PAX AUS 2024 at MCEC! – @MCEC @PAXAUS @PAXAUS2024

The time has come, Penny Arcade Expo has come and gone from our shores over the weekend of October 11-13 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre. In the heart of Melbourne CBD, just a short walk from the two most central stations, Flinders and Southern Cross. Directly outside the famous and lavish Crown casino and surrounded by the city’s finest in events, dining and accomodation.

PAX Aus, as it’s more commonly referred to, is the largest convention to grace the shores of our country. What’s it about, I hear you asking? Well it’s only the single largest and one of the longest running conventions for video and table-top games! PAX is simply unrivaled when it comes to scale, no other pop-culture convention in Australia even comes close to comparing to the size of PAX. Taking up the entirety of the expo hall and a large chunk of the convention halls, there’s something for everyone at PAX Aus.

So if you’re new to the world of gaming and pop-culture, come with us on a journey as we cover some of the highlights of my weekend at PAX Aus 2024. And if you’re a veteran, welcome home. This is where you belong and PAX welcomes all of you with open arms.

Pre-PAX Events

This years’ PAX was one I’ll never forget. Not just because of the weekend itself, for me, it all started just a few days before PAX.

For those who aren’t familiar with my writing, I love a certain MMORPG. It’s no secret that, that game in particular is Final Fantasy XIV. I am a long time lover of the series franchise long before playing the mmo game that is the fourteenth installment. I started back in 2017 thanks to Dominos (not a plug for them btw) and their themed pizza deal with FFXIV Complete Edition (up to Stormblood) at the time. From there I was hooked, I spend way too much time on this game, casual gaming, raiding, gpose (in game photography) and much, much more. I have played through all expansions and even have my own in depth character lore that I have come up with. My character isn’t just a character, she’s as alive and expressive as I am. It is through playing this game that I have met long time friends and even my current partner.

So when I found out that we were getting a few special events; A special panel with Naoki Yoshida, director and producer of Final Fantasy XIV and a Fan Gathering event with Naoki Yoshida (Producer/Director), Toshio Murouchi (Producer/Manager), Natsuko Ishikawa (Senior Story Designer) and Saki Takayanagi (Quest Designer). I knew I just had to be there.

The experience began on Tuesday the 8th of October, An Evening with Naoki Yoshida. a special panel with Yoshi P as he is affectionately nicknamed for his last name and his role as producer, was incredible. A man with a wealth of knowledge, sharing his experience as a child playing his first games. Experiences that drove him to want to become a designer himself. It was fascinating to hear the story, learning how he fell in love with games despite playing with a friend that would go on to play tricks on him, to later find other games that seemed so perfect to him that he wondered if he would ever be able to make games like that himself. It was a refreshing take on the topic, so often we hear people just immediately going from finding their passion, to learning standard tips and tricks, to the fortunes they’ve amassed. We don’t often get to hear of too many failures or challenges that threaten their very faith in the idea that made them want to be in the video game business.

The Final Fantasy XIV Fan Celebration on the following night, Wednesday the 9th of October, saw 300+ fans and media guests come together to celebrate FFXIV and its players. Hosted at ACMI, home of video game history and innovation. The venue was packed to the brim with players from all walks of life, playing all sorts of races, classes and jobs. Sharing stories over a few drinks and participating in raffles and team competitions to win prizes. But the single best part of the whole night, to which I was probably the only one unawares. Is that the special guests wasn’t just the other devs who were here for the FFXIV panel, but none other than Yoshi P himself! And I was lucky enough to find that my Cactpot raffle number also contained a ticket for a signed poster meet and greet with all four of the dev team visiting! Yoshida-san’s appearance at the fan gathering and his solo panel made a lot more sense, when I realised that the Korean Fan Fest was on the same weekend as PAX and he would need to attend that one as well. But I was stoked as I got this opportunity and it’s one I’ll never forget.

Huge thank you to the team at Double Jump Communications for the special media invites to both activities and their continued support in organising FFXIV events in collaboration with Square Enix London and PAX Australia!

From left to right: Toshio Murouchi (Producer/Manager), Naoki Yoshida (Director/Producer), Natsuko Ishikawa (Senior Story Designer) and Saki Takayanagi (Quest Designer)

Day One

Fridays are special. As media, we get access to the Expo hall an hour early than ticket holders. It’s a rare chance to get to see what all the booths look like without the hundreds and thousands of bodies surrounding them. A chance to get to talk to some of the developers, the volunteers, stage hosts of all the various game booths and merch stalls. To see the horde of attendees amassing at the gates, like an army ready to charge down the battle lanes to their desired target booth. To hear the roar of the crowd as the countdown begins, see the anticipation build up in the atmosphere. That energy is infectious and I couldn’t help but get shivers when the countdown started. This is the first year on record that PAX has had a host for the entry line, it just goes to show how huge PAX has become that it now needs an entertainment host for the entry line.

Day one was primarily focused on fun with friends, I had a few friends coming to PAX for the first time and day one was spent mostly showing them around. Taking them to all the indie games, playing a few together. Attempting the FFXIV battle challenge and clearing it for all the sweet loot available. Checking out the tabletop area to check out all the tabletop games and even try out a few new ones. Roam the merch stands, especially the D&D stores for myself, I’m always eyeing off new dice sets.

I had plans to attend the Limsa Debauchery, as I had done so a few years back when they did it last time. A community meet for FFXIV players to meet, chat and take photos of cosplayers. They also hosted the first irl FFXIV glamour walk. But unfortunately it was capped before myself and a few others could get in. The same thing happened last time, I think a severe underestimation of attendance numbers happened once again. Which is a shame, but I heard it was a blast for those that made it. Unfortunately the same thing happened for the AusTubers meet up later in the afternoon. As I also stream on the side and owe a large portion of my recent success to joining the AusTubers team, I wanted to try and meet some of the members of the community in person to share my appreciation for their support. But it too, was at capacity mere minutes after starting. Of course I don’t really blame anyone, I don’t think anyone quite expected the level of turnout for the AusTubers meet, since it’s the first time this meet has been organised at a PAX Aus event. But I do hope that in future we’re able to get a larger room.

Those few minor downers aside, the first day was still a blast. There was so much cosplay on offer, despite only being the first day of the weekend. And the quality level is through the roof. So many talented craftspeople showing off their skills by making their own cosplay. From Baldur’s Gate, to Fallout, Genshin/Honkai. There was so many quality cosplay on offer and I had a brand new camera, only recently acquired, that I was excited to finally get to test out fully.

Day Two

The meat of the weekend, the busiest of the event, in fact, the busiest on PAX record! This is where all the action really happens. Being able to get to the venue at 10am is a much needed extra hour of sleep after estimated fifteen thousand steps in just the first day alone. No PAX Saturday has ever started off without first attending the Penny Arcade’s Make-a-Strip panel, where Jerry Holkins (Tycho) and Kris Straub answer questions from fans as they try to create a comic strip from scratch! With a few shenanigans thrown in for extra comedic value. This panel has become something of a must do ritual every PAX Saturday, fearing that if I miss it, my PAX weekend might never be truly complete.

Then it was the panel every Final Fantasy XIV player was looking forward to; Crafting Character: The Style and Substance of Final Fantasy XIV. With special guests Natsuko Ishikawa and Saki Takayanagi, who were both at the fan gathering. Hosting a panel where they talked about the creative process of creating characters. How they bring the writing to life, from initial concepts through to the final product. How established or newly created character lore or scenarios can change the direction of a design, or how a design can create an idea for storytelling. They showed us slides of their work, which included how the design process for NPC characters can differ from that which the player has access to. Thus creating a unique look to some of the more important characters and allowing them to stand out from both the player, and other Non-Player characters. A very fun and informative panel on the insights of character design and implementation for one of the biggest games around.

Then it was back to the FFXIV battle challenge to help my partner and some of her friends with their attempt at the Battle Challenge. The line was long and unfortunately I missed out on a cosplay meet for Final Fantasy as a whole. But sometimes these are the sacrifices to enjoy our weekend in our own unique ways, we sometimes lose out on other opportunities. After a long wait in the queue, which was thankfully far better organised than in previous years, we made it to the challenge. Despite everyone adopting clear roles, and going over tactics and fight specific mechanics, even after a valiant effort to clear the fight. We came up short, due to the shortened nature of the available time, there was simply not enough time left to beat the challenge. So sadly no sticker for my partner’s group. Thankfully though, with the reduced time to clear came reduced requirements to complete the challenge. Only attempting the challenge was enough to win the bucket hat, which is a lot fairer than the previous requirements. The winners would receive the “I beat Valigarmanda Challenge” sticker however, which I’d obtained on the Friday morning.

Naturally, we couldn’t go home without doing our last activity. So after a quick dinner, it was off to the final panel of the night, Jackbox Aus Party PAX Aus! Another panel that is almost ritually required to visit every year at this point. If you haven’t played any Jackbox games before, then you really should. They’re perfect games for parties of four or more players, the more the merrier too! Games that challenge humour and creativity at the same time, some even require an artistic talent! Or perhaps also, lack of artistic talent. One would argue a bad drawing of a topic might be more amusing than one that is a perfectly drawn masterpiece. But I find that both are equally capable of getting the humorous message across.

Day Three

And onto our last day, sad I know. But all great shows must have an ending and I for one refuse to end such a crazy weekend with a whimper. So I went back and did my best to try out as many Indie Games as possible. Going over the ones I missed on the Friday and trying to have at least a try on everything if possible. In previous years when I did daily summaries of each day. I’d list my top five games of the weekend and give them all a shout out. This time, I’ve decided to be a little harsher in my critique and only give out my top three, with maybe a few honorable mentions. Without further ado, here they are:

1. Redline

Redline is a fast paced, zero-gravity arcade racing game. Designed to have easy to pick up but hard to master controls. If you’ve ever played Wipeout or similar games, then you’re familiar with the concept. Redline aims to alter the format a little, every racer knows about the slipstream and the act of drafting your opponent. Pretty much every racing game, including other Zero-G racing games like Wipeout use some form of drafting mechanic. Whether it’s an automatic speed boost, or in the form of a boost gauge. Redline uses the latter option, filling a boost gauge the longer you’re behind your opponents, tucked into their slipstream.

As a result the game is almost like cat and mouse. The mouse; who leads the race but has to try and pull out a large enough lead that simply no one will be able to use their slipstream for drafting. And the cat; the one chasing the mouse down, biding their time soaking up the draft in order to slingshot on the last lap, around the final corner. It’s a well thought out and interesting concept that allows for a more technical play style instead of outright speed.

Another thing I found very intuitive were the controls themselves. In games like Wipeout, the more common controls have breaking and e-breaking, on the same button or trigger and depending what combination of inputs. Breaking for a single trigger pull, but when combined with the acceleration button, can pull off a tight turn. Perfect for those 90 degree turns that future race designers love to use. Redline achieves the same level of accuracy, but with a simpler, easier system. Utilising both joysticks, the player can adjust the angle of their craft at any point by adjusting how much tilt the player wants to apply to the joystick. I found I really liked this style, more than I do with Wipeout itself. And I’m a huge fan of that game. Very excited to see where this one goes, call me a sucker but I can never go past a racing sim/game, especially with a futuristic setting!

Redline is currently in testing modes, you can find the newest testing mode on itch.io

2. Omochapon

Omochapon is an adorable game about a gachapon toy getting lost in a mall and needing to find a way out and back to its child owner. It’s a simple, but fun puzzle game that requires you to use the skills of various gachapon toys you collect along the way. Designed to provide enough of a challenge that kids can still beat but also be fun and light hearted. I watched as my partner seemed to have a ball playing it and found myself actively watching and seeking out the path and how it all works, almost as if I was playing it myself.

I got a very good chance to speak with the creator. Who mentioned the idea started out as a sort of Micro Machines game, that slowly changed into what it is now. As a fan of the old Micro Machines games myself, we got to talking about how the industry has changed and a game like Micro Machines isn’t really on the radar for anyone anymore. The market for such a game has all but died off and that’s why they decided to take a new route. Each new gachapon toy idea was born from an idea for its own game but the more they were fleshed out the more he realised they would all be better off in a game together.

Thus Omochapon was born, a mostly linear, simplistic puzzle game. Find your way through this empty mall after closing, swap between different toys and use their specialities to reach your goal. It’s a cute game with a lot of heart and charm. And while I worry about its replayability for older gamers, I can definitely see families of gamers all sitting around the lounge on a lazy Sunday afternoon while the kids play. One of them gets stuck and mum or dad (who were gamers themselves when they were young) comes along to help out. I could really see it being a family bonding game!

Omochapon is available now in the Nintendo e-shop!

3. Squat Ops

My final pick for the top three was entirely unexpected, however perfectly fitting as both comedic satire, and really deceptive and ingenious gameplay. Squat Ops, yes you heard right. Is a single player stealth game where you are the controller. Or well, that’s not entirely right. Truth be told, a pair of earpods are your controllers. By wearing these, you become the controllers. Every squat, every jump, every hold movement, controls your avatar in the game. It’s up to you to sneak into the enemy’s nuclear facility and uncover intel to thwart your enemies plans.

It caught my eye immediately because of its presentation. If you’ve played Metal Gear Solid, you’ll immediately know where I’m coming from. The game is styled in the same manner as the titular title. The game also features a unique relationship aspect where you can build relations with the other characters in the game to uncover secrets and unique dialogue that reveals hidden layers of the mission and opening windows into your team’s history and motivations. Achieving a depth one would not expect to see in a game effectively tricking its players to get physically active while they play the game.

It’s a neat gimmick that I’m impressed works as well as it does. The game legitimately feels like you’re playing an MGS inspired game whilst also getting fit and active. And the controls, that being your own body, work surprisingly well. It’s an interesting take and I look forward to seeing other games take initiative with other ideas, as unique as Squat Ops

Of course, Day Three would not be complete without the Cosplay Crown Regional Finals. And it’s insane the level of detail these talented artisans can create. We were quite a ways back in the stands, but my 100-400mm lens made mincemeat of that distance and took photos as if they were only a few feet in front of me. Every single day that I attend these cosplay competitions and catwalks, it makes me want to cosplay myself. And gives me more and more confidence to try. The sheer joy as the winners were announced and all their hard work, all the blood, sweat and tears were all worth it.

And before we knew it, there was less than an hour before the weekend was due to come to an end. A whole three days of amazing fun, all seemed to fly by in a flash, leaving me with a deep sense of wanting more.

Conclusion

PAX is home. There’s no other way to describe it. Walking in those doors every year and seeing the giant sign beaming a “welcome home” down over you as you make your way in, is a feeling strangely akin to coming home after a long vacation overseas. It feels oh so familiar and yet still somehow unique every single year. It’s the one convention I always fear to miss out on.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows however. Queue times are still a problem. In fact, in some regards it was even worse than previous years, What with the record attendance on Saturday. Some queues got in early, while others were severely delayed. Something needs to be done about it, because it’s completely unfair that some patrons are lining up 40+ minutes in advance of the panel just to get a good seat, then having to wait an additional amount of time just because they haven’t set up properly. Perhaps they could continue working on the set-up while they let the audience in. Simply explain that they’re getting us seated and comfy before the show, this is such a simple change but would go a long way to get this issue sorted. Or at least make an attempt to fix the problem.

That being said, I had very few negative things to say about PAX. I wanted to take the time here to give a huge shout out to the many organisers, enforcers, volunteers and more. Who helps run the event, make sure everything runs as smoothly as it can get. It’s not perfect and it likely never will be. But PAX Aus is home and the people we meet, friendships we create and fun we have together as a gaming community is what makes this event the single most important to all us gamers.

I can’t wait to do it all again in a year’s time!

Photos were taken by myself using Canon Eos R50 with 18-45mm and 100-400mm lenses. Posted with permissions from cosplayers and booth organisers alike. You can find links to some cosplayers’ socials below, provided with permissions from the cosplayers themselves as well as other articles for reviews and events coverage by me here

@boosify, @mirruuki, @iceonmywristbrrr, @noctiae, @holdmyshoe, @jaimie.ahern, @glhfcosplay, @leg.itcosplay