PLAY Expo Blackpool Retro
Special was held at the Norbreck Castle Hotel on the 27th and 28th
October 2018.
Here is a bit about the event
and my gaming highlights.
Arcade
There was a fantastic
selection of titles this year, and as usual I spent most of my time in this
section.
RoboCop – Data East - 1988
A childhood arcade favourite
and it’s just as awesome today. Back in
the day I played it on generic Jamma cabinets, and it’s the first time I’ve
seen the US dedicated cab. The curved
marquee looks awesome.
Bump ‘n’ Jump – Data East – 1982
Bump into enemy vehicles and
jump over obstacles such as large puddles to get to the end of each level. A fun little game and one you don’t see very
often.
Circus Charlie – Konami 1984
Have you ever fancied riding
on a lion and jumping through flaming rings?
Or how about walking along a tightrope and jumping over monkeys? Then this is the game for you! A fantastic game, and the cabinet artwork is
superb.
Ken Sei Mogura – Capcom / Sigma / Togo - 1994
An extremely rare machine and
an interesting curiosity, this was my personal highlight of the show.
Ken Sei Mogura is basically a
Street Fighter II themed Whack-a-Mole.
As players whack the mini M. Bison heads, the action is played out on
screen. Here is a video of the game in
action.
There is an interesting story
behind this machine. Two of these were
found at the then closed Dreamland amusement park in Margate. The park had fallen into disrepair, and both
machines had been vandalised to gain entry to their con boxes. Using parts from both units, a fully working
machine was assembled.
The full story can be found
here:
By the sound of it, the
machines came close to ending up on the scrap heap and being lost in time. It’s awesome that a working machine was salvaged
and is back out there being enjoyed by the people at Play. Although my six year old daughter did sustain
a minor gaming injury when she accidently bashed her finger with the mallet whilst
battling the mini M. Bisons’!
Double Dragon – Technōs
Japan – 1987
An all time
classic on the cabs I remember playing it on.
Speed Buggy – Tatsumi / Data East – 1985
Otherwise known
as Buggy Boy! I don’t recall seeing this
in the arcades back in the day, but I played it to death on my Amstrad CPC
464. The game is extremely fun, and I
love the cell shaded graphics style.
Bosconian – Namco - 1981
It was the
first time I’ve played this awesome multi-directional scrolling shooter. The player must shoot down the space stations
in each stage, whilst avoiding enemies, missiles, asteroids and mines. The ship fires from both the front and
behind, and it’s one of the first video games to feature diagonal directions
and a radar. The game was great fun and
plays really well.
Arguably three
of Sega’s most iconic arcade games.
The show had
fantastic Atari and Nintendo line ups.
My daughter
enjoying a game of Burger Time. It’s currently
her second favourite arcade game after Pac-Land.
Console
There was a large console
section at the show, with some rare and obscure machines for people to enjoy.
The day went so quickly, and
I didn’t get to spend much time with the consoles. My time was divided between the arcade
section, looking after my wife and children, and a brief pit stop for some toasties
in the hotel lobby.
Pinball
I did however find time to
have some credits on the pinball tables.
There was a fantastic selection featuring pinball tables through the
ages. I particularly enjoyed playing The
Getaway, Tron Legacy and RoboCop.
Now this was pretty cool! This one-of a kind Adams Family Challenge
Chair combines The Adams Family pinball machine with an old “Sparky” electric
chair.
The player grips the handles
and controls the flippers using push buttons, and during the game the player is
‘shocked’. This is an illusion created
by vibrating motors inside the handles, which oscillate at ever-increasing
speeds. There is also an extra vibro
motor under the seat as well as a smoke generator. I braved the chair myself and it was good
fun, and the perfect game for Halloween!
More info can be found here:
Here are some more pics of
the show.
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