Before you ask, yes, we did manage (somehow) to venture outside of the Classic Gaming area and hit the main expo hall (and more) at PAX Aus 2017!
Here is what we saw…
PAXAus 2017
PAX Aus 2017 Was A Classic!
For a 5th year in a row, the PAX Aus Classic Gaming area proved yet again to be a popular spot for families, friends, kids, teenagers and people of all other ages wanting to get their hit of nostalgia.
The Classic Gaming area had it all – consoles, computers, handhelds, arcade and pinball machines. And for the more competitive types, there were tournaments to show-off their old school skills, like Press Play On Tape’s International Karate comp on the Commodore 64.
The museum displays had visitors intrigued, from Weird and Retro’s awesomely rare Atari pieces (like that cool Atari baseball and patches!) and Lord Sugar’s Amstrad micros, to our custom built Neo Geo MVS console and games.
In the arcade area, Greg Pell and Bartronica had curated some very cool and rare machines, like an original 3-player Rampage and a Ms Pac-Man. But once again, it was the fighting machines (Mortal Kombat II) and the gun games (Point Blank and Time Crisis) that proved quite popular.
As proven in previous years, pinball is getting a lot of attention, and rightly so. Skott Kellett assembled some absolute beautiful pinball machines with the help of the great pinball community – Bayside Pinball Club, Pinmem, Melbourne Silverball, Mr. Pinball and Zax Amusements. There were machines older than most players playing them and there were machines from Stern and Jersey Jack that had just been released. You would have been hard pressed not to have found a machine you would’ve liked to flip on.
The Classic Gaming area will be back bigger and better for PAX Aus 2018. For now, enjoy these photo highlights!
Look, this is where we are!
Almost there. Oh wait, we know this guy – it’s Mr Ant Stiller!
We have arrived!
On the way to the pinball section and look who we run into – Melbourne Silverball & Head2Head Pinball’s Marto!
Love this machine, again!
PAX Aus 2017 Cosplay
One of the main highlights at every PAX Aus is the cosplay. Even if you weren’t there this past weekend, you will definitely appreciate the awesome cosplay highlights package we have for you here – and to think, this was only the tip of the great cosplay iceberg!
Overwatch cosplay was well represented!
A bunch of Links. Now, to find Zelda!
Weird and Retro’s Kelly-Maree as Lollipop Chainsaw’s Juliet Starling
Press Play On Tape’s Phoebe as ‘The Puppet’ – FNaF2
Dragonair!
Of course we were bound to find a super couple
Skyrim by the awesome Combustible Props and Zel T
Zel T is gonna get ya!
A close cut!
2B (Nier Automata)
Even Pyramid Head makes friends with Nintendo characters
Nintendo Man?
Blathers and Celeste flew to PAX Aus too!
Sewn Chaos Orianna – Legendary indeed!
Cross-Cosplay = Roadhog (Overwatch) and Deadpool!
photos by: Alan Ly and ms. ausretrogamer
PAX Aus Panel: Blast from the Past – How Yesterday’s Heroes Became Today’s Icons
ausretrogamer.com Editor-in-Chief, Alex Boz, had the privilege of being a panelist on GameSpot’s ‘Blast From The Past: How Yesterday’s Heroes Became Today’s Icons’ panel at PAX Aus 2017.
The panel discussed the obvious gaming icons, Nintendo’s Mario and Sega’s Sonic and what exactly makes them and other well known characters so timeless and appealing to every generation of gamers.
There is some chat about Sonic Mania by Christian Whitehead which leads to a discussion in what (forgotten) gaming characters should make a return to our consoles – watch for Alex’s choice towards the end of the video!
source: GameSpot @ PAX Aus 2017
The Panelists await their questions!
Alex The Comeback Kidd!
PAX Aus 2017 Tournaments
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.
Super Captain Toad Cake
They say that you can’t have your cake and eat it too, but we say to hell with that!
Press Play On Tape podcast host and resident ausretrogamer contributor, Aaron Clement, showed us his son’s birthday cake which his awesome wife, Kel whipped up this past weekend. Kel’s Captain Toad cake was a work of art that looked too good to eat, but damn too delicious to let sit there for good looks. We may need to put in our request with Kel for our very own cool cake!
Oh yeah, just in case you didn’t know, the Press Play On Tape crew has formally joined the PAX Aus Classic Gaming Area, so we are looking forward to getting our nostalgia on with these very cool peeps!
Top of the world!
Mmmmm, M&Ms!
Oh wow, Kit Kats too!
PAX Australia 2017 Dates Announced
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!
