7 reasons to head down to GameStart Asia
GameStart Asia 2015 is on this weekend with twice as much floor space of gaming goodness compared to last year's inaugural edition.
Sadly, its last day is today (Nov 15) from 10am to 8pm.
If you're still not sure about whether to head down to Suntec City, here are seven good reasons for you to check it out.
THE STAR WARS BATTLE POD
TNP PHOTO: GREGORY LOO
It's Star Wars season and there's no better way for fans to get into the mood for The Force Awakens than with a visit to GameStart to try out the Star Wars Battle Pod arcade game.
The good folks at Geek Culture have teamed up with Bandai Namco to make available the unit from the Japanese game maker's unit offices here in Singapore.
On entering the all-encompassing pod, you're immediately immersed into an iconic Star Wars battle scene and thrust behind the controls of one of the sci-fi franchise's beloved vehicles.
From the snowy fields of Hoth to the battle to destroy the Death Star, it's an exciting rush down memory lane that will certainly evoke waves of nostalgia as you pilot craft like Luke Skywalker's X-Wing or the Millennium Falcon.
It might be a short experience and the queue for it long, but the Battle Pod is definitely worth the wait for the most ardent Star Wars fans as the game won't be available elsewhere in Singapore.
Each level costs $3 to play and the top scorers of the game's five different levels during the convention will each win a prize.
A CHANCE TO TRY OUT THE PLAYSTATION VR
PHOTO: GAMESTARTASIA
Sony's newest gaming gear is here and boy, is it impressive.
The PlayStation VR is an impressive piece of tech for the PlayStation 4 that puts you in a 3-D gaming world via a headset.
While the Summer Lesson demo that I tried wasn't the most riveting experience (you play a Japanese teacher to a Caucasian singer named Allison who's on a summer break in Japan), it did give an idea as to the kind of immersion one can expect with the ability to look around in all directions.
There are other demos around to try out, but do take note that Sony's pre-registration slots have all been snapped up.
However, you can still try your luck by joining the queue to try out the headset.
SWAG!
PHOTO: GAMESTART ASIA
Fact: Geeks love swag.
Okay. Everybody loves swag. While GameStart isn't a haven for shopping like many other conventions, it does offer a chance for gamers to snag some lovely gaming swag.
There's something for everyone at GameStart. From awesome artwork and statues at the Kinetiquettes booth who have a mind blowing statue of Street Fighter baddie M. Bison – that levitates in a special case – up for pre-order; to the witty and funny gaming t-shirts from Xmashed Gear.
Plus, the first 500 attendees who turn up will get a special GameStart loot bag containing random awesome merchandise like games, accessories and apparel.
RETRO GAMING
TNP PHOTO: GREGORY LOO
Gaming has come a long, long way since the first machines got us hooked, but some of those old games are still just as fun to play.
The RetroDNA section of GameStart is a delightful place for older gamers like me who grew up with classic video games like Super Mario Bros and Contra.
Featuring an impressive range of old consoles like the good old Nintendo Famicom and Sega Megadrive, it's an opportunity for younger gamers to take a look at what gaming used to be like – insane old school gaming difficulty included of course.
There are also arcade cabinets featuring games like Metal Slug, Street Fighter II and King of Fighters.
You can even try out the extremely rare Virtual Boy, Nintendo's all-red virtual reality console from the nineties for a truly unique experience.
Oh, and in case you young ones are feeling masochistic enough to try out Contra, key in this sequence at the title screen: up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, Start.
You'll thank me later.
GAMES, GAMES, GAMES!
PHOTO: GAMESTART ASIA
Of course, GameStart is a gaming convention and so there are plenty of triple A titles available for trying out.
As a PlayStation 4 exclusive, Capcom's Street Fighter V is being showcased at Sony's massive two-storey booth along with the much-vaunted Star Wars: Battlefront, which is set for release next week.
For PC gamers, Blizzard has the recently-released Starcraft II: Legacy of the Void – the third and final chapter of the Starcraft II saga – on show along with the sixth expansion for its long-running World of Warcraft series, Legion.
Fans of the Marvel cinematic universe can also try out Lego Marvel's Avengers, which is due for release in January while manga and anime fans can look forward to trying out Naruto Shippuden: Ultimate Ninja Storm 4 at Namco Bandai's booth.
GREAT LOCAL GAMES BY LOCAL DEVELOPERS
PHOTO: GAMESTART ASIA
Singapore has a really vibrant video game development scene going on and there's no better place to check it out than at our very own gaming convention.
From mobile games to full-fledged PC and console games, attendees can try out a wide range of locally-made games that will certainly impress with their quality.
Local game maker Witching Hour Studios has a booth showcasing its very impressive Masquerada: Songs and Shadows RPG which is bound for PC and consoles, while side-scrolling shooter Rocketbirds 2 from local studio Ratloop Asia is also set to be released on the PlayStation Network.
Want something with a distinctly local flavour? A booth set up by the Media Development Authority has clustered together a number of local devs, including the rather endearing Kan-Cheong! Kopitiam Saga, which is available for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play as part of MDA's SG50 video games series.
COSPLAY!
PHOTOS: GAMESTART ASIA
And finally, what's a convention without cosplay?
Singapore's cosplayers are certainly out to play at GameStart with their fancy and elaborate costumes.
If that's not enough, GameStart has three celebrity cosplayers on board in South Korea's Tuna as well as Karin – also known as Acanthastar Cosplay – and Johnny (Junkers Cosplay Inc.) from the US.
Don't forget to snap a photo with them!
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