who takes home top honors this year?
It’s hard to believe that PAX East has already come and gone for this year. That being said, the convention will be back at the Boston Convention Center Next Year. If you missed it, the dates for next year’s show are Thursday, April 22, through Sunday, April 25, 2027. With another great show in the rear view mirror, it’s time for the best part, looking back and giving out the GamerFudge Best of PAX East awards!
I always want to show some appreciation to all the staffers who work at PAX East that make the show so enjoyable. That means the enforcers, the police, the security, the event staff, the PR, the Convention Center staff, everyone. I want to thank them all for making the show as fun as it can be every year!
Pokemon Champions-Nintendo
During the Media Hour, I knew what I wanted to do. When Nintendo is at PAX East, I always make it my business to hit their booth first. As the host of The Stevetendo Show, I think I have to make it my business to go to Nintendo first. Then Pokemon Champions was going to be playable at PAX East. I really had to go there first for some hands-on time. I’m really looking forward to the game and I might actually try my hand at competitive Pokemon battles. Also the photo ops for Pokemon and Super Mario were very well done. I was also doing the lords work with getting some of Japan Pokemon Home Medals specially made for PAX East.
GNAW- Redstart Interactive
A Metroidvania starring a cute Raptor that can eat pretty much anything to survive. Sign me up folks. GNAW tells the tale of Mack Ripley, a Raptor on a mission. He has all kinds of skills and outfits to wear as he tries to solve what’s going on in New Dino City. Any game that allows me to wear a Porkpie hat is ok with me. This Metroidvania is charming and I’m looking forward to the game.
Heroes Together VR- Basement Bunker Labs
Heroes Together VR is a co-op Virtual Reality game where you work together to kill monsters and get some loot. I love the fact that you don’t need to have a balanced team to have fun. It also felt like a VR novice like me could jump right in and have a great time. I usually feel motion sick with VR but again, not the case with Heroes Together VR. Loved my time playing it at PAX!
NIS America-NIS America
NIS America brought some cool games with them to Boston this year. A brand new Disgaea game based around action instead of tactical combat is cool to see. I also want to bring attention to the amazing staff at the NIS America booth. I slipped and fell at the NIS America booth and the staffers were very helpful in assisting me when I needed help. For those wondering, I’m ok but it’s great to see there are still some genuinely nice people out there. Also shout out to the two guys waiting in line for the Brigandine Abyss demo where I fell down. They were very helpful as well!
Poly Fighter-HeartLoop Games
Roguelike arcade fighting game where you craft your fighter through taking moves from opponents. This is a cool idea and I love the way that you can be a fighting game rookie or veteran and have a great time. The music and character designs are amazing too.
OVR Technology-OVR Technology
The Power of scent compels you. OVR Technology is trying to bring the power of scents into the gaming sphere. This is an interesting idea that has been attempted before but I like the direction OVR is going with it. You get a handful of smells to start on a smell cartridge and then those scents are build into the games that are playable with the system. I thought the scents were going to be overbearing but they weren’t. I also thought it was going to be a headset but it isn’t and that helps the smells not being overbearing. I’m going to keep my eye out for it!
Backyard Baseball-Playground Productions/Mega Cat Studios
The classic series is back with a fresh installment. The demo at PAX East had the main game but the money maker at the show was the Home Run Derby mode. I played with Pablo Sanchez to see if he still had it. Guess what, he does! When I played, I set the record for home runs on the PC I played at 33 and distance on a 522 foot dinger! The controls for hitting are much better than the old game and I can play with a controller.
Paint and Take Model Painting-Trans Atlantic Games/Duncan Rhodes Painting Academy
This is one of my favorite things to do at PAX East. Being able to paint a mini figure and take it home is awesome. Until last year, I had never painted a model in my life so it was fun to do. This year, I painted another figure and then went back and painted a dog, which I painted Orange and Blue, dubbed Mets Dog. I appreciate the staff staying a little later so more people could paint something. I hope this is something at PAX East for many more years!
Churros- Convention Center
I have been looking for churros at PAX East for so long. If you have followed me on Twitter/X, then you know that I have been looking for them for years. This year, my prayers were answered and the convention center had churros for sale. Life is good my friends.
Freeplay Arcade-Retroware
This is really cool so thanks Retroware for the freeplay arcade. Being able to play some of these games for free is awesome. I played and beat House of the Dead 2, the X-Men Arcade game, the Bandai Namco Mario Kart Machine, and the demo level for the Toxic Crusaders. I also played the Sailor Moon Arcade game as my girl, Sailor Jupiter, and made it pretty far on the last night. I couldn’t beat it because the convention center was closing. I had a blast in the freeplay arcade!
Honorable mention to the Kawaii Satori booth/store. They had some really cool artwork at the show. Prints, mousepads, stickers, blankets and more. I got two stickers and a Pokemon Trainer print and love them.
There you have it folks, another PAX East is in the books! Congrats to all the “Best of PAX East 2026” award winners this year.
PAX EAST 2027 Show Dates
Thursday, April 22, through Sunday, April 25, 2027. It could be warm in Boston at the end of April so…