Another game I got to play at PAX East this year was Tribes of Midgard by Norsefell. It's a co-op (up to 10 players) survival game that, at least from what I've played, is a lot more approachable than its contemporaries.
A big part of that is how your player life is handled. Instead of being dropped into a world where your death means the end of your playthrough, you are given unlimited lives to respawn at your town. You'll drop your loot where you died but you can run out and reclaim it pretty easily.
The game world is randomly generated 4x4 location with multiple biomes (with unlockable warp gates to town). You scour the map to look for supplies to upgrade your player (crafting clothing, weapons and such) and town (building walls). You are given free reign to do so until nightfall when the town, specifically the tree that stands in the center of it is attacked and must be defended and healed by the players.
Players keep doing this to eventually grow in power enough to tackle a Giant that is slowly moving towards your town. Our Giant was slayed pretty quick by our demo-level gear but for real players it will time to grow to that level. Once destroyed another Giant, stronger than the last, will spawn on the map and begin the cycle again.
Anyways, the game is up to play in Steam as part of an open beta this weekend. Give it a try if your interested!
*Console releases are also planned but I wasn't told specific platforms.
