Play Expo 2013

Hello all, it would appear all has been quiet recently and I haven't been up to much! Do not worry, very soon you will be inundated with blog posts and you won't be able to move! For the moment, however, you will have to savour this one.

I recently went to a convention called "Play Expo". Think of it as a place where new video games are shown, where you can try them out and also a place where you can do some retro gaming. Sounds like fun, if you're in to that sort of thing. Luckily, I am.

Games

Some guys playing Assassin's Creed 4

Right then, to the good stuff. The brand new games and technology that was being shown off. There were famous developers there; Nintendo was there (showing off the Wii U and 3DS),  Sony was there with Ubisoft (showing off Assassin's Creed 4), but strangely Microsoft weren't there with the Xbox One. Missed a trick there. While I tried these consoles out and found them to be a lot of fun, one piece of tech really sticks in my mind. This piece of tech was called the "Oculus Rift".

Imagine you were playing a game where you were flying a spitfire. Now imagine you were placed right into the cockpit and you were in the game. This is what the Oculus Rift does. It's almost a set of binoculars, but each eye piece acts as a screen, so all you can see is the game. Sounds good so far? It gets better. The best bit is when you turn your head. When you look around, so does the game. This meant you could look around the cockpit and over the wings just by turning your head. You were truly in the game.

Just look at that guy, he's not
even in our world anymore.

It was pretty bizarre at first, but soon you were doing flips in the plane and having a great time. Word of warning though, doing these daredevil tricks can make your stomach feel a bit odd. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Retro Gaming

Ahh memories.

For those who are fans of gaming from yesteryear, you don't have to worry. There was a whole section set up with old consoles and PC games, so you could play all your old favourites. For me, these included DOOM, Command & Conquer and Mario Kart 64. I love DOOM so much.

Multiplayer gaming on old consoles was also available, so my friends and I indulged some time in playing Super Smash Bros, the aforementioned Mario Kart 64 and Bomberman, to name a few. Old fashioned computer multiplayer was there as well, with several computers connected up to play games like Quake.

There was pretty much a console there for everyone, but if you weren't a fan of consoles, there were plenty of pinball machines to keep you entertained for hours. If you aren't a fan of pinball machines, don't go?

Cosplay

Yes, there was cosplay. No, I did not partake. For those who don't know, cosplay is basically people dressing up as their favourite characters from games, comics, art, anything really. Some people put a lot of time into their costumes and it shows. Some people, not so much. 

Not official cosplay, this was Nintendo's effort.
I just love the picture.

Play Expo did have a cosplay competition, where people could show off their efforts and be judged by a panel. For someone who had never watched a cosplay competition before, this was a bit bizarre. By the end of it, I did have a new found appreciation for the art. I shan't be doing it though. Not for a while.

Location

The convention was based at the EventCity centre in Manchester, which is right next to the Trafford Centre. Incredibly easy to get to by bus, as my friends and I found to our relief. 

Dates

The convention occurs in Manchester in mid-October time every year. Tickets vary in price, depending on whether you are going for the day or the whole weekend. It runs for both Saturday and Sunday, so you can buy a weekend ticket and spend your whole weekend gaming! Huzzah!