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PAX Aus 2024 Panel Schedule Announced

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With only a month to go till PAX AUS 2024 (Ed: wow, not long to go now!), we thought we’d share some of the panels that will be on at this year’s event.

To check the full schedule of panels so you can map out your weekend at PAX Aus, go here now!

Friday, October 11:

  • Storytime with Julian Wilton, Creative Director of Massive Monster | Main Theatre, 12:00pm – 1:00pm

  • Fireside with Abubakar Salim | Main Theatre, 3:00pm – 4:00pm

  • Fireside with Sonia Coronado Cuesta, Senior Music Designer at PlayStation | Quokka Theatre, 5:00pm – 6:00pm

  • Content Creating with Disabilities and Chronic Illnesses: Finding Acceptance within Gaming | Fruitbat Theatre, 1:00pm – 2:00pm

  • Career Storytellers | Dropbear Theatre, 10:30 – 11:30am

  • Creating Armour and Props with EVA Foam | Cosplay Theatre, 12:30pm – 1:30pm

  • Civilization VII Developer Panel: Bringing Your Civ World to Life | Quokka Theatre, 11:00am – 12:00pm

  • Xbox presents: In Conversation with Ryan Warden, Production Director of Avowed: Lifting the lid on Production | Quokka Theatre, 3:00pm – 4:00pm

  • Fireside: Bringing Lord of the Rings lore to the Art of Tales of the Shire, presented by Wētā Workshop | Main Theatre, 5:00 – 6:00pm

Saturday, October 12:

  • Penny Arcade Make-A-Strip | Main Theatre, 11:00am – 12:00pm

  • The Custodians of Lord of the Rings bringing Hobbit lore to Tales of the Shire, presented by Wētā Workshop | Quokka Theatre, 11:00 – 12:00pm

  • Crafting Characters: The Style and Substance of FINAL FANTASY XIV | Main Theatre, 1:00pm – 2:00pm

  • Making Music in the Games Industry | Dropbear Theatre, 2:30pm – 3:30pm

  • MOUSE: P.I. For Hire – First Look: Developer Playthrough | Quokka Theatre | 3:00 – 4:00pm

  • Fireside Chat With Josh Weier – Project Lead On Portal 2 | Quokka Theatre, 5:00pm – 6:00pm

  • Forging a new league of legends: gaming, mental health and masculinity | Dropbear Theatre, 4:30pm – 5:30pm

  • Sea Shanties you say? Yahaarghh! | GenerOZity Wombat Theatre, 9:00 – 11:00 pm

  • Airbrushing 101: Airbrushing for cosplay, props and minis (Live painting demo) | Cosplay Theatre, 10:30am – 11:30am

  • So you want to be a Voice Actor? | Main Theatre, 3:00pm – 4:00pm

Ausretrogamer’s Alex Boz at the ‘Blast From The Past’ panel at PAX Aus

Sunday, October 12:

  • World Of Vtubers | Dropbear Theatre, 10:30am – 11:30am

  • Fireside with Mark Meer | Main Theatre, 12:00pm – 1:00pm

  • Zelda Universe Presents: More Than A Damsel | Quokka Theatre, 1:00pm – 2:00pm

  • Cosplay Central Crown Championship Finals | Main Theatre, 2:00 – 3:30 pm

  • Overshare: Handling Mental Health Topics in Stream Chat | Kookaburra Theatre,  2:30 – 3:30pm

  • Fireside with Teddy Dief and Karrie Shao | Quokka Theatre, 3:00 – 4:00pm

  • One-Shot Wonders | Writing D&D5e One-Shot adventures | Dropbear, 4:30 – 5:30pm

 

PAX Aus Announces Largest Ever Tabletop Area & Disney Lorcana Showcase

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PAX Aus to showcase its largest ever tabletop area featuring Disney Lorcana, other new releases and fan favourites

The Australian Tabletop scene continues to go from strength to strength so it should come as no surprise that PAX Aus has dedicated even more of its floor space to this fan favourite, delivering the biggest ever tabletop area in 2024.

Kicking things off is the much-anticipated Disney Lorcana by Ravensburger. Fans will be able to get hands on discovering the fantastic secrets of Lorcana with some familiar Disney friends and reimagined characters. Whether you’re a first-timer, regular TCG player or collector, there will be an opportunity to explore, learn and immerse yourself in the magical world of Disney Lorcana.

“We’re extremely excited to bring Disney Lorcana to Australian fans this year,” said Will Chan, Disney Lorcana Sales and Marketing Manager at Modern Brands (exclusive ANZ distributor). “Whether you’re a Disney fan, new to TCGs or a fully fledged Illumineer well versed in questing for lore, our booth will have something for everyone. We look forward to bringing the community together to play, learn and share in celebrating this wonderful experience during the show!”

Disney Lorcana will be joined by other icons of the tabletop world – Magic: The Gathering and Dungeons & Dragons. Celebrating 50 years in 2024, Dungeons and Dragons will have exclusive  merch items and first time hands-on demos with new sets, with both areas open from 10am – 10pm Fri – Sat and 10am – 6pm Sunday.

Bandai is also offering a stellar lineup of activities, featuring learn-to-play sessions, tournaments and events for their popular trading card games: One Piece, Dragon Ball Super, Digimon and their newest addition, Sand Land.

Miniature aficionados will be happy to learn that ‘Paint and Take’ will be returning in 2024 thanks to Let’s Play Games, who promise something a little different this year. While we cannot reveal too much, painters should expect to enter a Mediaeval world of wonder! Star Wars: Unlimited fans will ‘feel the Force’ as they will be able to get their hands on an exclusive ‘Grogu’ event promo card. There will also be new releases from Exploding Kittens Studios, Big Potato Games, CATAN New Energies, Forrest Shuffle and more.

The Australian Tabletop scene continues to grow and the Indie developers are shining! Tabletop goers will be delighted to see six tabletop winners in this year’s PAX Aus Indie Showcase featured in the PAX Aus Rising section – the largest number of Indie Showcase tabletop winners in PAX history.

Off the exhibition floor, there will be even more content for tabletop lovers, including the introduction of a new theatre, the Owlbear theatre, which will see TTRPG – One Shot Adventures being run throughout the weekend.

PAX Aus encompasses everything your ‘gaming heart’ desires: the epic expo floor, the largest tabletop area ever in PAX Aus history, the PC freeplay areal, the Handheld Lounge, Console Freeplay and Tournament areas, Cosplay Central and the Crown Championships of Cosplay, Speedrunning Stage, Jackbox, the PAX Aus Indie Showcase, PAX Collaboratory, PAX Rising, a jam-packed schedule of panels and entertainment, incredible special guests, PAX Together and the iconic Omegathon.

PAX Aus takes place on October 11-13 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. With three-day badges sold out and Saturday badges 80% sold out, don’t delay if you want to play!

For more information, updates and to purchase badges, please visit the official PAX Aus website.

source: Rocket Comms

 

 

‘Cheers to 10 Years’ – PAX Aus Announces Even More Major Content

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‘Cheers to 10 Years’ As PAX Aus Announces Even More Major Content

With only three weeks to go until PAX Aus 2023, there is even more delicious content including more news from Nintendo and announcements from SEGA, Dungeons & Dragons, Magic: The Gathering, Star Wars Unlimited, Five Nights at Freddy’s and more to sink your teeth into!

We are hoping to see as many of you at PAX Aus this year, so we can’t wait for these weeks to fly by! Oh yeah, you should know where to find us by now (ahem, at our home base, the Classic Gaming area).

OK, without further ado, here is the awesome news…..

PAX Aus 2023 is shaping up to be an absolute whopper and there’s no better way to celebrate the last 10 years than showcasing even more great gaming content with more major announcements confirmed today. So please, take it slow and try not to stuff your face too quickly with all this delicious content…

In addition to Nintendo’s tournament in PAX Arena, Nintendo returns to the PAX expo floor headlined by Super Mario Bros. Wonder – playable before its release on 20th October! Fans can also shop in-person at the Nintendo booth with My Nintendo Store, which will have merchandise to peruse and purchase. Look forward to more information coming soon about the playable titles and available merch from Nintendo.

Gaming icon, SEGA will be attending PAX Aus this year with a booth showcasing Sonic Superstars and Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. Melbourne-based Ukiyo Studios will be presenting “SEA What I Made! (SWIM)”, the largest Southeast Asian indie games delegation of its kind to grace Australian shores. A total of 15 titles from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and the Philippines will feature a variety of game genres from turn-based RPGs to Southeast Asian-inspired Diablo-likes and even restaurant management sims.

And for tabletop fans, Star Wars: Unlimited will be demo-ed for the first time in Australia at PAX Aus. Two icons of the tabletop world will also be at PAX Aus – Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering. Attendees will be able to learn to play Dungeons & Dragons with their friendly Dungeon Masters waiting to guide you on a quest. From there, visit the D&D Superstore where you will be able to find everything you need and want from sourcebooks to minis to collectibles and more. For Magic: The Gathering fans and noobs you can learn to play and get lost in the Wilds of Eldraine with fantastical creatures, unbelievable settings and beloved characters with a unique twist.

Pack your Senzu Beans and Devil Fruit, because the tabletop major moments don’t stop there with Dragon Ball Z and One Piece showcasing their games and hosting tourneys at the event. Compete for glory in the Dragon Ball Super Regionals and One Piece Card Game Tournament, pick up a free demo deck (while stock lasts), as well as try your hand at the new Dragon Ball Super Fusion World card game.

Vanguard, Weiss Schwarz, Shadowverse and Final Fantasy Trading Card Game will also be showcased at PAX Aus and Asmodee, yes, them of Exploding Kittens, CATAN, Ticket to Ride, Dobble/Spot It and so many more legendary games fame will be bringing their latest and greatest games.

What’s October without a jumpscare? Five Nights at Freddy’s will be activating the world of Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza where Freddy and the gang are dying to meet you – step into the scene and see if you can survive five nights?

While on the topic of bears, what about bears, in space?! Hear from Broadside Games as they discuss how they went from working a day job and developing games on the side to focusing on a game full-time! The team behind the upcoming action-packed game, Bears In Space, tell all at PAX Aus!

And lastly, tabletop legends Phil Walker-Harding (Sushi Go, Bear Park, Imhotep) and Matt Dunstan (Fairy Tile, Relic Runners) will also be on the floor at PAX Aus, with Walker-Harding demonstrating his game, Spellbook, and Dunstan showcasing a new game, to be revealed for the first time at PAX Aus.

With 3-Day and Saturday Badges sold out and limited single-day badges available, you better gear up for PAX Aus’ 10th anniversary celebration. PAX Aus 2023 takes place October 6-8 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. For more information and badges, please visit their official website.

image source: PAX Aus



PAX Aus 2022 – It Was Awesome

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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

 



The Tabletop Retro Gaming Royal Rumble

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There is no doubt that we are still in the honeymoon period with our gorgeous Taito EGRET II mini tabletop arcade, but there are a few seasoned classics that could easily knock it off its perch!

Of course the Sega Astro City mini is another beautiful little arcade in the mould of the EGRET, just a tad smaller in stature and without a number of bells and whistles that its bigger brother enjoys.

The arcade mini contenders face-off!

Going toe to toe!

Then there are the tabeltop  heavyweights that have withstood the test of time, Grandstand’s seminal Astro Wars (1981) and Nintendo’s Game & Watch tabletops from 1983. We would’ve added the Vectrex too, but we thought otherwise 😉

Now don’t get us started about superior graphics and sounds on the Sega and Taito arcade minis, that is a given, however there is something quite charming about VFD (Vacuum Fluorescent Display) displays and simple pew pew pew sound effects – they never get old!

We have wasted too many batteries to count playing Astro Wars, Mario’s Cement Factory and Donkey Kong Jr., which we still keep coming back to till this day – that’s 4 decades, and counting! Let’s see if we will be saying the same about the new arcade minis from Sega and Taito in the 2060s.

Let the Tabletop Royal Rumble begin!

For now, the EGRET II mini with the trackball & paddle controller is consuming our gaming time!



TAITO EGRET II mini – United Games Entertainment brings exclusive version to the West!

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EGRET II mini – Exclusive version coming to the West
United Games Entertainment – TAITO Partnership Continues to Grow

Ever expanding German media publishing house United Games Entertainment, with its two game publishing labels, ININ Games and Strictly Limited Games, is moving into 2022 with an exciting announcement. They have secured the exclusive rights for the distribution of TAITO’s EGRET II mini in North America and Europe! The home version of the famous arcade cabinet will be available in different exclusive editions for the Western territories starting in 2022.

Great news for all fans who have been eagerly trying to order this yet to be released console, directly from Japan. With this exciting announcement United Games Entertainment, who exclusively distribute and sell TAITO’s titles in the West, both in digital and physical form, continues its growing relationship with one of Japan’s most iconic video games companies, well-known for legendary games such as Space Invaders, Bubble Bobble and many others.

The EGRET II mini is a faithful miniaturised version of the original, successful arcade cabinet TAITO EGRET II, coming with special content and features that make it a ‘must have’ for gamers:

  • A total of 40 pre-installed games, including classics such as Space Invaders, Lunar Rescue, Bubble Bobble, Darius Gaiden and many more

  • 5-inch 4:3 rotating screen (1024×768 resolution) for horizontal and vertical alignment and an optimal adaptation to the selected game

  • Joystick individually adjustable for each game – easily switch from 8 directions to 4 directions

  • HDMI output to play the games also on TV

  • Two USB Type-A controller ports for the different EGRET II mini controllers (that are sold separately)

  • Power inlet via USB Type-C port

  • SD card slot to add even more games

  • Own integrated sound through stereo speakers

  • Instruction panel for exchangeable instruction cards

  • Special in-game features like: Save states, adjustable lives and rapid fire

Games, Games and more Games!

In addition to the 40 pre-installed games on the console, 10 additional games can be added through an SD card that’s included in the EGRET II mini Paddle and Trackball Game Expansion Set, coming with Strike Bowling, Arkanoid, Plump Pop and seven other TAITO classics.

This adds up to an incredible total of 50 games of various genres, from 1978 to 1997 that will be available with the launch of the EGRET II mini!

More details about the different editions, what they will contain and where to get the EGRET II mini will follow soon!



Disclaimer: Press Release supplied by PR Hound

PAX Aus 2019 Highlights

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Judging by our PAX Aus Classic Gaming highlights feature, you would have been forgiven in thinking that there was nothing else to see at this year’s PAX Aus.

Well, we are here to tell you that there was stacks to see and experience, from great panels, awesome cosplay, pin and badge hunts to booth raids to check out the latest games and wares from indie devs and the big AAA studios and gaming companies.

There was so much to see, so we hope this Rest of PAX Aus 2019 Highlights photo package can make you feel like you were there!

The calm before the storm! The crowds waits patiently for the start of PAX AUS 2019!

 

The Most Accurate Arcade Diorama!

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Holy smokes! Just as we were scrolling aimlessly through our Twitter feed and were about to give up and shut the app, we came across xevious765_bt’s Tweet which almost made us choke on our own spit!

The (loose) translation of xevious765_bt’s Tweet is, “The arcade diorama was taken by a close female photographer, ‼＼(^o^)／ 📷 and the real feeling is different when I take it with a good camera of the one eye reflex! of ▽*) Course, the cameraman’s arm is good.”

Gotta thank their close female photographer friend for snapping these awesome pics. Oh, and to the creator of the arcade diorama, wow, talk about intricate detail – simply amazing!

[source: xevious765_bt via Twitter]

 

The Classic PAX Aus 2017 Ticket Giveaway

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*** THIS COMPETITION IS NOW CLOSED ***

Wanna go to PAX Aus 2017? Do you want an easy way to enter a ticket giveaway? If you answered yes to both of these questions, then you are in luck!

Thanks to our great friends at PAX Aus, we have 3 x double passes for Sunday (October 29) to attend one of the biggest and best gaming events in the southern hemisphere. To score one of these double passes all you have to do is tweet us your favourite retro gaming item(s) – be it a console, computer, game or accessory, we want to see what tickles your nostalgic nerve. Don’t forget to tag us in your tweet and use the hashtags and .

It doesn’t get any easier than that! So get cracking on photographing those retro gaming items, as entries close on October 4th at 8:00pm!

If you need convincing of how great PAX Aus is, then check out last year’s event.

For those of you that like to read T&Cs, here are the finer details of this most awesome giveaway:

  • Entries open to Australian residents only
  • Entries close on Wednesday October 4, 2017 at 8:00pm
  • To enter the giveaway, tweet us your retro gaming photos with the appropriate hashtags (#PAXAus and ) and tag @ausretrogamer and @PAXAus
  • Entrants must follow ausretrogamer (to receive a DM if you are the winner!)
  • Winners will be notified via Direct Message (DM)
  • Winners will receive their tickets in the post (via Australia Post)
  • The winners (if interstate) will be responsible in arranging their own transport and accommodation in Melbourne

PAX Aus 2017 is on from October 27 to 29 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. Tickets / Badges are available here.