PAX Prime is huge. The entire event takes up the 4 stories of the convention center and over flows into the annex across Pike street and the Paramount Theater. HaloFest was a part of PAX Prime, meaning that your PAX badge would get you in to HaloFest as well. But HaloFest was definitely a totally separate experience. Inside the incredibly well put together area, all other games were lost. It was all about Halo and there were some incredible representations of the universe that was created for the players to escape into. That escape was real for the 3 days that the event covered.There were several game areas set up where anyone could sit or stand and play a round of Firefight or Big Team Battle with the other Halo lovers in the room. I even picked up a controller a few times, just so they could start the game. I got my ass handed to me in the Big Team Battle and Free for All matches that I played but I got my first and second double kill playing Firefight. Mike had a good time exploring the title update which had changes that he was really excited about.
There were several lounges set up and some really great demonstrations. Forza 4 for the Kinect will include the Warthog as one of the vehicle choices and there was an area where you could use the Kinect and play with the Warthog in your garage. There was also Fruit Ninja Kinect set up with a special edition HaloFest background. It was awesome to see the ninja disappear when the Active Camo fruit was sliced. The Halo Fruit Ninja isn't going to be available for download though. Or so they say.The Commissary had the most fantastic part of HaloFest: The Grunt Plushies with a limit of 3 for the first 2 days, then the limit was lifted on the third. They were also selling exclusive HaloFest toys and shirts. And they handed out really neat shoulder bags with a set of MegaBlocks Warthog blocks to the first 5000 people. That's a lot of people, but PAX hosted 70,000 people and I heard some pretty disappointed people towards the end of the three days. I also saw that the special edition MegaBlocks are being sold on eBay and I think that if you didn't want one, why did you take one? And how could you sell that super cute, tiny, little plasma sword? Really people. But I digress...
We were fortunate enough to get invited to the HaloFest VIP party put on by Microsoft's 343 Studio. Mike and I spent Friday night from 8-11 mingling with other Halo lovers, 343 employees and a handful of other internet and Halo VIP's. We met Major Nelson, Stepto, Marty O'Donnell, Burnie Burns (squee!!) and a few other people. Also, there was cake. Enough cake for 1000 people.David Ellis hosted a costume contest with about a dozen incredibly well put together costumes. My vote was most certainly for Marissa's bunny in the Noble 6 armor, but a really well done Spartan took the win. The costumes were amazing. I'll upload them to a sharable site when they're ready.
It was an excellent event hosted by excellent people. I can't thank the 343 team enough for what they did.Also, Luke McKay, next time you and I make eye contact 200 times in 3 days, I promise I'll stop being a pansy and say hello, maybe even get you to sign the first comic book I ever purchased because it was drawn by you.
I don't care what anyone says. The reason we went to PAX Prime this year was for HaloFest. Next year, if there is no HaloFest, we'll probably go for PAX's sake, but this year... no.
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