PAX East 2016: THE METRONOMICON

Chainsawesome Games was host to a non-stop swarm of players eager to check out their indie party title, Knight Squad, at PAX East — a new eight-player free-for-all with elements pulled straight from classic games like Bomberman and Gauntlet.

Golden Ruby Games showcased one of the greatest indie titles on the PAX East show floor with Extreme Exorcism, a superbly punishing game that’s as adorable as it is challenging.

Aside from being the most lovable development studio in the business, The Behemoth consistently plays by their own rules and sees their games through until they’re perfect.

The Cards Against Humanity-sponsored indie tabletop area at PAX had a number of great demos running but, when I caught a glimpse of Cinelinx’s tagline — “A card game for people who love movies” — I had to check it out.

Leading off our PAX coverage, we take a look at the single best gaming experience on the expo floor.

The booth that 2K had set up for their AAA title, Evolve, at PAX East may have commanded the most attention and attracted the longest lines at the convention.  Whether it was to get a bit of play time in at their thoroughly well-designed gaming stations or simply for a photo opportunity with their enormous…

One of several playable titles being shown off by Ubisoft at PAX East was The Crew, an open-world racing title which combines arcade-style driving action with large-scale multiplayer and role-playing elements.  After spending a bit of time with the current build of the game though, I left with mixed feelings.

Officially announced only days prior to the convention, 2K hosted a 20-minute long gameplay demo ofBorderlands: The Pre-Sequel at PAX East 2014 and fans lined up for hours to catch a glimpse of what the next entry has in store.

Developed by Square Enix Montreal, Hitman GO was likely the biggest surprise on the floor at this year’s PAX East.  When a Hitman mobile game was first announced, many were likely a bit apprehensive that the medium simply couldn’t properly capture the nuance of the beloved franchise.  The playable build on the convention floor shattered…

More than two decades ago, Wolfenstein 3D paved the way for modern first-person shooters.  Now, Wolfenstein: The New Order, the ninth installment in the franchise and the first since 1992 to be developed by a studio other than id Software, is primed to bring the series back to the forefront of the genre it once…

Directed by Shinji Mikami, the renown creator/director of Resident Evil and several other survival horror titles, and developed by Tango Gameworks, The Evil Within was presented to PAX East 2014 attendees who braved the lines to catch a glimpse of its gameplay.

Ubisoft had a truly commanding presence at the Penny Arcade Expo this year and one of their most popular attractions was the large theater in the center of the show floor screening exclusive footage of Assassin’s Creed: Black Flag.

Deep Silver’s immersive first-person, cooperative shooter returns the characters to an island setting they thought they had left behind to relive the nightmare all over again.  At this year’s PAX East, housed in Square Enix’s booth space, Dead Island had a nice little display area hosting a twenty-minute long demo, complete with headsets and mics for…

In comparison to previous years, it seemed indie developers had the run of the floor at PAX East 2013, showing off a huge number of great projects for PC, iOS, and current-gen consoles alike.  Without a doubt though, one game, even in its early stages, stole the show – Tiny Brains.

Bethesda hit PAX East full force this year.  Their booth had a commanding presence as a gigantic screen running a looped Elder Scrolls Online trailer stopped con-goers dead in their tracks and throngs of gamers queued up to catch a few minutes of hands-on time with the upcoming title.