We’re going to PAX! Our sister site Techaeris has had the chance to attend CES, The Chicago Auto Show, and more in the past couple years, and now it’s the Geek’s turn. From March 6th to the 8th, we’ll have one representative (hey, that’s me) covering PAX East 2015 from the floor in Boston, and others at the ready to report anything breaking that might come out of the convention.
The past month has been a hectic flurry of emails to set everything up, so I thought I’d give a rundown of what I’m most excited for as I prepare to make the six hour drive to Massachusetts on Thursday. In no particular order, here are the games I’ll be at least taking a look at, if not reporting back on during my time at PAX East.
Splatoon
Developer: Nintendo
Website: http://e3.nintendo.com/games/wiiu/splatoon/
System: Wii U
Release Date: 2015
Nintendo recently announced their plans for PAX East, and part of that is bringing the highly anticipated “shooter” to demo. While I wasn’t able to book a 1-on-1 interview or appointment to play, you can bet I’ll be doing my best to get some playtime in at one of the game’s demo stations.
Halo 5 Guardians
Developer: 343 Industries
Website: https://www.halowaypoint.com/en-us/games/halo-5-guardians/xbox-one
System: Xbox One
Release Date: Fall 2015
It’s Halo, I’m gonna play it. Enough said.
Lacuna Passage
Developer: Random Seed Games
Website: lacunapassage.com
System: PC, Mac, Linux
Release Date: 2015
In similar fashion to the award winning Gone Home, Dear Esther, and other exploration-based games, Lacuna Passage looks to be a calm, eerie trek on Mars. Inspiration for the game comes from the Curiosity rover that made its landing on Mars in August 2012, and it features real-life Mars topography, realistic health conditions (blood glucose, heart rate, caloric intake, etc), and an in-game photography mode allowing you to document your own findings. If you’ve ever wanted a hard-science approach to living on Mars this may just be it.
Mayan Death Robots
Developer: Sileni Studios
Website: http://www.mayandeathrobots.com/
System: PC, Xbox One, PS4
Release Date: Summer 2015
Worms with robot killing machines? I’m in. Mayan Death Robots is the new game from developer Sileni Studios that hopes to let you customize battlefields then destroy them in a blink of an eye with several different characters.
Doomed
Developer: vertexpop
Website: http://www.vertexpop.com/wearedoomed/
System: PC, Mac, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release Date: April 2015
Doomed is a twin-stick shooter with bright, polygonal visuals and a whole lot of shooting. As the developer vertexpop puts it, the game is all about arcade-style action, “no cutscenes, storylines or lengthy tutorials.” The game has been in development and was showcased during PAX Prime in 2013. The 1.0 version is currently available for Windows and Mac, with the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 versions coming this spring.
Check In Knock-Out
Developer: Lionade Games
Website: http://tinybuild.com/checkinknockout
System: PC, PlayStation 4, Xbox One
Release Date: 2015
Publisher tinyBuild is best known for their crazy No Time To Explain, and they’re back with an equally bizarre concept with Check In Knock-Out. It appears to be a typical pixel arena brawler, but with a unique story twist – every character you play as is a different “hotel guest.” Big, explode-y and full of a variety of weapons: the perfect storm for a good brawler. I’ll also be checking out an as-of-yet unannounced game from tinyBuild. Very excited for both.
Necropolis
Developer: Harebrained Schemes
Website: http://necropolisgame.com/
System: PC, Max, Linux (Consoles TBD)
Release Date: TBA
Even with the limited amount of information available, Necropolis is one of my most anticipated games of PAX East. There is no trailer yet for the game, but you can check out some of the gorgeous visuals on its official site. On one hand it appears to be a typical roguelike complete with a procedurally generated dungeon, but its combat is rooted in third-person and looks to draw heavy inspiration from The Legend of Zelda, with the bulk of its fighting based around learning animations and timings.
Fable Legends
Developer: Lionhead Studios
Website: https://www.fablelegends.com/
System: PC, Xbox One
Release Date: 2015
It’s a new take on an old formula, and I can’t wait to at least see how Fable Legends plays. It was recently announced that the game will be free-to-play, so it should be interesting to see if anything feels particularly restricted in this pre-release build.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yjbF_rNGR08
Woolfe: The Red Hood Diaries
Developer: GRIN
Website: http://woolfegame.com/
System: PC
Release Date: March 17, 2015
As the name might imply, Woolfe is a dark twist on the familiar tale of the Little Red Riding Hood and the Big Bad Wolf. It features 2.5D side-scrolling and a fluid combat system. As someone who likes this new wave of dark fairy tale reboots, I am all for this and can’t wait to check it out. There is currently a $9.99 Early Access version of the game available on Steam.
The Weaponographist
Developer: Puuba
Website: http://puuba.com/weaponographist/
System: PC
Release Date: April 2015
Pegged as a top-down roguelike, The Weaponographist is a fast-paced action game requiring you to constantly switch out weapons thanks to a curse bestowed upon the main character.
Jotun
Developer: Thunder Lotus Games
Website: http://www.jotungame.com/
System: PC, Mac, Linux
Release Date: Fall 2015
Jotun is another game high up on my list of ones to check out at PAX East. It’s a game built on gorgeous hand-drawn visuals, and action-packed exploring set in Norse mythology. It looks as if it it’s still in early development, but it’s already one to keep an eye on. It funded a successful Kickstarter last year, raising $64,000 of a $50,000 goal with 2,299 backers.
Not a Hero
Developer: Roll7
Website: http://www.roll7.co.uk/#!not-a-hero/czje
System: PC, Console TBD
Release Date: 2015 (PC)
Not a Hero is the upcoming pixel art, 2D, cover-based shooter that looks to be deliciously violent and bloody. Despite being simplistic pixel art, it has a lot of nice touches that help set it apart. Its blunt sense of humor only makes me that much more interested as well.
Windward
Developer: Tasharen Entertainment
Website: http://www.tasharen.com/
System: PC, Mac, Linux
Release Date: October 2014 (Early Access)
The world can always use more naval combat games, and Windward is aiming to provide just that. Gameplay takes place in large procedurally generated landscapes that can be played alone or with friends by hopping in and out of games, and it comes complete with a RPG-style leveling and questing system.
Pollen
Developer: Mindfield Games
Website: http://pollengame.com/
System: PC
Release Date: 2015
Another space exploration game, this time one that takes place on Saturn’s moon, Titan. Pollen is a first-person story-driven exploration game built around the Oculus Rift. Other than the fact that it looks gorgeous, a lot of the game still remains a mystery, so I can’t wait to see what it actually about (and get my first hands-on experience with VR!).
Enter The Gungeon
Developer: Dodge Roll
Website: http://dodgeroll.com/gungeon/
System: PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4
Release Date: Q3 2015
Another great-looking pixel art shooter, Enter the Gungeon features a wide variety of weapons and characters to choose from as you traverse the “Gungeon”. Watch the short trailer below to get a grasp on just how good this game looks in action.
Titan Souls
Developer: Acid Nerve
Website: http://www.devolverdigital.com/games/view/titan-souls
System: PC, Mac, Linux, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita
Release Date: Q1 2015
Titan Souls is another indie game to keep an eye on. It features fantastic pixel art, and a unique combat system revolving around a single arrow that you fire, and a run-and-dash mechanic. The game clearly draws inspiration with Shadow of the Colossus, which is perfectly fine by me.
So that pretty much sums up how I’ll be spending my weekend next week. Anything in particular catch your eye? Be sure to let me know in the comments below or on Google+, Twitter, Facebook, or Tumblr so I can dedicate some extra time to it and get some more info.
Last Updated on November 27, 2018.
