friend of mine who used to live in Seattle what had happened, he himself agreed that Chinese food in Seattle is utter crap. He used to drive all the way back to Vancouver just to get a good meal. And he's absolutely right. Here in Vancouver we have some really kick ass cuisine, in fact we're spoiled. After this bad experience in Seattle, it makes me appreciate Vancouver even more.
This place was on the corner of S. Weller and 6th. Avoid at all costs.
Another thing that bugged me about Seattle was the lack of electronic stores in the downtown core, specifically around the convention center, and Seattle Center. I wanted to buy something for my ipod, but there wasn't an Apple Store, or Best Buy, in the area. Really annoying considering Vancouver has multiple electronic stores within short distances of each other.
Don't get me wrong, I still love Seattle, and these minor quibbles are just that, minor. Seattle's great, and I'll post my thoughts on Bumbershoot coming up next.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
PAX 08 will have my divided attention this year.
Penny Arcade Expo, and Bumbershoot.
Here I thought that I'd be sick of geek conventions after enduring the ridiculousness of San Diego Comic-Con, but it looks like I'll be attending PAX after all... Just not in it's entirety.
This year my trip to the Penny Arcade Expo will be a slightly different experience from years prior. For one thing, my brother's not gonna be around, and neither is my sister which I'm totally bummed about. Though surprisingly, many of my friends, and co-workers are planning to go, even though previous years they had no idea what PAX was. Now that they're all familiar with what PAX is all about, they're eager to go on a road trip to Seattle. And so I was convinced to go after I had planned on skipping out on PAX this year. To make things even more different, I won't be at PAX the whole time. I was swayed to buy a pass to the Music festival Bumbershoot going on the same time.
Though the concert lineup isn't packed with awesomeness, there are a few acts that I did want to see like Beck, Estelle, Keyshia Cole, T.I., Stone Temple Pilots, The Offspring, Bedouin Soundclash, Death Cab For Cutie, Dan Deacon, The Weakerthans and a few others. Oh wait, that's actually a lot for 3 days.
In any case, I'll be spending time at both events. I fear PAX will take a back seat this year, but oh well. Better to be there, than to not be there at all.
You can tell how geeky someone is, if they are willing to drive 2 hours away, to another city, in another country, to check out a museum -- a 
When I heard that the sci-fi museum in Seattle had a Star Trek exhibit we geeked out, and took a quick road trip down to America. The drive was easy especially being midweek, during the daytime, so it was pretty much clear sailing.
