If you're in the Houston area, have I got a suggestion for you! On November 15th and 16th 2019, the Houston Arcade Expo will be returning to the Marriott Westchase on Briarpark Dr in Houston, TX. The event, now in its 18th year, is run by the Houston Area Arcade Group.
1943: The Battle of Midway machine by Capcom from the 2018 Houston Arcade Expo
Houston Arcade Expo showcases arcade machines, pinball machines, home consoles, and retro computers. I had previously attended the 2018 show and it was a blast! It was, in no uncertain terms, the best video game convention that I had ever been to! I had expected there to be standards 80s fare like Donkey Kong, Centipede, Bubble Bobble and Space Invaders… I was not expecting to see games like arcade Punch-Out, Vs. Hogans’ Alley, Virtua Fighter or Lethal Enforcers or consoles like Neo Geo AES, Virtual Boy and Vectrex on display! I loved every minute of it; it was like Christmas came early!
Centipede and Millipede machines from Houston Arcade Expo 2018
This year's con is shaping up to be another great one! Some of my all-time favorite Pinball Machines like The Addams Family, Twilight Zone, Tales from the Crypt, Elvira and Star Trek: The Next Generation have been confirmed.
Cabinets featuring games from the arcade greats like Sega, Capcom, Nintendo, Namco, Atari, Taito, Midway, and many others! As a Taito fan, I'm excited to see the Ice Cold Beer machine has been confirmed!
Neo Geo AES display
Besides being able to see and play all the great arcade games from yesteryear, the Houston Arcade Expo provides the public with the opportunity to interact with home consoles and games from generations past, even those that might have fallen into obscurity. Console owners associated with the show will be bringing their displays. Popular consoles such as: Dreamcast, Neo Geo, Nintendo 64 , Super Nintendo, Sega Saturn will be there as lesser-known (but still cool!) consoles such as 3DO, Atari Jaguar, CD-i, Famicom Disk System, Vectrex and many others! Retro computers such as the Apple II and Commodore 64 will be on display as well!
Vectrex display
Between all of the cabinets, consoles and multi-machine systems, there will be literally thousands of games to play!
Games by Houston-based gamemaker Ultra Dolphin Revolution will be there for the public to play.
Besides fans and vendors, you'll be able to interact with people who work in the gaming industry! Houston-based game developer Ultra Dolphin Revolution (maker of NES-inspired Wii U games like Space Hunted, Shadow Archer and Spellcaster's Assistant) will be there demonstrating their game catalog at interactive kiosks. Mike Vinikour (known for his work at Williams and Stern) and Brett Weiss, a contributor to video game publications such as Old School Gamer and Game Informer are also confirmed to be in attendance.
The convention will be open to the public at Noon on Friday, November 15. Day 1 will last until 2 a.m. on Saturday, the 16th. On Saturday at 8 a.m., there will be a vendor Swap Meet in the parking lot from 8 a.m. - Noon. Day 2 will officially begin at 10 a.m. on Saturday morning and will last until 2 a.m. on Sunday morning.
Whether you're a hardcore gamer or not, there will be tons to see and do! This is a great event for all demographics! If you're in the Houston area, you gotta check it out!
