I probably will say this every year I attend, but this year’s PAX East was my favorite one yet. The showfloor was excellent, with an amazing selection of the latest titles from both big name developers and indie up and comers. The tabletop and freeplay areas were expanded upon, the panels were enjoyable and entertaining.

Throughout the weekend, and really every PAX East, there’s a feeling of respect and community that I’ve never felt at any other convention. I’ve never made more friends at any other expo or con as I have at PAX East, and year after year I manage to reunite with old friends while making new ones. All of us who attend owe a great debt to those who dedicate their time and energy to making PAX the best it can be year in and year out, including the Penny Arcade staff and the Enforcers, the most dedicated, helpful group of volunteers I’ve ever come across.

I always get a feeling of sadness when I pack my bags, wave goodbye to the BCEC, and leave Boston, and while the PAX experience on the East coast may be over, the memories, souvenirs, beta keys, freebies, new friends, and new favorite games are all things we can connect with and experience everyday. We really bring PAX home with us. And there’s always PAX Prime in the fall.

I hope that those of you attended the convention enjoyed yourself as much as I did. Check out some photos from my time at PAX East after the jump.

Continue Reading →

Formerly known as True Crime: Hong Kong, Sleeping Dogs was showcased at the SquareEnix booth on the show floor this weekend at PAX East. I got a chance to sit down with some of the people who worked on the game, and learn more about this open world crime drama.

Based loosely on Infernal Affairs, Sleeping Dogs takes place in modern-day Hong Kong, and revolves around police officer Wei Shen who goes undercover to take down a Triad organization. The developers I spoke with emphasized that the game will be very serious, with emphasis on a dramatic storyline.

On the outside, Sleeping Dogs may look like Grand Theft Auto set in Hong Kong. But they’ve really taken their time to make sure that while this game is very much a sandbox, it’s not a reskinned GTA clone. I got to check out a demo of a racing mission in the game, and the driving system is very precise. I didn’t feel like I was flying all over the road, and since several developers of Need for Speed had a hand in creating Sleeping Dogs, it makes sense that the driving be top notch.

Continue Reading →

Lawnmower Challenge, another selection for this year’s Boston Indie Showcase at PAX East, has done something interesting: it’s taken a chore that most consider a sweaty nuisance, and turned it into a mind-bending puzzle game.

In Lawnmower Challenge, your quest is simple: mow all the grass. However, these aren’t your average suburban lawns. There are locked gates that can only be unlocked with a key, unmowable sections that need planting, and gates that can only be opened from a certain direction. These all would be simple obstacles to overcome if you weren’t going for a perfect score, as your steps are counted and the fewer you take, the more stars you’ll earn.

Don’t let the simple controls and cute graphics fool you; it’ll take considerable planning to complete each level at three stars.

Continue Reading →

Imagine being turned into a jumping bean by an evil wizard, and on top of all that having your girlfriend kidnapped. Worst day ever, right? That’s what our hero, Emilio, is faced with in Bean’s Quest, a bouncing 16-bit platformer included in the Boston Indie Showcase, which will be shown off this weekend at PAX East.

Using the touchscreen controls of your favorite iOS device, you control Emilio as he bounds, bounces, and boings his way through each level, collecting diamonds as well as his missing pet axolotls along the way. Emilio never stops jumping, so all you have to do is move him left or right, but simple controls don’t make this game a breeze.

The difficulty in Bean’s Quest lies not in completing each level, but completing each level under the required number of bounces to obtain a perfect rating. If you’re going for all the diamonds and axolotls as well, it gets even more difficult. I found myself repeating levels over and over to try to get a better score and collect all the goodies, and with 150 levels to traverse, replay level for Bean’s Quest is pretty high.

Bean’s Quest also features an original soundtrack, as well as Game Center integration.

The game is available for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch. It’s on sale right now, so jump on over to the iTunes Store and pick it up for $1.99, or check it out on the show floor this weekend at PAX.

Say what you will about the Transformers movies, the game tie-ins are actually pretty fun. Obviously, others thought so to because the first game was a big success and because of that, Activision is creating a new game sequel called Transformers: Fall of Cybertron.

Coming from High Noon Studios, the upcoming game “allows players to experience the darkest hours of the war between the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS as they vie for control of their dying home world.” In the game, players will be able to “fight through both sides of the Transformers’ most epic battles that culminate in their legendary exodus from Cybertron.”

In addition, players in the game “will embark on an action-packed journey through massive, war-torn environments designed around each character’s unique abilities and alternate forms, including GRIMLOCK’s nearly indestructible T-Rex form and the legendary COMBATICONS combining into the colossal BRUTICUS.”

Previously, we brought you the first reveal trailer for the game and now, to help get you ready for the game’s release, we’ve got two new trailers to share today. One is the first actual gameplay trailer and the other takes you behind the scenes to see how things get done.

Check out both trailers after the break. Look for Transformers: Fall of Cyberton to arrive in stores on August 28.

Continue Reading →

Assassin’s Creed III has proven itself a huge point of interest for many gamers since it’s reveal. With the drastic change of scenery from three games set in Renaissance Italy and Constantinople, the idea of a new proper sequel to the series with a completely new continent to adventure upon is one people can’t seem to resist talking about.

Yesterday, Machinima.com got access to an exclusive teaser trailer of Connor, the game’s new protagonist. In it, Connor’s character model is presented in stunning detail, though no gameplay is shown. Instead, the trailer focuses on the tools of the trade Connor will be using, confirming the items originally hinted at in the game’s XBox.com description like the dual pistols and the much anticipated tomahawk.

Interestingly enough, Connor is fairly new to the Assassin brotherhood. The trailer reveals he only joined in 1770 with the game taking place during the American Revolution only a few years later. Many who played the original games will remember that Altair was raised in the Assassins while Ezio was destined to become a part of the order since birth as well. Connor may end up being most like Desmond, the series’ modern day protagonist who has been thrust into his current role.

Take a peek at the teaser after the break. Keep your eyes peeled to The Flickcast for more on Assassin’s Creed III and its new protagonist Connor.

Continue Reading →

For those of you anxiously awaiting news of a release data for Blizzard’s Diablo III, this post is for you. That’s right fans, Blizzard on Thursday announced that the highly anticipated follow-up to the hit game Diablo II will be available on May 15th.

However, that’s not the best part. Digital copies of Diablo III can be pre-ordered starting today for $59.99. Call it a late Xmas present if you want.

In case you’re not familiar with Diablo III, it picks up twenty years later with a new generation of heroes who must face the forces of evil. In the game, players will be able to choose from a barbarian, a monk, a demon hunter, a witch doctor and a wizard.

For more, click through for the full press release from Blizzard.

Continue Reading →

This year’s Boston Indie Showcase, the impressive list of independent games featured at PAX East in April, is a bit different than in years past- because the games are all mobile based, we’ll all be able to play most of them before the show even happens. Pretty cool, right? Here’s the first of the Boston Indie Showcase that I’ve tried out for myself, a word game that goes beyond Scrabble and Boggle.

SpellTower is like Words with Friends meets word searches, and will appeal to anyone who loves any kind of word puzzles. It’s a pretty simple concept: create words using the letters you’re given. In Tower Mode, you’ll only get 100 letters, but as much time as possible to rack up as many points as you can. In Puzzle Mode, a row is added for each word you make. Rush Mode is timed, meaning the quicker you create words, the longer you’ll survive. Words can be created diagonally, backwards, and even overlap, so you can really get creative in how you form words and clear the board.

Continue Reading →

For those finally catching up with all their late 2011 gaming, Assassins’ Creed: Revalations marked the end of Ezio’s story (for now at least). Now, from the look of the new trailer for Assassins’ Creed III, we are going to be fast forwarding a little over two hundred and fifty years and crossing the Atlantic to the new world as the founding fathers waged a revolution.

As originally reported the other day by the Flickcast, Assassins’ Creed III will feature a half English, half Mohawk man named Connor, and also referred to by his birth name of Ratohnhaké:ton. The game will also feature historical figures like George Washington and Charles Lee alongside Benjamin Franklin who may play a role similar to that of Leonardo da Vinci from the Assassins’ Creed II timeline. As revealed by the description on the Microsoft website (see below), the game will feature the weapons of the time including bows, pistols and a tomahawk.

Also worth noting is the mention of “abundant wildlife” which is yet to be seen other than the eagles and pigeons flying around in the previous games. This leaves potential for instances like that of Red Dead Redemption where players can have encounters with wildlife and have to have a knife fight with a bear. Though Connor must have a better set of skills for taking on grizzlies than John Marsten did.

Continue Reading →

Angry Birds may be a simple game, but with over 12 million downloads on the App Store alone, it’s the biggest name in mobile gaming. Which is why I’m really excited to learn that the newest version of the high-flying poultry puzzle game will be in space.

That’s right, Angry Birds Space. SPACE. I LOVE space.

The game’s developer, Rovio, has posted a website for the game, with an image of a slingshot on the moon and the words “One small fling for a bird, one quantum leap for birdkind” underneath.

Thinking about it, Angry Birds is a game about physics and gravity. Knocking down different pieces of the environment is key to finishing levels and obtaining high scores. So introducing zero-gravity into a game based around gravity is going to put an entirely new spin on it, and I think it’s a great way to take this already fantastic game to new heights (literally).

Angry Birds Space launches March 22nd. While you wait, you can check out Rovio’s website where you can download a new wallpaper and watch the teaser trailer after the jump.

Continue Reading →

The Flickcast returned to Toy Fair on Monday to check out the newest figures, games and collectibles coming out in the next year. (Just in case you didn’t see last year’s gallery, check it out here)

Like the announcement last year of a new Thundercats reboot, this year was graced with a new Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles line which we will talk more about in the coming days. We also got to take a look at the newest assortment of Skylanders coming out for this year’s Skylanders Giants. We also had the privilege to talk to the master scribe and artist Todd McFarlane about the latest lines he has coming out this year for Halo and the Walking Dead. Stay tuned for that later this week too.

There was tons of licensing going on this year, see the Dark Knight Returns Mr. Potato Head if you don’t believe us. LEGO also expanded on their licensing of the DC and Marvel franchises with life sized Hulk, Batman, Superman and Wonder Woman pieces as well as further expansion of their Star Wars line.

Surprisingly, Portal 2 had a huge presence on the show floor as well with Companion Cubes, Portal Gun replicas and even Cave Johnson Portraits.

Take a peek below at all this plus way more with our look at the show floor of Toy Fair 2012.

Continue Reading →

One of the biggest game releases this year is the upcoming Mass Effect 3, the sequel to the mega hit franchise that blends Sci-Fi action and RPG immersion. The game is already being penciled in for game of the century and fans are at a fever pitch in anticipation, so bringing the game to iOS devices seems a smart way to capitalize.

The just announced Mass Effect Datapad is still clouded in some mystery, but we do know it will be an iPad exclusive. Best estimation is that the app will work as sort of a strategy guide, or some sort of informational support for your missions.

Also, EA has announced Mass Effect Infiltrator for all iOS devices, a third person shooter that is meant to feed into the main game’s Galaxy At War system. The mobile game is set around freeing prisoners and gaining evidence against Cerberus, both of which will have a direct impact on your single player experience.

Continue Reading →