PAX Omnibus

This year I was an Omeganaut. That means until I lost, I did not attend PAX. The Omegathon takes up almost every bit of your time and leaves you drained by day end.

And I absolutely loved it! My only regret is that I didn't abuse my pass more. The only two notable Omega-power moments I had were grabbing the last Guild Wars 2 signed art book and snagging a Left 4 Dead 2 panel when they were dismembering their booth. Both these things are more than amazing.

I made it all the way to the fourth round, which despite my frustration over my loss, I am very proud of. I just wish I had thought to enjoy being on stage a little more during that Rock Band round before the concerts. I mean, I got to OPEN the Saturday night concerts. It was phenomenal and I should have had a lot more fun with it. However, when you get up there it's hard not to stare at the screen as your notes go by and try intently not to shame yourself by failing the game in medium mode.

For the record, had I not been eliminated in a way that was beyond my control, I would have won the show. I had Connect 4 owned and I grew up at the Seattle Center - that means LOTS of Skee Ball. This is the story I'm sticking to!

In the end, I am still happy with my run. I was everyone's favorite to win, including the two men who created the event in the first place. I was told that I was ahead in the Intel "guess the winner" contest as well. It. Was. Amazing.

Plus, there are little experiences better in the world than playing video games while Tycho himself heckles you in the background.

My proudest moment: beating the pants off of the lady killer, Halo 3: ODST round. We literally doubled the score of any other team.

My happiest moment: walking into that same round and seeing an entire section of people in Batman masks cheering wildly. I will never forget that. I'm tearing up a bit just thinking about it. My friends are the most wonderful, amazing, fantastic people on earth and I have no idea how I got so lucky to have these sorts of people in my life.

Embedded below is the Joystiq video of the round. I will never stop laughing after hearing myself yell, "don't get shot!"



I did manage to sneak in a couple games. I might blog on them separately a bit later, once I get the chance to play them more. For example - I have been a little harsh on Left 4 Dead 2. From what I played it was comical looking and way too easy. However, I recognize that playing for all of three minutes does not give me a great scope of the game. I'll pick it up when it comes out, because you still can't beat the Left 4 Dead game mechanic in my mind, and see how it goes then.

I'll also definitely be picking up ODST. I had my doubts about it. I really did think it would be a carbon copy of Gears of War's Horde mode. However, it is legit in being it's own game with very unique game play. I foresee many fun nights screaming "don't get shot" into my Xbox headset.

After my loss on Saturday I decided to spend the entirety of Sunday raping the expo hall. I came back with a ridiculous amounts of swag. I have ideas about what I'm going to do with some of it, but the rest...uh...anyone need a t-shirt?

PAX is the highlight of my year and I loved every second of it. If you haven't checked it out yet, this thread was pointed out to me today. If you do not attend PAX, read through some of it. Then you may begin to grasp what this thing means to me.

Thank you once again to all my friends and supporters and Gabe and Tycho and Khoo and everyone. Best PAX ever.