This was a big year for gaming with several events happening worldwide to celebrate gaming. From Jeff’s Summer Games Fest, the indie-focused PAX East, and many others. Gamers worldwide had places to be excited about gaming.
But living in New York, this was the first time I went to several of these events and saw places near me that locally celebrated gaming in their own way.
Join me, Lord Sonic, as I recollect my favorite moments in 2024 celebrating gaming near my home.
The Sacred Symbols – Last Stand Media Meet Up & Sacred 300
Early in 2024, an event celebrating Last Stand Media’s Sacred Symbols podcast a major milestone, being its 300th episode, took place in New York City.
Going to the show was a huge highlight, as it was the first time I met many people in person. People I’ve formed friendships with online, seeing locations in New York City I had no idea about, and even meeting the Iron Lords in person for the first time.
The show was hysterical, with the Iron Lords headlining it and the Sacred Symbols crew following it up with a fantastic Jeopardy show. It’s one thing enjoying podcasts with people I respect. It’s a big difference seeing and hearing them in person. It adds a human element to the experience, one I appreciate.
Being able to experience this was one of the biggest highlights for me in 2024, and there were many more to follow.
Putting in the Quarters – NYC Barcade
I visited this location multiple times throughout the year. The Barcade, having locations across the United States, features many legendary arcade games and pinball machines for people to enjoy.
My first visit to the Chelsea location in NYC was with a massive group attending Sacred 300. This was where I met up with many people I’ve talked to online via Discord. Putting faces to user names and profile pictures was awesome.
But the biggest highlight was playing various arcade games, some for the first time, with online friends in person. Playing games like Daytona USA with some buddies was fun and killing all our quarters with a team of four playing through Konami’s TMNT Arcade was fantastic.
My second time visiting the location I played some new games and got into the pinball machines. I even managed to work with a couple to help them get through a game of X-Men Arcade, being one of the six-player machines, was a lot of fun.
Collection of Japanese Treasures – Bookoff Store in NYC
Visiting this location originally during Sacred 300 and now a recurring stop during my NYC trips, is the NYC branch of Bookoff. Originally opened in Japan and expanding to some locations overseas, this store is a gamer and anime fan’s dream come true.
Offering a sizable gaming section, it’s spread across multiple console generations. The NYC location has a great selection to build up your PS2, GameCube, Original Xbox, and Wii U collections. There are even some rarer games and collector editions at the location.
But if you are more interested in figures, manga, or even retro CDs, Blu-rays, and DVDs, the NYC Bookoff has a nice selection. On my most recent trip, I picked up the 2007 TMNT and Rango Blu-Rays for a fantastic price.
Musical Highlights
As someone who loves video game music, I leveraged the opportunities to attend amazing video game concerts.
Sonic Symphony NYC
After seeing the DC Sonic Symphony earlier in 2024, I attended the NYC show. The set list offered more songs than the DC show, having tracks like Sonic Adventure 2’s Pumpkin Hill, and Knuckle’s Theme Unknown from M.E. from Sonic Adventure. But my highlight was hearing two additional Sonic Frontiers Titan themes, Find Your Flame and I’m Here (Revisited).
I still sang my heart out and enjoyed being in a very active crowd. During the intermission, the recent Sonic X Shadow Generations trailer from Jeff’s Summer Game’s Fest played, and everyone cheered whenever it came on.
One of the most emotional moments for me was the performance of Sonic Frontiers ‘One Way Dream at the end.
This theme for the Sonic series is powerful, telling anyone they can follow their dreams, no matter what. I grew a lot in 2024, so this song hit on a deeply personal level for me. It was a deeply personal song for the performers, with the band exclusively playing it with an acoustic guitar.
Leaving the show, it was surreal traveling in the subway with fellow Sonic fans. We discussed our favorite songs, pondering which could be added to future shows, and more. I earnestly hope that the Sonic Symphony returns and they continue having shows in NYC.
Distant Worlds – Final Fantasy NYC Concert
It’s no secret that I’m one of Lords of Gaming’s biggest Final Fantasy XVI fans. I loved that game’s story, gameplay, and world. One of the key pillars for why I love that game so much is its powerful score. Featuring an emotional soundtrack, when Square Enix announced Distant Worlds featuring music from FFXVI, I couldn’t buy my ticket faster.
Going to the show, I didn’t connect with people like I did with the Sonic Symphony shows, considering I’m a casual Final Fantasy fan. But getting my set and enjoying the show, I loved every moment. Songs across the entire series were played, including classics like ‘Dancing Mad’ from FFVI, ‘One Winged Angel from FFVII, and even a hysterical melody celebrating the Chocobo theme.
But when the collection of FFXVI songs played, I got emotional. Hearing Ascension, with Joshua fighting Bauhaumt playing in the background, that soon followed up with Sokken himself coming on stage with a DualSense controller and pressing L3 & R3 to ‘accept the truth’ and then Find The Flame being played masterfully by the orcestra was magical.
One song that took me completely off guard, was a beautiful rendition of My Star playing, with the original singer being on stage alongside the orchestra. I started tearing up, seeing Jill and Clive’s journey together on the big screen playing alongside the performance making me remember why I love their characters so much.
Leaving the show, I loved every minute of it and look forward to future Final Fantasy concerts in NYC.
Revisiting My Roots – Long Island Gaming Expo
A highlight of 2024 was the Long Island Gaming Expo.
Working with Lord Petey and Lord CUnit, we had a blast exploring the area. Across the many generations of gaming, there was something for everyone to play.
Being Lord Sonic, I loved all the SEGA love at the Expo. An entire floor dedicated to the SEGA Dreamcast and all its iconic games, accessories, and more was a treat to experience. In addition, many consoles were playable, including rare ones.
Some highlights include playing Gex on a 3DO, playing Sonic 2 on a rare SEGA Genesis VR Unit, playing some Japanese arcade machines, and playing Donkey Kong Jungle Beat using the iconic bongo controller. It was an amazing experience I recommend the Expo to anyone who loves video games.
Also, if you want to build up your retro libraries, this was a great place to get some shopping done at good prices. CUnit, Lord Petey, and I enjoyed surveying what was on offer. I managed to get physical copies of Sonic 1, 2 & 3 alongside a nice grip for my Switch.
Land of Culture – Anime Expo NYC 2024
My proudest accomplishment of 2024 has to be covering Anime Expo NYC in 2024. Being alone at the Expo, I tried to cover the many games playable on the lower floors, being part of Play NYC.
Many exciting indie titles were playable. Some were early in production, others were on track for 2024, and all of them were different from one another. It was a team effort getting coverage up at Lords of Gaming, but being the lone man on deck doing my first interviews, talking to developers, and more felt so fulfilling.
To be frank, I didn’t think I could do something like that. But I managed to do so and can’t wait to cover Anime Expo 2025. Games I can’t wait to see updates in 2025 include Silencer, Skate Story, Starlight Re:Volver, and Kids of Karendow. Major shoutouts to games to other games at the Expo, such as Hyper Light Breaker, Inkression, and Bitter Silver.
Of course, games were not the only thing at the NYC Anime Expo. Many booths, vendors, and more were present giving people plenty of reasons to spend money.
Punching Through the Pages – NY Comic Con 2024
The final major gaming event in NYC was New York Comic Con. The expo speaks for itself, being an amazing collection of pop culture worldwide.
Anime like Dragon Ball and One Piece had huge booths, major storefronts like eBay had small booths people could visit, and even movie productions like Paramount had a major presence. One of the booths they had was a TMNT-themed one, where many played TMNT: Mutant Mayhem. It was one of the games we covered, alongside Little Nightmares 3, Monster Hunter Wilds, and Mecha BREAK.
Comic-Con was also the first time I saw people like Everborne in person, and it was amazing seeing the Iron Lords doing their thing. I was proud of the coverage on both Monster Hunter Wilds that I did with Lord Gene and holding my own during an interview for the recently released Secret Level.
Unlike Anime Expo, I went to Comic-Con for most of the days it was open to enjoy my time there. I had a great time going to various vendors, buying some amazing merch, and playing fighting games with people.
Some huge highlights include being able to talk with voice actors from the Sonic franchise, going to a booth showing vintage animated cell sheets for early SpongeBob episodes, going to the SpongeBob booth, and exploring the expo with Lord Gene.
Thanks for the Memories – Conclusion
Reflecting on my adventures throughout 2024, I can’t help but feel proud of myself. I came out of my shell and did Lords of Gaming justice with my coverage throughout the year. I look forward to future adventures in 2025 and stay tuned for amazing content from us!
What were your highlights throughout 2024? Let us know in the comments below!
