I was pleasantly surprised by some new games on the floor (Rastan, Grand Champion, Mini Putt, Iron Horse) plus some old faves were working again (Hyper Sports, Juno First)

Kudos to Gary, Randy et al that put in the sweat to make us happy.

There were some games which broke down. I'm gonna list them in case Gary hasn't noticed yet.......

Crazy Taxi got the crap smash out of it and the gas pedal is mush.
Cheyenne is playing blind.
TX-1 still has a bad shifter.
Death Race has both steering wheels acting up.

I didn't compete in the tournament for the second year in a row, however I observed and listened to most people's comments. It seems some of the games selected perplexed some gamers. Yes, I know the whole angle of the games being all donated titles.....and I actually felt there was a good diversity in the ones chosen.

However, here's quick list of strange picks.

1. Crazy Kong
This is a bootleg of DK. And guys can play DK for hours. So it would seem that Crazy Kong would not have a very fast turnover rate and sure enough jerks like Robbie Lakeman were playing this machine for over an hour at a time. I saw guys wasting too much time in line for Crazy Kong when they should have been playing.

2. Timber
I don't know much about this title - never played it. Although some folks figured it would have been removed after it was marathoned on day one. It wasn't.

3. Night Driver
Was in last year's Main Event and David Nelson crushed it. Was in the Manu Tourney this year and David Nelson super killed it. Was there another Atari game that could have been in there.....APB? Breakout? Lemans? Lunar Lander?

4. Canyon Bomber
Not to kick David Nelson in the nut sack too many times.....but he's the World Record holder on this title since 2007. Was there another Atari game that --------

Listen folks, of the 5 games selected in the Manufacturer's Tournament David Nelson is ranked 1st, 1st, 7th, 7th and 11th in the world. Who did everyone think was gonna win that $500? The Manu Tourney was basically over after 8 hours of play.

So here's an idea we were batting around. Instead of a "Manufacturer's Tournament" why not do a Sports Tournament (Mini Putt, Hyper Sports, Track & Field, Alpine Ski, Ring King) or a Military Tournament (Commando, Twin Cobra, Rush N Attack, Contra, Depth Charge) or even a Racing Tournament (Outrun, Pole Position, Grand Champion, Crazy Taxi, Hang On).

Other quote unquote genre tournaments that could replace the Manufacturer's could be Fantasy games, Maze games, Vector games, Fighting games, etc. but for the love of God and all that is holy....can we find games that some of the top plays aren't great at?

Another point I'd like to make is the lack of people supporting Funspot by eating and drinking in the DA Tavern. Now, I know not everyone drinks alcohol - I get that. But the place serves pop and has a nice little menu. This tournament loses money (as we've discussed in the past) so to help out the building why not head down to the second floor and enjoy some time with Starr, Eva and Jules. The reason barcades are so successful is because of the money made off food and drink. Instead of heading out to a restaurant think of Funspot first.

It was great to see old faces and hanging out with the Chicago crew was awesome. We need to get a group together to stop into the Galloping Ghost ASAP.

Silence Rob, I like having the tavern to ourselves. It better stay that way, chief.

But as usual, it was awesome seeing everyone, talking hockey with all the Canadians and Chicago crew. I'm coming for you in Ghosts `n Goblins next year, Rob!

I'm trying to create another gaming list for the Main Event made of fun and challenging cabs.

Will post when it's ready.