Sunday started with a whimper, and didn’t get going for most of the Quiksave team until around noon. Sure, we rolled out of bed around 9:30, but after we’d prettied ourselves up to PAX standards and sat through an overpriced breakfast we were way behind schedule. We hit the convention center as quick as our little legs would carry us, and were immediately met with a “what now?” mindset.

We’re new at this. Two full days on the show floor and hitting up panels left Luke, Simon and me a little clueless for day 3. We spent a few hours walking the expo floor, gathering as much video footage as Luke’s little Flip could hold, and then we needed a break. Simon and Luke headed off to give the tabletop building a gander, and I sat decided to suck it up and do some serious line waiting!

There was a big upside/downside thing for Gears 2. When you get the controller in your hands, they let you keep it for a full 3-7 round match. That’s a lot of time. A lot of time to watch the eight guys in front of you get chainsaws through their faces. I eventually had my go, and you don’t need me to tell you that it’s good, that it’s great, that it’s better than ever. It’s a satisfying thing to play. Sure, it feels like the original in all the good ways, but all the little perks like extra, more fluid animations, moving around when you’re almost dead, chainsaw battles, new weapons… it all adds up to a first class update on an incredible franchise. The demo was just a 5 vs. 5 VIP mode, but it was good enough to make me move through the line twice. Well done, Epic.

After that, we all met up and headed back to the hotel to get some work done. Sure, it’s not the most exciting thing we’ve ever done, but we have an obligation to you, reader! After that, we hit up Benihana, an establishment mysteriously absent from the North, where we dwell. After some pricey sushi it was time for beddie-byes, and we bid a fond farewell to the nerds, the booth babes, the cosplayers, the entirety of the 58,500 in attendance: Good-bye, PAX! You were a kind host.