Play Expo Blackpool 2016 – So every week has handed & Play Expo Blackpool is over for an additional yr. After a hellish seven hour automotive journey the day earlier than & then a cushty in a single day keep I used to be able to go Saturday morning. Here’s what occurred.

Article by RetrogamerDaz (LINKS data under)

Fuelled by a superb night time’s sleep adopted by a double sausage & egg McMuffin I took the brief drive Saturday morning to Play Expo. Having simply parked within the rear automotive park I ran into Paul from the Maximum Power Up podcast & collectively we made our method into the constructing.It was nonetheless early & over an hour earlier than the official opening time however fortuitously as soon as inside I ran into Chris from this very web site (GamesYouLoved in fact) who obtained me in early. I additionally had the chance to fulfill Henrique Olifiers who’s a very nice man.

Inside it was implausible to stroll round all of the completely different programs & arcades with out the crowds. It was additionally a superb alternative to take a look at the commerce space to see what was on provide. Surprisingly there wasn’t as many recreation stalls this yr in comparison with 2015 however after getting my Vectrex final month I used to be by no means going to go on a significant spending spree anyway. The pixel bead artwork stall was actually good with some cool framed Streets of Rage & Punch Out items. There was additionally an superior wanting WWF Wrestle Fest Ultimate Warrior framed piece which caught all people’s eye. It was nice to get in early, wander round & chat with folks & in what appeared like no time in any respect ten o’clock rolled round & in got here the crowds of gaming followers.

It was initially of the day that I performed probably the most arcade video games. I obtained a while in with Bezerk, Afterburner, Missile Command, Robotron & in fact Star Wars. The assortment of arcade video games was implausible this yr & was a variety of enjoyable. I actually loved enjoying Bezerk for the primary time on a correct arcade cab, I’ve performed it on my Vectrex & on Coin Ops 7 however this was the actual factor. The similar may be stated for Robotron 2084 which I’ve performed earlier than however it’s all the time nice to get some recreation time with the correct cab. It’s attention-grabbing that these days I’m drawn extra to the video games from the late 1970’s & early 1980’s reasonably than the 1990’s titles that I spent all my cash throughout seaside journeys in my teenage years.

It was shortly after this arcade session that I began bumping into all my retro gaming mates who have been now floating round & this ended up with a plan to file a pod solid afterward within the day. I accepted the sort provide from Andy Godoy to participate within the RGDS ‘Mega Cast’ podcast recording & headed off to ZX Spectrum discuss by Henrique Olifiers.

I actually loved the discuss & the announcement of the ZX Spectrum Next was actually attention-grabbing & appeared to get the viewers very excited. Being extra of a Commodore man at coronary heart I used to be nonetheless drawn into the joy of the announcement & the photographs of the system design by Rick Dickinson regarded completely implausible. Exciting instances forward for Speccy followers.

Interview by GamesYouLoved:

Following the discuss I ended up collaborating just about right away within the RGDS podcast hosted by Andy & that includes a great deal of fellow retro avid gamers. It was nice enjoyable to participate & a proper chortle so do test it out as it’s out now. All the blokes concerned are high fella’s so I’ll shortly ship my due to: Andy, Matt A, Matt L, Steve, Shaun, Aaron, Barry & Benny.

After ending the podcast recording I obtained some meals, performed some extra arcades & then headed again into the commerce room space. I ended up shopping for Armor Attack for the Vectrex & Shell Shock for the Sega Saturn (which sadly didn’t load however a alternative is being sorted) & from there it was time to take the lengthy street journey again residence.

The day was a whirlwind however a fantastically pleasant one. I actually may have simply spent the entire weekend on the occasion simply to suit some extra gaming time in (possibly subsequent yr). I’d’ve liked to have spent extra time on the arcades however the hours simply flew by. I’ve stated it earlier than however the actually massive pull of the occasion for me personally is the social aspect & assembly up with folks you solely normally talk with through on-line.

Video overview from me!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LpArU-W-Urw

I’d undoubtedly encourage anybody studying this to go to one of many Play Expo occasions in the event that they haven’t already because it actually is a variety of enjoyable. Hopefully I’ll get to a few of the different greater occasions additionally being held this yr too as Play Expo Blackpool has actually impressed me to attempt. Overall I had an amazing time out at Play Expo Blackpool so two thumbs up from Daz.

Article by RetrogamerDaz

On Twitter: @RetroGamerDaz YouTube: The Daz Channel Instagram: RetroGamerDaz