The Game Off

INT. DEXTER’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY

DEXTER, 27, thin and scrawny with trimmed brown hair, wears a headset. He plays a game on his computer.

                         DEXTER
               (Into headset)
               Zac cover the left side! Laura I need to be healed!

Dexter CLICKS his mouse ferociously.

INT. ZAC’S HOUSE - BEDROOM - DAY

ZAC, 24, heavyset with shaggy hair and tight clothes, wears an identical headset as Dexter. He frowns at his computer screen.

                         ZAC
               (into headset)
               Dex I’m getting slaughtered!

                         DEXTER (V.O.)
               Hold it or we’ll fail the whole thing.

INSERT - COMPUTER SCREEN

ZAC’S GAME CHARACTER, a large blue warlock, swings a large club. A mob of ENEMIES surround him and shoot him with arrows.

A final arrow strikes him in the head. He falls to the ground.

BACK TO SCENE

                         ZAC
               Damnit!

Zac SLAMS the desk with is hands.

INT. DEXTER’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY

Dexter shoves his keyboard away from him.

                         DEXTER
               Zac!

Dexter runs his hands through his hair.

INT. CHAD’S OFFICE - DAY

CHAD, 25, stunningly handsome with blonde hair and blue eyes, sits back in his seat and grins.

                         CHAD
               Uh oh, you done pissed off our fearless leader. Better run, Zac.

Chad drinks from a cup.

INT. DEXTER’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY

Dexter sits at his desk.

                         DEXTER
               I’m not mad. It’s just, Laura’s boyfriend is probably wanting her to get off and we’ll have to wait until tomorrow to try again.

INT. LAURA’S HOUSE - BEDROOM - DAY

LAURA, 28, beautiful, slightly heavyset, wears an aged headset, presses a button.

                          LAURA
               No, we can try again. What’s another two hours amongst friends?

                         CHAD (V.O.)
               Prince Charming is cool with that?

                         LAURA
               Chris and I broke up a couple of months ago.

INT. DEXTER’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY

Dexter perks up in his seat.

                         DEXTER
               Wow, I guess we’ll have to go out some time, haha.

Dexter pauses.

                         CHAD (V.O.)
               I’d pay to see that. The most socially awkward person on the planet out on a date with Laura.

                         ZAC (V.O.)
               He’s not socially awkward.

                         CHAD (V.O.)
               Maybe not online. But I remember Dex in high school as the senior who always ate lunch in the corner by himself.

Dexter’s Frowns.

He reaches for the power button on his computer.

                         ZAC (V.O.)
               Dude what the fu...

Dexter powers off the computer. He stands up and walks towards an open door.

INT. DEXTER’S HOUSE - BEDROOM - DAY

Dexter falls face first into his bed.

EXT. DEXTER’S HOUSE - DAY

Zac gets out of his car, walks to the front door, and knocks.

Dexter opens the door.

                         DEXTER
               What are you doing here?

                         ZAC
               Well since you were ignoring my calls, I figured I’d make sure you didn’t hang yourself.
             
                         DEXTER
               I didn’t.

                         ZAC
               Clearly.

Dexter and Zac look at each other.

                         ZAC (CONT’D)
               So, are you going to invite me in?

Dexter moves from the door Zac enters.

INT. LIVING ROOM - DAY

Zac sits on the couch.

Dexter walks into the kitchen.

                         ZAC
               So what the hell was that all about? With Chad I mean?

Dexter enters with two beers. He hands one to Zac.

                         DEXTER
               The dude’s a douche.

Dexter sits on the couch.

                         ZAC
               I thought you were friends.

Zac places his beer on the coffee table. Dexter picks it up and places a coaster under it.

                         DEXTER
               So did I. But he’s still the same jerk from high school embarrassing me in front of a girl I like.

Zac looks around the apartment.

                         ZAC
               You’re a bit of a neat freak, huh?

Dexter nods.

                         ZAC (CONT’D)
               I didn’t know you liked Laura. You should go for it, man. I bet she’d say yes.

Dexter takes a sip of his beer.

                         DEXTER
               Chad is right, though. The only friends I have are online. I’ve never been a social person outside of that realm.

                         ZAC
               Dude, we’re having this conversation in person. Chad’s a jealous baby who likes to hurt people. We should boot him from the guild.

Dexter looks towards Zac.

                         DEXTER
               You’re right.

                         ZAC
               So you’ll kick him?

                         DEXTER
               Not that. I should give it shot, huh? You and I became good online friends before we met in person.

                         ZAC
               True.

                         DEXTER
               Laura and I have gotten pretty close, so maybe she’s comfortable with the idea.

Dexter stands up and walks to his desk.

                         ZAC
               Sounds to me like you’re the one who’s getting comfortable with the idea. She’s not as weird as you are.

Dexter smirks and turns his computer on.

He logs into his game and checks the guild board.

Chad and Laura are logged in.

Dexter puts on his headset.

                         DEXTER
               Laura. I know I was kidding before, but I like you a lot and I think we should go on a date.

Silence.

                         DEXTER (CONT’D)
               If you want to, that is.

                         CHAD (V.O.)
               Oh my God. I literally just threw up in my mouth a little.

                         DEXTER
               Why are you still here?

                         CHAD (V.O.)
               Oh I was having a little chat with Laura before she went A.F.K. It was nice a quiet until you spewed verbal diarrhea all over the channel.

Zac pulls out his laptop and types.

                         ZAC
               Dude, what did she say?

Dexter mutes his headset.

                         DEXTER
               She’s not here, it’s just Chad being an ass.

                         ZAC
               I’m logging in.

Zac types on his computer.

INT. CHAD’S OFFICE - DAY

Chad fiddles with the cord on his headset.

                         CHAD
               Funny story, Dex. I like Laura too and I think I’m going to ask her out.

                         DEXTER (V.O.)
               I don’t think you’re her type.

Chad leans forward in his chair.

                         CHAD
               Oh, I’m exactly her type. I’m good looking, amazing in bed, and I’m not afraid to be in public. But I’ll throw you a bone.

Chad smiles and leans back.

INT. DEXTER’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY

Zac puts his headset on.

                         CHAD (V.O.)
               I’ll back off from Laura if you make me the guild leader.

                         ZAC
               Don’t do it. He’ll just kick you out and claim all the gold we’ve earned as his own.

                         CHAD
               Stay out of it, troll. Let the grown ups talk.

Dexter mutes his mic and sits back in his chair.

                         DEXTER
               Give up the guild for Laura? That doesn’t seem fair.

                         ZAC
               That’s because it’s not.

Dexter unmutes his mic.

                         DEXTER
               No. I’m going to ask her out as well and she can decide who she wants to date.

                         CHAD (V.O.)
               It’ll be me. We both know this. The difference is, you actually care about her and all I want to do is get her naked and...

                         ZAC
               Stop! Why don’t you guys handle this through a challenge. The best of three in player versus player gets the guild and Laura.

INT. CHAD’S OFFICE - DAY

Chad taps his mouth with his finger.

                         CHAD
               I’ll agree to that. But let’s make it interesting. Let’s do it in person.

INT. DEXTER’S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY

                         DEXTER
               What? Why?

                         CHAD (V.O.)
               To make sure there are no lag issues, of course. And so I can see your face the moment after I defile your avatar.

                         DEXTER
               Fine. I’ll be there.

                         CHAD (V.O.)
               Tomorrow, noon, at LANS R US.

EXT. LANS R US - DAY

Dexter and Zac sit in a car. They stare at the internet cafe.

                         DEXTER
               He’s pretty good.

                         ZAC
               No, his character is good. Mage is the easiest class to be good at. You don’t think this dim witted jock has skill, do you?

                         DEXTER
               Maybe not, but he is a jock, and jocks are more competitive than lonely shut ins like myself.

                         ZAC
               It’s time.

Zac and Dexter get out of the car and walk towards the cafe.

                         ZAC (CONT’D)
               You’re psyching yourself out. The knight is a good character and you’re so much smarter. Just stay focused on the prize.

INT. LANS R US - DAY

Dexter sets his laptop on the table and starts it up.

Zac sits next to him.

Chad walks into the cafe. He is well dressed. He winks at a waitress and strides over to Dexter.

                         CHAD
               Let’s get this over with, noob. I have a date later.

                         ZAC
               With who?

                         CHAD
               Ah, some bimbo I work with. I need to get it out of the way now so I’ll have more room for Laura.

Chad winks at Dexter who scowls back.

Chad sets his laptop up and both players get logged in.

A small crowd gathers around.

                         ZAC
               Okay. I will be officiating the match. This is a best of three player versus player match. The winner will presumably win Laura’s love, and take control of the guild.

Dexter wipes his sweaty hands on his jeans.

Chad cracks his knuckles and neck like a boxer getting ready to enter the ring.

                         ZAC (CONT’D)
               The player will win if they kill  the other person or burn down the other player’s capital city. Are you ready?

Chad nods his head.

                         DEXTER
               Let’s do this.

The match begins.

INSERT - COMPUTER SCREEN

DEXTER’S KNIGHT moves through the virtual world.

He rides a horse over amountain and spots CHAD’S MAGE at the bottom.

The Knight shoots an arrow at the Mage.

The Mage whips around and sends a fireball towards the Knight.

The Knight deflects the fireball with his shield. It hurtles right back into the Mage, killing it.

BACK TO SCENE

Chad shakes his head.

Dexter nods his head and smiles.

                         ZAC
               Round one goes to Dexter!

Round two begins.

Dexter sweats profusely. He uses his sleeve to wipe off his forehead.

INSERT - COMPUTER SCREEN

CHAD’S MAGE spots DEXTER’s KNIGHT.

The Mage sneaks up behind the Knight and assassinates him with a knife through the throat.

BACK TO SCENE

                         CHAD
               WHOO!

                         ZAC
               Round two goes to Chad.

Dexter shakes his head.

                         DEXTER
               I wasn’t even playing yet, what the hell?

                         CHAD
               Can it nerd. Play the game or go home.

Dexter wipes his hands off again. He peers into the crowd and sees Laura. She smiles at him. Dexter quickly looks away.

Round three begins.

INSERT - COMPUTER SCREEN

DEXTER’S KNIGHT rides his horse.

THE MAGE spots the Knight first and shoots fire and ice at him.

The Knight’s gets hit. His health is low. The Knight rides over the hill to safety.

BACK TO SCENE

Dexter frowns. He looks to Zac.

Zac subtly nods towards a fire extinguisher on the wall.

                         DEXTER
               The capital city.

INSERT - COMPUTER SCREEN

THE KNIGHT circles behind CHAD’s MAGE.

The Mage walks over the mountain where the Knight was hiding.

The Knight finds the capital city of the Mage and sets fire to it.

                         CHAD
               Oh, very clever. You can’t beat me in a fight so you try to attack my city?

                         DEXTER
               Can it, nerd.

The Mage races to his city and extinguishes the fire.

The Knight sneaks up behind the Mage and assassinates him with a swift jab of his sword.

BACK TO SCENE

Dexter jumps out of his seat.

                         ZAC
               Dexter wins!

Chad SLAMS the lid of his laptop.

                         CHAD
               That’s bullshit and you know it!

Dexter shuts his laptop and faces Chad.

                         DEXTER
               You’re out of the guild, Chad, and stay away from Laura.

Chad smiles at Dexter.

He sees Laura in the crowd and walks over to her.

                         CHAD
               Hey, Laura. You’re looking great.

Laura rolls her eyes.

                         LAURA
               Hi, Chad.

                         CHAD
               Say, would you like to go on a date with me tonight?

Laura’s makes disgusted face.

                         LAURA
               God no! Besides, don’t you have a date with a bimbo you work with?

Chad’s face turns red and he storms out of the cafe.

Laura approaches Dexter, who packs up his laptop.

                         LAURA (CONT’D)
               Well that was fun to watch.

Dexter, still sweaty, looks up.

                         DEXTER
               Oh, hey, hi, Laura.

Laura smiles

                         LAURA
               So you guys had a battle over who got to be guild leader?

                         DEXTER
               Yes, well. You were actually part of the prize too. I should’ve told you.

                         LAURA
               Relax. I knew the whole time.

Dexter makes solid eye contact for the first time.

                         DEXTER
               You did? How?

                         LAURA
               I got tired of talking to Chad. He’s such a jerk. So I told him I was A.F.K. But I wasn’t.

Dexter and Laura both laugh.

                         DEXTER
               So you heard?

                         LAURA
               Everything, yup. I also heard him schedule a date with his co-worker. Would you like to grab some dinner?

Dexter smiles and holds his hand out to Laura. She takes it and they walk out of the cafe.

EXT. RESTARAUNT - NIGHT

Dexter and Laura are chatting with each other.





FADE OUT

Pax Prime 2014: Day 3

Day 3 began like any other day that we’ve had here at PAX. Woke up, showered, grabbed breakfast, and walked directly to the main theater for a panel. Gearbox was opening the morning with one of their epic shows. I love going to Gearbox panels because they give out some epic loot. Normally I would think it’s damn shady to stand in line for such reasons, but this theater is big enough to house everyone that showed up. Hell, we showed up pretty early and still would up in the middle of the pack. I also really enjoy Gearbox panels because they’re very entertaining. Randy Pitchford did magic for us and it rocked. He basically told a story of Borderlands the Pre-Sequel using the cards he had. We got some cool new information on the playable characters and some hints at future downloadable characters. They also talked about a game they recently announced called BattleBorne and showed a kick ass trailer. I love the idea behind this game and how you can go from level 1 to level cap in the span of thirty minutes. They’re supposedly offering a wide variety of characters to play as and combine that with the speedy level ups, this is looking like it could be a highly replayable game. Overall the panel was fun and rewarding and the entire crowd was awarded the season pass for Borderlands the Pre-Sequel, which I suppose guarantees extra sales on their end. Very smart marking ploy, still totally worth it for me though!

The rest of our day was devoted to trying to play some games. We first decided we would try to do The Order 1886, but I wanted to check the line for Tales from the Borderlands first. Packed, just as it has been everyday. I guess the demo is thirty minutes long and they’re giving awesome t-shirts. So naturally, people who have no intentions of buying the game get in line for free shit because fuck you. Whatever, we head past the Evolve booth, packed, Borderlands Pre-Sequel, packed, Shadows of Mordor, packed, and finally The Order, packed. The lines for all of these games were capped off meaning we had to wait in order to wait. So we decided to check out less popular things. I went over to play Ori and the Blind Forest and accidentally wound up playing a game called Project Totem. I vaguely heard of this before and was pleasantly surprised at how fun it was. It takes puzzle platformers in a different direction. You control two totem pieces, one on top and the other below. You must navigate these pieces safely to end in order to complete the stage. So even though I wasn’t expecting to play this game, I’m very glad I did.

This is where things got a little crazy for us. We checked all of the lines again and they were all still capped. We had momentarily split up for a quick coffee/lunch break and then met up at the Far Cry 4 booth. I really wanted to sneak into the Evolve demo, but that line was capped and there were so many people hovering around it that the idea of getting in was absurd at this point. It’s around this time that I realize the Far Cry 4 booth, the one with the fuzzy cage fighting animals, actually had a demo. So I convinced my Uncle to stand in line with me to play it. It was a very short wait, one my Uncle didn’t complete because he realized he didn’t care if he played the game or not. I certainly enjoyed my turn though. I am a big Far Cry 3 fan and taking over the controls on Far Cry 4 felt very familiar. The goal was to liberate an outpost. I got to choose three different play styles, sneak, flight, and one other I cannot remember. I chose sneak. I started with a crossbow and a sniper rifle. I snuck into the outpost and disabled the alarm as fast as possible. From there I literally snuck around the camp and put an arrow into the face of every guard I saw. I was so fast and efficient that the exhibitor running the booth was impressed. Far Cry 4 has the same look and feel of Far cry 3, but the new setting, better graphics, and new weapons give it a fresh spin that I’m looking forward to.

I received a text from my Uncle as I was playing that said the wait for Sonic Boom wasn’t bad. I’ve been playing more and more of my Nintendo Wii U and have been on the lookout for new titles I might enjoy with my kids. I went and waited in a short line and played the shortest demo I’ve ever touched. The game let me pick a level to play on and dumped me right into the action. The portion I played was a modern version of the old school Sonic I played as a kid. It had Sonic and three of his friends racing from the beginning of a level to the end all while avoiding dangers and collecting coins. It was very simplified and obviously meant for kids, although I did enjoy the time I spent on it. This might be a title my kids would love.

I was a tad disappointed at how short my demo was, especially because my Uncle picked a different level and his lasted closer to thirty minutes. I was happy though because they gave us a giant tote bag, which fortunately made life much easier. Now I can’t remember exactly when we visited the Assassin’s Creed booth, but we did. There wasn’t much there at all other than a cool new trailer for Assassin’s Creed Rogue, which is only coming out on the last gen consoles, and a gameplay video of Assassin’s Creed Unity, which is only coming to next gen. I did score myself four shirts by pre-ordering all of their games, but I cancelled it shortly after that. It’s not that I don’t want the games, because I do, but I would rather purchase them digitally. After Sonic boom finished my Uncle got in line to play Smash Bros on the 3DS while I attempted to play Ori and the Blind Forest…again. Failed attempt on my part. I did walk over to The Order 1886 and saw that the line had some room, yet they weren’t letting people in. I asked the guy how long it would be and he told me fifteen minutes. So I rushed over to where my Uncle was to find him playing Smash Bros. I didn’t want to be rude and kick him off, but we hadn’t been able to play ONE major title we had on our list for the day and time was running out. I did let him finish though because this wasn’t about me, it was about him getting to enjoy something he wanted. We did make it back over to The Order booth just in time to not get in. We did hover around, however, and once he opened the gates we stormed the castle like a bunch of fat kids headed to Willy Wonka’s Chocolate Factory.

Once we were actually in line, the wait wasn’t even that bad. I think we waited around an hour or so to get in and play. We had a great chat with the guy in front of us, I think his name is Matt, and that helped the wait go by faster. The Order’s booth was a real nice set up because it was staged to look like an old steam punk building. The TV’s they were using to play the game on were by far the nicest at PAX. I sat down and jumped right into the game. Had I been wearing a diaper I probably would’ve gone ahead and shit myself. The Order is an absolutely stunning game and it really shows the power of the Playstation 4. The thing that impressed me most about it was how immersive it felt. There isn’t a heads up display other than the occasional instructions in the upper right hand corner to tell you what to do.

The shooting mechanic in The Order 1886 is very unique. You’ll have to forgive me because I cannot remember the names of things, but you shoot your gun at someone and then you shoot secondary ammunition to ignite the white particles you just shot, or vice versa. Moving from one section to the next was very smooth and from the short section I played I could tell how decent the acting is. This sexy steam punk game may be my tipping point for buying a Playstation 4, well, alongside Drive Club!

We really wanted to play another major title before the day ended, and since Evolve, Borderlands Pre-sequel, and Tales from the Borderlands were all insanely packed, we decided to check out Shadow of Mordor. Unfortunately that line was closed for the day, as was Tales from the Borderland I soon found out. My Uncle wanted to check out the Astro gaming headsets and I decided that it would be a perfect opportunity to FINALLY play Ori and the Blind Forest. I get over there and only have to wait a couple of minutes to get my hands on the controller. I started playing through the beginning of the game and learned the ropes when I get a text from my Uncle telling me he was with Angry Joe. So I played for another minute or so, soaking the game in enough to know I DO want it, and then ran back towards the Astro booth.

Sure enough, Angry Joe, one of my favorite Youtube personalities, was checking out the gear as well. I went up and introduced myself and told him that I enjoyed his work. I have to say, out of all the people I have met in the industry, he was by far one of the nicest people. He let me take a photo with him and that made my day. Well, that and having just played one of the best games at the show. The Order, not Ori, although I would recommend Ori to platformer fans.

This pretty much wrapped up our day. We didn’t have much time left so we went cruising on back to the hotel. Well, I did, my Uncle wanted to go get a few of the QR Codes that PAX had hidden around. Find all sixteen and get a prize. I went back to the hotel, grabbed some Subway, and wrote day 2’s update. Let me know what you guys think and stay tuned for the final day of our adventure.

PAX Prime 2014: Day 2

     Day 2 for me means Halo! The first thing I’m doing this morning is going to the main theater for the Halo panel. I was worried it was going to fill up, so I bailed right after breakfast and made it down there as fast as I could. The main theater is a good five or six blocks from the convention center and that is something I feared would make me late. Needless to say, I was ninety minutes early and I wasn’t even close to the front of the line.  The wait wasn’t even that bad because every person I waited with was as big a Halo fan as I am if not more so. What I found to be even crazier is a lot of people around me had Surfaces and Window Phones. Talk about being in the midst of a Microsoft crowd. There were a lot of people doing cosplay as well and that was really cool. One guy was in full Master Chief gear and it was by far the best I have ever seen. He nailed the gear down to every scratch on the armor as well as the proper plating on the shoulders. It was great. When we got in and the panel finally started, all the cosplayers were called up to the stage. One guy used this as an opportunity to propose to his girlfriend and she fortunately said yes. It was pretty neat.

     The panel itself was pretty cool as well. Frank O’Connor was the host and the man is a comedian by nature. He came out and introduced himself and the crowd went nuts. He waited for it to get quiet before he said, “that was the correct response.” Classic. Frankie is actually one of my inspirations in becoming a writer. I use to read his weekly update with Bungie both leading up to the Halo 2 and Halo 3 releases and they were inspiring to me because of how he used words to engage an audience.

Being that this was a panel, we were treated to some new exclusive reveals. The really cool one was that Halo 2’s remastered campaign includs audio as well as visual. Not only that, but the audio from the original game can be swapped out whenever the player switches from old to new giving us the best of both worlds. The updated weapon sounds are amazing and they literally feel impactful. The rest of the panel was pretty formal, giving us relatively old information and a nice little promotional video to their Halo channel. We did get a history on the newest remastered map to be revealed. Lockout is the fifth announced map that is bring fully remastered and we were given a deeper look into what it looks like now. I can assure you that it is absolutely stunning.

     After the panel finished I began making my way back towards the convention center. It was during this walk that I realized I was right next to Frankie. Holy crap that was amazing. I shook his hand and let him know how much I appreciate his work. He’s a pretty nice guy and fun to talk with. I finally met up with my Uncle and we wandered around the center for a little bit. We stumbled upon the Cards Against Humanity area which is in the basement of the building. They make you walk down this insanely long hallway in order to get there, all while taunting you the entire way with signs that say, “Man this hallway is long, huh?” I remember playing this game a couple of years ago at PAX East and it has gotten really popular since. So we both decide to buy it. I saw the Bigger, Blacker Box, which I assumed was the full game and all the expansions. It was only fifteen dollars, why not? My Uncle went for the regular game and that ran for twenty five dollars. It wasn’t until we were leaving that I began wondering why his was more expensive. I opened the Bigger, Blacker Box and realized it was empty. The purpose of it is to hold the game and all of the expansions. Eff me, right? So later in the day I went back and purchased the full game and I’m glad I did, it’s so much fun.

     Back to the expo floor. We couldn’t decide what we wanted to play, but before we did anything we had to stop by a booth where my Uncle was trying to win a free game by solving a series of riddles. While we were there I hopped back onto Fenix Rage (refer to day one blog for info). I really enjoy that game and the developer there was surprised when I told him I was playing it yesterday. I guess they weren’t getting many repeat gamers? I suppose that may be weird at an event with hundreds of available games to play. My Uncle didn’t win the game, he got two answers wrong, but they were giving him a second chance to figure them out. Before we did that, it was time to play some games.

     The first line we hopped into was Forza Horizon 2. I have to admit, walking around with the Bigger, Blacker Box was kind of a pain. Not because it was heavy, because it wasn’t, but because EVERYONE had to know where on earth I got it. So I was naturally annoyed after the fifteenth time I gave instructions to someone. Not a big deal I guess, just me being a grump. The line for Forza was very small and we had controllers in our hands within ten minutes. I’ve really got an itch for racing games this year and they are not in short supply. Forza is the third one I’ve touched so far this weekend. Yes, it’s very fun. I love the graphics and the gameplay. The car was a little hard to control at first, but I got the hang of it just in time to do some crazy off roading through a beautiful country side. I like Forza better when they do an open world because it feels less like a simulator. Not to say that Forza 5 is bad, I just prefer things differently. I would definitely recommend at least trying this game out.

     The next game on our list was Halo: The Master Chief Collection. It’s located right next to Forza and, unlike most of the games, the line wasn’t capped. We waited about forty minutes before getting our first hands on look at the newly remastered Lockout. Halo fans will know which map I’m talking about here. I was expecting to stomp some ass because I was a beast at Halo 2. There was only one problem though. I haven’t played that game in at least five years. I was so out of practice and, thanks to newer Halo titles, I was spoiled by being able to sprint. I forgot you can’t sprint in these games and something that is so nostalgic for me felt very alien and slow. Nevertheless, I held my own as I re-learned the ropes. I managed to get eight kills before the match ended, but my teammates weren’t as lucky as me. They did very poorly and we wound up losing 50-20. The new map is beautiful though and it’s amazing that something ten years old can look so great again. Lockout was one of my favorite maps and this new look really breathes visual life back into it. The map can be interacted with as well. On the main platform in the middle is a large piece of glass where you can view the area beneath. That glass, with enough explosion power, can be broken, changing the dynamic completely. There are also stalactites placed across the map that can be shot down in the attempt to change the pace of the game. I did shoot the one in the middle down, breaking the glass in the center, but it was too late to matter.

     Right next to the Halo booth is the Sunset Overdrive booth. Why the hell not? We already tackled two big Microsoft games, might as well go for the hat trick. We stood in line here for close to an hour. While we patiently waited we got to watch as other people enjoyed the game. At one point a very beautiful woman came up next to us and tried getting the attention of the exhibitor running the booth. I was too busy checking her out at first to notice, but it was Naomi Kyle from IGN. She is a very striking woman indeed, but still, I don’t like people who cut the line! Ha, journalists get special privileges and we all know that. During our time in line my Uncle solved the final two riddles he needed for a free game (remind me to ask him which game it’s for). That’s nice. Our bellies were rumbling by the time it was our turn to play. I have to be honest, I was a tad skeptical going into Sunset Overdrive, but after the three wave survival mode (which was eight player co-op) I felt relieved. It’s very simple to control and the gameplay is just as frantic and fun as it looks. There were so many joyful explosions that I could hardly contain myself. My Uncle and I both walked away from it as believers and we hope we get another opportunity to play it before the weekend concludes.

     After we finished our Microsoft tour we decided to run across the street to the Cheesecake factory. My Uncle enjoyed it so much two days before that he wanted to try it again. My feet were killing me by the time we got there, so sitting down was a nice break. Regardless, by the time we finished eating, the show floors were getting ready to close down. But not before my Uncle ran up to redeem his free game. While he did that I watched this random marching band do a performance for the PAX attendees. They were all dressed up as different video game characters. They were so good and so loud that cars in the street actually stopped driving to watch causing chaotic honking and yelling. Considering the craziness that is PAX, watching this band felt like the perfect end to day two. We went back to the hotel to recharge for Day 3.