Review Fix Exclusive: Chris Cardillo Talks Coleco Retro Gaming and Collectible Convention

February 15, 2017 Patrick Hickey Jr. Books & Comics, TV, Video Games 0

Review Fix chats with Chris Cardillo, Owner of Coleco, who discusses their upcoming retro game convention in Edison NJ on Saturday, August 5th 10 am – 10 pm and Sunday, August 6th, 2017 10 am – 6 pm at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center on 97 Sunfield Avenue Edison, NJ  08837. Detailing the origins of the expo and what attendees can expect, Cardillo gives us the hard sell as to why this is one retro game event you don’t want to miss.

For More on The Coleco Retro Gaming and Collectible Convention, Click Here.

Review Fix: How was this event born?

Chris Cardillo: Over the past year, there has been a resurgence in gamers who like to play ‘Retro-Style’ games. There have also been a few Retro Conventions that have popped up.  Although it will feature products from a number of gaming systems, Coleco is one of the first gaming companies to hold their own retro gaming event.

Review Fix: What do you think will make this event special?

Cardillo: This is a retro convention on steroids.  To date, gaming meet-ups usually consisted of gamers in a specific category centered around YouTube famous guest speakers.  The Coleco Retro Gaming and Collectable Expo will feature not only retro games from Atari, Nintendo, Sega and the like, but will also feature vintage toys, dolls, and other collectibles.  The show will have guest celebrity appearances from stars such as Sophie Reynolds from Disney’s ‘Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much everything.”

Review Fix: Why do you think people still connect to the Coleco brand?

Cardillo: There is something majestic about the brand that draws a person in.  Coleco is a brand that was everywhere at one time but focused on a small number of toy lines at a given time.  Folks who have played with a Coleco toy or ColecoVision vividly remember a time and place.

Review Fix: What will convention goers be able to do at the event?

Cardillo: Free play arcades, have an open panel discussion with industry insiders such as Tyler Bushnell (son of Atari’s Nolan Bushnell), grab an autograph from Sophie, pick up a few hard to find classic Nintendo games, and dress up in Cosplay.

Review Fix: What special guests will be there?

Cardillo: Sophie Reynolds from Disney’s ‘Gamer’s Guide to Pretty Much everything.”  Tyler Bushnell.  Mark Thomann from Coleco.  We are still working on a number of other guests that will be announced on our website.

Review Fix: Away from video games, what other vendors will you have?

Cardillo: Folks selling artwork, Cosplay enthusiasts, Board Game developers, Game Programmers and designers, vintage action figures, Event planners from other conventions.

Review Fix: Anything else you’d like to add?

Cardillo: We’re always looking for vendors who offer unique items for sale:  Custom made products, hard to find games etc.

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About Patrick Hickey Jr. 14267 Articles
Patrick Hickey Jr. is a full-time Assistant Professor of Communication & Performing Arts and Director of the Journalism program at Kingsborough Community College and is the chairman of the City University of New York Journalism Council. He is the Founder and Editor-In-Chief of ReviewFix.com. He's also a former News Editor at NBC Local Integrated Media and National Video Games Writer at Examiner.com where his work was mentioned in National Ad campaigns by Disney, Nintendo and EA Sports. Hickey was also the Editor-In-Chief of two College Newspapers before he received his BA in Journalism from Brooklyn College. Hickey's work has been published in The New York Daily News, The New York Times, Complex, The Hockey Writers, Yahoo!, Broadway World, Examiner, NYSportScene Magazine, ProHockeyNews.com, GothamBaseball.com, The Syracuse Post-Standard, Scout.com and the official sites of the Brooklyn Aces and New York Islanders. His first book, The Minds Behind the Games: Interviews With Cult And Classic Video Game Developers was released in April 2018 and is chock full of interviews with legendary developers. His second book in the series, The Minds Behind Adventures Games, was released in December 2019. His third book, The Minds Behind Sports Games, was released in September 2020. His fourth book, The Minds Behind Shooter Games, was released in March 2021. The Minds Behind Sega Genesis Games and The Minds Behind PlayStation Games were released in 2022 and The Minds Behind PlayStation 2 was published in January 2023. Hickey is also a contracted comic book writer, currently penning his original series, "Condrey," as well as "The Job," "Brooklyn Bleeds" "Dem Gulls" and "KROOM" for Legacy Comix, where he serves as founder, owner and Editor-in-Chief. Hickey Jr. is also a voice actor, having starred in the 2018 indie hit and 2019 Switch, PS4 and Xbox One release, The Padre (also serving as English language Story Editor), from Shotgun With Glitters. The sequel, The Padre: One Shell Straight to Hell was released in February 2021- Hickey also served as a Story Editor and Lead Voiceover performer. He has also done narration and trailers for several other titles including The Kaiju Offensive, Relentless Rex and Roniu’s Tale. Hickey is also the lead voiceover performer on Mega Cat Studios’ upcoming title WrestleQuest, responsible for nearly 90 characters in the game, as well as Skybound's Renfield: Bring Your Own Blood, where he voices both Dracula and Renfield, as well as several other characters. He also stars in Ziggurat Interactive’s World Championship Boxing Manager 2, where he performs the VO of nearly every male character in the game. He also worked on the Atari VCS’s BPM Boy.

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