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You are here: Home / Archives for Expo Hall

Expo Hall

PAXAus 2024: A Gamer’s Paradise of Demos, Cosplay, and Pure Fun!

October 18, 2024 By ausretrogamer

Welcome Home to PAXAus 2024!

As you step into the bustling halls of PAXAus 2024, a giant “Welcome Home” sign greets you, making it clear that this is the place where gamers of all stripes come together. The main expo hall is alive with cosplayers, tech enthusiasts, and curious onlookers ready to dive into the world of gaming and pop culture.

A Sea of Booths and Exciting Demos

As you navigate the vibrant aisles, you’re greeted by some of the biggest names in the industry, with towering displays and interactive stations. Sega, Steam Deck, and other prominent brands are right at the forefront, showing off their latest games and hardware innovations. If you’re a fan of indie games, you’re in for a treat with the Aus Indie Showcase—an area bursting with creative energy, filled with titles that are as unique as they are groundbreaking.

The Zapcat Gamer Passage

One of the standouts of the show floor is the Zapcat Gamer Passage, a popular gathering spot surrounded by brick-themed booths. It’s where you can find demos, grab some exclusive swag, or just soak up the chill vibes while chatting with fellow gamers.

Star Wars Unlimited – A Galaxy Far, Far Away at Your Fingertips

For fans of the Star Wars universe, the Star Wars Unlimited booth is a must-visit. Decked out in familiar characters and iconic moments from the franchise, it’s the perfect space to test out the new card game while meeting fellow fans. The passion for the game is palpable, with players battling it out in friendly matches, comparing strategies, and trading tips.

The Freeplay Zone – Where Fun Never Stops

At PAXAus, it’s not just about watching or waiting in lines for demos; the freeplay area is where you can get hands-on. Whether you’re trying out the latest games, grabbing a controller with friends, or jumping into retro titles for a trip down memory lane, it’s pure gaming bliss. The sight of gamers lost in their screens, engaged in epic multiplayer matches, highlights the inclusive and immersive experience that PAX is known for.

In every corner, there’s something that captures the spirit of the gaming community—diversity, creativity, and a shared love for all things interactive. From blockbuster games to indie masterpieces, PAXAus 2024 delivers an unforgettable experience for every kind of gamer!

Overall, PAXAus 2024 was a dynamic and engaging event, offering something for every type of gamer. Whether you were there for the latest tech, immersive experiences, or just to soak up the vibrant community atmosphere, it was a memorable experience for all attendees.

Filed Under: Modern Gaming, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Cosplay, event, Expo Hall, Freeplay, gamers, gaming, Merch Booth, modern gamers, PAX, PAX Aus, PAX Australia, PAXAus, PAXAus 2024, sega, Steam Deck, super mario, Ubisoft, Video Games

Hold Onto Your Skorts – PAX Aus Has Just Dropped Their Exhibitor 2024 Line-Up

September 17, 2024 By ausretrogamer

PAX Aus Announces 2024 Exhibitor Line-Up

Go AFK, mute Discord, and pay attention! PAX Aus has confirmed that this year’s event is even bigger with more developers, more publishers, more Indie Games, the biggest Tabletop area ever and a jam-packed schedule. And don’t forget, the Classic Gaming area for your retro gaming and pinball fix!

PAX Aus 2024 will welcome back some of your favourite publisher brands and new friends, including Bethesda Softworks ANZ, Blizzard Entertainment, Devolver, FINAL FANTASY XIV Online, PC Game Pass, Playside Studios, SEGA, Steam, The Sims and Ubisoft.

Some of the biggest and best hardware brands will satisfy the appetite of gaming gear connoisseurs, with AFTERSHOCK PC, ASUS – Republic of Gamers, Bluemouth Interactive, Cooler Master, Govee by Clever Gear, Intel, Keychron, LG Electronics Australia, MSI Gaming, Samsung and Secretlab joining the line-up.

Bringing the love to PAX Aus this year, Devolver and Massive Monster will host the first-ever PAX weddings. Two loved-up couples will walk down the aisle on Sunday October 13 at 11am and 3pm in a faithful, life-size replica of the Cult of the Lamb Temple featured in the popular game. For any pilgrims willing to take the plunge, check out the schedule for more sinful activations over the PAX weekend!

While on the topic of love, PAX Aus welcomes Steam for the first time ever. More on that when the show opens, you’re not going to want to miss it!

Red Bull Gameball Royale is the ultimate face-off at PAX Australia 2024. Four teams of Australian creators, led by captains Lachlan, Iamfallfromgrace, Muselk, and Loserfruit will go head-to-head in an interactive dodgeball tournament. This high-impact sport has been digitally levelled up with gamified mechanics delivered through an impressive LED court. Players will need to dip, dive, duck and dodge to advance towards being Australia’s first Red Bull Gameball Royale Champions.

Bethesda Softworks ANZ is excited to unveil an epic fan event at PAX Aus, offering attendees a deep dive into the captivating universes of The Elder Scrolls and Fallout. Step into the heart of Tamriel at the carefully crafted Elder Scrolls Online Tavern at the PAX Pub, and then escape the hustle at The Fallout 76 Skyline Valley C.A.M.P.site Handheld Lounge.

Ubisoft will be showcasing Assassin’s Creed Shadows on their booth with a playable demo and Assassin’s Creed Shadows Game Director, Charles Benoit, will also be making an appearance to present Bringing Assassin’s Creed Shadows to Life with Ubisoft Quebec (watch this space!). Esports fans will be able to enjoy Ubisoft’s Rainbow 6 Siege showcase at the PAX Arena from 6-10pm on Friday night in the queue hall. The Arena will feature top of the line equipment from Razer, ZOWIE and Centre Com.

The Sims is coming to PAX Aus to give Simmers a Plumbob photo zone and free tarot readings with the one and only Grim. With their newest expansion Life and Death coming soon, Grim will be ready for 3 full days of posing, reaping lost souls, and giveaways.

Blizzard Entertainment will be celebrating the launch of Diablo IV: Vessel of Hatred at PAX Aus, offering an activation space featuring incredible bespoke artwork from @JazzaStudios and a life-sized glaive weapon for Diablo fans to get up close and personal with! Every day of PAX Aus, two lucky winners will take home a customised Vessel of Hatred kit that introduces them to the new Spiritborn class and its Spirit Guardians.

PlaySide Studios will be featuring multiple playable titles on their booth, including KILL KNIGHT, Thrive: Heavy Lies The Crown, Age of Darkness: Final Stand and a currently unannounced Dumb Ways to Die title, in addition to an interactive experience for the upcoming MOUSE: PI for Hire by Fumi Games. You can also catch the MOUSE: P.I. For Hire – First Look: Developer Playthrough panel, which will feature a global exclusive live playthrough of the game with Game Director, Mateusz Michalak, and Producer, Maciej Krzemien.

SEGA‘s stand at PAX Australia will feature three of its highly anticipated titles to play; Sonic X Shadow Generations, Metaphor: ReFantazio and Two Point Museum. There’ll be a dedicated streaming area where attendees may catch some of their favourite content creators streaming the latest SEGA games live, and the chance to meet movie Sonic in person, as he’ll make multiple appearances throughout the weekend.

FINAL FANTASY™ XIV Online are inviting seasoned adventurers to battle against the fearsome Valigarmanda, newcomers to challenge an early primal battle and encouraging everyone to snap a picture in their special photo spot and get their hands on some goodies! Additionally, don’t miss the panel with Senior Story Designer Natsuko Ishikawa and Quest Designer Saki Takayanagi.

Speaking of getting hands-on with some special stuff, the Bandai Namco team will be bringing Dragon Ball Z: Sparking! ZERO for visitors to play. Square Enix will also be bringing a Life is Strange: Double Exposure photo activation, with the opportunity to win some amazing prizes throughout the duration of the event.

Other exhibitors include BlackMilk Clothing, Crunchyroll, Aussie Broadband, and the New Zealand Centre of Digital Excellence, who will be bringing 18 of New Zealand’s newest indie games.

Also on the showfloor, PAX Aus’ biggest Tabletop area ever featuring Disney Lorcana Trading Card Game; hosting ‘learn to play’ sessions inviting you on your first adventure as an Illumineer, a photo op in the Great Illuminary, questing in the Starter Deck challenge zone, and Disney Lorcana artist Matt Chapman, available for signings.

And the recently announced schedule features the very best of local and international gaming talent with panels, firesides and entertainment, kicking off with Storytime with Massive Monster’s, Julian Wilton; the first ever PAX Aus Australian Keynote.

Filed Under: Announcements, Modern Gaming, Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Bethesda, Blizzard, Cosplay, Expo Hall, FINAL FANTASYTM XIV Online, gamers, PAX, PAX Aus, PAX Aus 2024, PAX Aus Exhibitor, PAXAus, PC gaming, pinball, retrogaming, sega, Steam, The Sims

PAX Aus 2022 – It Was Awesome

October 12, 2022 By ausretrogamer

After a 3 year in-person hiatus, the biggest gaming event in Australia was back, bigger and better as ever!

It was so awesome to see crowds flocking to PAX Aus 2022, just like they had between 2013 and 2019. Don’t get us wrong, the virtual PAX Aus events were great to have, but nothing beats the in-person experience.

Masked up and stocked with hand sanitizers, Ms. Ausretrogamer and I were glad to be back, or just like the sign said, “Welcome Home”. PAX Aus definitely feels like home, with its inclusive and diversity rich setup, the event and spaces were safe for all to enjoy.

It’s great to be back at PAX Aus!

Greetings!

Whoa, that is a big map! This is where we will end up….

Even though Melbourne experienced a torrent of rain during the course of the weekend (just like it did in 2013!), it didn’t dampen spirits, with cosplayers doing their thing, cosplaying like a boss. In the Expo Hall, we noticed that the big guns were missing (PlayStation, Nintendo and Microsoft, to name a few), but once you immersed yourself in what was on show (especially in the impressive PAX Rising area), you hardly noticed that these AAA companies weren’t there.

DarkWeb Streamer_ was our pick for best in show!

For us, PAX Aus is all about the great panels, indie developers and of course, the Freeplay area, which is still going strong and getting bigger each time we come back! From the tabletop gaming to the merch and tournaments on offer, this area is the heart of PAX Aus. The Freeplay area is also home to our beloved Classic Gaming Area (CGA)! Unfortunately we had to step back in being part of the CGA for this year, but we were so proud to see the amazing teams from Weird and Retro, Press Play On Tape, Mr. Pinball, Reality Games, Bartronica and the Pinball community create another amazing space for folks to get a hit of some intoxicating nostalgia.


source: Alex Kidman

For those of you that couldn’t make it to PAX Aus this year, we thought we’d share some photos from the event (see above and below, including the above video of the Classic Gaming Area from the equally awesome, Alex Kidman) to hopefully bring the event home to your screens and make you feel like you were there too!

Expo Hall

Freeplay Hall – including the Classic Gaming Area

 




Filed Under: Retro Gaming Culture Tagged With: Arcade, board games, classic gaming, Classic Gaming Area, comics, Cosplay, Expo Hall, Freeplay, gaming, indie, panels, PAX, PAX Aus, PAX Aus 2022, PAX Australia, PAXAus, PAXAus 2022, pinball, tabletop, Video Games, VR

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