More than any other convention or trade show, Penny Arcade Expo has built a reputation as the premier event for gamers--it's pretty easy to see why. With a variety of gameplay tournaments, concerts, special sneak peeks, and all other sorts of game-related geekery, the young show places the everyday gamer first and foremost. It was clear in the three days I spent in Seattle that Penny Arcade Expo was all about connecting the community of gamers. Big games, equally notable names, and hordes of eager gamers made Penny Arcade Expo 2007 an entertaining new chapter in the young event's history.

Whether or not there's intent to fill the gap left by the newly reformed E3 Media and Business Summit, there's no doubt that Penny Arcade Expo has grown in size. Record attendance this year, not only by attendees but exhibitors as well, increased the amount to see and do. Walking into the exhibitor hall at the Washington State Convention Center gave way to an impressive view of booths from companies like Sony Computer Entertainment America, Microsoft, Nintendo, D3 Publisher, and Gamecock. Ironically, almost all of the booths were larger in size than those featured in the Barker Hangar at E3.

As for the games, Penny Arcade Expo doesn't exactly stack up with E3; however, there were a ton of playable titles and even a few surprises. Ubisoft made Far Cry 2 official with a jaw-dropping demonstration by Creative Director Click Hocking. Add to that an updated showing of Assassin's Creed and the company was definitely on attendees' minds. Rockstar Games drew a crowd for playable builds of Rockstar Games Presents Table Tennis on Wii, as well as an amazing look at its newest racing game, Midnight Club: Los Angeles. Of course, this year's show was the first to debut Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness--check out our impressions. Companies like Sony, THQ, Nintendo, and Atari largely recycled games displayed at other events, but it was a great opportunity for anyone to get their hands on titles still months away from release.

It's worth noting that a lot of attendees seem more jazzed about tchotchkes than the game themselves. T-shirts at the CDV booth were gone well before the last day, Rockstar representatives noted that they couldn't put out swag fast enough before it was snagged by roving gamers, and Gamecock suckers were paraded about the show like a trophy. One has to wonder how much of this stuff is going to end up as overpriced eBay listings.

Unlike previous years, cosplayers were a rare breed. Two great costumers mimicked characters from the Phoenix Wright, Ace Attorney games. Too bad they weren't in sight to launch an objection to poorly-conceived outfits for Optimus Prime and the shy-guy from Super Mario Bros. 2. Note to cosplayers: you need more than just a mask to pull it off. If you can't do a whole costume, at least try something cute like the girl who wore a metroid plush on her head as though her life was being sucked right there on the spot.

It was seeing individuals like metroid-fodder girl and how much fun they were having that made Penny Arcade Expo enjoyable--that and the stench of body odor that pervaded previous years being noticeably absent. Kudos to the organizers for moving spaces and making sure the air conditioning worked! Attendees expressed an enormous amount of gratitude for how well the show was run, especially the console, handheld, and PC tournaments. The Omegathon, the show's three-day long tournament, was a particularly huge draw this year thanks to Microsoft Games Studios lending a gold master copy of Halo 3 for the final round. Umm, where's our copy?

The pull Penny Arcade Expo has on gamers is substantial. Record numbers for the show and the slew of games being shown definitely illustrate this point. It was pretty funny to observe E for all Expo promoters taking the opportunity to pimp the forthcoming event outside the convention center. Even they know how much influence Penny Arcade has on the community. It seems clear that the show is headed for even bigger plans next year. While we're not certain going bigger for the gamer-oriented event is the direction Penny Arcade Expo ought to go, you can count on us being there nonetheless.