• Hey, guest user. Hope you're enjoying NeoGAF! Have you considered registering for an account? Come join us and add your take to the daily discourse.

PAX Prime 2015 Attendees Thread

W

_woLf

Member
Done with PAX for this year and while I loved almost all the games I was able to play, this was probably the most unpleasant PAX i've ever attended overall. Security and enforcers seemed especially rude this year, the amount of lines was absolutely absurd (there were lines to use escalators to leave pax, at 2pm in the afternoon. Really?) Swag distribution continues to be a problem in terms of people running out completely within hours and there being little to no female sizes for shirts.

Capped line situation is VERY bad and needs to be looked into. I was unable to play a lot of stuff because lines were capped, I was told to come back in 15 minutes and I couldn't stand around, and when I came back it was capped again with a new bunch of people.

Tomb Raider being closed today from 10am to 1pm for a press event is exactly what PAX should 100% ban from ever happening. it was a complete joke. Also couldn't believe how short the Just Cause 3 demo was -- a whole 90 seconds. I didn't even have enough time to learn the controls before my time was up and I was pushed out of the booth. That was worth the 45 minute wait! Especially since they were out of tshirts!

I loved how big the booths were but really feel like they could lose the giant props and tons of press rooms in the same area as the general booth and use that space for more consoles/PCs to actually play the game. For Honor had as many consoles as Elite Dangerous, a game that is already out. Battlefront, arguably one of the biggest releases of the entire year, was on 2 TVs until today, when they put it on a third one. Couldn't believe that at all.

I waited literally 4 hours to play Valkyrie at the oculus booth yesterday. I've been to disneyland and disneyworld during peak times and I've never once had a line that long. They really need to come up with something because it just felt especially bad this year -- there was a point where just about every single game I tried to play had a capped line (even some indies!) so I couldn't play anything at all. That's not what PAX is supposed to be about.

That being said, I want Mirrors Edge right now.
 
M

mcw

Member
_woLf said:
I waited literally 4 hours to play Valkyrie at the oculus booth yesterday. I've been to disneyland and disneyworld during peak times and I've never once had a line that long. They really need to come up with something because it just felt especially bad this year -- there was a point where just about every single game I tried to play had a capped line (even some indies!) so I couldn't play anything at all. That's not what PAX is supposed to be about.
Click to expand...

Well, it is now. Khoo has said on multiple occasions that they can't do anything about the lines as long as PAX continues to be as well-attended as it is. Their hope was that by establishing three other PAX events, they would spread out the crowds, but that hasn't borne out-- every other PAX is also crowded, just with different people.

I've been going to PAX since 2006 and after Enforcing at South this year, I decided I'd seen enough PAXes for my lifetime. It's a great event if you've never been-- there's so much happening that you can always find something fun to do as long as you're open-minded about the options-- but once you've been to a few of them, you start zeroing in on a few specific things you want to do every PAX, and if those things are among the many that require a significant investment of time waiting in lines, then your enjoyment of those things will be greatly diminished and you won't be augmenting it with any other fun panels or games.
 
I

Interficium

Banned
The line thing is never going to get better. Demand will always rise to the level of capacity. If the wait for Halo 5 is only 20 minutes, you better believe Halo fans will start getting right back in line after they're done with their demo, and word will get out that the Halo line is really quick. All the sudden the line goes back up to 1.5 hours.
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
_woLf said:
I waited literally 4 hours to play Valkyrie at the oculus booth yesterday. I've been to disneyland and disneyworld during peak times and I've never once had a line that long. They really need to come up with something because it just felt especially bad this year -- there was a point where just about every single game I tried to play had a capped line (even some indies!) so I couldn't play anything at all. That's not what PAX is supposed to be about.

That being said, I want Mirrors Edge right now.
Click to expand...
There's a good amount of ways to go about what you want to do, mostly involving doing research and arriving early to the stuff you can't skip.

Vive: Wake up early by 1.5 hours and hit up main hotel, hotel show area 1-2 hrs (cloud---- demo), or van
Oculus: download app for appointment (think it filled by like 4pm friday?) or check nvidia booth for 15-60 min wait, or one of the 4 indie areas. The indie Tactica game was better than most of the official oculus demos imo
PlayStation stuff probably just pick a game to get there early, gotta have priorities
A lot of line stuff I'll just watch a round and its enough.
 
D

Darth Chocula

Member
Saturday at the exhibit hall honestly wore me down as the day went on. I enjoyed myself and played Uncharted 2, La Mulana 2, Street Fighter V (And won my match!), Megaman Legacy Collection and Resident Evil 0. I tried Grandia 2 briefly, stood it out in line for 'Below' at the indie booth and watched Mad Max (which looked damn pretty) and Dark Souls III from afar.

But I agree with the capping. Everything was capped off. The Steam Controller was capped off, the Oculus was capped off. Dark Souls was capped off, and when I came back it was still capped off with what seemed like an even bigger line. I had started to waffle on spending the entire weekend at the con but the deciding factor was getting turned away from the Morpheus and being asked to schedule an appointment and not being able to because of my Canadian phone's inability to grab and use their QR code/app to do so, and when I did the app refused anyway. I text a gaffer and sold him my Sunday pass, no profit.

As a first timer the experience picked up attending the Final Fantasy XV Active Time Report panel and Igarashi's Bloodstained panel. They were both entertaining and conveyed a lot of new information about the games and I was lucky enough to get a ticket to the FFXV signing today, so despite not attending (I went to EMP's Star Wars exhibit instead) I still got to participate in PAX today.

Extreme ambivalence about following it up a second time though, 8 hours to navigate that logistical nightmare? Nnnnnnnnoooo. I don't care how long the Oculus Rift eludes me.
 
S

srst

Member
Sony saturated the Uncharted Collection a bit too much. Some demo/footage of Phantom Pain, Uncharted 5 or more Battlefront would have been nice.
 
B

BeardyChan

Member
Here's to the possibility of shorter lines today. Almost everything of interest to me eluded me due to capped lines. Pax needs to get some serious planners if this is constantly a problem with their shows. Between south and prime this year I've been soured on the pax experience.

Seattle your food and coffee are amazing! Seriously feel like California is doing me a disservice when it comes to this stuff.
 
M

Moofers

Member
_woLf said:
Done with PAX for this year and while I loved almost all the games I was able to play, this was probably the most unpleasant PAX i've ever attended overall. Security and enforcers seemed especially rude this year, the amount of lines was absolutely absurd (there were lines to use escalators to leave pax, at 2pm in the afternoon. Really?) Swag distribution continues to be a problem in terms of people running out completely within hours and there being little to no female sizes for shirts.

Capped line situation is VERY bad and needs to be looked into. I was unable to play a lot of stuff because lines were capped, I was told to come back in 15 minutes and I couldn't stand around, and when I came back it was capped again with a new bunch of people.

Tomb Raider being closed today from 10am to 1pm for a press event is exactly what PAX should 100% ban from ever happening. it was a complete joke. Also couldn't believe how short the Just Cause 3 demo was -- a whole 90 seconds. I didn't even have enough time to learn the controls before my time was up and I was pushed out of the booth. That was worth the 45 minute wait! Especially since they were out of tshirts!

I loved how big the booths were but really feel like they could lose the giant props and tons of press rooms in the same area as the general booth and use that space for more consoles/PCs to actually play the game. For Honor had as many consoles as Elite Dangerous, a game that is already out. Battlefront, arguably one of the biggest releases of the entire year, was on 2 TVs until today, when they put it on a third one. Couldn't believe that at all.

I waited literally 4 hours to play Valkyrie at the oculus booth yesterday. I've been to disneyland and disneyworld during peak times and I've never once had a line that long. They really need to come up with something because it just felt especially bad this year -- there was a point where just about every single game I tried to play had a capped line (even some indies!) so I couldn't play anything at all. That's not what PAX is supposed to be about.

That being said, I want Mirrors Edge right now.
Click to expand...

Preach! This is what I am saying. The capped line thing is out of control and I didn't even know there was a tomb raider press event. That's absurd. The show was never FOR the press, they literally have every other show. I remember when PAX didn't even HAVE separate press badges.

I am sure the show will sell out regardless of how I feel, but if these issues aren't addressed I will say goodbye to PAX.
 
creid

creid

Member
Anyone know if Runic is giving away their Pinny Arcade pin for playing Hob? I only passed their booth briefly and I couldn't tell what they were doing.
 
Karak

Karak

Member
creid said:
Anyone know if Runic is giving away their Pinny Arcade pin for playing Hob? I only passed their booth briefly and I couldn't tell what they were doing.
Click to expand...

I am not sure. When we were interviewing them I didn't see people leaving with them. But I could have just missed it.

I was actually surprised at the pleasantness of the enforcers who had to deal with a lot of shit this year including the issue with people pissed and capped lines. The lines were bad as they are every year but you could tell this year it was worse. Also the planning of who goes where needs to change as the center was a blood clot of body odor and randomly laying down people in lines. It was pretty insane.
 
ss_lemonade

ss_lemonade

Member
_woLf said:
I waited literally 4 hours to play Valkyrie at the oculus booth yesterday. I've been to disneyland and disneyworld during peak times and I've never once had a line that long.
Click to expand...
I tried to wait in line for the nvidia one yesterday and was told that it would be an 8 hour wait lol.

SparksterMeta0 said:
Currently in line for the Vive truck, and there are 25 people in front of me.
I'm a little worried.
Click to expand...
Did you make a reservation?
 
H

Hazaro

relies on auto-aim
ilikesanta said:
The problem with a appointment demo system, is not being able to schedule one because they're already full.
Click to expand...
Not really a better way. It's fine, pick your priority then go about the show.
Darth Chocula said:
But I agree with the capping. Everything was capped off. The Steam Controller was capped off, the Oculus was capped off.

Extreme ambivalence about following it up a second time though, 8 hours to navigate that logistical nightmare? Nnnnnnnnoooo. I don't care how long the Oculus Rift eludes me.
Click to expand...
Again, see my last post.
Steam Controller I played in 5 minutes on a Steambox at Alirnware(?) With Borderlands.
Oculus sucks anyway all about Vive :)
 
V

VexationStation

Member
I've been going since it was in Bellevue (2006 then I guess?), and I honestly still really enjoy it.

This year's has felt a little less lackluster since it's so low on new titles (huge booths dedicated to things coming out this week or the next month), and the indies seem to be repeating (insert joke about how indie's don't know how to ship).

That said I mostly go for the panels - you'll be able to play the games eventually, but usually the panels are pretty unique experiences and insight you don't get otherwise. I know you can watch them on twitch, but it's never felt the same.
 
S

ShockingAlberto

Member
If you haven't gotten the chance to check it out yet, go check the 20XX demo near the square-enix booth. Probably my favorite indie game of the show, as a Mega Man X fan.
 
M

Moofers

Member
Dreamwriter said:
When was that? They had them the year PAX moved to Seattle in 2007.
Click to expand...
I went in 2006 when it was in Bellevue. It wasn't a press event then and it shouldn't be now. They have every other show. At least schedule demos in the off-hours so people who paid for a badge don't get shut out. Some people work and only attend the show for a couple hours when they get out. It'd be real shitty to see somebody come in later in the day only to find that press have their top attraction locked down for the rest of the day.
 
M

Moofers

Member
Also I'd like to add that there's nothing wrong with being disappointed in one's PAX experience. I still had a good time, but it was sort of a "make the best of it" year for me.

When you spend $40 for a day pass at this thing and you have to wait in line for the privilege of doing anything at all, even spend your money, it's ok to have advice for the organizers next year.
 
S

ShockingAlberto

Member
Press getting appointment demos is likely a small drop in the bucket of reasons it takes so long to get to demos. The far bigger reason is the demos are not all designed to be short-plays. Dark Souls allowed every player to beat the boss or play for an hour. That line was three hours long even if you got there in the morning before it opened. The Starfox demo was 45 minutes with only six or so stations.
 
M

mcw

Member
Moofers said:
I went in 2006 when it was in Bellevue. It wasn't a press event then and it shouldn't be now.ay.
Click to expand...

Well, to be fair, they did have media badges back then. I actually had one that year since I was podcasting from the show. But yeah, I know what you mean.
 
M

Moofers

Member
mcw said:
Well, to be fair, they did have media badges back then. I actually had one that year since I was podcasting from the show. But yeah, I know what you mean.
Click to expand...
Yeah I don't mean to sound so sour, but I was there on Saturday this year and it was my 5th PAX in 9 years. I've seen it grow a lot and get better in a lot of great ways, but also fall victim to some of the pitfalls I had hoped a show with the spirit of the fans would be able to evade. It's always been a show for the regular gamer and I feel like that is changing when you've got press shutting down a demo for 3 hours (even if it's just one) and lines that go 3 hours. PAX should regulate the content of the booths a little more so there aren't any more hour long demos. I got to play games for about 10 minutes each in previous years. That's fine! I don't need an hour. I even gave up my turn at a demo where I got in line for the 2nd time and when I was up, only one person was behind me who hadn't played at all yet.

The design of each experience should really be considered more thoroughly. Pubs and devs need to understand that what might work for E3 might not fly as well at PAX. It's not work for us, it's recreation, and a lot of us are paying a lot of time, money, and/or PTO to experience it. Nobody is wining and dining us, yknow what I mean? We aren't getting paid to have these experiences. A 3 hour wait isn't a hazard of the job.

Again, not trying to be overly negative. Long time PAX goer here! Just want to see the show be the best it can be for all the people who put in so much effort just to be there.
 
L

luckyboyceo

Member
Cutting demo length times would solve a lot of problems, honestly. Does anybody even really WANT to play a 45 minute demo anyway?

I just want to try the thing out, see if it feels like something I'd buy. I don't need to beat the entire first chapter.
 
F

friskykillface

Banned
Is it even packed on the floor today? I always assumed that Monday was for going home x packing up

Like only people that live in Seattle would be there
 
C

Curler

Unconfirmed Member
SparksterMeta0 said:
From what I see right now, it's the same as the previous days.
Click to expand...

Have to say I'm surprised. Monday is easy to get, but I didn't know as many people that were going today. I'm already at the airport.

I already shared my thoughts on this year's PAX so yeah. Hopefully next year will be better, but now sure if I'll be going due to scheduling.
 
S

SapientWolf

Trucker Sexologist
_woLf said:
Done with PAX for this year and while I loved almost all the games I was able to play, this was probably the most unpleasant PAX i've ever attended overall. Security and enforcers seemed especially rude this year, the amount of lines was absolutely absurd (there were lines to use escalators to leave pax, at 2pm in the afternoon. Really?) Swag distribution continues to be a problem in terms of people running out completely within hours and there being little to no female sizes for shirts.

Capped line situation is VERY bad and needs to be looked into. I was unable to play a lot of stuff because lines were capped, I was told to come back in 15 minutes and I couldn't stand around, and when I came back it was capped again with a new bunch of people.

Tomb Raider being closed today from 10am to 1pm for a press event is exactly what PAX should 100% ban from ever happening. it was a complete joke. Also couldn't believe how short the Just Cause 3 demo was -- a whole 90 seconds. I didn't even have enough time to learn the controls before my time was up and I was pushed out of the booth. That was worth the 45 minute wait! Especially since they were out of tshirts!

I loved how big the booths were but really feel like they could lose the giant props and tons of press rooms in the same area as the general booth and use that space for more consoles/PCs to actually play the game. For Honor had as many consoles as Elite Dangerous, a game that is already out. Battlefront, arguably one of the biggest releases of the entire year, was on 2 TVs until today, when they put it on a third one. Couldn't believe that at all.

I waited literally 4 hours to play Valkyrie at the oculus booth yesterday. I've been to disneyland and disneyworld during peak times and I've never once had a line that long. They really need to come up with something because it just felt especially bad this year -- there was a point where just about every single game I tried to play had a capped line (even some indies!) so I couldn't play anything at all. That's not what PAX is supposed to be about.

That being said, I want Mirrors Edge right now.
Click to expand...
Don't wait in those lines. It's not worth it. The panels are a much better use of your time. Or the indie games.
 
L

Lone_Prodigy

Member
Didn't go this year since it kind of fell off my radar. With the low Canadian-US exchange rate and the crazy weather over the weekend I'm kind of glad I didn't.

How was it compared to last year? I remember having a good time: didn't wait forever in line, got some decent swag, and it wasn't too crowded.
 
K

krae_man

Member
Lone_Prodigy said:
Didn't go this year since it kind of fell off my radar. With the low Canadian-US exchange rate and the crazy weather over the weekend I'm kind of glad I didn't.

How was it compared to last year? I remember having a good time: didn't wait forever in line, got some decent swag, and it wasn't too crowded.
Click to expand...

Normal except bad time for game selection. Plus Sony is holding stuff back for PSX.
 
S

SparksterMeta0

Member
krae_man said:
I didn't have a choice. I did the portal, cooking, and the painting ones. Portal one is dope.
Click to expand...
No kidding. I just left the station, really pleased with what they had shown.

Today went well for me, more or less.

Games played :
Cuphead (Xbox ONE)
Battleborn (via Nvidia booth)
Gang Beasts
Thumper (PS4)
Oculus Rift Demo (EVE Valkyrie)
Lucky Fox
20XX
Dragon Quest Heroes (PS4)
Distance

Thumper was a cool rhythm-based action game. Not much music, but a good beat to follow.

I'm not sure what to think of the Eve Valkyrie demo. Controls are good, and nice to look around the cockpit, but it didn't seem that impressive.

Lucky Fox for Oculus, however, was great and I didn't need to wait long. Instead of your standard right stick camera, you're required to look around to get where you need to go.

Still, Vive was the clear winner this weekend with a bit more freedom to walk around in a closed space.

My one regret is that I skipped most of the panels I intended to go to. Next time, I'll have to work on my priorities better.

I tried to do the Speedrunners tournament up at the tinybuild booth, but lost.

I wanted to do the FFXV demo, but decided not to.

Heading to my flight now.
 
W

Wazzy

Banned
Anddddd with that PAX is done. I had tons of fun even with the problems this year. Hopefully next year the enforcers are more respectful.

I beat Ravana again, played Halo 5, Forza, Guitar Hero, Tales of Borderlands and Dragon Quest Heroes all of which I really enjoyed. The Halo 5 demo was ridiculous long, though.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

The Great GalaxyCon Disaster of Richmond 2024: A Comedy
4
1K
jason10mm replied
Square Enix announces PAX West 2023 lineup
News
8
1K
Hudo replied
Shin Megami Tensei V: Vengeance - New Trailer + Preview Thread
Opinion Trailer 2 3
142
5K
Danjin44 replied
Baldur's Gate 3 Patch 3 Released: Over 1000 Fixes and Changes
Hype
1
769
Freeman76 replied
GDC 2024 | Conf Schedules for Unreal & other Game Tech
2
892
CamHostage replied
Top Bottom