PAX 2012 Gallery

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“As an industry, we have been undersold this event”- Hideo Kojima

To be honest, I almost didn’t make it this year. There were projects that need finishing at a job that gave me real money. My 3-day badge would have made triple the purchase price on eBay. My wife wasn’t going with me, because there was no way I was going to make her stand in line like that while she was 6 months pregnant. Still, had been a long, hard, and almost getaway free summer, and my friends had a hotel room for me to crash in, so off I went.

PAX is the biggest convention Seattle has ever seen, and it is the ultimate test of fandom resolve. Pre-release Triple-A games are everywhere but you could stand in line up to six hours to try them out. Every venue, restaurant, and parking line looks like the crowd bulldozer scene from Soylent Green. After having to park 6 stories in the air, I was done. The only panel I went to was the Extra Credits community event (Which was a blast!), and I only lined up for about 4 demos. It turns out that this is the way to go at a place like PAX. It’s PAX, people! There is always something new to see and do. Even if you’re stuck in a corner people-watching, it’s still a better show than what you can see at home. There’s always a Cosplay group, some free swag, or even invitations to special developer parties just floating around the convention hall. Go with the flow, and you shall find what you seek. You can see more pics of the convention after the jump.

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J-Fest Returns This Weekend

Anime Evolution is resurrecting J-fest, the Vancouver anime get-together from the Dark Days of VHS this Saturday at Douglas College. Admission is $10, and children 6 and under are free with a paying adult. There will be Cosplay an Artist’s Alley, and of course, lots of Anime! The weather couldn’t be better, so head down already!

UBC to host MiniComi 2 on July 7

UBC will be hosting the second annual MiniComi Festival at the Student Union Building (SUB) this Saturday from 10am to 7pm. The festival bills itself as a spiritual successor to Comiket, featuring work from local artists, doujinshi, and Cosplay. Of course, if you send us your pictures from the event, we’ll be sure to post them here!

 

Source: MiniComi 2.

Anime Revolution Welcomes Jouji Nakata

Anime Revolution has landed its first Japanese guest of honour, anime voice artist Jouji Nakata!

He is a highly prolific voice actor with a remarkable repertoire of roles. Notable roles include Alucard (HELLSING), Corporal Giroro (Sgt. Frog), Kirei Kotomine (Fate/stay night and Fate/Zero), The Count of Monte Cristo (Gankutsuou: The Count of Monte Cristo), Hody Jones (ONE PIECE), Tetsuji Chuma (SKET DANCE), Innocentius (Horizon on the Middle of Nowhere), Diethard Reid (Code Geass), Roy Revant (Solty Rei), Hyogo Otoo (Working!! / Wagnaria!!) and many more. He will also be starring in some of the upcoming new anime series – as Kamo Serizawa in Hakuouki Reimeiroku, which starts this July, and as Dr. Crodo in Chousoku Henkei Gyrozetter, which starts this October.

This will be Mr. Nakata’s first appearance at a Canadian convention, and he is very excited to join Anime Revolution.

 

Anime revolution will be taking place August 17-19 at the Vancouver convention center. Early bird pricing ends on June 30th, so order your tickets today!

 

Source: Anime Revolution.

Richmond Night Market Cosplay Fashion Show

Anime Revolution is hosting a Cosplay Fashion Show at the World-famous Richmond Night Market on June 29, 2012. The organizers are looking to find 20 models to promote the convention and everyone’s favorite art form. Entries can be sent by email to s.h.j-@hotmail.com, and the deadline is June the 17th.

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Can’t Stop The Serenity Screening This Weekend

 

The 7th annual Can’t Stop the Serenity Marathon Screening is returning to the HR Mcmillan Space Center in Vancouver on Saturday June 9th.  It will be a six and a half hour celebration of all things Whedon, with screenings of Dr. Horrible, Trivia contests, silent auctions and of course a screening the Firefly movie, Serenity. Tickets are $16 each and proceeds go to Equality Now.

Source: Can’t Stop the Serenity

iFest Independent Game Festival This Saturday in Seattle

 

iFest Independent Games Festival for 2012 is hosting an event in Seattle this year on Saturday June the 2nd. Speakers will include Brian Dawson of Valve Software and Thomas Buscaglia, the Game Attorney. The event will be held at the Seattle Center and best of all, registration is Free!

Source: iFest Independent Game Festival.

GameStop EXPO Says “Fine, We’ll Start Our Own Con…Almost”

Penny Arcade Expo’s passes have already come and gone 4 months before the event even launched. So what’s a gamer to do if he want to get his hot little hands on the latest betas? Gamestop has grudgingly offered to extend its employee only show in San Antonio, Texas to the public… for a full 5 hours. On August 19th 11:00am to 4:00pm, gamers will get the chance to briefly glimpse the offerings of all the top publishers. Man, I know the Penny Arcade formula is in desperate need of duplication, but the Screw Attack Gaming Convention is coming up in July, so let’s send a message that gamers can’t be treated like this and go there instead, okay?

Source: Gamer Revolution

Come to the Vancouver Comic Arts Festival This Weekend! #VANCAF

The Vancouver Comic Arts Festival is happening on May 25 and 26th at 181 Roundhouse Mews in Yaletown, Vancouver! There will be over 60 independent and webcomic artists in attendances, including Christopher Hart of The Adventures of Dr. McNinja and Camilla D’Errico of Tanpopo. Best of all, the price is FREE!!! Let’s see if we can break some fire codes here, fellow Raingeeks. This is the future of comics and pop culture. Come down and say hello!

Source: Vancouver Comic Arts Festival

Final Attendance Numbers for Fan Expo Vancouver Are In!

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FanExpo Vancouver has released its total attendance numbers the yesterday, and the final tally comes to…16,780! While impressive, there’s no doubt the organizers underestimated the force of fandom here in Vancouver. We can only guess how many people they turned away after their convention space sold out. In any case, hopefully next year they’ll reserve enough convention space to contain Vancouver’s appetite for celebrities, comics, and cosplay!

Source: Fan Expo Vancouver.