And it's still going strong

Following a cancellation in 2020 and a pivot to a "Fall Fest" in 2021, Super Smash Con has returned to Chantilly, VA to once again showcase some of the best competitors the Smash community has to offer. While Super Smash Con (or "SSC") is primarily a tournament-based event, there's some other activities on offer that people can enjoy separately, or while waiting for? the next match to start. Here's a look at Super Smash Con 2022.

So one of my favorite elements of Smash Con (or any con really) is the dealer area, and that hasn't changed. It's row after row of merch from a combination of local and national stores and individual artists, with everything from retro video game and board game sales, to drawings and bead art. One station had a little sign that to signify that if you beat the ??shopkeep at Smash Ultimate BO3 (best of three) you get $5 off your order. People were pondering jumping in and?? challenging them as I walked by.

Then there's the arcade, which is what I'd call "medium-sized," but has a wide variety of stuff from all over the world. Two Pokken Tournament stations at the front are on-brand for Super Smash Con, and there's even racing (Initial D Arcade Stage 8 Infinity), rhythm, and light gun shooters available. Since I know the arcade gallery is pretty popular with readers over ??the years, I did a full sweep and you can find photos below.

An indie section doubles as an extra arcade of sorts, and the big showings in 2022 are from Rivals of Aether, King of the Hat, and Rushdown Revolt. The latter seems to be the crown jewel, as there was a crowd gathering around the rather large table of demos for it. A side tournament is going on for all three of these too. In another indie section (closer to the entrance), there were demo stations for a game called Check x Mate: a "fantasy visual novel set in the magical world of chess." Quite a few folks were stopping by, thanks to the chess set o??n the table catching their? interest.

As a tournament, Smash Con is incredibly well organized from a navigational perspective. Each game has a massive area in the event space, from the original Smash 64, to Melee, to Brawl, to the Wii U era, to Ultimate, which has two whole tournament zones. Folks square off in tournaments with TOs (tournament organizers) on hand on the sides of the event, then duke it out in the middle of the con at the main stage for the bigger matches. MkLeo taking on...well...everyone in Ultimate is the major story for Smash Con.

When I entered there was even a live band warming up, and someone was tagging the main sign at the front of the convent??ion center with various gaming icons. So far, Super Smash Con 2022 has had the same open and warm vibe it has in previous years, and it's great to see live events returning like this like nothing ever happened (masks are required inside, and they even made cute little Dr. Mario signs for it, which you can see in the gallery below). Tournament organizers have revealed that there are roughly 4,0?00 registered tournament players, with more foot traffic beyond that.

Super Smash Con kicked off today at 12PM ET, and will be running until 10PM ET on Sunday, August 14. You ??can watch the main? streams here on the VGBootCamp Twitch channel. The schedule can be found here: the top eight finals for Ultimate will start at 6PM ET on Sunday.

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The festivities kick off today with a 64 Combo Contest

Back in 2015, folks were wary about the idea of a Super Smash Bros. convention basically popping up overnight. Some doubted that it would even get off the ground (it was announced right after the infamous DashCon ball pit incident, among others), but it absolutely did, and many pros attended, including Wizzrobe.

But it wasn't all about eSports, as I witnessed many families running around enjoying themselves; the kind of spirit the show has latched on to eve??n as it's grown before my very eyes. In 2019, despite the ev??ent's growth, not a lot has changed, for the better.

Super Smash Con takes place at the Dulles Expo Center in Chantilly Virginia, where it's been since its inception. The gist of the event? It's a combination of a gigantic tournament that sprawls every single possible Smash game and a chill gaming convention not unlike a smaller MAGFest or EGLX (or conversely, a bigger AGDQ)

There's an arcade to play around in, an indie corner, a VR zone, vendors (I was able to pick up this awesome?? Snake bead art figure for my collection from Geek Mythology crafts!), live music, and free play stations (including a B?YOS, or "bring your own Switch" area stocked with TVs and docks). One of my go-to activities, the gaming museum was nixed (no!) due to "a lack of foot traffic," a rep told me today.

Last year Smash Con received approximately 11,000 people over the course of its long Thursday to Sunday weekend, and a rep informed me that they expect about the same, if not a little more. In case you were wondering 10,000 is a lot, as many events that folks would consider "huge" hover around 20,000: and this is for one franchise. If you're planning on attending make a note of that, as there are enhanced security measures this year.

I got there before the doors really opened and people started pouring in, which led to some great shots without wall-to-wall attendees. I think my favorite little improvement that I've noticed over the years: the details. The signage rocks, complete with minimalist informational little silhouettes. Hanging over the venue are character flags, with notations for when a Smash Ultimate character was "established," or, the year their firs??t game debuted. Considering the huge roster they have to deal with now, it's a ton of work.

At this point, Super Smash Con has a history. As I walked by the hall of fame on my way out to write this piece, I noticed a few familiar names on the wall: Mew2King, Prince, Nairo, ANTi, Mango, and of course, MKLeo, who just won the Smash Ultimate crown at EVO 2019. Whether you're in attendance or are catching its many tournaments online, I hope you enjoy it.

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Both have had big years

When touring Blizzard's headquarters for the first time, I came across several giant statues that adorned the halls that showcased a few of their most iconic characters, including Tracer, which they were immensely proud of given that she was the first Overwatch character they designed. That was in early 2016, and now Overwatch has reached garga??ntuan heights that it's time for another, and I think Junkrat i?s a worthy choice.

Of course Warcraft isn't ever going to be left out, so Blizzard also brought a Sylvanas statue to the party to celebrate the new expansion that's heavily centered around her and Andu??in. Get a look at b?oth of them in the gallery below!

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Are you in it?

[Update: Come to find out, I actually was part of the diorama, the database just didn't catch it. My Blood Elf Demon Hunter made it in, and a Blizzard employee handed the figure to me after the closing ceremonies for a closer look. Upon inspection, this looks like a near 1:1 re-creation of my character. The horns are exact,?? the shoulder pads are the same, it has the same bandana/mask, and the same belt. That's...dedica?tion!]

To celebrate the new World of Warcraft expansion Battle for Azeroth, Blizzard nonchalantly built "the largest videogame diorama ever," as per the Guinness Book of World Records. Why they didn't announce this during the keynote is anyone's guess, as I randomly just happened upon it while wandering the showfloor after the Heroes of the Storm HGC semi-finals. 

But it's not just a re-creation of the Battle for Lordaeron with random figures colored blue for the Alliance and red for Horde -- it features actual player characters based on World of Warcraft users. If you're an attendee you can see if your character is one of the 10,000 included right here (I wasn't chosen, sadly), an??d what zone of the diorama you're in.

Yeah, this is a he?ll of a way to promote an expansion, and a decidedly Blizzard thing to do.

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This year there's plenty of new additions

Every year Blizzard's stable of characters grows a bit. I mean we've had over 10 characters alone in Heroes of the Storm, several in Overwatch, multiple Hearthstone expansions with unique cards, Diablo III's Necromancer, a few Starcraft co-op commanders, and the ongoing World of Warcraft storyline.

Once again Overwatch dominated the cosplay scene at BlizzCon 2017, but you have to appreciate just how far some people are willing to go when it comes to derivatives of existing ideas. You really get to see how deep the community will dive when roaming the halls. I'm talking like, a D.Va outfit that's an exclusive Heroes of the Storm (and not Overwatch) obscure. Or in terms of dedication, like a Junkrat dressed as a Heroes devil skin who put his leg up against ?a tree to really make his peg leg prop po??p.

Click the gallery to peruse a f??ew of our favorites!

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They try to hook you with your gift bag

It's the day before BlizzCon, and all through Anaheim...there's pin trading. Yep, this year after visiting registration you'll be grabbing the customary "goody bag," which inclu?des a backpack filled with blind-box items this year. As you might have guessed, collectors have posted up outside of the convention center, trying to peddle their wares and get every last rare pin (if you're here, the best gathering spot is near the fountain).

I was first introduced to pin trading back? in the mid 2000s after witnessing the craze at Disney World. Since then plenty of other conventions have emulated the practice, including PAX and previous BlizzCons. But this year it's a little more active as folks are given a taste out of the gate -- and despite the obvious marketing ploy, I actually really dig that the climate is a little more social than usual.

Tomorrow is when everything is really starts. The keynote (which we'll be covering) kicks off at 11AM PT, which will bring all sorts of announcements for Blizzard's stable outside of Diablo III, whi??ch is not ??making an appearance this year. Until then you can live vicariously through these photos of the check-in process and the aforementioned goods.

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Breath of the Wild was added this year

Years back I attended my first Symphony of the Goddesses concert. It was perfect timing as the 25th anniversary was happening and I was in the process of replaying every Zelda game to date. It all sort of just came together during that ??magical period of time, but I didn't expect the production to last as long as it did.

With the incorporation of Breath of the Wild though, it's just as relevant as ever.

For those of you who haven't attended a Symphony of the Goddesses performance before, it's basically a full orchestral concert with some accompanying game footage. The idea has been replicated myriad times with productions like Video Games Live, but Zelda's timeless compositions and the charm of the games themselves mesh very well together. Seeing a silly in-game quote that makes the audience laugh or a b??it of physical comedy that brings a smile to our face is something very few properties can pull off consistently.

Each movement tells a story, facilitated by the on-screen playthrough. Most of it is cutscenes but there's plenty of raw "Let's Play" style boss fights and dungeon runs, with close-ups of the musicians weaved in for solos and the like. One of the big things I noticed seeing a recent show is how monumental the remakes (mostly Ocarina 3D, Majora 3D, and Twilight Princess HD) have been in terms of providing cleaner video qu?ality.

There's still some fine-tuning required though, as the LPs very sparingly feature a garish UI (especially for Skyward Sword's full screen waggle and Wiimote chicanery). It's a reminder of how de-cluttered and under-tutorialized (in a good way) older games were. At worst it's a minor distraction, I just wish Nintendo maybe helped out the production a little more in this department other than providing pre-recorded clips with Miyamoto and several other members of the Zelda team.

The actual production team has stepped up its game though, as they're starting to show more Breath of the Wild as of this year. While the main theme has been played for several months now, my showing at Wolf Trap had a surprise encore medley, which showcased quite a bit of the new beloved title. My favorite part? The Ballad of the Wind Fish is still a ??part of the event as one of th??e two portable features in a show packed with console focus.

Speaking to several attendees I noticed that many people haven't played Breath yet, or have an overwhelming sense of nostalgia for the older games. That's the power of Zelda. Fans are still coming out in full force, so these concerts are still happening (you can see the crowd for yourself in the gallery below). As long as Nintendo keeps making Zelda games with great music and the setl?ist keeps getting updated, I'll attend them every few years too.

If you're curious, you can find the full schedule here and the setlist (as of July 2017) below.

ACT I

• Overture
• Dragon Roost Island
• Majora's Mask Suite
• Breath of the Wild Main Theme (new)
• A Link Between Worlds Suite
• Movement I ~ Ocarina of Time

ACT II

• Intermezzo ~ Temple of Time
• Movement II ~ The Wind Waker
• Movement III ~ Twilight Princess
• Movement IV ~ Time of the Falling Rain
• (A Link to the Past)
• Ballad of the Wind Fish
• Breath of the Wild Suite (new)

_{[Entry to the concert was provided by the production company.]}

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How did I get here?

This is not my beautiful house!

No, I'm in the hamlet city of Reykjavik, Iceland for my first EVE Fanfest and coincidentally, my first visit to the country. I've seen the myriad pictures for the monument before, b?ut it was fascinating to get some context around it.

Iceland is a strange place. My first real experience in the country involved getting some breakfast after a red-eye flight, only to hear the restaurant blaring 1950's rock and roll. Just up the street is a bar dedicated to Chuck Norris and an?y number of innocuous US pop culture references. Credit cards are widely accepted, English is widely spoken, and you can basically just roll up and acclimate instantly.

The actual 'Fest starts later today with its opening ceremonies at 1PM ET, and will hold 1,000 players and 200 developers. Like any con there's panels, hands-on booths, and general chill sessions between fans and developers. Think larger than Final Fantasy XIV's Fanfest in terms of venue space (CCP has the entire Harpa center, a gargantuan building), but smaller than say, BlizzCon. Expect a few inside baseball announcements for EVE Online, as well as some updates on their side projects like Sparc and EVE Valkyrie.

In case you're wondering how CCP is doing in general, they shared their total 2016 year end results with Destructoid in what they're calling a? "record year." Record, in the sense that they snagged $86,135,976 in revenue, and $21 million of that was a profit. They're fine, to say the least. And after touring their upscale studio and seeing how they work first-hand, I can see why.

Known for their infamous nature of canceling projects that they aren't happy with, they've had very few ideas that can be considered traditional "failures" outside of Dust 514. Most of their focus is on EVE Online, but when they go outside of that arena, they go hard. Like many other studios they could have released a marquee VR game for one platform and called it a day, but Valkyrie is not only on Oculus, Vive, and PSVR, but it's cross-platform acros??s all? three. It helps that they aren't monstrously large (they're at just over 300 bodies), even if their empire spans from Atlanta, to Europe, to China (their Shanghai studio is handling their mobile VR arm).

It'll be interesting to see if they can move even further out of the lucrative but still fairly esoteric niche that's EVE Online. Let's find out together this week!

_{[Disclosure: Travel provided by the publisher]}

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25,000 expected in 2017

From a 265-person show in 2002, MAGFest has blossomed into near uncontrollable levels. Last year the convention runners reported roughly 20,000 were in attendance, but this year, 25,000 registrants are expected to attend. That's a massive amount of growth for what is essentially a small indie outfit -- and they're expanding into multiple conventions to meet demand.

It helps then, that the con has been situated at the Gaylord National Harbor Convention Center on the brink of Maryland, DC, and ?Virginia, for the past several years now. It's a massive facility that's just starting to see its br??eaking point -- as evidenced by the fact that hotel rooms sold out months ago, mere minutes after being announced.

But the floor space is perfectly suited to hold everyone, ??and with at least si??x big panel rooms, multiple warehouses for the marketplace, arcade, and indie gaming expo, and tons of small little hamlets to sneak into (like the wonderful retro computer lab with OG equipment), there's plenty to do.

MAGFest somehow manages to maintain that intimate feel despite its growth spurt, though. I noticed it in particular after happening upon the small "jam" room where anyone who feels like it can pick up an instrument and play along, like a video game jazz session of sorts. There were people of varying skill levels but they were all playing in time together, and at one point I noticed the lead drummer scan everyone in the room and give them a look, like they were home. Impromptu concerts like the one below also pop up in random ha?lls -- this is a music festival after all.

Another big highlight was Killer Queen, a giant indie arcade setup that pits 10 players against each other with a 2D Joust-like retro conceit 5v5 style. There are three ways to win  -- economic, military, and "snail." The former two are self-explanatory (gather enough resources or kill the enemy queen enough to win a round), but the latter bit involves riding a giant snail to the end of your side without getting killed. It's fiendishly complicated affair that involves several mechanics all working in tandem (like speed buffs, or optional evolutions from workers into warriors). If it sounds interesting, it might be at your local arcade already as it d?ebuted in 2013, but this is the ??first chance I've had to play it.

Those are just a few of the things you can do at MAGFest, not including live concerts, charity marathons, and an enti?re floor dedicated to tabletop and CCG (coll??ectible card games).

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Here's a look

I attended my first BlizzCon this year, and I doubt it'll be my last. Amidst a sea of people at nearly every Overwatch event (seriously, all the panels were jam-packed, some with no standing room, as were all of the demo stations -- it wasn't even close compared to any other game), I got to play all of the new content Blizzard is rolling out in the near future, including the Necromancer, Sombra, Varian & Ragnaros, and the upcoming Hearthstone expansion.

Weird Al was incredibl??e. Say what you will about his musical stylings and his persona, but his showmanship was off the charts. He was changing costum??es (yes, including the fat suit for the song "Fat") constantly, and performed an array of his hits from near the start of his career up to his more recent stuff, and even did an encore with The Saga Begins and Yoda. It was a great show and a great way to sunset the 10th BlizzCon.

While it can be overwhelming at times (there's panels on top of panels, some of which are too crowded to even stand at -- and the Heroes of the Storm Finals were going on just as Weird Al was starting up), I'd definitely like to come back. People seemed to be genuinely excited to be there, and really welcoming of fellow fans -- especially Overwatch players.

I took a lot of pictures, so if you want to get a feel?? for the event, click?? through the gallery below.

_{[Disclaimer: Travel was provided to the event by Blizzard. Click on a photo to see the entire gallery.]}

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Creepy yet cute

[Update: I've uploaded a number of other pict??ures from BlizzCon showing off some other great cosplays.]

BlizzCon brings out the best in cos??players. I've seen a lot of impressive work at just about any show, but the sheer character factory nature of the Blizzard universe allows for a wide array of ideas, some of which blow me away in ??execution.

That goes double for this Murloc duo, which h?ad eerily functional yet creepy costumes that boasted multiple pitch perfect gurgling noises. Like pros, they queued them up at appropriate times, including one attempt at a drive by creeping. It didn't work, because Murlocs are cute as hell, in a "we might murder you in your sleep kind of way."

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For as small as it was

Final Fantasy XIV has been steadily growing since it's relaunch as "A Realm Reborn" in August of 2013. Before that it was a shell of a game, barely worthy of its core entry moniker. I even remember previewing the original XIV many E3s ago as an XI player, shaking my head?? during the demo and coming away disappointed.

A large reason for said rebound is due to the tenacity and likability of the game's producer?? Naoki Yos??hida (commonly referred to as Yoshi-P), who was in attendance at the second Fanfest event this past weekend in Las Vegas. And outside of a few snafus, it went pretty well!

This year Fanfest was held inside of the Paris hotel, all in one giant ballroom. It's just enough space to hold all of the attendees, and it didn't feel particularly cramped, even during the ??Primals rock concert on Saturday night. And since Paris is located directly on the strip, there's plenty to d?o outside of Fanfest itself.

As for activities, immediately following the keynote, basically everything opened up. That included the exclusive Proto-Ultima 24-person battle, as well as a 4v4 PVP setup (an arena mode dubbed "The Feast"), and my favorite thing of the event -- a trials roulette that had an actual roulette wheel that someone spun to determine the challenge. Our group (consisting of some staff from USGamer and RPG Site) struggled with our synced down gear for Sephirot normal, no??t expecting the tank buster to hit so hard, but we pulled through and got it done.

There were also some low key carnival type activities out?side of t??he aforementioned three massive PC/PS4 equipment stations (both supported mouse/keyboard and controller play), and panels every other hour or so that were engaging and enlightening for fans (the best one was probably the etymology of a boss fight talk). Plus, the core staff were present outside of giving their talks, hanging out on the floor and shaking hands with fans and signing autographs. I managed to snag Yoshi-P himself for a quick second before a massive line formed!

But there was one big snafu that pretty much everyone who attendees agrees needs fixing next time -- the merchandise line. Not only was the queue snaking around the e??ntire event at the start (mostly people who wanted the coveted lore book, which was unceremoniously announced as available several days later after it sold out), but it was also poorly managed. Square Enix opted to hire an outside vendor for staffing this year instead of relying on fans, and it didn't work out so well, especially for the merchandise portion.

Not only did the line get cut off at a certain point after people had been waiting for severa??l hours, but many folks weren't even told -- leading them to wait in what was essentially a dead line for an?? hour or more. Tickets were given out for priority spots for the next day, but that wasn't very well organized either. In the end, most people waited and had nothing to show for it.

Having been to conventions for around two decades now, I gave up on the merch situation immediately following the keynote and had a great time. Hopefully Square Enix finds a way to address this at future Fanfests (which are happening all over the world until February) though, as it put a damper on an otherwise wonderful event. My favorite part though was the ability to just talk to anyone. Since it was just focusing on one game, everyone played, and you could just ask people out of the blue what server they're on and what class they pr??imarily use. Although Square Enix provided travel to the event for Destructoid, I'd definitely attend again on my own dime.

_{[Square Enix provided travel for this event.]}

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From indie alpha to corporate monolith

It's appropriate that MineCon is in Anaheim, California this year, because it's incredibly?? Disney-like.

Watching the bombastic opening ceremony, it was weird having flashbacks to playing the voxel-based alpha of the game way back when, with its litany of developer in-jokes and lack of features. Now it's practically an institution in many households (even schools), and in 2014, Microsoft acquired the Minecraft property for $2.5 billion.

It's not going away anytime soon b??ased on what I've seen here in California this weekend.

This might be my first MineCon, but there have been five so far (2010 - Bellevue, WA | 2011 - Las Vegas, NV | 2012 - Paris, France | 2013 - Orlando, FL | 2015 - London, England | 2016 - Anaheim, CA). Even though a lot of folks are turned off by streamers and the culture that surrounds ?it, I've embedded myself in it for the past sever?al years, and I can see why so many people dig it.

Microsoft was one of the first big companie??s to completely embrace YouTubers and Twitch streamers, and it's paid off. The crowd went wild during the opening ceremony when they announced a few of the special guests, and none of them are developers or names you'd recognize unless you're really into the scene. It's a far cry from the gaming landscape I grew up with but things have changed, and the real takeaway is that the new generation is still simply playing video games.

Beyond the veil of the corporate affair lies a low key family-oriented con. There are lots of excited kids that are passionate about the game here, and that's great. When I was younger there were very little outlets for my passion outside of local fighting game and FPS tournaments (pre-MLG), and the occasional anime convention. Although Microsoft is selling them something, it's good that people have a place to freely talk about their hobby without being judged. As an added bonus, the kids here seem really into lo-fi games, like Nicalis' Creepy Castle, tucked away in the indie section.

Of course, there's plenty of Minecraft-themed things to do, like a host of panels, live demonstrations, classes that teach people Minecraft (video NSFW), a giant minigame tournament, real-life rend?itions of bi?omes to walk through, and the aforementioned indie games zone that's roughly the size of any other tradeshow.

Take a look at the event yourself in the gallery below. I was able to get a lot of shots before the droves of people swooped in after the opening keynote ?and created an hour-long line for the merch booth.

_{[Travel for the event was covered by Microsoft.]}

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It's like a mini theme park

Activision doesn't hold "XP" events very often. In fact this year's celebration is the second XP ever -- it's far from an annual event like BlizzCon seeing as the first was held all the way back in 2011. So naturally they'd want to go all-out when one does come up.

This one is basically a three-day giant the?me park-like fest, held at The ??Forum in Inglewood, California. Here's a glimpse.

Most of XP is held outdoors but there are a few exceptions. Every current Call of Duty project is playable in large tents (Infinite Warfare's multiplayer, VR, and zombie elements, Black Ops III's newest DLC, and Modern Warfare Remastered) all around the perimeter of the Forum concert hall. Peppered in are di??versions like ziplining, paint ball (in an impressive re-creation of Nuketown), and (a less impressive) zombie-themed laser tag.

It's also the setting for the Call of Duty World League Championship inside The Forum, and qualifier and semi-final rounds are held all throughout the weekend until the actual championship event on Sunday, followed by a concert with Snoop Dogg and Wiz Khalifa. I had a chance to sit in on some matches and the shot-calling (Maven is on-site, among a few other announcers) is pretty impressive. I actively play Black Ops III ??but I've learned a lot in my short time here, and I'm lo??oking forward to watching the finals tomorrow.

If you still loathe the idea of playing a Call of Duty game or have sworn off shooter??s, there's nothing for you here. But all I've seen for the past several days are droves of fans who tru?ly love the genre, and getting to interact with them has been a treat.

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Bigger than the first

The first ever Super Smash Con kicked off last year in Virginia, and it was a pretty relaxed, low-key affai??r, with a high tourney turn?out and lots of energy.

This year it's gro??wn quite a bit though and the??y've not only expanded their space on the floor, but added some extra activities into the mix.

As you can see in the gallery, the 130,000 square foot venue isn't jam packed, but it has a really nice turnout , and sports an early, successful con type of feel. Last year there was a lot of open space, but in 2016 there are more (good) vendors, as well as a lot more freeplay stations and more indie developers with relevant fighting games like Brawlout (which I got to play, and liked!)

They've upped their panel presence this year with speakers like Alpharad, and still hold tournies for every Smash game in the series, from 64 to "4." My schedule never really frees up enough for me to have the time to sign up for Smash 64 (the one I'm the most competitive at), but?? there's always next year.

In terms of entertainment, the Super Soul Bros. took the main stage Friday night, bring?ing their funk-oriented tunes with them -- it was a great show and they have an encore today, with an 85-piece symphony orchestra and three more acts to follow. 

Super Smash Con will continue to run throughout the weekend, with the Melee an??d Wii U top eight final bracket capping off Sunday's festivities.

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We'll be taking a look at the Indie Game Award Showcase

I had never heard of MomoCon before (which is held in Atlanta at the Georgia World Congress Center, the same city as Dragoncon, which I have heard of!), but that changes this week. As part of the Indie Game Award Showcase, myself and Darren Nakamura wil??l be in attendance as judges -- so expect some hands-on coverage for a few of the nominees?.

As you can see on the banner above, MomoCon fancies itself as an anime festival first and foremost, but like MAGFest, there's also a ton of concessions for games -- both video and tabletop related. There's a number of pretty big guests (like Jim Cummings, of Disney/Darkwing Duck fame), lots of panels, gaming and dealer rooms, and concerts.

Take a look at the gallery to get an idea of w??hat it's about!

_{[Disclaimer: MomoCon provided travel to the event.]}

The post Greetings from MomoCon 2016 appeared first on Destructoid.

Hands-on with Boss Key's first game

Our press bus sidles up to an unassuming office building in the heart of historic downtown Raleigh. Far from the bright lights and costly office spaces of LA or San Francisco, Boss Key Productions, Cliffy B's new studio, is housed in a structure built in 1902. "2nd Floor, Boss Key" is written on a sign outside in chalk. Going in, my expectations for LawBreakers were fairly low.

I mean look, a game from Cliff Bleszinski, designer of shooters like Unreal Tournament and Gears of War, and Arjan Brussee, the co-founder of Guerilla Games, is bound to be decent at? worst. But having actually played it, my interest is piqued -- I'm just not? so sure everyone else will have the same reaction.

We got a lot of hands-on time with the game, which is just as well because playing it is far more impressive than hearing about it. In his opening keynote, Cliff noted that he "doesn't want to make a game skewed for a younger audience." Whereas everything looked like "Disney or Pixar," he wanted to make something with more?? of a "Tarantino sensibi??lity." And that's fair, because there's room for both.

The main gimmick is "gravity," going along with the tagline "beat gravity into submission." Due to clandestine experiments by the US government on the moon (you can see there's a little bit of commentary here), an event called "The Shattering" severely damages the earth, creating pockets of gravity. Lots of really weird shit happens at that point, like the government selling off the Grand Canyon to the Yakuza for money, and so on. Cliff was quick to note that he "doesn't miss campaigns...at least, for now." Instead, they will be "seating lore," as he calls it, with short ?biography tidbits and dialogue. It sounds pretty underwhelming on paper, but the gravity mechanic justifies its implementation.

One of the biggest differences between LawBreakers and its competition is the backfi??re key. By pressing control (by default), players can shoot their weapon behind them by way of blindfire. Seemingly a fleeting notion at first only in situational cases, it becomes supremely useful in special "low grav" pockets on the map. For instance, firing a rocket behind you (or two, or three) will propel the player in the air at an alarming speed. The tactic can be used right after capturing an object for a quick escape or to pursue an enemy. It feels real, real good.

Cliff was also quick to remind people that it's not a MOBA, it merely has classes. Players can take up a number of roles (Enforcer, Vanguard, Assassin, Titan at the moment, with more planned), spanned across two sides (Law and Breaker). Each faction has its own unique characters, but the abilities are the same across both for balance purposes. You can probably see where this is going -- like the T?itan who?? is bulkier than most and has a slam attack, and the swift Assassin that has a grappling hook to get around.

But you know what? Since each character only has three main abilities (one is an ultimate), every single one of them manages to augment that playstyle's personality, to a point where they don't blend together. The same goes for the Overcharge mode, which we played on the map Grandview. Here, Cliff wanted to eschew the typical two-flag CTF setup "for something different." Instead, there's only one "battery," which both sides fight over at the start, and return to their base. At that point it'll start charging, and once it hits 100%, that team has 20 seconds to defend it from capture. The kicker is that the battery retains its charge, even at 100%, making for some insane comebacks.

Watch that full match above (we win!) where I play as the rocket-wielding Titan to see what I mean, and note my 100% battery steal from the opposing team 6:50 in. Almost everything about LawBreakers is catered to the hardcore crowd. The art team was very proud of the fact that with its current build, the game is running at 140 frames per second. PC fans will revel in the chance to run circles around players who typically use controllers with twitch movements and precision aiming. At the moment, there don't seem to be any major concessions for new players -- w??hich is fine -- but could end up being troublesome if they don't hit t?he playerbase target they want come launch.

They clearly want casual fans to pick it up too to grow their userbase over time and pump out more updates. "We want to ??come in somewhere around the $20 to $40 mark, hopefully the former, with our pricepoint," Bleszinski explains. "We want a range where it's an impulse buy. People see a highlight on Twitch, reddi?t, wherever, and they want our game. That's what we're aiming for without the baggage of free-to-play."

But even after watching a clip online, I'm not sure LawBreakers will be able to hold people in this crazy era where we have a wealth of shooters, including Cliff's old creation, Gears of War. Watch a few of the crazier moments in my game above and judge for yourself -- and feel free to sign up for the alpha.

_{[Chris Morris, who previously wrote for Destructoid, currently works at Boss Key Productions. I met Chris at the event but did not work at Destructoid with him. Transportation was offered by the publisher but was ultimately provided by the writer.]}

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I witnessed a Top Gun worthy volleyball match

I had the chance to visit Blizzard's headquarters in Irvine, California last week for an Overwatch event, which has basically been a lifelong dream of mine since I first played The Lost Vikings on the SNES. It didn't disappoint either, and our group was able to get a full tour of the campus, barring some top-secret areas that hous??ed ??projects in development.

In short, it's everything you probably think it is. There's goofy posters up everywhere, plenty of mascot representat??ion, and killer giant statues, as well?? as lots of pinned-up artwork from fans. I learned a few fun tidbits about the company too, like the fact that employees get a bonus if they walk 5,000 steps a day (every new hire gets a Fitbit), and that whenever the team moves the Tyrael statue, they put a tiny figure in the roped-off section to honor his memory. Oh, and those statues have a full-time employee dedicated to their upkeep, mind.

I also was able to witness the giant statue out front that developers alwa?ys reference ("gameplay first") in their patch notes, as well as various bonuses that crew members get after sticking it out with th??e company for a certain amount of years, including the Arthas-inspired "Crown of Dedication" for two decades of service.

_{[Click the pictures below to open the gallery.]}

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Photos from the floor

MAGFest, also known as the Music and Gaming Festival, has blown up since its start in 2002. Originally consisting of just 265 people, th?is year's con (held at the Gaylord National Harbor Convention C?enter) is expected to hit 20,000.

Highlights include a booth from artist Temmie Chang (of Undertale fame) who is giving out autographs, ??a full arcade center with a decent amount of Japanese machines, and an awesome merch floor with tons of great works from some talented artists. There's also a full indie booth (with games that are well known and are up and coming) and a console freeplay sec??tion. Despite the move to a much larger venue and a bigger crowd, it still has that chill homegrown feel.

MAGFest 2016 will run throughout the weekend, and scheduled guests include Keiji Inafune, Austin Wintory, Extra Credits, and more. A stray observation of sorts: Undertale is huge here. Nearly every booth has some sort of merch for it, and a lot of them already sold? out of it throughout the day.

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One of the best events I've attended

I had the chance to attend the Awesome Games Done Quick event at the Hilton Washington Dulles Airport Hotel (right near Super Smash Con), and in addition to all of the great runs so far, it's b??????????????????????????een one of my favorite industry events in recent history. What I love most about it is that while it maintains a high energy level with plenty of enthusiastic runners and watchers, it doesn't feel overcrowded, and is much more tight-knit t??han you'd expect. While I've enjoyed the last few MAGFests, it's gotten so much bigger than it has in the past, and it's easy to get overwhelmed, especially in the gigantic Gaylord Hotel venue.

The layout of AGDQ is rather easy to navigate, as the hotel basically consists of a small series of hallways, forking into the main stage, practice room, and play areas. There's plenty of board games available, as well as an entire zone dedicated to Super Smash Bros., and a free play arcade (complete with X-Men Arcade and the "no Colossus yell" sign). More people start t?o fill the halls after 5PM ET as a general rule, but again, it never feels like anything you want to do is unattainable. As a result, I'd easily recommend attending if you're able, or at least think about com??ing next year.

At the time of this writing ADGQ2016 has raised nearly $500,000 to support the Prevent Cancer foundation. It will run through January 10, and will end with Bloodborne, fan favorite Super Metroid, and Final Fantasy IV. Check out the full schedule here.

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I'd say it's a success

Today is the first major day for the first Super Smash Con, taking place in Virginia this weekend. While I covered the major happenings here as well as all t??he pertinent info you'll need for tournaments and streams, I also had a chance to walk around the floor itself and get a feel for the con.

All in all, it's very relaxed, and a ton of people have already showed up -- and it's only m??idday Friday.

That right there is the major tournament area, where players are hard at work qualifying for the major tournaments. The turnout is actually pretty good, as most of the massive parking lot at the expo center was filled, but there's plenty of space to walk around inside, and a plentiful amount of arcade cabinets and console stations. In addition to a smaller arcade section and a small gaming museum exhibit, there's a ton of indie game setups, as well as homebrew spots and retro areas to? game in.

My favorite part was probably the little signs that displayed random factoids about the series, like "17 of the 36 characters in Mario Kart 8 also appear in Smash." It's not at the size of say, the current era of MAGFest (there were only 12 exhibitors or so here, and although they are across the street from a hotel, the expo center isn't as massive as your typical con)??, but again, it's a great start -- I'm looking forward to gettin??g back to catching the matches throughout the weekend.

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Pictures from the showfloor

Destructoid is at MAGFest 12, and in addition to our "Community First" panel, we're also roaming the halls looking for trouble. For those of you who haven't attended before, there's a large dealer room to peruse and purchase games and art (games are art too you know), a table flipping event for charity, and a boat load of arcade, console, and PC games to play. I'm talki??ng full multi-cabinet racing titles to old school adventure games on Commodore 64 hardware.

There's also tons of cosplay (including some dude who dressed up and did the chicken dance in random hallways) and random activities going on, like the second Mega Manathon for charity. Overall MagFe??st is?? a very community oriented convention, so if you aren't here already, consider checking it out next year.

The post If you can’t make it to MAGFest 12, this is the next best thing appeared first on Destructoid.

An intense series comes to an end

It's been a pretty crazy ride, but SK Telecom T1 has won the League of Legends Finals tonight over the course of three games.

SKT played a pretty competitive set all around with some great plays by Faker and Piglet, and they really deserve the win. Check out so?me on-location pictures of the celebration ceremony below.

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