Can you believe we’re into the home stretch of PAX Online already? With three full days ahead (the equivalent of a “classic PAX,” if you will), there’s still plenty to do and enjoy. Plenty more panels, tons of fun over on the Discord, and oodles (yes, we said it) of demos to experience.
So as we wind down this strange beast that is PAX Online 2020, we present to you our final showcase of panels that may be of interest to our readership base. As always, these are panels that have Nintendo themes, content, perhaps a panelist from a Nintendo-oriented media outlet, and so forth. It’s all subjective, and of course we suggest you check out the official schedule at https://online.paxsite.com/schedule for the full slate.
Have a great weekend, and Happy PAX-ing!
FRIDAY (18/9) – *All times in EST
12:15am-1:15am – Twitch: /PAX — Supermarket Nintendo Sweep
Watch on as contestants from across the games industry quickly answer Nintendo trivia questions in an effort to give themselves more time for the Big Speedrun finale where they have to race against each other – and the clock – in a variety of gaming classics, all the while keeping an eye out for hinted-at bonuses. How quickly can they get to the warp pipes in Super Mario Bros.? Who will have weird preternatural knowledge of the layout of The Legend of Zelda? Find out all that and more in this loving ode to one of the most ridiculous game shows. (Pre-recorded)
4:45pm-5:45pm – Twitch: /PAX — Friday Afternoon Concert – 88Bit
88bit is the alter ego of Cleveland-based composer/pianist, Rob Kovacs, where he performs virtuosic note-for-note piano arrangements of classic video game soundtracks from the original Nintendo Entertainment System. Kovacs’ repertoire consists of music from Mega Man 2, Castlevania 2: Simon’s Quest as well as lesser-known games such as Marble Madness, Adventures of Lolo, Arkista’s Ring and others. By acoustically recreating early electronic music (music never intended to be performed by humans), Kovacs is stretching the limits of traditional classical piano playing and bringing video game music to audiences that might never have otherwise heard the music. (Live performance)
SATURDAY (19/9) – *All times in EST
7:15pm-8:15pm – Twitch: /PAX — 35 Years of Adventure: The History of The Legend of Zelda
Can you believe that The Legend of Zelda is turning 35? From its humble beginnings on the NES, it quickly grew to become one of the most enduring, influential, and best-loved franchises of all time. Join the staff of Zelda Universe as we take a journey back through the history of the series, from Shigeru Miyamoto’s idea of recreating his childhood adventures to its incredible success on the Switch. We’ll explore its creation and evolution, its highs and lows, and the wonderfully weird and obscure. And then we’ll look forward to the future to see what Zelda might look like in the years to come, especially with the much-hyped sequel to Breath of the Wild. (Pre-recorded)
SUNDAY (20/9) – *All times in EST
6:15pm-7:15pm – Twitch: /PAX3 – New Games, Old Consoles
Take a peek underneath the hood and learn how to work within the limitations of your favorite 8 and 16 bit gaming consoles. How do you create pixel art that works within each console’s limitations? What are the best tools for a beginner to make hardware-ready chiptune music? How do you get started learning assembly, or creating simple games that don’t require it? Join Mega Cat Studio’s founder James Deighan, and lead designer Andrew Marsh, for a conversation about demystifying the technical challenges of the Nintendo, Super Nintendo and Sega Mega Drive. (Pre-recorded)
9:45pm-10:45pm – Twitch: /PAX — Omegathon FINAL ROUND
This is it, we’ve had a week of competing in order to determine the final two players in the Omegathon!
Who will it be? What will the game be? Who knows!? This is being written two months before the actual competition, there’s a 50% chance we haven’t decided the game. We might not know what the final round will be until after the entire show is over, that’s how secretive this all is.
(It’s angry birds)
(no, it’s not angry birds)
(Live)
