If the Twin Galaxies gaming competition at the Mall of America taught me only one thing, it was that classic gamers are serious about their hobby. Last week’s expo at the Plaza in Las Vegas only went further to prove that fact. From the moment I arrived Friday night to set up the Gaming World X table, until the time I left Sunday after the “Dig Dug Drop”, Atari reigned supreme and polygon counts, bump-mapping, and processor speeds were insignificant.
The show had it all. From bands and DJs playing classic gaming covers to seminars on how to collect gaming memorabilia to free-play arcade games to a gaming museum, this show was a game-junkie’s wet dream. However, the heart of the show were the exhibitors who were showing and selling countless classic consoles and games. Getting caught up in it myself, I walked into the show with several hundreds of dollars, and walked out with nothing but the shirt on my back. After all, the CGE is seen as a gaming collector’s paradise and I wasn’t about to miss a golden opportunity.
The Exhibitors
Classic Gaming Expo 2002 had 28 exhibitors showing off everything from rare and classic games to new releases for consoles thought to be long extinct. While most were there to sell goods, many were also there to simply educate and entertain. Gaming World X even had its own little table, spreading the word about the site, and inviting home brewers to gain coverage of their upcoming releases.
While there were simply too many exhibitors to cover completely, there were a few that definitely stood out among the crowd.
The folks at Atari2600.com had more than enough product available to keep the classic gaming fanatic happy for years and years to come. The selection was incredible, and included the home brewed 2600 title, “Holey Moley”. The title plays with an Atari Kid’s Controller, which is basically a handheld pad with nine buttons. Remember the “Whack-a-Mole” games at the local amusement park? That’s the basic idea of Holey Moley. Nine holes, nine moles. Find ‘em and whack ‘em before they disappear. For the raging collector, Holey Moley creator Bob Polaro was on hand all weekend to autograph copies of the game.
Atari2600.com didn’t just carry Atari 2600 games. No sir. Their immense inventory consists of Intellivision, Odyssey, Vectrex, Bally Astrocade, and much, much more. Head on over to their site to fill in any gaps you might have in your gaming collection.
As I mentioned earlier, this is the show where Atari reigns supreme, and Atari Age is a prime example. Just visit their site if you think I’m over exaggerating their passion for all things Atari. On the site you’ll find that the systems you thought were obsolete are very much alive and well. Their site lists many new releases for most Atari systems as well as tons of titles in development!
Another title that garnered a great deal of interest from show goers was the unreleased Atari 5200 game, Super Pac Man. Albert from Atari Age told me that while the game was released in the arcades, the 5200 port was never released, due primarily to the great video game crash of the mid-80s.
For a complete list of the games shown by Atari Age at CGE, click here.
Exhibitor: Atari Age Items Purchased: Super Pac Man (5200)
What do you suppose the fine folks at Intellivision Productions had on display? That’s right, genius! The Intellivision! [I still can’t get that damn Intellivision song out of my head.]
While the company didn’t have a lot of product on hand to sell, it did have a row of Intellivisions on display set up for gamers to try out. Head on over to Intellivision Productions for free downloads of popular Intellivision games, Intellivision-themed songs and commercials, and Intellivision products for sale.
Not only did Telegames have the privilege of being neighbors to the fabulous Gaming World X, they also had one of the most diverse inventories displayed at the show. If you wanted it, chances are, they had it. While they can be a tad pricey on some of their items, Telegames is your one stop shop for classic and current gaming. Their diversity is credited in no small part to the fact that they are not only a game wholesaler, but also deal in development, publishing, licensing, and distribution.
Telegames has been publishing games since the mid-1980s and has given birth to such recognizable games as Raiden (Lynx), WORMS (Jaguar), and the recently released Urban Yeti (GBA).
The Neo Geo phenomenon has reached a cult-like status, with ravenous collectors traveling far and wide and spending extravagant sums of money to obtain the rarest of the rare. To some, the console is the holy grail of gaming. To others, it’s a bewildering enigma, never to be understood.
When Chris Ray (left) of Neo Geo Freak pulled me aside and informed me that he would only sell me one of his beloved consoles if I didn’t already have one, I was immediately impressed and walked away a broke, but happy man. These are guys that truly wish to spread the joy of the Neo Geo to all of those willing to take the plunge. After all, obtaining a Neo Geo is no small feat. The games are extremely rare and often fetch prices too high for most gamers. Getting your hands on a copy of Metal Slug could cost you over $1,000!
Neo Geo Freak isn’t just the name of their company, it describes the passion which Chris, Dion, and the other staff members have for SNK’s powerhouse. If you’re interested in making the commitment – and believe me, it is a commitment - Neo Geo Freak is your destination. They’ve got everything from consoles and games to SNK paraphernalia. Just head over here and click on “Everything Else” to take a look at Chris’ extensive SNK collection.
The Classic Gaming Expo was host to a number of events, including seminars, musical performances, contests, and a classic gaming museum.
Gamers looking to bone up on their history and marvel at rare and odd items from gaming’s past were treated to a fantastic gaming museum. The museum contained mock-up and unreleased models of various consoles, add-on accessories and units, and stand alone game systems such as Video Pinball, Atari Game Brain, Ultra Pong, and others, including my beloved Turbografx-16 systems, the Bandai Pippen and a portable Atari 2600.
Enjoy the pictures!
The entire weekend was set to music as DJ Tony Fox NYC was on hand to spin grooves around classic gaming theme songs. Bands playing covers of popular NES games and industry legend, George “The Fatman” Sanger with his band “Team Fat” were pulling out rockabilly versions of Fatman compositions, including The 7th Guest, Wing Commander, and more.
Seminars were held on various topics, including the making of the Atari classic “Adventure”, and the creation of “Dragon’s Lair”. Attendees of the Dragon’s Lair seminar were treated to a sneak peek that the upcoming Dragon’s Lair 3D.
I was able to slip away from the GWX booth long enough to catch former Electronic Games Magazine editor and industry legend Bill Kunkel give a talk on game merchandise collecting. Mr. Kunkel displayed various video game promotional items, including shot glasses, rubber hands, army fatigues, and even toilet paper and toilet bowl brushes. The purpose of the seminar was to encourage game fans to begin collecting and hold onto these sorts of promotional items as game merchandise collecting is in its infancy and demand for these items will likely explode in the near future.
Each year, one of the best features of the show is the incredible selection of classic arcade games that surround the entire exhibition, and the best part is that they are all set on free play mode. Attendees were treated to Reactor, Crystal Castles, Spy Hunter, Space Ace, Super Pac Man, Galaga, and countless others. The Classic Gaming Expo was the single greatest arcade I have ever seen and were it not for my duties at the GWX table, my entire weekend could have easily been spent on Reactor and Crystal Castles.
All things come to an end, and Sunday afternoon brought a close to the Classic Gaming Expo 2002 in Las Vegas. Taking a trip back to the early days of the industry and speaking with folks that helped shape the gaming environment we all enjoy today was an incredible experience. Bill Kunkel, Arnie Katz, Rick Dyer, David Crane, and so many others in attendance are truly the gaming forefathers to which we owe a great deal of respect. Furthermore, meeting the die hard fanatics of the classic gaming era forces one to take a long, hard look at the landscape of today’s gaming industry where all too often the emphasis is placed on graphics and presentation rather than game play. I encourage all of our readers to take a night and break out that old Atari, Colecovision, or Intellivision system and appreciate the ingenuity and craftsmanship that went into some of these games. It truly is an eye-opening experience.
For more information on the Classic Gaming Expo, head make sure you check out their site, CGExpo.com.
GWX would like to thank those that took the time to stop and visit our table at CGE 2002. We would also like to extend an invitation to home brewers and independent game designers who are interested in receiving coverage for their games. We hope to encourage the gaming industry, much like the music industry, to embrace the concept of “Do it Yourself”, independent game development, and nurture the sharing of creative ideas. For more information, please drop us a line
