Ditto on the VIP event. It wasn't an event at all - just the ability to play games with fewer people around. The snacks were a disappointment and they disappeared after an hour. No comments or anything related to The Hobbit at all. Certainly not worth another $35 on top of the show pass. All hype, no substance. I suspect the Whoa Nellie "event" tonight will be more of the same and glad I didn't buy a pass for it too.

I'm glad the show exists and that vendors are coming to support it. The Marriott was a great venue and I hope the show returns there next year. The number of pins was up, there was a good variety of titles and there were very few games not running.

My biggest gripe? Not being able to hear most of the games. This certainly isn't a problem unique to the Denver show and I don't have any special insight on how to fix it. But not being to hear game sound and speech takes so much away from the enjoyment of playing a pin.

As mentioned above, the VIP events were a total let down and felt like nothing but a cash grab. I had low expections to start, but Friday didn't come close to meeting them. I probably should have had a clue when I asked Jack what he was going to be doing for the VIP event and he had no idea. (Thanks for coming to Denver, Jack. Bernice and I enjoyed talking with you and we both love and appreciate your passion for pinball).

I appreciated those who took the time to present seminars. For me, the Nellie, JJP and Spooky seminars were the highlight of the weekend. Would have been nice to have a "meet and greet" seminar where we could just go around the room and introduce ourselves (easier to do in a seminar room than a bar/restaurant though two thumbs up for JJ and his now traditional MNG).

My favorite new game to play was Whoa Nellie - by a very wide margin. That was the one game that got all my "just one more play" action. The game is just flat out plain old fashioned fun. My wife does not care for EMs - she calls them the "ding dongs" - but enjoyed WNBJM quite a bit and didn't shoot down the possibility of getting one. It was also a treat to spend some time with Dennis and Greg getting more insight on the game.

I also enjoyed KISS though I'm not a fan at all and thought the game was a lot of fun to play. WWE and TWD just did nothing for me. The Hobbit was much improved from TPF and looks great (if you can get past baby Smaug) and the scoop eject on AMH is still brutal, but the new ball save makes it less frustrating.

Wasn't a big fan of the huge electrical "speed bumps" - thanks to those that helped me after an unfortunate mishap with one.

Best game at the show? Nate's stunning 1933 Jigsaw hidden away in the tournament room. An absolutely beautiful restoration and a very addictive game. I'll bet the game made a fortune for its operators in their day.