2012 FanExpo Canada – Day 1 Wrap

Thursday, August 23rd marked the opening of the 18th FanExpo Canada in Toronto, Ontario. Fans of comics, science fiction, horror, anime, and/or gaming converged in the South Hall of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.  Gamer Living was on scene to experience it right from the beginning when the doors opened to allow a cheering crowd onto the convention floor.   Here are the staff’s thoughts on Day One of FanExpo 2012:

Victoria Liu-Anderson

While this certainly isn’t the first convention I’ve been to, FanExpo never ceases to amaze me with the sheer amount of sights to take in.  Here, in this one albeit gigantic room, you have a hodgepodge of people from all walks of life coming together to celebrate five of the most popular genres in today’s age.  Everywhere you look, you’ll see people dressed up as anything from zombies to Disney princesses, horrific characters whose names escape me to creatively-designed fantastical creatures. Add to that the sounds from the dozens of booths beckoning at you, the clamor of the excited crowd, and you are well into sensory overload!

In the gaming corner, we got to submit ballots at the EB Games booth for a chance to win cool prizes – they’ll be doing a daily draw, so be sure to check it out!  If for nothing else, go visit them as they’re giving away a nifty Halo/EB Games bag for your convention swag/collectables. Disney is back, showcasing Epic Mickey 2, and fans will be happy to know that the Disney sketch artists are back as well. Ubisoft has a much bigger booth this year, it seems, and they’ve added many more areas for people to get hands-on time with this year’s game offerings.  At some point, I might work up the courage to get onto the Just Dance 4 stage!

At the end of the day, you’re exhausted yet content.  If you’re anything like us, even though you’re dragging your sore feet home, you just can’t wait for what Day Two will bring!

Jack Moulder

Fanexpo 2012 is the first con that I’ve been to, and certainly the largest gaming/nerd culture event that I’ve attended. Therefore, the vast majority of day one for me was spent wandering aimlessly around the Metro Convention Centre in downtown Toronto in awe, staring at the various booths, wondering how so much awesome stuff was contained in a single room, and attempting to bag free stuff. I had a chance to play Assassin’s Creed III, PlayStation All-Stars Battle Royale and Injustice: Gods Among Us, and managed to scout out a few locations and booths that I want to look at in greater detail as the weekend goes on. I’ll be going hands-on with the Assassin’s Creed III demo again, in both multiplayer and singleplayer format, checking out the NHL 13 demo, and also getting my gore on as part of God of War: Ascension. My appetite has been truly whetted, and I can’t wait to get back tomorrow and revel in all things geek.

Will Anderson

For me, FanExpo Canada is one of the meccas of gamer life and being a nerd in general.  The ultimate form of expression of the nerd culture is of course in the increasingly elaborate and spectacular outfits created by cosplay fans of all walks of life. From the seven-foot-tall Master Chief to the Jokers and Harley Quinns, Princess Peaches, Gundams, and even an Iron Man or two, it’s always fun to check out the hard work and creativity that went into every detail to make such awesome outfits.

On the gaming side, we got to get hands on with Connor’s battles on the high seas in Assassin’s Creed III, drop a few rounds in Halo 4 multiplayer, and go toe-to-toe as Batman and Superman in Injustice: Gods Among Us to kick off our FanExpo weekend.  With so many more great games on the roster for us to check out, we’re going to be exceptionally busy for the next three days.

Ron Mandelman

If you’re not a collector of geeky paraphernalia, convincing you to go to a convention like Toronto’s FanExpo will be tricky.  If you, like me, aren’t interested in the rows of comics, beautifully crafted figurines or the random swag you’ll inevitably pick up, what else is there?  The best advice I have is to stop and “feel” the convention.  As strange as it sounds, there is energy in this kind of environment that has its own unique texture.  The thousands of people in the building have coalesced to celebrate their passions, obsessions and joys.  That kind of love is infectious in the best way.

However, there were a few video games to tide me over while enjoying the atmosphere of the con.  The two in particular that I plan to take a closer look at are Arkane Studio’s steampunk game Dishonored, and the new DC fighter by NetherRealm Studios, Injustice: Gods Among Us.  Overall, the first day of Toronto’s FanExpo involved lots of walking to the point of exhaustion, enjoying brief glances at games I’m excited to play and sheer excitement to enjoy it all over again tomorrow.  It’s the “feel” of the place and I highly recommend it.

Keep an eye out over the next few days for interviews, first impressions, op eds and more!