PAX 2012 Highlights

Like last year, I finished my PAX weekend having not played quite as many video games as I'd have liked. However, this is mostly because I spent considerable daylight time hanging out with beautiful and awesome people off the show floor doing things like eating Thai food and not standing line line, so I think it all evens out.

If we spoke at all this weekend, you likely already know that my favorite games of the show were Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance and Super Time Force. So rather than doing Yet Another Video Game Recap List cblog post, I'm going to honor some slightly more esoteric highlights of PAX 2012.

Best Cosplay - Shrimp Tempura Girl?

She walked by while I was in line waiting to play Monaco. I don't know where she got the idea, but it's awesome. It's the only cosplay photo that I decided on a whim to just take, and she seemed happy enough (I don't know how fried shrimp expresses agreement) to pose for my camera.

Runners-up - Anybody who wasn't those asshole Firefall models. Seriously. Fuck these guys. And their game.

Best-Dressed Asian Man - Hideo Kojima

You can't really see it in this photo that I took from the front row(!!!) but his t-shirt was bedazzled and sparkly. Also, it's Hideo Kojima so he sorta wins by default.

Runner-up - Matt Kim, aka lawofthermaldynamics.

Most Impressive Tech That I Got To Try - Those headphones at the Runner 2 booth

I've never actually tried legit noise-cancelling headphones and Bose always gets shit from the audiophiles I talk to but damn that was neat. Nicely done, Gaijin Games.

Runner-up - Dude, the Red Lion hotel has free Wi-Fi. In the rooms. Holy shit. That's a first for me. Shut up.

This category is also called "I'm Jealous I Didn't Get To Try the Oculus Rift"

Best Hotel Moment - Dat Exhausted Sunday Afternoon Break

Photo by Swishiee
Max and Beccy had finished for the day and we all just ate Thai food and decided to relax in the room for an hour. Jenn was delerious and wouldn't stop flirting with the bed, and Max and I discovered the Biboran thing.

Runner-up - The Friday hangover. Hangovers are bullshit and nobody likes them, but they're a PAX staple and an iconic way of knowing that you're starting the weekend right. Also, Swishiee discovered his PC FNF post had the word "Yup." in the title. Ah, alcohol.

Most Awkward Photo Of Myself - Posing with the HAWKEN mech

All that's missing is a Hover Hand.

Runner-up - Photobombing Swishiee's Gobun impression.

Most Skilled Jaffa Cannon Operator - Beccy Caine

Photo by Ali D
She hit Hamza square in his dumb spiky hair on the first attempt and won a dollar from Mr. Andy Dixon as a result.

Runner-up - There can be only one.

Best Tweets (No Particular Order)





Other things
- During the Hey Ash! panel, a guy got up to ask a question, and Anthony Burch mistook him for Samit Sarkar. He even called this dude Browntown. In front of everybody. And then he realized his mistake.

- Some Destructoid stickers were placed on the hood of a BMW. A group of us then ran in fear inside the hotel, not wanting to be present when the driver returned.

- Speaking of stickers, Niero lifted JJMcCallum up in an elevator to hide one of the stickers on the other side of the elevator's ceiling. Secret vandalism!

- Anthony Carboni seemed genuinely excited to discover that I'm a real person, and not just "a Twitter robot that talks about anime".