PAX East 2013 will open its doors to those who have a pass starting at 10 a.m. tomorrow. If you're sitting at home this weekend, then you'll be missing out on some great convention action. For those of you who are attending this weekend's festivities, here are ten things you need to keep an eye out for. If you're lucky, maybe you'll spot your favorite Examiner.com writer there as well.
In no particular order:
10. Storytime with Cliff Bleszinski - Located in the Main theater at 10:30 a.m., Cliff will be delivering the keynote speech to kick things off. For those of you who don't know, Cliff Bleszinski was the former design director over at Epic Games (Gears of War) who shocked the industry when he unexpectedly quit his day job.
9. VGO - The Chrono Trigger soundtrack is one of the best and well-known soundtracks in video games. It's one of the best parts of the game. What's even better is hearing it live and in person. If you'd like to, then check out the Video Game Orchestra in the Main theater Friday night. They will be playing selections from different video games from Castlevania to Metal Gear Solid to Final Fantasy and back.
8. Indie Minibooth - Located at 581, the Indie Minibooth will be showcasing some of the industry's finest independently developed games. This is not to be mistaken with the PAX East Indie Showcase, located at 691, which also features some of today's finest indie games. Confused? It's okay. Check them both out!
7. From Playtest to 3-D Printer - This is a panel on how to make your own board game or war game. If you've ever had that creative itch or think you can do better than what's out there, then you should check this out. It will be in the Sphinx Theater from 7 - 8 p.m. on Friday.
6. Blizzard Entertainment - Located at booth 1036, they will be there showcasing the console version of Diablo3. Maybe they'll also have some other news on a smaller game that was released earlier this month called StarCraft 2: Heart of the Swarm.
5. Bethesda - They will be there in a big way. It will be so big they need three booths: 1012, 1018, and 912. Rumor is that there will also be a food truck involved. They will be demoing the new Elder Scrolls Online and the new DLC for Dishonored.
4. The TGS podcast - Also known as The Game Station, they will be hosting their podcast in the Wyvern theater from 5 - 6 p.m. on Saturday. The podcast will feature Totalbiscuit, Dodger, and Jesse Cox. However, don't be fooled, these three have gone on to become well respected video game experts and reviewers thanks to YouTube.
3. Cosplay - A vast majority of the attendees at PAX will be going as their favorite character from various games. Some of the costumes can go from simple to extremely complex. In 2012, someone dressed up as Bumblebee from Transformers. The costume was able to transform and roll out!
2. Digital Board Games - This is a panel on how "board games are entering and growing in the digital world." With so many people online and owning tablets today, it's no surprise that traditional board games are making their way to these portable devices. Did you know you can play Settlers of Catan online? They will be located in the Corgi theater from 3 - 4 p.m. on Saturday
1. A Random History of Dice - Have you ever wondered why there are six sides on most dice? Who came up with the idea of adding more sides? Come learn about the history of dice at this panel. It will be held at the Tabletop Workshop from 12:30 - 1 p.m. on Sunday.
Hope to see you all there. Don't forget to follow me on twitter @SimeonCortezano for exclusive news and photos from the floor of this year's PAX East.
As always, if you have any comments, sound off below. Questions are always welcomed, and can be emailed to BGExaminer@hotmail.com. Also, please "like" and subscribe to stay up to date on the latest local news about hobby gaming, and don't forget to tell all your friends.
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