Go Bananas with Us at Super Magfest
Let’s start the new year off with one of Maryland’s most beloved conventions Magfest. This convention is located in the Gaylord at National Harbor and has been around for 18 years. This fun family-friendly convention also runs 24/7 starting the Thursday- Sunday, so no matter what time you get there; it is guaranteed that there will always be something to do. Now let’s get into why you should show up at the next one:
The Convention Center & Hotel
Everyone who has been going to Magfest in recent years knows that they always hold it at the beginning of the year at the National Harbor Gaylord Hotel & Convention Center which is huge. Many conventions and conferences are held here every year due to how spacious it is. There are so many events that happen either at once or consistently so even if you miss one, there’s still more you can check out. Lines were super long for almost every main stage event that was starting so if you wanted to be in front then you had to wait at least an hour or two before the event including autograph sections reaching capacity within a matter of hours. The only thing that is frustrating and everyone will agree is the hotel lottery system, to book at the Gaylord you need to enter in a lottery. The lottery determines if you happen to be one of the lucky thousand to get a room at Magfest and waiting can take up to 1-3 hours. Ticket prices were fairly priced as well, $85 for a 4-day convention is cheap as the usual 4-day convention can be anywhere from $150 to more.
Indie Game Showcase & Indie Arcade
Probably one of the best parts of Magfest. First off, the arcade is enormous overall with a wide variety of over 200 arcade games ranging from side scrollers, pinball machines, platformers, and more. There were different games for everyone to get their hands on. The plus side was that the arcade was open all night for everyone to join in and you were bound to find something nostalgic or something you wouldn’t be able to stop playing. Also if you had an arcade cabinet that you would like to show at MAG, you were free to bring it and they would give you a free badge, of course, you would have to consult them first about it. Now the showcase, what’s cool about the IGS is to participate you have to put in a submission for your game. It gives everyone a fair chance at getting to debut their indie game at MAG. There was something for everyone there ranging from puzzles, TPS, FPS, point and click, interactive story, and more. We saw quite a few games that stuck out to us, be sure to check out these games:
Fallen Angel by Matrioshka Games - In this 2D hack and slash, you play as lucifer that explores his way through a twisted version of heaven. You fight and defeat archangels while acquiring their powers to find and confront your creator.
Noisz Re:||Verse by Anarch Entertainment - This is an expansion for the NOISZ series, however, in this expansion, you get 12 new stages which mean 12 new harder levels. This is a rhythm game with a twist, it feels like Galactica just like a point and shoot but with really amazing music. Just make sure to avoid getting hit in this rhythm bullet hell.
AVARIA Ghost of The Immortal by Juncture Media - A new addition to the Avaria series. In this world, you fight as Kasper to hunt down a notorious hate group by the name of “The H.E.L” to protect your race. Your goal is to find out why Dythor who is the leader is suspected of killing your race’s elders. This is a turn-based game when fighting, it’s very much like the original Final Fantasy.
Starcrossed by Contigo Games - This game is a 2 player co-op action shooter that involves magical girls. It is a fast-paced action arcade game. There are 5 playable characters in the game, your goal is to strengthen your bond to defeat the evils of the galaxy. The graphics and plot are eye-catching for this game
#BLUD by Exit 73 Studios - In this fun top-down adventure game, you play as a young vampire hunter. Demons and vampires are starting to terrorize the school and town and your job is to eliminate them. You can use your fist or use a weapon if you can find one to defeat them. The graphics of this game are pretty phenomenal, the graphics and the plot kind of have a gravity falls and buffy the vampire slayer feel to it.
Let’s not forget that they also had the video game museum with very old PC’s and console games, some you weren’t allowed to touch because of how delicate it was. They had LAN and LARP as well so if you and your friends wanted to engage in an activity together, you had quite a few options. There was also a tabletop room where you could play D&D, Munchkin, and other tabletop games. You were free to join other parties if you were by yourself as well.
Concert Hall & Musical Guest & Musical Highlights
The music aspect of MAG was simply phenomenal. The concert hall was always packed and the lines to get in were long. If you wanted to see someone play up close then you had to start waiting on line at least an hour before to be the first one in. With that being said they even had some amazing DJ’s play at the Pose Night Club (21+ Club Only) as well which was great to go too if you wanted to listen to music and party hard.
If you came here for chiptunes then you definitely should have checked out the ChipSpace as it played for hours each night. If you weren’t at the concert hall then you were either at the chip space or the jam pod sessions. Which the jam pod was interesting because it gave musical artists such as DJs, bands, instrument players, etc. space to play their gear and show off their tunes for people to enjoy. They sometimes got so packed it was as if a mini-concert was happening. Everyone was either dancing or moshing, no in-between.
Here are some concerts that you should have checked out
The Protomen - They murdered the show! Protomen was the go-to show of this year. They make music about surviving oppression and despair through the power of Rock n Roll. It's pretty interesting how you can also see it as a musical as well since the music is part of a big story that has to do with Megaman and his friends. Not to mention that this concert was completely packed.
The David Wise Five - This was a very nostalgic show. It was amazing seeing the David wise five play songs from Donkey Kong, StarFox, Battletoads, and Yooka-Laylee. They also had Kevin Bayliss perform the Salamandos theme song with them as well to which the whole crowd was singing along. A lot of these games, people grew up with so to hear it live by the composer himself and his band was an amazing feeling.
Mariachi Entertainment System - Classically trained and professional mariachis playing geek music was something I have never seen before. This was new to me but it was amazing, they played so many songs ranging from video games to shows to movies. They played avengers, game of thrones, Chrono trigger and more. It was quite the performance and you won’t forget the name after the show is over.
Super Soul Bros - If jazz and retro are your things then this was the performance for you. Music that brings nostalgia always leaves you feeling good, retro gaming music in the form of live Jazz/Funk/R&B is one heck of a combination. You could truly feel the passion and soul in the music they played. I love how they played a few Nintendo hits to which they also played quite a few Donkey Kong Country songs as well. Great way to get the soul train going!
Charity Events
MAG host’s quite a few charity events throughout the convention. Whether it be activities such as table flipping or streaming or even having an auction, 100% of proceeds go to Childs Play. Childs Play is a charity in the game industry to help improve the lives of children with toys and games. Definitely check this out and be a part of it if you decide to come to MAG next year.
Conclusion
Magfest was amazing this year and I can’t wait to go to the next one. It also look's like the theme this year was Donkey Kong as there was a lot of banana decor and people cosplaying DK, not to mention some of the musical guests covered quite a few DK songs as well. This convention really is about bringing everyone together with music, gaming, cosplay, and more especially since it runs 24/7. The guest themselves were great and I hope I can see them perform again. As for the games, I’ll definitely be looking into a majority of the indie games I saw there. I love how this convention gives developers the opportunity to showcase their projects here as well. With that being said Magfest 2021 is a must-attend and you will be seeing us there.
