SCORING MASSIVE POINTS
Gaming at Comic-Con Becomes Bigger Than a 2D20 Orc! Okay, we have no idea what that really means, but it sounds huge, and that’s the point. Each year more and more fans arrive at Comic-Con International to test their skills at game systems such as Warmachine, Magic, Nexus, Heroclix, Star Trek, Vampires, MegaMan, Upper Deck’s Vs. Systems, good old Dungeons & Dragons, and more. In fact, gaming is so gi-normous, it now takes up the entire mezzanine level at the Convention Center and a wing of the Manchester Grand Hyatt down the street, and that certainly sounds larger than a silly old Orc, now doesn’t it? And speaking of battling beasties, on the outside Convention Center balcony, members of the Society for Creative Anachronism, the Adrian Empire, and Dark Nexus performed sword fighting and other medieval combat demos for attendees, while live-action role-playing games took off throughout the weekend. Inside the Exhibit Hall,
Fans tried out new games at the Star Wars Pavilion. companies taught people how to use their games, offered advice to experienced players, and gave cool freebies throughout the weekend. Of course, videogames are always a huge draw, with Activision, Midway, Nintendo, and others allowing attendees to try out the hottest upcoming and recent releases on giant flatscreen monitors. Did all that keep you busy? Well, hopefully you had time to check out the awesome gaming programs in the upstairs meetings rooms. Industry insiders revealed the dirty secrets of the videogame industry, fans and creators discussed popular role-playing game strategies, Maximum PC presented “How to Play a Better Game,” and such companies as Bandai and Capcom offered presentations and Q&A sessions about their products.
Live combat wowed the crowd on the outside balcony.
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Yep, it was a massive weekend for gamers of every ilk, and there will be more next year, so check future Updates and www.comiccon.org, for information in 2006.
COMIC-CON INTERNATIONAL: SAN DIEGO
THE WINNERS CIRCLE Comic-Con is the site of many company-organized tournaments. This year’s winners included: Upper Deck Vs. System $10,000 championship winner - Adam Prosak Lord of the Rings Premier Series winner - Michael Dalton .hack//Enemy Premier Series winner - Geoffrey Stirling InuYasha 1st place - $2,500 winner - Dustin Morabito 2nd Place - $1,000 winner - Sandy Price