Retro Fusion '08. Just been to the biggest convention of the year.

[thx1138]

I went to 2 day convention at the weekend, about 70 miles away.  I went on my motorbike, only fitting, as I sold my collection to buy a bike a few years ago.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/new...ewsid_7516000/7516627.stm

Apart from the Q&A sessions with celebs, including the team leader for making Goldeneye on N64
The highlights for me included playing Vectrex games I'd never got my hands on a working Vectrex before, playing original Space Invaders coin-op, oh and meeting some of my friends again, and watching them get slowly but surely pissed, as I stuck to diet coke!

I'd never seen a working Vectrex before, and I like them. They have a grace and charm, I wouldn't have beleived. The bright screen, with the even brighter burns on Luna Lander, and the Elite inspiring or i'll eat my hat, space ship that flies past between levels on asteroids, are wonderful.

If I hadn't spent hundreds of pounds at Hein Gericke last month, I would have snapped one up.

I also like the modern bar top cabinet running MAME a lot.

[Tan]

Would've been cool to meet the Goldeneye team leader. One of the things I like about European conventions is the emphasis on both computers and consoles. Sadly little Commodore, Apple ][ or Amiga or others make it to conventions on this side of the ocean unless it's specifically catered to it.

[logical123]

Thanks for keeping us on topic Tan.

That gaming show really does look cool. The next time the anime convention is in town, I might go with one of my friends. They have lots of import goodness there!  

EDIT: Also, the Vectrex kicks some major butt. I've only played one once, and it was $299.99, with 2 games. A bit too pricy for my budget.

[Feechy]

Yeah, there was a really big one called Wizard World or something in Chicago awhile back. It was basically just tabletop RPG's and retro games up to the NES.

[RegalSin]

European conventions is the emphasis on both computers and console

Yeah since all they ever had was computers like pretty much the only that has came out of ....couuggh...chooockkk dre--cooffuuggjhjjj faall..couuffhhhf acckk!

Sadly little Commodore, Apple, or Amiga

I bet one cent there is a kid in a european household who is playing a game on a Apple II right now as if it was new.

specifically catered to it

I could only assume how the idea of 2000 running on X-box is close to this.
 

[logical123]

Actually, Europe has gotten pretty much all of the systems that the rest of the world has, minus a few here and there. It even says so in the article. And Europe has gotten systems that us in the States haven't gotten, or that weren't popular, such as the Amiga CD32.

[TraderJake]

Goodbye, RegalSin

[Feechy]

Well then, that's finally over.

[TraderJake]

It's good to see you around, thx.

Certainly, it sounds as though you had an awesome time the convention. I would have loved to meet the team leader for GoldenEye. That game really set the bar for first person shooters on consoles. I've never seen a Vectrex, but the way that you describe them make them seem like something to be checked out.

Out of curiosity, what is Hein Gericke?

[thx1138]

Out of curiosity, what is Hein Gericke?

I'm embarrassed, it is a bikers clothing store, I bought some "race leathers"

but, I got home in <70 mins on a 2.3 hr drive

[TraderJake]

I didn't know you lived off the Autobahn

[thx1138]

I am a massive Kraftwerk fan if that helps!

[James]

I'd like to apologise for my earlier post, which was in response to a certain troll. I try not to rise to them but I went for the bait that time. It's the responses to trolls that tend to derail threads.


Anyway... I didn't realise there was a retro gaming show in Britain. Well I knew of one that was in Retro Gamer magazine once but it looked like some people in a school hall with a bunch of higgeldy piggeldy CRT TVs. Not very glamorous.

I've been to a couple of modern gaming shows in London. One was near-after the launch of the PS2 in Earl's Court where they had some unreleased games on display to play demos of. The tickets cost £10 each, and if we showed them to some people at the end they gave us a goodie bag with about £20 worth of stuff in it! Things like T-Shirts, light up pens, lots of Demos, stickers (Who doesn't want stickers?).

The other show was at Excel in London. It was for all the platforms of 2004. Again, it was pre-release games and mostly games without a public demo version. My friend managed to blag some VIP tickets, which just means you get in earlier than the cheap tickets - an extremely good thing considering how packed it was later in the day. We went around trying to see who could get the most freebies. I got a bunch of Shrek T-Shirts, some pens, a Playboy bag, and some leaflets. (Who doesn't want leaflets?)

I still have all those T-Shirts. 

[logical123]

I am a massive Kraftwerk fan if that helps!

I used to love the song "Telephone Call" when I was a wee lad (about 5).

[frood42]

Anyway... I didn't realise there was a retro gaming show in Britain. Well I knew of one that was in Retro Gamer magazine once but it looked like some people in a school hall with a bunch of higgeldy piggeldy CRT TVs. Not very glamorous.

They're the best kind of conventions, the more cables and bare circuit boards the better