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f ROM THE EDITOR ACME: much more than a great personality M ention the phrase "blind date" and everyone conjures up a different image . We've probably all been on a few of them and could spend the better part of a conversation discussing the good and bad ones. Every convention and trade show is not so unlike the anticipation of a blind date. We gather all the facts from our friends and still aren't sure what to expect. I can remember delighting in the expectation of the unknown when waiting to go on a blind date. My favorite saying (to myself) was "I can stand about anything for one night! " I have to admit that some turned out to be exceptional. There's warm memories of several that turned into serious relationships. Even taking the bad ones into consideration, the pleasurable ones were worthwhile. Had I not taken the chance, I would have missed out on meeting some wonderful guys. Trade shows are trekking into the unexpected. Sure, you've heard perhaps one too many times about the innovative , ultimate, latest state-of-the-arttechnology game, only to find a revamped rendition of an old favorite. The only new technology is the marketing to get you to buy it! These hypes are equivalent to someone telling you your blind date "has a great personality." You just don't feel like it's going to be the best you've seen. I wasn't quite sure what to expect at the ACME show two weeks ago. But I knew that I was anxious to get to Vegas and see for myself everything there was to see. You can read inside these pages what we saw and heard about while there and see photos of many of the folks who were there . But even our 50 pages-plus coverage cannot substitute for being there yourself anymore than you can experience a blind date through the eyes of someone else. Redemption games and related paraphernalia dominated the show, which wasn't really unexpected. This year, ACME featured Redemption City, an entire wing of the show, complete with bleachers for seminars. Redemption manufacturers and plush companies exhibited products to show how it all works together in a PLAY METER 10 APRIL 1993 realistic setting. Operators who have been leery about getting into redemption took time to study the options in this convenient format. ACME was an exciting show because the industry has been changing. At the AMOA just six months ago, the wide spectrum of games was never more evident - from redemption to novelties and Sega's massive driving game to Bundra's Neck 'n' Neck. This ACME simply reinforced the feeling of "something for everyone" as once again redemption, novelty, pinballs, videos, assorted table games, darts, and music were all out in force. I think we'll look on this ACME show as one of our more pleasant blind dates with a lot more going for it than a wonderful personality! D Valerie Cognevich Editor