Pax Prime Round Up

For some, Pax is just another video game convention, for others, it's a huge opportunity to see what new and exciting video games are coming out in the next year.

For those who don't know, PAX stands for Penny Arcade Expo. This is the time when developers can give people a sneak peak at what they have to offer.

Pax takes place in two separate times, Spring and Fall.
But for now, I'll be talking about Pax Prime, the fall convention.

This Pax, along with all the others before it, was huge. They really went all out for it. They showed a lot of good stuff, the amazing games coming out, what is getting started, and much more.

One big thing shown at Pax this year was the new game, Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeros. If you didn't know, the Metal Gear universe is huge and well received with many people. It's a stealth action game created by Japanese game creator Hideo Kojima. One word to describe all of the games is this: Story.
The story of Metal Gear is one that no one has seen. It stretches over eleven games and maybe more. I could go on about every detail pertaining to the story, but I'm lazy.

The gameplay shown for Ground Zeroes is simply amazing. The visuals are breathtaking, making this maybe the most visually appealing  demo shown. Just the effect of seeing someones coat getting damp from the rain in real time looks so good. Seeing the close up of Big Boss' face is just enough to show you how great it is. You can see a combination of sweat and water from the rain effect his forehead. You can see almost every strand of hair on his head and beard. Even the creases and wrinkles of his overall features look so good.  Though the audio is completely Japanese, the English subtitles give us the idea of what is going on. Big Boss is here to save someone who was kidnapped from his base.
 Everything we know from previous games is in the demo: sneaking, crawling, game mechanics. But this doesn't mean there isn't anything new in Ground. Instead of just sneaking around, area to area, you are now in an open world. This to me, is an amazing idea. I am a huge Metal Gear fan and this can open up a lot of ideas that appeal to me. What if you don't want to progress the story? Just roam around the map doing whatever you feel like. But what if you don't want to walk everywhere? Problem solved, because for the first time in a MGS game you can drive vehicles anytime you see one. Or even better, at any time throughout your mission you can call a helicopter that will land and fly off. During this the chopper will take off and fly anywhere at which case you can at any point rappel off; landing exactly where you stopped. If you want to see what I am gushing over; just look up the gameplay on YouTube, you will not be disappointed. And if you asking yourself what will it be released on; have no fear because Metal Gear Solid Ground Zeroes will be coming to the current gen consoles we have now: PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and even the Wii U.

Now it is time to talk about something else I will just lush about: Assassin's Creed III.
If anyone knows me personally, I am a worshiper of the Assassin's Creed series. I love the games with all I can give, but that is not what I am talking about. The demo shown at Pax, as far as I am aware (since the demo hasn't been released to public view as of yet) it is largely the same demo shown at Comic Con earlier this year. Since it could be the same demo, I can just talk about the Comic Con demo.
The gameplay is superb, after everything the AC series has done, that is saying a lot. The features shown are stunning; as the developer said, they built the entire game to a 1:3 scale. This means that everything you see is as perfect as you can get to what Boston, New York, and the wilderness surrounding them both looked like during the Revolution. The fights that they shown were just excellent and fast, showing that Connor is truly an adapt warrior. In combination of lethal kills, you can also perform take downs that simply defeat your enemies, you know, in case you want to be a kind killer.

Also in AC III you are not just restricted to just climbing buildings. As in between Boston and New York is woodland; Connor can climb trees and rock just as he can scale walls. This opens a lot of opportunities to the player to use to their advantages. This gives you a change to use a new weapon called the rope dart. When Connor is above an enemy in a tree he can throw the dart into them, slide down the other side of the branch thereby using his weight to pull his victim up and embedding his side of the dart into the ground; hanging the redcoat. Another aspect improved is the blending system; now when Connor walking nearby at least two people he will blend with them; literally becoming a part of the crowd. 

Part of the new engine used to make AC III was seasonal changes in the weather. It will rain, snow, change leave colors, you name it, it will do it. Depending on the season NPC's will act differently. If snowing, they will shuffle and hold themselves for warmth. If they run, they could trip because of the slippery ground. Connor also changes with weather; in Spring, he will run without any change, in snow, he will be more to the ground and trudge in the snow. 

Nearly everything about AC III is just perfect in my book, but if you want to see for yourself. Go to YouTube, look up the video and watch it. You need to see why I am loving this game and Ground Zeroes. 

I could go on for hours about everything at Pax Prime. But I can only write so much for the blog. Have a great day, and keep on gaming
All images courtesy of a simple Google search. Everything pertaining to Metal Gear Solid is owned by Kojima Productions. Everything involving Assassin's Creed or anything with the Assassin name is owned and made by Ubisoft. All rights reserved to their respective owners. Don't sue me guys, I love your stuff!