Following the trail of cute was like a secret pass to the best games of PAX. From the tiny undead samurai of Skulls of the Shogun, to the chipmunk-headed weirdos of Slam Bolt Scrappers, we got a showcase of everything indie and quirky and new by avoiding the overblown ad budgets of the center floor. Our best stop, however, was to Warp, tucked away in a corner of the convention floor.

So PAX East has come and gone -- and left behind a trail of broken hearts. One has only to check out the "Missed Connections" section of Craigslist to sense the palpable longing of nerds who almost -- but didn't -- get laid.

PAX East tf2 female engineer cosplay - m4w
I was dressed up as Monkey D Luffy from One Piece, we posed for a picture together (which is completely awesome and you have to see it).

So how's your March of next year looking? Well, block off the 11th through the 13th, because that's when PAX is happening. Next year's version will be at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. That's bigger than the Hynes Convention Center, where the 2010 model took place, but at the same time, it's probably smart to register now

Don't ask me why Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik (author and artist of the webcomic Penny Arcade) chose to back their dramatic entrance with Katt Williams' "Every Day I'm Hustlin'," because they didn't tell the audience why, and no one asked. However, they did explain the origin of the fruit fucker, advised those of us with new-to-gaming parents on which games were "appropriate," and unwittingly advertised sharkbanana.

The Video Game Orchestra opened their Saturday night concert with this medley of classic Super Mario tunes, and followed that up with some equally familiar Super Mario Galaxy. The rest of their set included songs from Chrono Cross, Chrono Trigger, a metal version of Castlevania's music, some Silent Hill, and more.

As I write this, I am waiting for the Video Game Orchestra to begin their set at Saturday night's concert – yes, this blog is as live as it gets, since I'm sitting on the theatre floor with my laptop out. The in-between set playlist included DJ Party Ben's “Galvanize the Empire,” a mash-up that any Star Wars fan would almost certainly enjoy, so props to the sound guys for seeing to it that the wait is no chore.

The Penny Arcade Expo, aka PAX East, finally has arrived. 60,000 gamers hit up Boston to celebrate their hobby/obsession, check out sweet new releases, and meet the convention's hosts, Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik, the webcomic author/artist duo of popular gaming webcomic Penny Arcade.

As soon as I reached the con's vicinity, I began to scout out for fellow geeks.

There’s only one month left before PAX East comes to Boston (March 26-28). That’s right: one month until Penny Arcade’s author and artist duo Jerry Holkins and Mike Krahulik cordially invite 60,000 gamers and all the major gaming industry players to the Hynes Convention Center

According to Gus Mastrapa at Wired's Game | Life blog, passes for Penny Arcade Expo (or PAX), the gaming con for the rest of us, are available as of right now on PAX's site. PAX East will take place from March 26th - 28th, and $45 will get you a three-day pass. This will PAX's east-coast debut. No location is confirmed, but Hynes Convention Center seems like a reasonable guess.