I'm happy to announce that I will be attending PLAY Expo in Manchester on Saturday the 14th of October. The event itself runs for the entire weekend and is a great day out for fans of retro gaming, cosplay, upcoming indie games (demo games and talk to the developers!), arcade units, pinball machines, board games and more! The highlights include:

Nintendo 64 GoldenEye 20th Anniversary Panel

"To mark the 20th Anniversary of GoldenEye, we are delighted to welcome five of that original group to talk about the creation of this seminal shooter. The Q&A, hosted by Paul Drury and Martyn Carroll of Retro Gamer magazine, will end with an opportunity for audience members to take on the makers of the game in a multiplayer deathmatch, with prizes".

Psygnosis Panel and Q&A

"We're very excited to be able to announce that we will have a panel talk and Q&A with a number of former Psygnosis team members at PLAY Expo Manchester this October. Psygnosis was formed in 1985, was acquired by Sony Electronic Publishing in 1993 and became SCE Studio Liverpool. The studio closed in 2010 but during their lifetime Psygnosis created and published many iconic games - from 16-bit classics such as Lemmings and Shadow of the Beast through to the massive Wipeout franchise on the PS1 along with G-Police and Colony Wars. A number of former employees will be joining us for the panel - confirmed so far are Mike Clarke, Martin Linklater, Chris Graham and Mike Kaiser with more to be added".

Retro Gaming

"We know one of the biggest draws for attendees to PLAY Expo Manchester is the retro zone so this year we are going to make it even bigger! Last year we ran close to 400 machines across the retro zones - this year we're going for 500 making it the biggest ever collection of retro machines at any UK gaming expo! As well as more retro consoles and computers we'll be bringing back the handhelds section and expanding the classic PC games zone that we introduced last year. Our retro zone is a time slice of the past 40 years of games which will be featuring a number of consoles and computers, each running a selection of the best games for each system. So whether you're Sinclair, Commodore, Nintendo, Sega, Sony or even an Xbox fan, there will be something for everyone. And of course we'll have a selection of games for each system too, so if you can't choose Manic Miner over Decathlon or Gran Turismo over Metal Gear Solid, don't worry as our event staff will be on hand to help you find your favourite game at PLAY Expo Manchester".

Arcade Games

"Arcade video games conjure up nostalgic memories of childhood for so many people, be it fighting with your friend over who was going to be on the left-hand buttons on Mortal Kombat, or who got which gun while shooting zombies in House of the Dead. PLAY Expo Manchester will help you relive memories like these at with a selection of classic arcade machines for you to play on with every one set to free play. Finally, no pockets weighted down with ten pence pieces! Amongst the titles on show will be some of the must-have classics like Pac Man, Donkey Kong and Space Invaders as well as the more modern favourites like Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Daytona USA. And of course every machine is set to FREE PLAY so no need to pockets of change! We will have over 100 arcade machines at PLAY Expo again this year - will your favourite be one of them?". For more details on what's going on at the event, check out their website:

• PLAY Expo Website
• What's On
• Travel Info
• Buy Tickets

Below is also my coverage from previous years, including photos:

• My Experience at PLAY Expo 2016
• My Experience at PLAY Expo 2015
• My Experience at PLAY Expo 2014

I met loads of great people I talk to on YouTube and Twitter there last year and I hope to do the same this year. I'll post on twitter for more information on the event date and leading up to it.