On the 6/7th of November this year, Blackpool’s Norbreck Castle Hotel was home to the ‘R3PLAY Arcade, Retro and Video Gaming Expo’, a brand new event this year celebrating the history of coin-op gaming and home console entertainment. What this exactly means is detailed in the video, starting with an introduction by Iain Lee who name points out to the audience that all the machines around them are to be played without hesitation and even directs the crowd the where an entire Steel Battalion is innocently awaiting. The video continues at around the 2:30 mark with a walk around by the incredibly gracious Youtube account of ‘Mega Drive Memories’, showcasing a a whole host of classic shooters, fighters and even the Mega Drive release of Micro Machines.
Overall it looks like it was actually a damn good time. It also sounds as if Sega were chipping in with an incredible set of prizes for competitors in a Sonic 4 Time Trial, and the reception from attendees has been pretty positive. So much so in fact that the show is confirmed to be returning next year. Given how few events we actually have in the UK, it’s great to see a new events like these cropping up. Especially when they’re a success.
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