MAGFest VII

The Music and Gaming Festival or MAGFest celebrates its seventh anniversary and returns to the Hilton Mark Center in Alexandria, VA from January 1st through Sunday, January 4th. MAGFest VII was bigger than ever, yet still retained what makes MAGFest unique and exhilarating - a focus on the classics and the fans themselves. You won't find the basic and ridiculously long lines or crowded halls or demos or even a formal environment for that matter. The laid back atmosphere was packed with lots of goodies.

Discussions and panels were a plenty. "Name that Tune" was extremely fun especially trying to remember just which Mega Man series did the track come from. Lots of favorites came up especially songs from several Metal Gear Solid games, and whole section for Final Fantasy, Gears of Wars, Super Mario, and even some Silent Hill. And classic video game music was definitely on the forefront with a spectacular series of concerts. Just check out the guest list -- X-Strike Studios, the Angry Video Game Nerd, Armadillo Tank, Armcannon, Metroid Metal, Year 200X, Tommy Tallarico, Overclocked Remix, Robert Aldrich, Benheck, and more...lots more. It was hard not to spend my entire weekend in the 24-hour game room.

But when I did venture out, I checked out the Katsucon table, bought some Anime DVDs and an adorable sculpture from Fizz Man Industries. My time "out" of course also gave me vast opportunities to stroll down memory lane and try out all the arcade games. My weekend at MAGFest VII was unforgettable and I can't wait for next year!!!