It’s June, and every video gamer knows that the start of the dreaded “summer gaming drought” when there is a lack of new releases. There is, however, a silver lining as June is also convention month when all the major announcements and previews are shown to the public. With E3 stealing the spotlight as the largest video game event of the year, it’s sometimes easy to forget the smaller — but no less amazing — conventions taking place right in the Philadelphia area.

Last year, Rich and I were lucky enough to score tickets to the Too Many Games convention at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, PA. The Too Many Games convention is a yearly event that focuses on everything games, from retro games to the latest indie developers and more. All types of gamers will find something to enjoy at Too Many Games. We spent our time playing old classics such as Frogger and Asteroids, watching a Tecmo Bowl tournament, and browsing the extensive collections of retro games and accessories, as well as all the custom art, t-shirts, and trinkets sold by the numerous vendors. We also had the chance to test several incredibly fun in-development indie games and talk with the developers. Near the end of our visit, we attended a panel by The Angry Video Game Nerd (who will make an appearance this year as well). Other attractions include trading card game competitions, guest panels, musical acts, comedy acts, and more, all focused on video games and pop culture.

You can check out a few pictures from our adventure last year. There’s not too many because we were so busy playing games and having a blast to take pictures.

The Crispy Noodle at Too Many Games 2014 Creating an ad on Mario Paint Mario themed car Inside the Mario themed car Rich posing with his Mario Paint masterpiece

This year, Too Many Games promises an even bigger and better showing than last year. There will be more than 20 indie development studios in attendance, and about 30 panels/showcases featuring YouTube stars, musicians, comedians, and experts. Various video game tournaments include classic games such as Duck Hunt and Goldeneye, and newer games such as Mario Kart 8 and Ultra Street Fighter 4. Of course, there are also tabletop competitions featuring Pokemon, Magic: The Gathering, and Dungeons and Dragons in addition to various board games. And you can be sure not to walk away empty handed from the countless vendors selling classic gear, new releases, art, collectibles, toys, and even homebrew video game releases.

The Too Many Games convention runs from June 27th to June 29th at the Greater Philadelphia Convention Center in Oaks, Pa. Click here to get tickets. We’ll certainly be in attendance again this year; maybe you’ll even run into us there.