Official CGE 2K7 Impressions Thread

[MachineGex]

My brother lives in Vegas and said the word is "the Riviera is the next one in line to close". I thought the casino was OK, but the rooms coulda been a little better. Not having a frig in every room seemed odd. Did anyone check out the magic shop in the lobby area? When I started dropping money in there my wife said something like, "Oh boy, magic too? I'm married to the trifeca geek king." (comics, video games and magic) She is one lucky girl!

Oh well, I had so much fun I would have had a good time if it was held at the motel 6 in Bakersfield, CA.
I cant wait til next year!

[Dan Iacovelli]

I don't think they will close permently maybe for renovations.
the hotel has been a mainstay in las vegas for ages.
and yes I did notice the magic shop that was there for along time.
I ws tempted to buy something there being an amature magian since I was young(haven't practiced lately though).
doesn't really matter if they close as long they still continue with "the duce"
bus service there no matter where CGE lands in vegas(strip or DT) the service
is one good thing for us(and vegas).

[CX2K]

The last word we got before we left is that they are spending 35 million to remodel some of their rooms by next spring. The hotel is approx. half smoking rooms. They are trying to get it up to 80% non-smoking.

I know there issues that some of you had and we addressed those with management and learned some insight as to what caused the problem. All I can say is that you will be better informed when we start next year's registration as to what the room situation is.

Thanks,
John

[Tetsu]

Everyone seems to have something to say about the Riviera, so here's my two cents: the 60-year old hotel has seen better days, but it had a lot of character. I could have done without getting a room in the smoking section when we asked for a non-smoking room. Besides that, the staff was friendly and helpful and the housekeeping staff did an excellent job of cleaning up our mess.

First time in Vegas:

The double decker bus is indispensible for getting around up and down the strip, especially at just 2 bucks for a one-way trip or 5 bucks for a 24 hour pass. Also, since pretty much all the hotels are on or near the strip, next time I go to Vegas, I'll find out which hotels are close to the one I'm staying at. That way, I can hop on the first airport shuttle bus that goes near my hotel and walk over, instead of paying 25 bucks for a cab.


CGE:

The show was a blast!. This is my first CGE so I don't have anything to compare it to, but compared to comic and other conventions, it was extremely well organized. The museum was amazing, the swap room was a great idea, and the auction was hilarious. My only regret is that I couldn't stay until Sunday, and I never did get to the pinball museum, but at least it gives me something to look forward to next year!

[Dan Iacovelli]

Everyone seems to have something to say about the Riviera, so here's my two cents: the 60-year old hotel has seen better days, but it had a lot of character. I could have done without getting a room in the smoking section when we asked for a non-smoking room. Besides that, the staff was friendly and helpful and the housekeeping staff did an excellent job of cleaning up our mess.

First time in Vegas:

The double decker bus is indispensible for getting around up and down the strip, especially at just 2 bucks for a one-way trip or 5 bucks for a 24 hour pass. Also, since pretty much all the hotels are on or near the strip, next time I go to Vegas, I'll find out which hotels are close to the one I'm staying at. That way, I can hop on the first airport shuttle bus that goes near my hotel and walk over, instead of paying 25 bucks for a cab.


CGE:

The show was a blast!. This is my first CGE so I don't have anything to compare it to, but compared to comic and other conventions, it was extremely well organized. The museum was amazing, the swap room was a great idea, and the auction was hilarious. My only regret is that I couldn't stay until Sunday, and I never did get to the pinball museum, but at least it gives me something to look forward to next year!

why go to vegas to find that out: go to www.vegas.com that has the map of hotels on the strip.

[ubikuberalles]

Pros:

- Wow the main floor was big! Much bigger than at the Plaza. Lots of walking room and I didn't feel crowded in like I did at the Plaza. Impressive.
- The Riviera was a big improvement from the Plaza. Not as nice as the hotel in San Jose (the last CGE I attended) but nice nevertheless. A step in the right direction.
- 8 Bit Weapon. I love the live music at the show. Like I always say: It's not CGE without the 8BW.
- The auction. I've never been to a CGE auction before and now I regret it. It was perhaps the most fun part of the show!
- The museum was impressive. That's the biggest I've ever seen it and there were a lot of new and cool exhibits there (the Atari 400 display was the best).
- Having the swap meet at the same time as the main show was a stroke of genius. I've always missed the swap meets in the past because I had other plans after the show. I like this new setup and I want to see it again.
- The retro-couch, as always, is a great idea. I consider it a mainstay of the show.
- Meeting many of the DP members at the show was exciting. I only wished I was able to meet even more.
- Jumpman Jr. put a picture of his avatar on his shirt. That was cool! I should do that next year.
- I put $1 in a nickel slot machine and won at total of $5. W00t!


Cons:

- The place was big. Perhaps too big? I had the false impression that the show had a smaller attendance than previous years but now I realize that it was simply because the larger space spread the people out more. Not really a criticism, just an observation.
- No Galaga arcade.
- No B & C Computer Visions booth. I understand that family issues prevented them from attending. Darn shame.
- See my comments on the Suggestions thread.
- So many things happening all at once was overwhelming me. You'd think by now, after attending nearly all the other CGEs, that I would be too jaded or experienced to get overwhelmed. Go figure. A plan of action or at least a wants list would have helped me out. Certainly something to do next year.

[nationgamesdepot]

This was my first CGE and I had a blast. I picked up a bunch more goodies than I expected and generally had a good time. My mine reason for going was to meet a few people that I have talked with for years and put a face with a s/n which I did. I even got to meet a bunch of other guys I wasn't expecting.

I stayed at the Sahara and you guys wouldn't be complaining at all about the Riviria if you stayed at the Sahara. The rooms were small, dirty, very outdated and just craptastic. I saw a few Riviera rooms and they were 10 times nicer.

I only have a few suggustions to make it better. A little more seating on the expo floor would have been nice, and a few more vendors. I know that me and Dain plan to have a NintendoAGE booth next year so maybe a few more will jump on board as well. The swap room was awesome and one of the best features of the show, I just wish it was a little larger cause it was kinda hard to move around when you had several bags of gaming goodness in your hands. I also wish a list of all the keynotes speeches would have been posted before the event, I missed several of them before I even knew it.

I was extremely impressed with the show and thought it was a great experience. I will be attending every CGE from now on I enjoyed it so much. Keep up the great work guys, you all deserve a big thank you from all of us. THANKS!!!
~~NGD

[vectrexer]

I only have a few suggustions to make it better. A little more seating on the expo floor would have been nice~~NGD

I definitely agree with you on that point. In fact during setup I mentioned it.

The amount of handheld games that showed up was impressive and haveing a few extra seats to use these handhelds at would have been nice.

J,J,S: maybe next time some more table and chairs. Even if they were in front of the 8BW music.

And sales of food and drink on the floor too! That is one of things I really missed from the other shows. Especially with the hike back to restaraunt being so long for the food. I think I lost weight during the show!

[Steve Woita]

As always it was a fantastic show! I don't know how these guys do it every year!! I got there Friday and left on Sunday and it was total no stop game stuff... I loved it! Great work and thanks for keeping this old school stuff alive!!!

Steve Woita

[esquire]

I actually just got back from Vegas. I stayed over for a work convention. 12 days in Vegas is a lot. Here are some of my impressions:

Venue - The Riveria, accommodations-wise, in my opinion was not much better than The Plaza, considering the price increase and the fact that the room rates were not that great in comparision to other casinos. I am not saying that the Riveria was on par with the Plaza, just making an analysis via dollar value. Of course, I would go to whatever casino they would hold CGE at.

The convention hall and skybox were great, but the rooms and the customer service sucked. I was one of those that got screwed out of a deluxe room. After waiting in line foreover to check in, and not being told of the room change, I found out I got a standard room when I arriieved at the room. The Front desk and manager were not helpful at all and argued with me. All I wanted was that if I was not going to get a deluxe room, that I did not have to pay the deluxe rate. They would not budge. I am sad to say that I had to get John involved as I am sure others would find themselves in the same predicament. I am not sure if I was the exception by being the "squeeky wheel" or if they took care of everyone who complained, but they finally upgraded me to what they called a "mini-suite". Thanks John for helping me out.

Additionally, it seemed that all the employees, from the front desk, to the bell man and valet all had bad attitudes and were not very friendly.

By comparison, the rest of the week after CGE, I stayed at Planet Hollywood - previously The Aladdin. At the heart of the strip, I was charged $59 a night during the week, and $119 a night for Friday and Saturday - the same rate the Riveria was charging, at a discount no less. (I got these rates by previously signing up for their Players Club card) The rooms were WAY MUCH NICER than the Riveria. Moreover the Casino is more modern with Rock, Pop and Hip Hop music playing throughout the casino floor. Coincidentally, I decided to check out there convention area, which I didn't know they had. It had been unbooked that week and I must say was very nice. The convention area overlooks the center of the casino area, so for those that were complaining about the layout of the Riveria, perhaps this may be something to look into for future CGEs. There is also the added bonus of The Miracle Mile (fka Desert Passage) shops and restaurants, giving attendees a much more variety of shopping and dining options. Plus, there is a monorail station next door at Paris.

Another suggestion I might make for the organizers, who did a great job - thank you!!! - is to advertise the room reservation quota requirement early before people start booking their travel plans through agents, expedia, orbitz, etc. so we can make sure that CGE meets its quota. It seemed like the word did not get out until about a week or so before the event.

Vendors - mostly focused on the Atari and NES. I was hoping to score some Jag and Lynx games, as well as some Sega Genesis and Dreamcast games. I was disappointed to see a lack of vendors carrying those items. As previously mentioned, Songbird, Jagfest, B&C, Telegames (are they still around?) and even the Neo-Geo guys were all MIA. No problem I said. It gave me more money to stock up on homebrews, exclusives, hacks, etc for the 2600 and 5200, including games I had passed on at my previous CGE in 2K3. Overall I was happy with my purchases.

Swap Meet - Great opportunity to score more items and meet fellow DPers. The GameConsoles.com guy selling the Colecovision exclusive was from my hometown and grew up 1-2 miles from me. Crazy!

CGE Party - Totally awesome setup. Had a wonderful time. I wish I could of stayed longer (and played some poker - who won?), but I was with some friends and a client of mine who was setting us up at the Palms - Playboy Club and Moon VIP. It was a difficult choice, but I had to go with the Bunnies over at the Palms. I definitely plan on attending the party next year for the whole time.

I can't for CGE 2K8, and hope they keep it in Vegas.

[Dan Iacovelli]

I actually just got back from Vegas. I stayed over for a work convention. 12 days in Vegas is a lot. Here are some of my impressions:

Venue - The Riveria, accommodations-wise, in my opinion was not much better than The Plaza, considering the price increase and the fact that the room rates were not that great in comparision to other casinos. I am not saying that the Riveria was on par with the Plaza, just making an analysis via dollar value. Of course, I would go to whatever casino they would hold CGE at.

The convention hall and skybox were great, but the rooms and the customer service sucked. I was one of those that got screwed out of a deluxe room. After waiting in line foreover to check in, and not being told of the room change, I found out I got a standard room when I arriieved at the room. The Front desk and manager were not helpful at all and argued with me. All I wanted was that if I was not going to get a deluxe room, that I did not have to pay the deluxe rate. They would not budge. I am sad to say that I had to get John involved as I am sure others would find themselves in the same predicament. I am not sure if I was the exception by being the "squeeky wheel" or if they took care of everyone who complained, but they finally upgraded me to what they called a "mini-suite". Thanks John for helping me out.

Additionally, it seemed that all the employees, from the front desk, to the bell man and valet all had bad attitudes and were not very friendly.

By comparison, the rest of the week after CGE, I stayed at Planet Hollywood - previously The Aladdin. At the heart of the strip, I was charged $59 a night during the week, and $119 a night for Friday and Saturday - the same rate the Riveria was charging, at a discount no less. (I got these rates by previously signing up for their Players Club card) The rooms were WAY MUCH NICER than the Riveria. Moreover the Casino is more modern with Rock, Pop and Hip Hop music playing throughout the casino floor. Coincidentally, I decided to check out there convention area, which I didn't know they had. It had been unbooked that week and I must say was very nice. The convention area overlooks the center of the casino area, so for those that were complaining about the layout of the Riveria, perhaps this may be something to look into for future CGEs. There is also the added bonus of The Miracle Mile (fka Desert Passage) shops and restaurants, giving attendees a much more variety of shopping and dining options. Plus, there is a monorail station next door at Paris.

Another suggestion I might make for the organizers, who did a great job - thank you!!! - is to advertise the room reservation quota requirement early before people start booking their travel plans through agents, expedia, orbitz, etc. so we can make sure that CGE meets its quota. It seemed like the word did not get out until about a week or so before the event.

Vendors - mostly focused on the Atari and NES. I was hoping to score some Jag and Lynx games, as well as some Sega Genesis and Dreamcast games. I was disappointed to see a lack of vendors carrying those items. As previously mentioned, Songbird, Jagfest, B&C, Telegames (are they still around?) and even the Neo-Geo guys were all MIA. No problem I said. It gave me more money to stock up on homebrews, exclusives, hacks, etc for the 2600 and 5200, including games I had passed on at my previous CGE in 2K3. Overall I was happy with my purchases.

Swap Meet - Great opportunity to score more items and meet fellow DPers. The GameConsoles.com guy selling the Colecovision exclusive was from my hometown and grew up 1-2 miles from me. Crazy!

CGE Party - Totally awesome setup. Had a wonderful time. I wish I could of stayed longer (and played some poker - who won?), but I was with some friends and a client of mine who was setting us up at the Palms - Playboy Club and Moon VIP. It was a difficult choice, but I had to go with the Bunnies over at the Palms. I definitely plan on attending the party next year for the whole time.

I can't for CGE 2K8, and hope they keep it in Vegas.

Songbird and Jagfest is still very much around(speaking as a the man behind Jagfest, I too miss the Jaguar presence at the show) songbird was going to come as I know,but didn't,carl was asking about on this board a lot when it got announced then he disapperaed. B&C had family problem with some one having giving birth as john mentioned on sunday at the cge keynote.
Telegames I doudt they are still doing business with jaguar and I don't know
if they were invited.
hopefully Jagfest will make it return to CGE after while in one form or another.