We’ll forget about the fact that a dubious pint of beer shortened my trip (my own fault), and keep trying to answer the key question: can a gaming dinosaur really enjoy EGX? Many of our retro gaming friends are completely up to speed on current or next-gen games, so I congratulate them. Anyone who knows me will tell you that the last “new” game I bought was Final Fantasy XIII and look how it went! Give me a PS1 and FFVII and you’ll get a 10/10 rating from me.
So if you’re like me, you’re probably wondering if it’s worth attending a gaming convention (warts and all). My trip was the brainchild of my lovely girlfriend who, wanting to augment my birthday present (March, if you’re wondering), googled “retro gaming event”. Google being Google proceeded to upload the biggest gaming event of the year simply because it had a “Retro Gaming Corner”. I fought my natural instincts to run away and accepted this union.
Six months later, our romantic trip to Birmingham was upon us. For those who haven’t been there, believe me when I say that it is quite a nice city to visit and has more restaurants than you can imagine. Anyway, I digress. The excitement meant a 5am start was had, not ideal when your train only leaves at 10am After a relatively easy train journey, we arrived at Birmingham International. The NEC is very well connected to the station. What’s rather awkward is the cross walk from Birmingham through the station to get to it (kidding of course), but we got there anyway.
The first thing that struck me was how dark it was. My mother always scolded me for playing video games in the dark. “It’ll hurt your eyes, son!” she used to say, “You’ll need glasses when you’re old!” She’s right, but she would never remind him. I pondered the squint-inducing office-style alternative fluorescent lighting and concluded that the organizers knew better.
Right next to the entrance are the indie games that I had to applaud. Tell a player that the new COD or FF is lurking somewhere and they’ll look for it, two hours of queue and all, but they’re a little more reluctant to hunt for those standalone gems. The standard of indie games on display was pretty phenomenal and it will also be reassuring to see the retro gaming vibe still going strong (watch out for Conga Master and Modsork features soon). It has certainly given me something to aspire to with my current project. Since it was a Saturday afternoon, there was still plenty of room to spread out and chat with the developers while taking a look at their products. Indie-only events are probably still a better bet to seek out, but since this was a small slice of a huge pie, you can’t really complain.
A gigantic banner for Final Fantasy XV brought me back to reality. We were on it now. The lines were long (apparently much shorter on Thursdays or Fridays when the kids are at school) but I did manage to catch a glimpse of the new COD, the new Gears of War and also the new FIFA and you know what? I barely felt anything. I don’t know who to blame for my complete lack of attachment to current gen games. I could blame Sony, but then I’d have to ignore my love for the PS1 and PS2. I could blame Microsoft and ignore the 360 in my room at the same time. But I will choose to blame the part within me that refuses to commit to a video game and these games require that (FIFA17 aside). The line between video games and movies is now clearly blurred (this is what you wanted Nintendo!) and I’m not sure I like it. Give me three buttons and a pointy blue hedgehog and I’ll be happy.
Which brings me nicely to the hallowed Retro Gaming Corner, much larger than I had imagined (a pleasant surprise). Atari 7800s, Spectrum ZXs, SNES, Mega Drives, Master Systems as far as the eye can see. That’s a slight exaggeration, but there were plenty of them and all with cathode ray tubes to boot. Maybe it was the heat from all the CRTs, maybe it was the appearance of some kind of bug, but I literally couldn’t stop sweating. But through the sweat my eyes could make out the various forms of said blue hedgehog, maniacal miners, a low fire of many plumbing barrels and all was well. What I liked the most were the swarms of people from the younger generation enjoying these gems. In a world where you have to master more than six buttons, the world of two or three buttons should be a piece of cake. Games were also divided by genre: light gun games in one area (still much better than anything Kinect offers in my opinion), “newer” rhythm games in another, platformers, shooters, etc. There really was something for everyone. . Would I have liked to see more hoopla in the retro gaming corner? Maybe with a little more interaction? Of course I would, but EGX isn’t about retro gaming, it’s about previewing new things and staying one step ahead of the game.
The all-day ticket is quite expensive (about £20), but the afternoon session from 2:00pm to 7:00pm was about half that. Would I recommend it to an avid gamer? Only if you have even a little interest in current gen gaming, as specific retro gaming events provide a lot more for less money. I would also take a few days off work and go on a Thursday to avoid those annoying lines. And stay away from the beer.
