We saw some of the best and worst of PAX today. It's late here and I really need some damn sleep so this one will be brief. Read on for more snippets from today.
The lack of organization at this years PAX is astounding. Close to 10 different staff members (thats enforcers and convention center staff) told us, nay assured us that as press we got in early every day. Only after we got there this morning we were told we had to wait with everyone else. I don't have a problem waiting in the general queue...normally. When I have an interview scheduled at the same time the floor officially opens, that wait becomes an issue.
After a lot of wrangling and talking to people we did manage to get our interviews on time and you can expect to see those before long. That isn't really really the point though. I was surprised at the lack of support and courtesy towards press by many of the Enforcers and convention center staff this year. I understand that some members of the press can be real dicks. I know it's annoying to have people cutting in your line, but you have to understand that most of us are just trying to do our job.
On a similar note, this years PAX seemed incredibly disorganized. I encountered more Enforcers this year with bad or no information about things ranging from what time the press was allowed in to the Exhibition hall to whether or not there was a media entrance for the Keynote. A good deal of the Enforcers were less than helpful and even seemed pissed off that we were asking them questions. There are a few notable exceptions. Jules was the one that really helped us out to make our scheduled interviews. The gal who grabbed my media badge when I accidentally dropped it. Thank you and all the other Enforcers who treated everyone with the same courtesy no matter the color of their badge.
In other news, I did get some time with Star Trek Online today. While my biggest questions (how the economy is being handled, racial benefits) are still being worked out by the design team, I did learn a lot about the game in the short time I played it.
The space combat reminds me a little of Star Trek Legacy. Before you gasp, let me explain. It's a little like Legacy in that it's 3d. Overall, it plays more like Starfleet Command. You have shields distributed in sections around your front back and sides. After they are depleted, you have your ships armor to rely on before you are destroyed. The weapons almost always hit and the three dimensional space allows or some interesting strategies to evolve.
I fought three Klingon Birds of Prey in orbit above a planet. I them beamed down to the planet to assault their base and find whatever intelligence I could to determine what they were doing there.
The game takes place in the original universe about 35 years after Nemesis. The Khitomer Accord has broken down completely, resulting in all out war between the Federation and the Klingon Empire. I'll have more on it later.
Champions Online has a very in depth character creator. My character, Batboy, had multi-jointed legs and long arms ending in claws. He shot bolts if kinetic energy from his eyes and a magical chain from his hand.
Champions is set in the world of the Tabletop game of the same name, but the points system from the old game has been done away with in favor of a more balanced City of Heroes-ish template.
Finally, Beatles Rock Band. I finally got a little more info on the "Story Mode" for the game. It follows the band through their career to various venues around the world. Doing well on a song will unlock special content like audio clips, photos and videos. The venues include the old English clubs they got their start in, the Ed Sullivan Show set and even a strange psychedelic garden.
That's all she wrote folks. Tune in later for the Sunday Recap!
*Sorry for the late post on this one guys, we were out at parties EVE Online and Magic: The Gathering without the lappie until midnight. By the time we got back, I had about as much energy as a dead sloth.
