The Day we went to Play Margate

By Hedger & Preece

Chas and Dave and Del Boy and Rodney are arguably probably the most well-known duo’s to have made their approach to Margate, nicely lets simply say they have been… 

As your favorite Games You Loved duo Hedger & Preece discovered their approach to the jewel within the Kent shoreline for Play Margate 2015 – www.playmargate.com. The duo departed their secret Sussex location (also called Burgess Hill) at 8.00am Zero Hour! We had an ideal journey with just one “Are we nearly there?” from George and Matthew tinkering with ipads at the back of the automotive.

The gates opened to the Winter Gardens at 10am and we descended the surprisingly Brasso-smelling stairway down into the primary ‘zone’ that had primarily sellers with a powerful array of gaming merchandise. That and a unbelievable show of 4 of the unique Tomytronic 3D handhelds. Obligation, coupled with a shouting internal voice telling us we’d not seen these for years and so we MUST have a go, dictated that we decide up Thundering Turbos and Shark Attack and instantly strive our luck.

The outdated magic was in brief provide nonetheless so after shedding all our lives (in a short time!) and trying to indicate our two 10 12 months olds how you can play (fairly unsuccessfully!) we shortly moved on.

A couple of quick steps additional down later and what a ravishing glow we noticed as we entered the sector. There have been tables, phases, benches, LAN networks and even an arcade tucked over the again. It delivered every part we had been anticipating. There have been over 100 consoles, 20 pinball machines and 25 arcade cupboards lovingly ready for our enjoyment.

George and Matthew let free a 4 letter phrase starting with F earlier than their eyes may have adjusted to the darkness….FIFA. There have been 3 Xbox Ones arrange, so the boys tucked straight into that – the sport they play religiously at house!.  

We determined to work from the again – eyes darting backwards and forwards. It was a sluggish journey as we moved by way of the attractive machines of yesteryear, working the best video games they needed to provide – Look a Spectrum with Manic Miner, Megadrive with Moonwalker, Saturn with Daytona, a BBC with Chuckie Egg for goodness sakes! And then we get there – the arcade.

“Get in” shrieks Preece “I’ve not played this for ages” It wasn’t the final time we might hear that. “Point Blank 2” Hedger wearily picked up the participant 2 controller feeling {that a} beating was about to be administered. Hmmm lets simply say the youthful of the duo has misplaced none of his sharpness as Hedger was duly dispatched.

Given we have been in early and maybe probably the most aggressive of the duo, Hedger stepped as much as enter the UK Gaming Championships. The guidelines have been easy: 3 goes at 3 totally different video games, your greatest rating went into the pot. The video games have been Kung Fu – NES, Hang On – Sega Master System and Pop n’ Pop on PS1. Hedger obtained caught into the duty and when leaving the occasion was the seventeenth greatest traditional gamer within the UK. That’s out of 65 million individuals within the UK – not unhealthy! lol

In the meantime Preece went over to re-live his first gaming reminiscences with a moderately stunning wanting C64. Super Sprint was all loaded up and three races later the smile on his face couldn’t even have been wiped off with a 3-foot kipper smacking him within the chops. A transfer to seat subsequent to him introduced a date with IK+ – and that’s the place any diploma of ‘I know what I am doing’ appeared to say “Cheerio!” If solely there had been some type of directions card close by after which he wouldn’t have regarded like a plum in entrance of the viewers that had mysteriously assembled. Turns out the place a fantasy kipper within the mouth would have failed, a pathetic try at IK+ on the Atari ST may certainly wipe the grin away… But solely briefly.

Multiplayer then known as him. First on Jedi Knight II then on Counterstrike, each on PC LAN, and each unbelievable! But it was on a round setup of Halo 4 (on 16 Xbox 360s) that the dynamic duo of Hedger and Preece have been reunited. Sat both aspect of a younger lad (there have been plenty of the youthful technology having fun with this occasion as a lot as their dads!) we entered in a recreation of Slayer. 4th and fifth respectively on the finish. Not unhealthy for 2 not-as-quick-as-they-used-to-be’s. Any then we regarded on the 9 12 months outdated, sat between us with a smug grin, a proud dad behind him and an enormous ‘3rd’ flashing up on his scree

We popped again upstairs for a bit dabble within the merchandise area. It’s fairly superb to see the vary in costs from 5 video games sellers all in the identical room so that you must store round. We did our analysis, checked our want lists and moved off again downstairs smiling gleefully on the costs paid for Pilotwings 64, Resi 4 on GC, Battlefront 2 on Xbox and Gauntlet on MD. Nice doing enterprise with you!!

We returned downstairs to what was probably the only most father and son bonding occasion of the day. We browsed round for some time, a bit NBA 2K right here and Goldeneye there, a swig of Dark Forces and a snifter of Tomb Raider after which we noticed it  – 4 Xbox controllers sat with 4 chairs all with our names on, however we didn’t realize it but. “What’s this game then?” say the boys. “Mashed” got here Hedgers reply “I’ve heard this is a good multiplayer game”. We settled in and never because the days of Micro Machines has there been such a noise of pleasure and despair. We have been attracting glances as we stayed tucked into this far nook of the corridor. I don’t have the literary abilities to articulate how nice the moments all of us spent taking part in this recreation have been, however protected to say we each purchased copies by way of a well-known public sale web site on the way in which house and I really useful you do the identical and invite 3 individuals spherical sharpish.

Our time on the occasion was beginning to come to a detailed however there was one last delight left, slipped into an Atari 2600 was probably the most stunning sights you might see. Pitfall!!!! Wonderful to see Harry swinging into motion as as soon as extra we dodged crocodiles and scorpions to shut out the day with an outdated pal… 

Keep your eyes peeled for our subsequent occasion assessment, possibly we are going to even see you there…