Wednesday, July 28, 2010

Flynn’s Arcade Returns To Comic Con

By Gabriel Madrigal

Last year’s big Comic-Con surprise was Flynn’s Arcade – a secret warehouse turned classic arcade which was located a few blocks north of the convention center. And in 2010, to every TRON fan’s delight, Flynn’s was back!

But this time the secret was more heavily guarded. Whereas last year offered tantalizing hints via handwritten photocopies, this year Twitter was the method used to disseminate information to the masses (@operationtron). Attendees in the know could follow the clues and find the secret location. (But between you and me, it was the exact same place as last year at 335 6th Street.)

Every hour, on the hour, 100 tickets where handed out until they were gone. Once inside, the scene was familiar to any fan of the movie. A roomful of coin-operated video game machines from yester-year lined the walls with such titles as Donkey Kong, TRON, and Galaga. Even Kevin Flynn’s infamous Space Paranoids was available for play.

After having your fill of Pac-Man fever, a trap door behind the TRON machine would lead guests down a hallway dotted with movie props. This was all new to Flynn’s Arcade. One special prop, the laser that transported Flynn to the world of TRON, was of special interest to the visiting geeks.

But that was just the beginning. We followed further along the rabbit hole…

Until we got to the TRON: Legacy Lounge.

Behold! A TRON-inspired room, complete with repeat showings of the newest movie trailer, listening stations featuring the new TRON soundtrack by Daft Punk and scattered movie props. All this, and all the Coke Zero you could drink.

For another year, Flynn’s Arcade was my favorite part of Comic-Con. Here’s to hoping the movie lives up to the hype.

Click HERE to view the whole set of photos from Flynn's Arcade

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