Hawty McBloggy Invites You to Play

The passion and excitement radiating from the Halo series of video games was evident everywhere you turned at PAX. From Halo-themed gamer gear worn by numerous attendees to the Bungie Store in the Exhibition Hall to Master Chief walking among the masses (which I missed, curses!) to the final round of the Omegathon where they played Halo 3, your senses were bombarded by anything and everything Halo. Yeah, I kinda liked it. Just a little bit. And by a little bit I mean I soiled my pants several times. There are only two things that could have improved my Halo experience at PAX. Those are 1. Master Chief being decked out in pink armor 2. and then having him promptly whisk me away to the deserted beaches of Zanzibar to completely and thoroughly pwn me, if you know what I mean. Wait, did that qualify as over sharing? Forget I said anything. Moving on.

*click images to enlarge

The Bungie Store at PAX had so many awesome goodies. From bags to shirts to bottle openers to everything in between, you could not escape that area without a purchase. They handed out free Halo 3 pens and gum while you browsed as well. The thing I love about official Bungie products is that you know they are going to be high quality. I found a little gem (or lots of little gems actually) in the shirt bins. They had a Halo 3 shirt with the logo on the front made out of crystals. Oh yes, they had a blinged Halo 3 shirt. They must have known I was coming because I’m pretty sure they made it just for me. After I was able to breathe again (I was frozen momentarily from having Halo 3 and bling in the same place at the same time), I promptly found my size and made my first purchase of the day.

This spectacular looking model is a Halo ActionClix Scarab Vehicle Park. I thought it was a Halo-themed end table as my martini glass would fit perfectly on top of that while I frag the endless amount of timmies that inhabit Xbox Live, but apparently it is part of a new collectible miniatures game. Whatever. I’m getting one for my gaming room to hold my beverages. Halo-themed furniture ftw!

This poorly photoshopped gigantic Halo poster still managed to exude awesomeness despite making little sense. The figures in the poster are not interacting correctly and for some reason the one all the way on the right has a needle sticking out his head even though none of the characters are wielding that particular weapon. But that is ok, because Halo is awesome period. I asked the friend I was with to pose next to the poster like he was fighting with them as well, but he refused. KP ftl.

Now begins the awesomeness that is Halo 3. Sit down, buckle up, and please remain seated during this ride. It is a good one.

During PAX there is an event called the Omegathon. As described on their FAQ :

The Omegathon is a three-day elimination tournament. Twenty Omeganauts are chosen from those who pre-order PAX passes, and compete in games from every category (tabletop, console, PC) culminating in a live championship match on the big stage during PAX closing ceremonies. The final game is always out of left field: first year was PONG, second year was Atari’s COMBAT, last year was Tetris. The grand prize is equally ridiculous; last year’s prize was a brand new car (a Scion) that had been upgraded with custom rims and paint, big sound, LCD screens, and an Xbox 360.

Typically the final round of the Omegathon is a random old school game. Past years have found Pong, Combat, and Tetris played. This year they decided to do it a little bit different. I almost didn’t attend PAX at all on Sunday but heard that the final event should not be missed. That was the understatement of the millennium. Notice I didn’t say year. Or century. Oh no, I said MILLENNIUM.

As the final round of the Omegathon started, they aired chopped up pieces of the original Halo 3 trailer to begin hinting towards what was in store for us. After hearing Cortana’s voice, the room then came alive with the trademark Halo song. As smoke filled the room and colored spotlights lit up the stage, I realized there were actually people performing this song. Oh yes, the minibosses were there playing their hearts out. The guitarist was phenomenal. I wish I could explain the awesomeness of this performance but there are no words to accurately describe it. I got chills during the song no less than three times. It was absolutely surreal.

Then the gaming started. The two contestants came on the stage and sat down to begin playing the glory that is Halo 3. The first map was the new Lockout. You got a sense of familiarity with it while also feeling like it was a completely new map. There were many different weapons, power ups, and equipment available at their disposal. Many of them we saw in the Beta (needler, plasma rifle, shotgun, rockets, spartan laser, sniper, sword, assault rifle, brute shot, carbine) but there were a few new ones as well. The flame thrower was amazing. It shot fire out as long as you held the trigger down (it overheats as a plasma weapon) and watching the Spartan’s body burn was awesome. A humorous moment came when one of the players used the flame thrower to kill his opponent and went over to his body to give it a quick squat. The person who was squatting then erupted into flames himself and got a suicide. It was classic! The game was competitive and enthralling to watch. The second game was on a map that I wasn’t familiar with and can’t recall the name of (it was not in the Beta though). This game was only to five kills and it ended rather quickly so we got to see very little of it. The main point of interest was that this map held vehicles and one of the players zoomed around for a bit. I really would have liked to have seen more of this map. I suppose September will have to satisfy this craving.

Cunbelin made a valid comment in one of Sunday’s articles hoping for “some “did that just happen!?” moments that really make the game shine”. I sensed some disappointment in the comment (which could or could not be correct, the written word is difficult to decipher at times) and I have a little insight into that. We had a brief moment to talk with Frankie after the Omegathon was over and he commented that neither of the players had participated in the Beta. Thus their only Halo experience was on either CE or 2. As people who have played the Beta know, they have changed a lot about the game with their weapons, equipment, and even controls. Considering the participant’s low knowledge of this particular game, I thought the competition between them was highly entertaining. I had a complete and total blast watching them explore the maps and learn the weapons. However if you were looking for that “wow factor”, it probably was missing simply from the lack of the knowing the game. One of the players picked up the Spartan laser and pumped the trigger, not understanding that it needed to be charged. I think the “wow factor” was experienced at the Halo 3 IMAX Preview Event on August 21st where people intimately familiar with the game showcased it for the audience. This Omegathon showing however was simply a glimpse at the multiplayer options by inexperienced players. That being said, I was not disappointed in the least bit. I had an amazing time watching them fiercely battle it out. In fact, I have very little voice left today after screaming for about two hours straight at this event. The whole experience was too amazing for words (except for the 1351 I just wrote).