Re: PAX 2013

This marks my second year of PAX.  While I certainly enjoyed it more this year (having not just been laid off), it really felt like there was a lack of excitement.  There were no "must play" titles.  Not even the new consoles drew my interest:  The Xbox One is a system without a soul (due to the great redaction of features/requirements), and the PS4 is only a marginal improvement for the end user (developers on the other hand...).  So what was worth checking out?

Crypt of the Necrodancer
The Indie Megabooth is the shining jewel of PAX.  It's the home of games you didn't know existed - the type that are truly exciting and interesting.  Topping that list for me is Crypt of the Necrodancer, a rhythm-based dungeon crawler with an excellent retro aesthetic and astounding sound to back it up.  It's beat-based turn system drives the player to constant action, demanding "flow" level concentration, instantly putting the player "in the zone."  I wholeheartedly recommend this one, so go preorder it now.

Tengami
This zen point-and-click (touch?) adventure is a wondrous work of beauty.  The game plays like a pop-up book (such that any scene could be made into a physical, functioning page).  This is one of those games that sells you on the visual style, and it's just a fantastic world to explore.  Absolutely worth a look, and I'll definitely be getting it on Wii U early next year.  However, you could get it for iOS later this fall.

Neverending Nightmares
Horror is my thing.  I haven't tried the demo yet, but the looping trailer was enough to make my skin crawl.  This is the game about the developer's own struggles with mental illness, which promises a unique experience.  If that's the sort of thing you're into, go back this one.  If not, try the demo, available on their Kickstarter page.

Honorable Mentions
Armello - Turn-based strategy with for iOS with awesome antrhopomorphic animal characters.  Too bad I don't have an iPad.
Repopulation - An MMO that structures what quests you get based on your actions.  Certainly intriguing.
Legend of Dungeon - Think New Super Mario Bros as a procedurally-generated dungeon-crawling beat-em-up.  With hats.  Keep an eye on this one (or maybe buy it while it's in beta).

Paint and Take
Aside from the excellence of indies, my favorite part of PAX was Reaper Miniatures' free paint-and-take: Pick a model, paint it, and take it home.  Simple, fun, and a great marketing idea.  It's the equivalent of getting the free Magic the Gathering deck in your PAX swag bag.  You get to try it for free, and they might earn a new loyal customer.  I'm totally sold on their paints now; they dry fast and mix well.  The bottles utilize spouts (similar to a super glue bottle), which works much better than a simple paint well.  They'll be doing a Kickstarter later this year, so watch out for that if you like giant bone creature minis.

Sorry for the late post yet again, but I forgot that PAX was coming up.  I'll get back on schedule this week.

See you Friday.