PAX East 2012: Saturday

Saturdays are always the busiest convention day, especially at PAX East. We decided to not go in costume in the morning so we could check out the show floor. We bought some merch, got some swag, and took lots of pictures. After a pretty relaxed morning, I got changed into my Gears of War Cog armor for the Epic panel. The panel featured Cliff Blezinski and Mike Capps of Epic Games and they answered questions from the online community and audience. Most of the questions regarded Epic's future plans, and they announced that they are working on a PC exclusive title (going back to their original roots). I had the chance to ask my own question which went something like this: "What was the motivation behind adding in female soldiers to Gears of War 3? And will you continue to have female characters in your upcoming franchises, such as Fortnite?". They replied by saying that they wanted to have women in the Gears of War game the entire time, but they really wanted them to have their own animations different from the guy's. After Gears of War 2, they recieved feedback from the gaming community that quite a lot of women were playing Gears and that they wanted to see female characters. They also said that they will definitely be having female characters in their upcoming games. It's definitely a step in the right direction and I look forward to seeing more and more female characters in video games. After the panel, we met up with some Gears of War cosplayers and took some really cool shots. Later that evening, we went to the Gears of War Meet up where we got a chance to meet Cliff Blezinski and Mike Capps. I got them to sign my lancer which will forever hang in my game room. We then went to the Bioware Base, a room off the main showfloor, and hungout with Bioware and Crabcat. They had a cosplay event, so we got some great pictures of all the Mass Effect and Dragon Age cosplay. We also got a chance to get some professional pictures done of our own cosplays.

 

Click read more for the full gallery of pictures!

GameCraft: Painting Sneakers

On this edition of GameCraft we'll teach you how to decorate your own canvas sneakers with basically anything (but preferably sweet video game references).

Here's what you'll need:
- A pair of canvas sneakers (Vans, Converse, Keds, etc.)
- Some acrylic paint
- Few different sizes of paintbrushes
- Pencil
- Sharpies

 1. Pick out what you want to draw on your sneakers and sketch it out with the pencil to make sure you make the most of the space. I'd recommend doing something on the toe and heel (they offer the most room).

2. Optional: Paint a background. It makes the actual image go on smoother - but isn't necessary (You can see in my pictures I did both one with a background and one without).

3. Paint your picture with acrylic paint. Remember acrylic paints allow you to layer different colors, so be patient and keep adding colors.

4. Outline picture with black sharpie.

5. Let it dry and enjoy your new geeky shoes!

Have fun crafting!

LadySnip3r

Limited Expensive Editions

Limited Edition is a word that has slowly become mainstream for gaming culture everywhere. There are limited edition games, controllers, and even consoles - but in a world where everything is "limited", than what makes it special?

Metal Gear Solid 3DS recently announced

 I believe that the term "limited edition" has evolved over the past decade from something unique and special to a mandatory marketing ploy. This evolution has also encouraged game companies to skimp out on their limited editions, rarely living up to previous standards. For example, when Dead Space originally came out in 2008, EA offered an Ultra Limited Edition which really was limited - only 1000 copies were even made. The limited edition included the game, bonus DVD, art book, lithograph, and comic. In comparison, Dead Space 2's limited edition wasn't that limited, or that special. Only released 3 years after the first game, the sequel's limited edition included the game, "replica" plasma cutter, CD soundtrack, and a DLC voucher. This may sound like a lot, but the "replica" weapon is cheaply made, incredibly small, and overall dinky looking. It may light up, but it definitely is not a replica of the plasma cutter in the game (Unless Isaac is a midget?! Woah plot twist).

Either Isaac is a midget...

...Or this guy's a giant.

To me, limited editions should be something that are very limited (but accessible), special (but not overpriced), and collectible-worthy (not lame/cheap). One example of a game that does this extraordinarily well is Gears of War. Every game has come with a limited edition, available for those "hardcore" fans of the franchise and each limited edition has been better than the year before. The "Epic" edition for the final chapter in the Gears of War trilogy included special box with award COG, fabric COG flag, the personal effects of Dr. Adam Fenix, Marcus Fenix statue, a 96 page book about the game's art and design, and exclusive multiplayer characters and skins. The Epic edition didn't come cheap, but it was well worth the additional collectibles and game memorabilia.


Apart from the popular use of limited editions for games, it can also be a term to describe customized, themed hardware such as controllers or consoles. These limited edition consoles have been being released for quite some time. In my research I found several Playstations, Dreamcasts, N64s, and Original Xboxs that were offered as a limited edition, game-themed console. However, I really want to look at the Xbox 360's lifespan and the sheer amount of limited edition consoles.

Quite a few, eh? These consoles are all essentially the same Xbox 360: same specs, same hardware, etc. Yet these consoles are originally sold for more than the plain Xbox 360. This price rises drastically as the consoles become harder to find. These limited edition consoles are a direct marketing ploy to boost hype for a game, and to increase console sales. They make the player want to get a new console, even though the one they own may be perfectly fine. They also beg to ask the question, if every AAA game has it's own limited edition game and console, is it really that limited? Can I wait and buy this "limited" edition at a later time for cheaper? Is this limited edition really worth the extra money?

Gamers have to start shopping proactively, and show game companies that we demand high quality. Once we can demonstrate that we won't buy everything with a franchise name on it, then the landscape of gaming retail will shift and evolve to suit our spending habits.

As always,
LadySnip3r

PS. What do you think of Limited Editions (both games and consoles)? Do you buy them? What are some of your favorite and least favorite limited editions?