REVIEW: Power Up brings fifty years of gaming magic to the Science and Industry Museum

This June, the Science and Industry Museum announced that its ‘ultimate gaming experience’ Power Up will stay open for even longer by popular demand, with fifty years of electronic nostalgia and world-changing entertainment for kids and grown-ups of all ages across 150 consoles. We went down to the museum’s incredible installation to explore the latest innovations in video game design and reignite our childhood magic.

Alongside a vast array of modern gaming wizardry for tech-savvy kids of all ages, Power Up offers an endlessly fun – and often deeply poignant – trip down memory lane for Gen Z-ers, Gen X-ers and millennials alike, with an unmissable selection of formative childhood favourites spanning half a century. We embarked on a gleeful and unabashedly lengthy odyssey through nineties and noughties icons, stopping by the original Super Nintendo Bomberman, a dedicated Mario department, the pivotal 007: Goldeneye, Halo 2, Guitar Hero and Pro Evolution Soccer 4, before entering the groundbreaking modern era with a full-screen stint on Zelda: Breath of the Wild and Spider-Man 2 on the Playstation 5.

Elsewhere, visitors can go head-to-head in classic combat titles like Street Fighter, or roll back the years with seminal driving games like Gran Turismo and Driver 2, as players across every generation are invited to revel in the magic of shared childhood wonder, whether it’s a nail-biting Pong clash or an intensely rewarding Rocket League grudge match.

Running the entire length of the exhibition space, an expansive display charts the chronology of gaming with playable consoles from 1976’s Binatone TV Master to the Playstation 4, in a mesmerising digital journey through time. The interactive timeline features world-changing machines like the Atari 2000, Super Nintendo, Playstation and XBOX iterations alongside beloved cult favourites like the BBC Micro, Sega Megadrive and even a Dreamcast.

Throughout the exhibition, visitors can pull up a chair and settle in for a session at a choice of dedicated sections; from massive multiplayer units, arcade machines, 4-player set-ups and a big-screen FIFA sofa to a PC-lover’s paradise, a sensory Just Dance area, contemporary smash-hit games and a special selection of games developed in Manchester. There’s also a chance to learn more about the trailblazing creations of gaming pioneers across the north, and a variety of playable games by BAFTA Young Designer award-winners.

Book your tickets to Power Up below, and rediscover your old favourites whilst making new memories for the whole family.

Day Passes are available for £8, or you can book an Annual Pass for just £15 and revisit the exhibition whenever you like for a full year from the date of your first visit.