Congrats to Zach sharpe for taking down the championship. Put up a solid game on IM for the win. Hopefully more tournaments will be streamed live. That was fun to watch.

I had a lot of Fun at my first PinBurgh/Replayfx. I came up short making it into B Finals but that was my own fault. I thought the tournament ran very smoothly for how many games were there.
My hat goes off to the people who run this event. Moving all the games, running the tournament, updating the sessions, etc. if you ever want to be apart of a tournament, this is the one to be at.

Usually the lines at expo stop me from playing some of the newer games. I was able to play Kiss, P3 Lexy, AMH, The Hobbit and Full Throttle. I really liked them all.
Hobbit surprised me. I thought the game was great for never playing it before. Back glass LCD was excellent and thought the gameplay was well done.

Full Throttle was also fun but not a game I would own. Game had really good flow and I liked the integration of the LCD on the playfield.

P3 also surprised me. I thought it wouldn't be for me but I really enjoyed it. The flippers felt better than when I had tried it in the past. The ball lock that rotates was a cool toy. My understanding was although the upfront costs were high, additional games would be drop in for $1-1.5k with you only changing out the back third of the playfield.

Kiss was a bit frustrating to play at first but as I played it more I started to enjoy it. I had played the Beta code version previously and this version (I am assuming the latest) was more polished but I also felt the game could a little more polish. Overall though I thought the game played good and was glad I purchased a LE which I have not received yet.

WWE, WWELE, TWD Premium, Mustang LE, WNBJM, & Metallica as well as a ton of other games were setup in the freeplay area.

Tons of vids as well. A bunch of us got to hang with Billy Mitchell of Donkey Kong fame which was really cool.

There was certainly enough to keep you entertained at Replayfx.

Quality of games was a notch above what I'm used to at these shows for sure.

The tournament ran like a well-oiled machine, which is amazing considering the amount of games and players. I was expecting it to be a bit more chaotic, but it really was well-run. Kudos to the crew that put it together and all the people that kept all the games working. I can't even fathom the amount of work that went into it.

Besides Lexy Lightspeed and Full Throttle, don't forget the one-offs: Luther's Vendetta and Silver Bullet - both of those were stunning. Really enjoyed seeing and playing all of them.

Also enjoyed playing in the Replay World Championship, that went better than I expected. Also enjoyed some friendly competition on some of my favorite games in the free play area.

The location was great, really nice venue with anything you need within walking distance right downtown. Only downside was the construction that closed the road I was using all week to get from my hotel to the venue this morning, and a GPS that refused to give me an alternate route.

Only minor complaints: concrete floor was a test of endurance. I was wearing running shoes, with additional gel insoles and my feet still hurt at the end of the day. Not much to be done about that, bring a foam pad or a portable stool like I did. Also, the row of games along the wall was pretty dark, especially in the last rounds of the day. Heard lots of complaints about that. Concession stand was expensive, but there were vending machines in the lobby, selling the same drinks for half the price.

Seriously, though, minor minor stuff. It was an amazing show, and lived up to my high expectations.

Some of these scores... just amazing. Holy...

It's about drawing new players in with new technology, not about what they can or can't handle. Obviously they can handle either, if they give a shit.

Fun new tech could draw in those people who don't know that pinball even exists in 2015. People who would walk by and ignore a new stern with a dmd that looks like it came out in 1992.

This was the first time I have played WWE, Kiss, and Mustang. I felt that Kiss and WWE absolutely sucked as shooters and the Mustang was actually a lot of fun. This was the complete opposite of what I anticipated. Code has nothing to do with the feeling, I'm speaking strictly as to how the shots physically felt. Anyone else experience this at all?

Too bad they didn't keep WHO? Dunnit in there, we would still be there watching if the final game had been on that!

I can't stress enough how impressive this show was. The tournament itself was a miracle to observe, everything from my perspective was flawless. The amount of games and vids was more than I have ever seen. I really hope this event is repeated next year, for it was really impressive and a provided a great experience in every aspect.

Went to Replay simply as a pinball lover, no tourney entry. My wife and I went today, all day, and couldn't have been more impressed! The size of the room allowed for a feeling of never being crowded, and the sheer number of machines placed us in lines never more than one player deep. I made a list of 23 pins I had never played and really wanted to, sure enough they were all represented and fully functional. Hell, there was enough room between the pins to walk through, not the usual backbox to backbox crammed in feeling.
Between JJP, Project Pinball, the oculus riff guys, and Cointaker, the conversations were light and refreshing. Not the usual craziness at shows. Seeing the Star Wars guys and the cosplay costumes was a welcome distraction from staring at playfields for 10 straight hours, and I have a new found respect for the dedication of those costume makers. I didn't see one single ahole beating the shit out of a machine like I have at every other show and only saw one person playing more than a single player turn.
I will not return to the Ohio show again for as long as Replay is still going, I was that impressed with everything. using my wife as a barometer for the non pinhead person, even SHE can't wait for next years Replayfx!!
Where the hell else will you find Boba Fett rocking a vid ???

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Man!!! I thought I talked a lot!!
I agree with everything you've said and am proud to have shared the EXPERIENCE with you!

To everyone who I couldn't thank personally on FB, I thank you here on Pinside! Thanks for making my first PAPA event the best it could be.

For all the other comments that made me think or chuckle...wish I could respond to them all. But it's 7AM Pittsburgh time and time to go home! Soonish.....

P.S. The only Coldplay person I talked to (and rooted for) was Lilith from Borderlands2! Hope she won something!

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I'm still rooting for Chris Martin.

ReplayFX was a blast. Sure, everyone is going to grumble about the concrete floor, but to get that much space, you're probably going to have to deal with it -- and the space was amazing. Air Conditioning kept up just fine, if not almost too much. Wasn't as loud as I expected with that much stuff in one room.

If you just want to play pinball, Saturday and Sunday at the show are amazing. If you want to play in a tournament, Pinburgh is amazing.

Thanks to everybody who worked to put on the show/events. I had an great time.

Keep in mind that this is a public convention/exposition center like McCormick Place, Cobo Center, Anaheim Convention Center, Las Vegas Convention Center, the former Earl's Court etc. These centers in large cities have exclusive vendors running the food service. The prices are high and other vendors are either prohibited from selling food & beverages or if permitted, there is a huge "tax" added to each sale that goes to the official food vendor.

When the Westin in Wheeling found out that bottled soda was being sold on the Expo show floor, they flipped out at Mike Pacek & Robert Berk.

Fortunately, the Kalamazoo Fairgrounds & convention Center is not like the big city places. The rules are more lax there.

One other note and a question:

1. I don't think the name "ReplayFX" helps draw the casual person in the door. From the name, who would know that there were 700+ pins and vids available for free play?

2. How can I find out who brought a specific pin in? I would like to find out if they could be talked into selling it.

1. Agree with this

2. I don't know about this one since if a game is not for sale, the owner probably doesn't care to be put in touch with people that want to buy it. I say just keep it like other shows. If the game is for sale, but a sign on it with contact info.

If a game is not for sale I would not track the person down. I would consider it rude. It is like when you post a picture of a game for sale but get questions about the game next to it even if barely visible and obviously not being featured.

I'm on TV! Hi Mom!

Another satisfied customer here. ReplayFX and Pinburgh were everything I wanted and more. I loved the venue. Being downtown near restaurants and attractions was great. We took Uber from the airport to the Hampton Inn, used the bike sharing service when we needed to go places that were too far to walk, and I even rented a kayak over by PNC park Saturday afternoon (you can do that when you don't make finals).

I enjoyed Pinburgh last year at PAPA HQ, but this was a step above and beyond. I liked the atmosphere with the video game tourney and bands playing at night. I was very happy to see the One-Ups show Friday night. I love that video game music cover bands exist.

Big praise to everyone who helped put on the show, I'll be back next year for sure. One suggestion I have is to make that Pinburgh group photo available somehow. I'd like to have a nice print of that to put in my basement.

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The One-Ups doing Mike Tyson's Punch-Out

Man I have to go next year. The photos and stories are amazing.

I thought the live papatv coverage was... as minimal as it got this year. kinda disappointed with it really.

Let's be honest here, the promoters would rather you be there and pay for show admission than watch it over the internet with them not making any money.

If Expo noticed decreased attendance due to the seminars being broadcast/recorded, you can bet that would stop as a no charge webcast.

It is possible, but how many people would really use the broadcast of a tournament as a reason to go or not?

It is like any sports game, fans go. If you can't go you at least get to watch and hope to get there next time.

I was there Thursday and Friday and left Saturday morning after I was eliminated (I was burnt out on pinball and video games anyway!). I wanted to watch the finals and also found it pretty thin coverage...especially the fact that the "live" google docs standings weren't even updated regularly.

As I mentioned on a related note, I did not attend Expo last year as I had a conflicting schedule. Once I knew the seminars would be broadcast, I made no effort to resolve the conflict, cancelled my hotel reservation and saved at least $800.00

The broadcasts exist to promote competitive pinball, far bigger picture than focusing on what is collected at the door for this one show.

How many people could they be losing? Only a few hundred people are crazy enough to watch live pinball streams and I bet most would be at the show if they were at all able to. Plus watching online gets you sweet commentary and a better view of the gameplay. I'm mostly watching to learn strategy and be entertained by all the great guys they get on the mic.

I'd happily pay $10 or whatever to get more coverage of the full tournament, but I'm probably in a small group of an already small group.

The people who normally run papa TV were running the show at a facility that wasn't theirs, with lots of new features and attractions, so I get why the broadcast was light.

I enjoyed the coverage. Thanks to all involved putting it together. I like listening to commentary and thoughts on strategies. The finals were very exciting, and we were yelling wildly as some of the plays happened.

Obviously it would be preferable to be there, but not all of us can, so we geek out with the online coverage.

There are a lot of kids here today and they all look like they are having a blast. There may be some hope for the new generation after all. Lol

I find Mustang to be fun also . I played around pro when it first released. It helps that I am a diehard gear head. Lol

Then there must have been a resource (manpower or equipment), technical or possibly a financial limitation that prevented a broadcast to promote competitive pinball.

High speed Internet connections at CONvention centers such as this are crazy priced. Not sure if that was part of the deal.

Completely disagree that the food was way overpriced. $10.00 for a BIG pulled pork sandwich, fries, coleslaw, and a soda. Hell, that's what you'll pay at any restaurant !!

Humidity ain't as bad in Dallas, thankfully. I'd kill myself if it was.

That would be disagreement with neurokinetik. I merely explained big city convention center protocol/policies.

I leave and then you get your photos with the Cosplay girls. Thanks guys.

I didn't buy any food or drinks onsite. I only heard my friends complaining about the drink prices when the exact same bottle of water was less than half price in the vending machines than it was at the concession stand.

Last time I was in Dallas, I walked outside in the morning and nearly passed out from the heat. It was already nearing 100 and it wasn't even 10 AM yet.

It's like the time I was in California, near Bakersfield. We were taking a break on a trip to go rafting and when we got out of the car, you could see the ripples from the heat coming off the road in the distance. All the California people--who always bust on my NJ weather--began complaining about the heat. I said, "Aw, c'mon, fellas...it's a DRY heat!" They all looked at me and said, "F**k you!" at the same time.

A great moment for this Jersey boy.

(That drought and fires aren't anything to laugh about, though. But I guess if you're gonna boast about the sunshine all the time, that means you're not getting any rain...)

I find it extremely odd that there isn't a single Firepower in the building.

I paid $4.75 for a 20oz bottle of coke. That's insane. Anywhere else... $1.50

There was.

Sounds like a VH song.

...and I eased the seat back...

I watched the pinburgh stream and thought it was great. This was the first time I watched one live. I can understand if they wanted to wait to put the coverage on youtube later though.

I agree. They should guarantee a Firepower and cheap Coke at every event.

Yeah...okay...but I didn't see one single Donkey Kong in the whole place.

What were the prices on booze?

It shouldn't be a surprise that people were clamoring for more broadcasts, papa.tv is a success with tens of thousands of viewers, and a hugely successful kickstarter. I understand there was manpower issues with executing an event this size, but I'm surprised the broadcasts fell all the way to an afterthought.