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Thread: Houston Arcade Expo Nov. 2-3

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    Pretzel (Level 4) 8bitgamer's Avatar
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    Default Houston Arcade Expo Nov. 2-3

    The Houston Arcade Expo is Nov. 2-3. I've never been to this show, but I'm thinking about going this year. Impressions of past shows, anyone?

    Thanks!

    http://www.arcadecenter.com/default.asp

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    Insert Coin (Level 0) Badhornet's Avatar
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    I plan on going this year. Talked with a friend on Atariage who went 2 years ago and he loved it
    The 8 Bit Wonder

    Follow me on Twitter: Ataritexas

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    Pretzel (Level 4) 8bitgamer's Avatar
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    I decided to go ahead and get a booth, after watching some video footage of previous years. Looks like a lot of fun!

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    Great Puma (Level 12) Steve W's Avatar
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    I went once. Left with a ringing in my ears from the insane volume they were playing their crappy late '70s/early '80s music at. There were machines that I wanted to play but couldn't get close to because of the speakers near those machines that were deafening me. I truly hope that they don't bother with music anymore, since it's not really necessary. I want to hear the ambiance of the arcade, not sh•tty BeeGees music blasted at me at crippling decibals.

    They did have a really great assortment of arcade cabs there when I went, along with a whole lot of pinball tables (several of which were dead on arrival it seems). I had the chance to play Armor..Attack without a Vectrex in front of me, I got to play Blaster for the first time, along with Lunar Lander and Crazy Climber. I also attempted to play a homebrew version of The Last Starfighter arcade cab. I went a few years ago, I don't know if it has changed since then. Just two things wrong with that day, the eardrum-shattering music, and as my brother and I were driving back to Dallas he got a mysterious phone call from some guy asking for his wife - turns out she'd been cheating and his marriage fell apart a day or two later. I haven't bothered going back because of those bad memories. Maybe I should consider going this year. I don't think my brother will want to come with. And I'll remember to bring ear plugs.
    Last edited by Steve W; 09-15-2012 at 07:57 PM.

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    Pretzel (Level 4) 8bitgamer's Avatar
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    Default Houston Arcade Expo

    The Houston Arcade Expo is shaping up nicely, with vendors and other things added. It's coming up Friday and Saturday Nov. 2-3. Lots of pinball, arcade cabs, and consoles set up on free play, various pinball designers signing autographs, Activision and AtariAge will be there, and much more.

    Check it out here:

    http://www.arcadecenter.com/default.asp

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    Great Puma (Level 12) Steve W's Avatar
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    I keep thinking that I won't go, then I'll change my mind and consider driving down there. I still haven't come to any solid decision. It'd be nice to pick up a few new AtariAge releases (he won't go to OVGE anymore since getting a huge traffic fine for speeding in one of Oklahoma's many speed trap towns a few years back) and it'd be great to play some old-school games again. I guess I have the rest of the evening to make up my mind as to what I'm going to do tomorrow.

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    AtariAge brought a lot of consoles for play, but nothing for sale for some reason. I had planned to get Moon Cresta for 7800. I came by myself, so I'm stuck at my table, but it seems to be a good show. It is loud, though.

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    Great Puma (Level 12) Steve W's Avatar
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    Did you attend the show on Friday? I was wondering how crowded it would be then, since these types of conventions usually don't start out on a weekday.

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    Pretzel (Level 4) 8bitgamer's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve W View Post
    Did you attend the show on Friday? I was wondering how crowded it would be then, since these types of conventions usually don't start out on a weekday.
    I had a table, and they debuted my Twin Galaxies trading cards, so yeah, I was there Friday. I left Fort Worth at 6:30 a.m., went to 5 Half-Price Books stores on the way, and got there at 4:30, just in time to check in and get my table ready by 6:00 p.m.

    Friday had a good steady crowd, and people were spending money. I sold quite a few books, plus some games, action figures, and other odds and ends.

    I finally got to play some games at 12:30 a.m. Saturday night after I shut down my table and loaded everything in my van, but I got caught up in a trivia contest they were doing and won some cool T-shirts and what-not.

    Overall, I had a great time, but I'm definitely not going solo next year. Not enough time spent away from the table.

    Here are the cards, if anyone wants to take a look:

    http://www.brettweisswords.com/2012/...such-card.html

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    Great Puma (Level 12) Steve W's Avatar
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    I personally wouldn't want to stay until past midnight, I'm a late sleeper but still it's pretty rough to drive home for four hours that late at night. When I went the last time, I think my brother and I left around seven or eight PM.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Steve W View Post
    I personally wouldn't want to stay until past midnight, I'm a late sleeper but still it's pretty rough to drive home for four hours that late at night. When I went the last time, I think my brother and I left around seven or eight PM.
    Me neither. I stayed at the hotel Saturday night and went home Sunday morning.

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    I went to this event on the 3rd. Had quite a good time. Next year I'll be bringing hearing protection lol. Here's the pics I took: http://photobucket.com/mizphitHAGPE

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    I didn't know they'd have so many consoles and computers at the event, when I went they didn't have anything other than an Atari 2600 which they projected onto the side of the hotel. I might have reconsidered going if I had known that, even putting aside my need to protect my eardrums from exploding from having crap '80s music blasted at them. If I knew they had a Discs of Tron, I most likely would have went. Haven't played that one since a visit to Six Flags around 1983 or '84.

    It sounds like they still have the same noise problem that they had the last time I went. Maybe we should start sending in complaints and ask them to not have a DJ at all, just let us enjoy the sounds of the arcade.

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