Pax East 2014 has come to a close. The team at New Gamer Nation had a great time meeting with the awesomely dressed cosplayers, the people and teams behind the games, and most importantly, playing all different types of games. Now that I have had a chance to reflect, these are my top 5 things I learned from PAX East 2014.
5. Cosplay is Not Going Away
Not only is Cosplay not going away, it’s getting better. Costumes are more elaborate, they are visually striking, and in some cases, groups of people are all dressed as a theme. It was great to see individual companies and game developers retweeting costumes of epic proportions. If you have not yet done so, check out PAX East 2014 Cosplay galleries. Maybe we have a picture of you in your costume!
4. Wolfenstien is Back
The character of B.J. Blazkowicz has been a featured hero in the Wolfenstien series since his introduction in Castle Wolfenstien in 1981. However, it has been six years since we have last seem him in Wolfenstein circa 2009. After getting a hands on demo of Wolfenstien: The New Order on the Playstation 4, I cannot wait for its release. The visual effects are tremendous, the story of the Nazi’s winning World War continues to be captivating, and having a fresh first person shooter is a welcome site.
3. The Oculus Rift Won Me Over
I wear glasses, and the thought of me taking off my glasses and putting on a VR headset was a thought that never crossed my mind. But PAX East 2014 saw a contingent of games being played on the Oculus. The Oculus is immersive, immense and fabulous. I was able to play Darknet and interview E McNeil about the use of the Oculus in gaming. With Facebook’s recent purchase of the company, its massive funding base should help this sort of technology reach living rooms everywhere.
2. The Indie Community is Strong
Indie developers were everywhere. PAX East 2014 did see its share from large studios including Bethesda, Microsoft, and Square Enix. But the show floor was dominated by great games from hundreds of indie developers. The back half of the show floor was set aside, exclusively for indie games. The Indie Mega Mobile Booth had a multitude of games on every gaming platform including your mobile device, the Oculus, the Xbox One and the Playstation 4. Be sure to check out our Indie interviews of DarkNet, Hotline Miami 2, Project Totem, and Race the Sun. These games need be on your “To Play List”.
1. PlayStations Were Everywhere
It has been six months since the next gen consoles have been released. In previous PAX Easts, I have always noticed that Xbox was the premier console. However, at PAX East 2014, we saw everyone from indies, to well known developers, showcasing their games on the PS4. While this observation was not scientific, it was still eye opening. On Friday, there was also a panel discussion devoted to discussing which console was in the driver’s seat just six months after launch. The consensus of the panel was that the Sony Playstation 4’s focus on the core gamer is why it will continue to win the next-gen console war.
Did you attend PAX East 2014? If you did be sure to leave a comment or twitter post letting us know whether you noticed the same.