The annual Penny Arcade Expo in Seattle is this weekend. This has been creeping up on me. After moving into a new apartment, the last few weeks have been busy and just flew by, and I almost forgot about this.
At the beginning of August, they released the panel schedule, and over the last few weeks, game studios have been issuing press releases on all the games they plan on having in the exhibition hall. Everything seems to be coming together, and I'm definitely excited.
Here's some of the panels (and events) that I plan on attending...
1up Presents: Retronauts v. Your Fondest Memories - Friday 3pm @ Kraken Theatre
Although I don't listen to retronauts anymore, their live podcasts are always great. Jeremy Parish and Chris Kohler have an incredible wealth of gaming knowledge, and they're joined by Jeff Green this year, which should add some extra humor to the mix.
Minecraft Adventure Update Q&A and Demo - Friday 3pm @ Minecraft Booth
Notch hosts a Q&A for the upcoming Minecraft 1.8 patch, and plays through a demo.
After Party w/ The Protomen - Friday 8pm @ El Corazon
An intimate after party with one of the best video game music groups! Openers include Jonny Nero Action Hero, and Klopfenpop. Hosted by Fangamer.
Hey Ash, Whatcha Playin' - Saturday 10:30am @ Kraken Theatre
Though I'm not really fan of Destructoid people, Ashley and Anthony Burch, along with their father, form a hilarious sibling rivalry over specific games.
Irrational Games - Saturday 2pm @ Unicorn Theatre
It's been over one year that Irrational Games unveiled their upcoming title BioShock Infinite, the pseudo sequel/prequel to their 2007 hit game BioShock. The panel is lead by Ken Levine as he discusses the development process, what we're seen already of BioShock Infinite, and they'll probably play through the E3 demo on stage.
Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim - Saturday 3:30pm @ Unicorn Theatre
One of the biggest and most hyped games of this upcoming season is the new Elder Scrolls game, Skyrim. Bethesda devs take the stage, and most likely will run through the QuakeCon demo on stage. Super excited for this one.
Square Enix Presents... - Saturday 7pm @ Pegasus Theatre
Squaresoft is heading a panel as well, and they will be unveiling a brand new title. This title is Airtight Games upcoming FPS from creative director Kim Swift (creator of Portal, and director of the Left 4 Dead games). While I don't give a shit about Square anymore, I'm quite a fan of Kim Swift. Can't wait to see what it is.
Minecraft Griefer Party - Sunday 5:30pm @ Minecraft Booth
Notch is tearing down the Minecraft booth and giving away pieces of it as souvenirs.
Nothing else really caught my eye. It seemed like there were a lot more interesting panels at PAX East this year (reference). It's also annoying that there isn't a Chiptune showcase.
But that's fine. My time at PAX is almost always spent in the exhibition rooms standing in lines waiting for games. This year there is a huge amount of upcoming games I'm interested in and all of them plan to be at PAX. These include House of the Dead, Team ICO Collection, Elder Scrolls Skyrim, and Zelda Skyward Sword.
According to this list, there will also be indie game Fez, upcoming Suda 51 / James Gunn game Lollipop Chainsaw, Batman Arkham City, Mass Effect 3, Grasshopper published titles Sine Mora and Black Knight Sword, and Sony will have Playstation Vita units to demo too. Mojaang (Minecraft) has a booth too!
It should be an amazing fun time.
Update: Added stuff about Minecraft from their schedule