This year we decided to cover PAX more aggressively than we have in the past and one of the by-products of that choice is our first annual PAX Awards. Even though the convention focuses on tabletop, PC and console games, MMOs were featured extensively, demonstrating they continue to become more and more popular in the gaming world. As such, due to our MMO focus we had to be extremely selective about what kind of awards we gave out and who we gave them to; however, we’re happy with the end result and we hope that you, our readers and the recipients of these awards will be as well. So without further ado, the Nominees!

One of the prevailing themes at PAX this year was free-to-play, persistent-world games that are not only highly innovative but also easily accessible to casual gamers. Among the stand-outs is Dragon Nest, being developed by Eyedentity and published by Nexon.  We had the chance to play-test a localized demo of the game and chat with assistant producer Matthew McCullough from Nexon.
   
Dragon Nest is an action-combat MMORPG with gameplay reminiscent of Devil May Cry, although charmingly colorful and less macabre.  Players can group to form four-person parties and battle their way through fast-paced dungeons complete with challenging boss fights.  Items and gold are dropped throughout the dungeon, but the real loot is awarded based on each player's combat acumen at the end of a boss encounter.  The game scores players with a familiar letter-grade system that takes into account style and combo points.