Classic Gaming Area

Classic Times at PAX Aus 2018

October 31, 2018 By ausretrogamer

There is one undeniable fact about PAX Aus – attendees love reliving their gaming past in the Classic Gaming area!

For the sixth year in a row the ever popular Classic Gaming area returned to PAX Aus – this year brought to you by Ausretrogamer, Bartronica, Bayside Pinball Club, Mr. Pinball, Pinmem, Press Play On Tape podcast, Weird and Retro and Zax Amusements. These groups all brought along their carefully preserved (and awesome) wares to create the magical and nostalgia inducing area.

From the Commodore 64, Amiga 1200, Atari ST and MSX old school computers to the Atari Lynx, Game Boy, WonderSwan, Neo Geo Pocket handhelds and Atari 2600, Vectrex, Sega Master System, NES, PC-Engine, Sega Mega Drive and Super Nintendo consoles (just to name a few!), the Classic Gaming area had your retro gaming covered.

Of course the area didn’t just cater for old school computer and console gamers, it had arcade machines from the golden age like Asteroids, Bad Dudes, Rampage, Double Dragon, Mortal Kombat 2, Rastan, Street Fighter II and a dozen pinball machines, from the new Stern Deadpool to the old High Roller Casino just to tickle your sentimentality without the need of extracting coins from your pocket!

Another section that made a return due to popular demand was the display museum. Standing along the right perimeter of the Classic Gaming area, the glass display cabinets created the perfect backdrop by showcasing carefully curated classic and exotic gaming pieces that invoked strong feelings of intoxicating nostalgia from gaming’s past. This of course was the intention the Classic Gaming team was going for.

With the area proving to be popular as ever, there was never an empty seat or a lonely controller – attendees took full advantage of playing on machines from their childhood and for those with families, it was great to see kids playing games that their parents would have enjoyed when they were their age. With smiles all around and a lot of positive feedback, we can safely say that the PAX Aus Classic Gaming area was a huge success.

So what will we have in store for you all in the Classic Gaming area at PAX Aus 2019? You will have to wait and see, but rest assured, we will definitely be tickling your nostalgic nerve.

PAX Aus 2018: Classic Tournaments

October 12, 2018 By ausretrogamer

Sharpen your reflexes and get your fingers ready for the PAX Aus 2018 Classic Tourneys!

From tournaments on the Commodore 64, Sega Dreamcast, NES, Atari Lynx to arcade and pinball, we have your nostalgia covered! Check out the PAX Aus 2018 Classic Gaming tournament schedule below and make sure you come around to the Classic Gaming Area nice and early for your chance to become the retro gaming champion!

The PAX Aus 2018 Classic Gaming Tournaments are brought to you by these awesome community partners: Bartronica, Bayside Pinball Club, Press Play On Tape Podcast, Weird And Retro and us at Ausretrogamer.

PAX Aus 2017 Tournaments

October 6, 2017 By ausretrogamer

Woohoo, the PAX Aus 2017 Tournaments have just been announced!

If your preference is to compete on old school consoles, 8-bit computers, handhelds, arcade and pinball machines, then the PAX Aus 2017 Classic Gaming Tournaments will be right up your nostalgic alley.

Check out the Classic Gaming tournament schedule below and make sure you come to the Classic Gaming Area nice and early to ensure you do not miss out. What are you waiting for? Put these times in your diary and get practising!

The PAX Aus 2017 Classic Gaming Tournaments are brought to you by these awesome community partners: Bartronica, Bayside Pinball Club, Melbourne Silverball, Pinmem, Press Play On Tape Podcast, Weird And Retro and us at Ausretrogamer.

PAX Australia 2017 Dates Announced

February 16, 2017 By ausretrogamer

Woohoo, we finally have news of the PAX Australia 2017 dates!

PAX Australia will take place 27-29 October 2017 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and tickets are scheduled to go on sale 14 March, 2017.

Early bird tickets will save you $5 AUD on the full ticket price. Friday Only, Saturday Only, and Sunday Only tickets will cost $65 AUD. Three Day Passes (including International Three Day passes) will cost $165 AUD. Attendees wishing to bring their own computer, can also purchase a BYOC pass for an additional $45 AUD.

“Australia’s gaming community has given PAX such an incredible home here,” said Jerry Holkins, co-founder of PAX and Penny Arcade. “This year will see the fifth PAX Aus erupt in Melbourne, and there’s every indication it will be the best one yet.”

We can’t wait to get stuck into creating a bigger and better Classic Gaming Area at PAX Aus 2017. We hope to see you all there!

PAX Aus 2016 – I’m Making A Note Here: HUGE SUCCESS

November 12, 2016 By Ms. ausretrogamer

So… we’re calling it – PAX Aus 2016 was a triumph (it’s hard to overstate our satisfaction).

This year’s PAX Aus was bigger and better than ever – including a huuuge Tabletop Area, a speed running stage, a VR Freeplay Area, awesome speakers like Larry ‘Major Nelson’ Hryb (Director of Programming for Xbox Live, Microsoft) and live performances by 7bit Hero and Axis of Awesome. But best of all was the massive Classic Gaming Area (of course!).

(Maps from the PAX Aus website)

We met heaps of cool people (look out for our upcoming article about that), saw masses of amazing cosplay, and basically spent three full days on our feet helping man (and woman) the Classic Gaming Area or wandering around, taking in all that PAX Aus had to offer (which was a lot!).

Let’s start by celebrating the Classic Gaming Area. Back for the fourth time, the CGA was bigger than ever. The CGA is a joint initiative between PAX and Melbourne-based retro gaming experts Ausretrogamer, Retro Domination, Weird and Retro (all providing retro consoles and computers), local barcade Bartronica (providing arcade machines), and pinball enthusiast Scott Kellett with Zax Amusements, Pinmem and Bayside Pinball Club (providing pinball tables). We also had an awesome museum of retro treasures and rarities this year.

The PAX Aus Classic Gaming Area – Stay a while… stay forever!

The arcades were as popular as ever

The consoles, computers and handhelds provided much nostalgic fun

Competition was fierce but friendly in the CGA tournaments

Pinball tables were a hit!

A new addition to the CGA – the retro museum

But PAX Aus 2016 had more to offer than just the Classic Gaming Area…

The Expo Hall

The Tabletop Area

PC and Console Freeplay

The Handheld Lounge

Queuing for merch

The six rules of PAX

Noms

Pin-pressive!

D20

Sanic

Game over – until 2017

And just like that, PAX Aus is over for another year, but we had a blast – and we have so many great memories. We hope you do too. See you all again next year!

Photos: ausretrogamer.com and Alan Ly

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

PAXAus 2016: Classic Gaming Tournaments

October 25, 2016 By ausretrogamer

Attention gamers: Sharpen your gaming skills now and prove your retro gaming worth in the Classic Gaming tournaments at PAXAus 2016. As usual, you can compete for fun or glory!

There will be head to head racing, high score challenge competitions on arcade machines, consoles, 8-bit computers and pinball tables to show off your prowess. Speaking of pinball tournaments, Saturday’s competition will be fully sanctioned by the IFPA!

We suggest you put the Classic Gaming tournament schedule in your diary right now. Are you game to compete?

Get Ready For Some Classic Gaming At PAX Aus 2016

October 19, 2016 By ausretrogamer

Get your nostalgic senses ready, as the PAX Aus Classic Gaming area is back, bigger and better for 2016! We say this every year, but this year is no exception – there will be games that will take you back to your younger years, and you never know, you may discover golden oldies that you may have not known or had forgotten about.

With systems like the Commodore 64, Sega Master System, Sega Dreamcast and the NEC PC-Engine (to name just a few) to tickle your retro gaming fancy, your only problem will be, what to to play first!

If you want a trip down memory lane while at PAX Aus 2016, then make sure you come on over to the Classic Gaming area!

One fire button is all you need to play on the Commodore 64!

Anyone up for some Alex Kidd action?

Shoot’em up action on the Engine that could!

Let’s go make some crazy money!

The PAX Aus Classic Gaming area is proudly brought to you by: ausretrogamer, Bartronica, Bayside Pinball Club, PinballScore, Pinmem, Retro Domination, Weird and Retro and Zax Amusements.

Let’s Reminisce: The PAX Aus 2015 Classic Gaming Area

November 8, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

Well PAX Aus 2015 is over, and I think we can all agree that the Classic Gaming Area was a huge success! Let’s reminisce…

The PAX Australia 2015 Classic Gaming Area was a joint initiative between PAX and Melbourne-based retro gaming experts Ausretrogamer, Retro Domination, Weird and Retro (all providing retro consoles and computers), local barcade Bartronica (providing arcade machines), and pinball enthusiast Scott Kellett with Amusement Machine Distributors, Bayside Pinball Club, and Pinmem (providing pinball tables).

Over the three days we had a constant stream of happy guests and even had people queuing for turns on arcade machines, pinball tables and consoles.

Many people were involved in organising and running the Classic Gaming Area – here are just a few of them.

Lots of awesome people visited the Classic Gaming Area including ‘Blow the Cartridge‘ comic book creator Cameron Davis, the guys from Fury Fingers Films, game developer and YouTuber Rob Caporetto (pictured with pinball wizard Shane Rubans), and videogame history expert Harmik.

Freelance technology journalist Adam Turner (read Adam’s SMH article about the Classic Gaming Area), the guys from Mana Mojo (watch Mana Mojo interview Alex Boz), Marcus and Jen from Retrospekt, and game developer/artist/DM/all-round great guy Ant Stiller also stopped by.

…and last but not least, the lovely guys from Combustible Props (visit their Facebook page for amazing cosplay/prop photos), Nich ‘NichBoy’ Richardson from Good Game Pocket, and special VIP guests: Mr and Miss Daz Retro Jr.

The enforcers in the Classic Gaming Area did a fabulous job: as well as creating a great energy, they answered questions, solved technical problems, looked after lost kids and generally kept the area running as smooth as silk. Thank you to Zailee and the rest of the team.

Now let’s see the area in action – beginning with the consoles, computers and handhelds.

Arcade machines and pinball tables were new to the Classic Gaming Area in 2015 and they proved to be very popular!

We had such a great time and we are already looking forward to PAX Aus 2016. If you like this article, here’s our coverage of PAX Aus 2013 and 2014; as well as PAX Aus 2015 cosplay, the 2015 PAX Aus / AMD Classic Pinball Tournament, and Good Game Pocket’s visit to the Classic Gaming Area.

Images sources: ausretrogamer.com and Brant Raven

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

Good Game Pocket Visits PAX Aus Classic Gaming Area

November 2, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

So PAX Aus is over for another year, the event was a huge success and the Classic Gaming Area was more popular than ever!

We had a ball and were especially excited when the super-friendly guys from ABC TV’s ‘Good Game: Pocket Edition’ stopped by to enjoy the nostalgic vibes.

Nich Richardson with Alex ‘ausretrogamer’ Boz, Retro Domination’s Daz Retro, Pinball Wizard Scott Kellett, and Kerith ‘ms ausretrogamer’

It’s great to see retrogaming getting some serious air time – now watch ‘Pocket Edition’ presenter Nich Richardson (@NichBoy) explore PAX Aus, and most of all – skip to 3:23 for an interview with our very own Mr Alex ‘austretrogamer’ Boz!

Video source: Good Game on YouTube

Behind the scenes:

Lights, camera, action ausretrogamer!

Interviewing Alex Kidd aficionado Braden

Interviewing pinball prodigy Jordan Tredaway

Interviewing Donkey Kong maestro Ryan

Stay tuned to ausretrogamer.com for more stories about our adventures at PAX Aus 2015 over the coming days.

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

PAX Australia announces return of the Classic Gaming Area at PAX Aus 2015

October 26, 2015 By Ms. ausretrogamer

The Penny Arcade Expo (PAX) is proud to announce that the Classic Gaming Area will be returning for the third time, bigger and better than ever, at PAX Aus 2015. The Classic Gaming Area joins the dozen of areas on the show floor catering to PAX Aus badge holders over the three-day event including Tabletop, Console, PC, eSports, and more.

Image source: Blow The Cartridge

The Classic Gaming Area will feature a plethora of playable retro consoles and computers from the 1970s to the early 2000s, and for the first time, arcade machines and pinball tables! This will also include the new and much anticipated Game Of Thrones pinball tables!

Image source: IGN

A joint initiative between PAX and Melbourne-based retro gaming experts Ausretrogamer, Retro Domination, Weird and Retro (all providing retro consoles and computers), local barcade Bartronica (providing arcade machines), and pinball enthusiast Scott Kellett with Amusement Machine Distributors, Bayside Pinball Club, and Pinmem (providing pinball tables), the Classic Gaming Area will transport PAX Aus attendees young and old to the golden age of video gaming.

Consoles on display will be NES, SNES, Dreamcast, Saturn, Master System, Mega Drive, GameCube, N64, PC-Engine, C64, Amiga, Atari ST, Atari 2600, Atari Lynx, Game Boy, Wonderswan, PS1, PS2, and Xbox.

The classic arcade section will include Mortal Kombat 2, Time Crisis, and even an original Donkey Kong cabinet.

Image source: Prima Games

Ausretrogamer’s Alex Boz explains “besides freeplay consoles, computers, arcade machines, pinball tables, and friendly retro gaming experts, the Classic Gaming Area will be running tournaments all weekend with some great prizes!”

Guy ‘Yug’ Blomberg, PAX Aus Content and Community Manager adds “the Classic Gaming Area has been a very popular and successful part of PAX Aus since we began in 2013, we are thrilled it is back for 2015 and excited about this year’s expanded range of activities.”

More information about the Classic Gaming Area, including tournaments, can be found at https://www.ausretrogamer.com/paxaus-2015-classic-gaming-tournaments.

Friday and Sunday badges and 3-day international badges are still available and can be purchased online at www.paxaustralia.com.au/registration.

For further information visit paxaustralia.com.au or follow PAX Australia updates via Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.

Source: PAX Australia

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Ms. ausretrogamer
Co-founder, editor and writer at ausretrogamer – The Australian Retro Gamer E-Zine. Lover of science fiction, fashion, books, movies and TV. Player of games, old and new.

Follow Ms. ausretrogamer on Twitter

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