Another Portland Retro Gaming Expo has drawn to a close and I'm back from the big show with my first hand report. This year the venerable retro gaming convention celebrates its 10th anniversary. As you will soon learn, the show is bigger and better than ever before. PRGE has quickly become the number one retro gaming convention on the West Coast. With so much to do and see it was hard to cover it all. It was a two day celebration of retro gaming goodness!

The fine folks at Lost Classics have created two brand new games for the Atari 2600, made exclusively for PRGE 2015. The first game is PRGE X. In this unique two player co-operative game, two friends rush to the convention center to attend PRGE. Once on the show floor players must race around the convention center looking for deals. It's a very clever and fun game that brings the excitement of PRGE to your television screen. The second game is PRGE Smash. This game is a spin on the classic break-out style block breaker games of the past. This game adds a unique new twist to the game with a spin ball, and other new power ups, that make the title stand out from similar games in this popular franchise. It's a fun twist on a classic genre.

Some of the best merchandise at the expo was found at the official PRGE store. There was a wide variety of items that included T-shirts, mugs, water bottles and posters. My personal favorite T-shirt was inspired by the movie Back to the Future. These items were very popular with show attendees and were selling out very quickly.

Here is a brief gameplay video showing the RetroUSB AVS console in action. In this video you will see the two cartridge slots as well as a brief gameplay demonstration featuring CastleVania III. This is important as this title was one of many that had an infamous lock out chip called the 10NES chip, which prevents it from being played on many clone systems. As you can see the gameplay is flawless and the graphics look amazing on a modern television. And purists please take note, although we are playing this game in full screen mode, you can also play the game in perfect, original 4:3 screen ratio.

Of course Atari homebrew wasn't the only game in town. There were also a number of great games for the Nintendo Entertainment System. HAUNTED: Halloween 85 is the new game from developer Cash-In Culture. This classic side scrolling game made it's long awaited debut at PRGE 2015. The title was a big hit at the show. It sold very quickly to excited fans looking to get their hands on this spooky new title. It's the perfect game for Halloween!

The show was filled with special events and attractions that kept gamers busy all day long. PRGE 2015 had an incredible roster of special guests, speakers, and panels that ran from morning until night. There were also multiple contests and tournaments which allowed gamers to compete for fun and prizes. The special events alone were well worth the price of a ticket to the show.

My favorite part of this show is always the unique artistic creations made by so many talented artists. I love video game related art. These creations enrich my life and I'm always excited to see something new. In this regard PRGE 2015 did not disappoint as the show floor was filled with dozens of artists showing off their latest creations. We had everything from pixel art to classic oil paintings. The incredible selection of artistic wares also included clocks, key-chains, plush items, soaps, and so much more. I honestly want to thank all the dedicated folks who poured their heart and souls into all these amazing artistic wonders. Your contributions are the most unique and interesting items at the show.

I truly had an amazing time at Portland Retro Gaming Expo 2015. The show was bigger and better than ever before. PRGE has established itself as the best retro gaming convention on the West Coast, if not in the whole country. I really had a fantastic time and I can't wait to come back next year. I would like to extend my deepest and most heartfelt thanks to show organizer Rick Weis and to all his devoted volunteers. You all worked so hard to make this a wonderful show for everyone. I can't thank you enough. I would also like to thank our friends at AtariAge.com, including Albert Yarusso, the folks at RetroUSB.com, and our friends Gamester81, LuigiFreakOut123 and Pat "The NES Punk" Capaldi. Most importantly I'd like to thank you, the reader, for taking the time to read this article. If it wasn't for your support I wouldn't get the chance to go to so many great conventions. I hope to see you all at the show in 2016! Until next time!