8-bit superstar

today i took mike down to san jose to go to the california extreme 2005 convention.

why? because it’s EXTREEEME!

don’t get the wrong idea, though, given that ironically enough the x-games are going on right now in lost angels. this is about as un-x-games as you can get.

the ca-x-05 is a classic arcade game convention. you basically fork up $25 smackers, and they let you in and you get to see and play hundreds of old arcade and pinball games all day long.

sweeeet.

what are we talking about? we’re talking about food fight. we’re talking about tapper. sinistar. time pilot. tempest. cliff hanger! toobin’. top skater. paperboy. not only are we talking about tron, but we’re also talking about discs of tron.

wizards of wor, man. dragon’s lair AND dragon’s lair 2.

you want old school? sure, anyone can pull out pong, but how about space war, which some claim to be the first video game ever? damn, i love that game. two little vector graphic ships, flying around. turn on the planet. turn on gravity! who needs secret sex codes to bump nasties with hoors?

oh, and red baron, baby! i got high scores on both of the machines there. which either means i’m really good at primitive WWI vector flying games, or everyone else is too old to give a shit.

then there were all the pinball games. yowza. i got some really good time on one of my favorites, taxi, although i couldn’t get that gorbie shot down cleanly. i must be getting old. (i’m sure that exact phrase went through ronnie’s head a few times.)

and there’s my favorite pinball game of all time: whirlwind. it’s got these three discs on the middle of the playing field, and when you activate the tornado, they start spinning back and forth , so when the pinball rolls over them, it gets spun out and changes directions in just crazy ways. oh, and did i mention the fan that blows in your face? because you’re in a tornado? fucking fantastic.

i got hooked on this game uo poko, which is like bust-a-move or puzzle bobble in that you have to get three in a row to blow up the bubbles, but instead of a directional pointer that you shoot and bounce off the wall, you basically have a spring lever that you flick. and the bubbles don’t stick but they fall down like gravity. i was addicted. my arm hurt from flicking that spring for an hour.

the only game i didn’t get to play was mappy. you know, the one where you’re a policemouse, and you’re trying to stop the cat thieves from robbing the department store? using the trampolines? yeah, that one. i wanted to get on that one, but someone was playing over and over it for over an hour. DAMN YOU MAPPY HOG!

this almost makes up for not going to the roller derby finals, but i did play the pinball version of rollergames. and a motorcycle racing game where i was a texas cowgirl.

so it’s just the same.

only not.

Posted at August 7, 2005 11:10 PM