Bings, zings, blips, whizzes, and beautiful 8-bit music! Sure, you can download the latest mobile version of a video game classic and get some of the timeless sights and sounds right on your phone, but there’s nothing quite like playing old-school arcade machines. They were big, noisy, and ate quarters. Back in the day, they filled entire warehouse-sized amusement halls. And in a word, they were rad!—the retro readers will get that one, anyone else can go ahead and check the Urban Dictionary on that one.
Enter ReplayFX, a retro gaming convention that proves arcade games, pinball machines, and vintage consoles are still totally rad for all generations of gaming fans.
Billed as the Greatest Arcade in the Universe, the ReplayFX Arcade & Video Game Festival takes over the David L. Lawrence Convention Center in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, for its third installment this summer from July 27-30. With more than 750 arcade and pinball machines and 2,000 classic console titles, ReplayFX is guaranteed to offer something shiny for every stripe of gamer.
Want to play the original 1980 release of Pac-Man? It will be there. Want to try your hand at something you may not have heard of before, say Gorf? It will be there, too.
The console gamer will have plenty of options to choose from. Why not switch it up and play Madden NFL 97 on PlayStation 1 followed by Paperboy on the original NES? You can even go way back and jam with Donkey Kong on Atari. Now that’s retro!
If you want to take a break from the video game action and play some good old-fashioned analog tabletop games, ReplayFX has you covered with Candy Land to Connect 4 and every title in between. Of course, these ancient relics will look like museum pieces to first-time festival goers!
Need some competition and a side of prize money with your pinball? ReplayFX will play host to two pinball contests over the course of the festival. After all, the exciting experience for players offered by today’s online pinball games wouldn’t exist if not for the button pushing fun machines of the past.
It is also expected that some 800 pinball wizards will gather to play the silver ball on 305 pinball machines for the Pinburgh Match-Play Championship, the largest pinball tournament in the world. With a $100,000 prize pool on the line, fat pockets await the top finishers.
The smaller scale and deceptively named Intergalactic Pinball Championship is open to anyone wishing to participate for the $10 entrance fee with the proceeds going to charities such as the Western Pennsylvania Humane Society.
Fear not all you non-pinballers! ReplayFX is also serving up competitions in classic arcade games, cosplay, cornhole, and of all things, a Dr. Mario Tournament aptly titled ReplayRX.
Be sure to keep the Mountain Dew flowing because there are even more attractions to enjoy on the ReplayFX schedule with bounce houses, face painting, and vendors added to the mix. Live music from the likes of Bit Brigade, Powerglove, and Flashback will keep the festival rocking the whole way through. Gaming industry panels and seminars are expected to be announced soon for those special nerds who can’t help but go behind the scenes and learn from the pros.
ReplayFX is produced by the Replay Foundation, an affiliate of the Professional and Amateur Pinball Association (PAPA). Ticket packages range from $25 daily passes to the $200 Galactic Bounty Hunter VIP package. Hotel discounts are also available for festival attendees.
