Show Game – Play:Expo 2014

So I’ve mentioned ‘the show game’ moniker in a previous post. It’s that one game I’ll discover/rediscover at a retro gaming event which I find myself returning too throughout the event so much so that it become synonymous with the event itself.

For Play:Expo 2014, the computer game I’ve picked as my show game is a fairly modern release on the Commodore 64.

Blitz 3000

(here played on Jason Kelk’s ‘Old School Gaming’ pimped C64 (which you can read about here – http://jasonkelk.me.uk/ )

I loved Blitz on the Vic-20, a game I played over and over again back then and still load up from time to time on my Vic. It’s very simple yet this updated C64 version was so much fun and messes with your mind. ‘One more go’ it kept calling!

Out of fuel and steadily descending –  can your bombing skills clear a path so you can land without crashing into Mrs and Mrs Xenomorphs new domed kitchen extension?

 

and because Play:Expo is Pinball heaven, my Pinball showgame is…….hmmm, this is quite a tough. I did play an awful amount of time on Bally’s Fathom purely because I adore the table art….

80’s pinball art rocks!

 

….and likewise on Gottliebs Robo-War and TX-Sector for their sci-fi  artwork, fast gameplay and uber cool cyclon-esq robotic voices.

 

But because of the fun a few of us had playing mini competitions, my Pinball show game has to be –

Black Knight 2000

I’m a bit of a fan of the original Black Knight table and I also play a heck of a lot of its digital counterpart on my iPad courtesy of the Pinball Arcade app. Black Knight 2000 is a much faster game and retains some of the features from original including the useful Magna save to keep you out of trouble on the right hand lane. Completing a rapid succession of  fast loops is a real buzz but pales in comparison to  lighting King’s Ransom –  multiball madness!

 

 

Play:Expo – Manchester 2014

We had an absolute blast in Manchester last weekend and Play:Expo just keeps getting bigger and better with each year passing. There was so much to see and do at this year’s event and a welcome distraction  between mammoth rounds of pinball and arcade stick waggling.

Here’s a selection of photos i’d taken.

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Arcade heaven at Play:Expo

This weekend it’s the big one….well, in retro gaming terms that is rather than Skynet finally getting his or her way. Play:Expo is just a day away and in a few hours myself and my good lady will be driving to Manchester for a day of R&R (and shopping) prior getting ones game on from Saturday morning.

The list ‘stuff’ at this years event is just staggering – Check out all this lot –

http://www.playexpo.net/whats-on/

But it’s this particular setup video that’s got me really excited now.

 

So hopefully, a good weekend all round and am looking forward to meeting up with old friends, having a few laughs and of course, enjoying the odd game or two.

Retro Revival 2014.

Hello again, long time no post!

Last weekend I attended Retro Revival and a chance to indulge in two days of non stop retro gaming goodness and laughs with friends. It’s also my little rewards for all the replastering, sanding, mitring, levelling, grinding,  cutting, swearing, recutting, painting, polishing and swearing that’s kept me busy over the past few months.

We had such a great time as last years event and mini event held in December (see previous post – https://stiggyblog.wordpress.com/2013/05/21/retro-revival-2013/, ) and have been really looking forward to this one since the dates was announcement and the steady drip feed of show information went into overdrive these past few weeks.

Here’s some of the photo’s I’d taken between games.

 

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Walkthrough videos are starting to appear on Youtube, here’s one of the good ones

 

Event organisers Chris and Craig really nailed it with Retro Revival 2014. Here’s to the next one!

Speaking of next one, the second of this years huge retro gaming events Play:Expo is only a few months away. See you there?

 

 

 

 

Pinball Dreams Ignition table for Future Pinball.

I picked up the Pinball Gold Pack from GoG the other day which is a collection of twenty classic tables from the Pinball series produced by DiCE in the 1990’s.  I use to (and still do) play these predominately on my Amiga but thought it would be nice to have this particular collection on my netbook especially as GoG have wrapped them around one of their nifty DOSbox launchers.

The Pinball Gold Pack  includes Pinball Dreams 1 and 2, Pinball Illusions and Pinball Fantasies/Pinball Mania  which is more than enough 2D retro pinball to keep me happy and perfect for a quick casual game.

I’m starting at the beginning with the first game release and the first table – Pinball Dreams – Ignition.

This is a quick photo stitch I did, as per norm,  these table are spread over two vertically scrolling screens.

 

It wasn’t until I was browsing  around the internet for more information on the table designs when I happened to come across the work of  talented modders who had taken the original 2D design and created a fully playable 3D version of Ignition (and many more DiCE tables) for the free pinball sim – Future Pinball.

Now this is more like it – absolutely loving the lighting modifications and score box.

 

The originals games will always be Amiga classics in my book but you’re got to admit this looks flippin (sorry!) ace doesn’t it?

 

If you fancy giving this one a go yourself, you’ll need –

Future Pinball – http://www.futurepinball.com/

Ignition table for Future Pinball – http://www.pinsimdb.org/pinball/table-396-ignition

…and some virtual coins.

…and a secondary screen if you want to enhance the experience.

or, if you want to re\visit the original 2D classics, $9.99 for Pinball Gold is pretty reasonable – http://www.gog.com/game/pinball_gold_pack although GoG do tend to have this on special offer from time to time.