PLAY Expo Manchester, EventCity, 10/11 October '15

[flatapex]

Archaickoala- it was chaotic mate, you didn't appear rude at all, I had to leave in a bit of a hurry on Saturday just after 5, had a family get together to get to and I got a phonecall to say my lift was outside and asking where I was , that tournament was excellent, Karl did an excellent job organising it.

Nakamura- I say as I find dude, was great catching up with you and great to see DCJ was popular, one year I will have to get involved with helping out with a stand

[TwoHeadedBoy]

Retro consoles... hmm... This is where things seemed to slip a bit for me, whilst there was a good mix of systems to play, I just felt a lot of the staple games were missing. It was great seeing Micro Machines reappearing as per usual but where was Smash Bros Melee (I'm not counting the Pro section as I want a chilled game) and Mashed? The sections dedicated to particular games series were a nice touch and better laid out than last year so well done on that

Just so you know for next time - if there's a specific game you want to play, just ask one of the staff and we'll go and grab it for you

[ArchaicKoala]

Just so you know for next time - if there's a specific game you want to play, just ask one of the staff and we'll go and grab it for you

That's really useful to know, thanks for that

[psj3809]

Who won the best indie title in the end ?

[Pointman]

Play Expo seems to be veering more towards a Comic Con kind of event rather than a retro video games show. It's just a shame that some of the pop culture events (like the shoddy Emperor's Throne and the Jurassic Park photoshoot) seemed lackluster enough to not quite make it a truly special event. Nothing at the vendors tickled my fancy although what I did find funny was one shop selling games when you could see that they were bought from Japanese retro stores with the previous price tag still attached. Mandarake price = 100 yen, Play Expo price = £10! Priceless.

I must be the only person who thought the arcade section, while having alot of the same games, was smaller than previous years. No Planet Harriers or candy cabs this year. However the pinball section more than made up for it, I was actually able to try a few tables this year. I quite liked the game & pinball themed displays (Defender and Indiana Jones game and tables together, a nice touch)

The retro console section seemed a little lacking this year, no FM Towns Marty or X68000 to try out. The choice of games was mostly even more bizarre, even the Supergrafx had Battle Ace instead of a good game like Ghouls n Ghosts. In fact I had more fun playing Pong on a Binatone than what else was available. The first time I went the retro console section was extensive, this year...not so much.

While this all seems a little negative I did enjoy the day, it was busy which was great and there is always plenty to see. My highlight? Finally getting top score on Star Wars Trilogy Arcade. It took patience (it's by far one of the most popular machines at the show and I narrowly missed getting it last year) but it's finally there. I can put that challenge to rest...that is if anyone wants to try and beat it?

[sirclive1]

Was going to write my own post - but apart from me and my lad going both days - psj's post just about sums it up for me , really enjoyed it this year , lots of vendors , some barely linked to gaming but still good to see the event growing .

Arrrgh see thats whats annoying ! Not being able to meet up with everyone, didnt know you were going fella ! Have to say hi next time

absolutely !

[resident paul]

Frankly I didn't like this year's expo because it is steering to comic con/ flea market!
The traders are plonked in the middle like flea market & all the other things are around it + the arcade/pinball/retro stuff are right at the back & out of the way!
There are big gaps at the front & signing guests didn't have anybody to meet looking like why they were here in the first place!

[nakamura]

Haha I get the 100 yen £10 reference!

[David]

will be delighted if this is in Glasgow next year!!

[flatapex]

The 100 yen thing reminds me of the Christmas markets here in Manchester. Everyone around was unaware that 'ja' is the German equivalent of smart price and 'gut und gunstig' is one step up but not a huge step. £4 a bar

[psj3809]

Frankly I didn't like this year's expo because it is steering to comic con/ flea market!
The traders are plonked in the middle like flea market & all the other things are around it + the arcade/pinball/retro stuff are right at the back & out of the way!
There are big gaps at the front & signing guests didn't have anybody to meet looking like why they were here in the first place!

I dont think you'll please everyone with the layout, i didnt mind it at all as i spend a lot of time walking around so whether the pinball/arcades are in the middle/side/end i dont mind. I think because of the noise they tucked them in the corners.

It was great meeting David Prowse but i would have loved to have chatted to the other people (Bossk) etc but it was similar to last year when Craig Charles/Chris Barrie had a lot of people lining up for autographs but Jeremy Bulloch (Boba Fett) and others didnt. I'm not really an autograph fan and was quite surprised its about £15 for a signed autograph ! I think it went in spurts though as at times they had a few people there, other times it was empty