Reload, Relive, Replay interactive gaming experience review
Posted on: 2018-04-03
Our rating:
I for one will be hoping that this fun event returns soon, and i know that George would agree. It really was a Gamers' heaven.
Some would say 'what a strange venue' to hold an event of this kind, as Bristol's Hippodrome transforms into a Gaming Hub. But speaking to the Manager of the Hippodrome, he told me this was the first time they had done this, and were pleased so far with the turnout of people to the event. He explained that they had tried to use local companies who supplied many of the games at the event. They had sold nearly all the 300 tickets for the family sessions which last 4 hrs at a time. On the Friday and Saturday night the sessions were for Adults only.
As i am not a gamer myself, I needed an expert with me, enter my 11 year old son George to experience the highs and lows of the day.
we entered into the building and were signposted to the main area, where we could see gaming consoles and monitors filling the large stage. There were adults, teens, and kids playing various retro and modern games. We walked around soaking up the ambience and deciding which game to play first.
George chose an old familiar Sonic The Hedgehog title to start off with. There were plenty to chose from on rows and rows of tables, with enough controllers to play with friends or family.
Then we went down into the depths of the basement under the stage where they had the Minecraft area, first person shooters, and Virtual Reality section, which was very popular along with the Minecraft, which we couldn't get onto as it was so busy. I was advised by the manager, that on the previous evening for adults only session, that this wasn't the case.
we took a tour around the rest of the event, and went up stairs to the main bar where they had the Social Escapism, which was an immersive experience with RePlay Bristol where creative thought, counting and play can reach your inner child! George and I decided to play the ping pong that was set up in the room, and there were also board games etc. We then returned to the main stage for the Retro, Next Gen and Rhythm games.
After having a look to see where there was free space to play, we chose Mario Kart 64 on a Nintendo. I am not great at this, but did my best against my son who is known for coming first in races on this.
George then played Duck Hunt on the NES (Nintendo Entertainment System).
George:-
"Ok...now it's MY turn to talk. While wondering through the retro games, I found Tekken 3 on a PS1. This was my favourite game as I have always loved Tekken and It is really satisfying to pull off amazing combos with each character. Also, I found street fighter II which is easily the best street fighter game released. Before we left the amazing event, I found 1995 Sega Rally for the Sega Genesis. It was also fun because It played just like the arcade version did."
Overall this was a very good event, and was well organised and laid out. It was lovely to see such a fun way to use this old building, and there was certainly plenty of space, with refreshments available and areas to eat your own food, they seem to have thought of most things.
if i had to make any suggestions, it would be to have an area marked out where people can compete against each other, as i noticed lots of single kids with their parents, who like me, do not do gaming, so it would be nice for them to play against each other rather than on their own.
I for one will be hoping that this fun event returns soon, and i know that George would agree. It really was a Gamers' heaven.
Article by:
Andrea was born and raised in Bristol but moved to Weston-super-Mare as a teenager, around the same time the punk scene hit Britain and was right in the thick of it. Embracing the music and bands of that time, she has been a regular at most of the Bristol gigs ever since. Music, especially live, is in her veins and after performing in bands of her own over the years she continues to sing in a local choir. “Music has and always will be a massive part of my life, and I will be a party girl ‘til the day I die.”
