Hello there, this is Blake. I’m excited to share my latest experience with you. My family and I visited a virtual reality entertainment center, and I just had to write a review about it. As a family, we run a website called The Virtual Reviewer, where we rate and review the latest tech and entertainment products. My wife, Patty, and our kids, John and Jenette, are all part of the team.
This time, we checked out the Main Event location in Atlanta, Georgia. For those not familiar, Main Event is a giant family fun zone offering bowling, laser tag, ropes courses, an arcade, a sports bar, and more, all under one very large roof. I had heard about Main Event from some coworkers and saw they had a cool-looking VR setup, so I wanted to check it out with my family.
We made it to the venue on a Saturday afternoon. The venue is very large and situated right off a main freeway in a bustling commercial area. As you drive up, it’s hard to miss with its massive Main Event sign out front.
We walked in the front entrance and were greeted by very friendly staff at the front desk, who quickly got us set up with passes and gave us a layout of the huge space. There were tons of families and kids running all around, having a blast. Loud pop music was playing over the speakers, neon lights were flashing everywhere – it gave off that modern, high-energy vibe you want in an entertainment venue like this.
My First Impressions
My first impressions were very good — this place was massive! As we explored around, I was seriously impressed with the sheer size and scope of attractions they offered. The bowling alley itself had tens of lanes, the arcade spanned two floors and had just about every video and carnival-style game you could want, the laser tag arena was multi-level, they had a separate wing for birthday parties, a full bar and grill the size of a restaurant, pool tables, an elevated ropes/zip line course, and more.
For me though, the main event (no pun intended) was checking out their virtual reality setup. They had a whole section devoted to VR with about 10 different pods where you could do various games and simulations. The marquee titles are Star Wars, Beat Saber, a racing simulation, and a zombie shooter.
After getting our wristbands, which had credits pre-loaded to play the attractions and arcade games, we discussed as a family where to start. The kids made a beeline right for the laser tag and ropes course as Patty and I decided to check out the VR first while the gaming pods were free.
VR Experience
I opted first for Vader Immortal, donning the VR headset and grabbing my lightsaber controller, preparing to live out my Jedi dreams. After getting set up in the pod and going through some initial tutorials, I was face to mask with Vader himself on what looked like the Death Star. My kids laughed themselves silly, watching me on the external monitor, waving my arms around, and dodging invisible objects.
The game itself though was awesome! The graphics and sense of immersion were fantastic, easily the best VR experience I’ve tried. At one point, Vader force grabbed me, and I actually yelped and jumped back like it was real life. I battled through some Stormtroopers and Sith Lords eventually working up to a final epic showdown against Vader where I scorched one of his robot arms with my saber. It was maybe 10 minutes of actual gameplay, but it felt much longer (in a good way) with all the action packed in.
I was pumped after and gave it a 9.5/10. Patty laughed and called me a big nerd, but then I convinced her to try Beat Saber, which is a music game where you slash through flying boxes in time with the beat. It was hilarious watching her wave the controllers around, getting into the music. I think she secretly loved it but played it cool saying “It was just ok”.
The kids were having a blast running all around the huge arcade playing games and tickets and said laser tag was awesome because it had ramps and two levels so they could sneak attack their opponents. They probably thought the VR looked kinda lame but to each their own. We all had a great time though, playing and trying all sorts of games and attractions.
After working up an appetite running ourselves ragged, we headed to the restaurant area to refuel and get dinner.
Main Event Restaurant Review
The restaurant and bar area at Main Event was very impressive, rivaling a standalone casual dining establishment in terms of size and offerings. There was a central bar surrounded by seating, plus two additional dedicated dining areas that could easily seat over 200 people.
The menu featured standard American fare like burgers, pizza, wings, nachos, and appetizers you might expect at a decent sports bar. Prices were maybe 10-20% higher than comparable chain restaurants, but reasonable given it was an entertainment venue with no additional cover charge, and you could watch games on dozens of big-screen TVs.
We started with an order of the fried pickle spears, which were delicious, and a definite step above typical fried bar fare. For entrees, Patty ordered the Southwest quesadillas, I got the buffalo chicken sandwich with fries, John chose pepperoni pizza, and Jenette requested her standard chicken fingers.
The food overall I would rate as good, certainly above average, but not necessarily blowing me away. The fries could have been crispier, and the burger was a tad underseasoned but hot and tasty nonetheless. The pizza John ordered was quite good and rivaled his favorite pizza chain back home. Jenette devoured her chicken strips in about 30 seconds, so I take that as a good sign.
For drinks, the kids had sodas while Patty enjoyed a refreshing watermelon margarita, and I had an ice-cold IPA beer on draft. The drink menu featured a full assortment of cocktails and adult beverages, though it may lack some more unique craft beer options. Our server was pleasant and prompt with good service despite how busy it got.
After inhaling our food, we decided dessert was in order, so we ordered the customizable Monster 16-inch cookie skillet, allowing each person to choose their toppings for each quarter. The skillet was piping hot and the perfect sweet treat to share after an action-packed day. Stuffed to the gills, it was time to tally up our experiences and finalize our ratings.
Pros
Overall, we had an absolute blast during our 5 hours at Main Event Atlanta. For families or friend groups seeking an action-packed day of fun under one roof, packed with things to do, I cannot recommend Main Event enough. Here are some of my favorite parts:
VR Experience – The VR offerings blew me away with state-of-the-art gear and super immersive games like Beat Saber and Star Wars.
Laser Tag – The sprawling multi-level laser tag arena was beyond cool, looking like a futuristic battle grid. We played 5 rounds, and it never got old running around blasting each other.
Selection – The sheer variety of entertainment options to bounce around from bowling to arcade, ropes course, billiards, karaoke, and more was unmatched. No chance of getting bored here!
Service – Every staff member we interacted with was pleasant, helpful, and enthusiastic, increasing the fun factor even more. Our server did a great job despite the chaos.
Value – Considering all the attractions included, along with solid good food, drinks, and service, the cost was more than fair in my book for a full day out with the family.
Cons
While we had a truly awesome experience at Main Event, no place is perfect, so there were a couple of areas I felt could be improved:
Game Maintenance – About 20% of the arcade games had “out of order” signs on them, which was a bummer anytime one of the kids wanted to play those specific games. Hopefully just an off day, but it’s something to improve.
Soda Fountain – The self-service Coke Freestyle soda fountain had about half the spouts not working, which was annoying when getting drinks. Needed refilling.
Seating Arrangement – Because it got pretty packed on a Saturday, seating in the restaurant area was a free-for-all. Might help to have sign stands for waiting to be seated or a hostess to better organize. We found spots, but it took some effort to navigate the controlled chaos.
Pricing Complaints – I overheard a few parents grumbling about additional fees for various attractions the kids wanted to play, like go-karts or VR, that weren’t included in the base wristband. I get that not everything can be bundled in, but they could maybe do a better job setting expectations up front for parents on full pricing.
Conclusion
To wrap things up, our family agreed Main Event Entertainment was an absolute blast and kicked Dave & Buster’s butt in terms of modern amenities and a variety of activities included for one entry fee. We lost track of time, zipping around from game to game over 5 full hours until closing, having the time of our lives.
As a tech fanatic, I can be tough to impress, but their VR setup completely wowed me with its next-generation gear and hyper-immersive gameplay. I may have shed a happy tear deflecting lasers back at Darth Vader in glorious virtual reality. The rest of my family also had an absolute riot racing go-kart, battling zombies, scaling the ropes course, and demolishing giant turkey legs bigger than our heads.
For families seeking a jam-packed day of classic arcade fun paired with new school cutting-edge entertainment, specifically VR, I cannot recommend Main Event highly enough. The Atlanta location, in particular, was massive, with no dead zones and staff that enhanced the experience even more with their friendliness and prompt service.
After reluctantly leaving as they closed down, we were already discussing making Main Event entertainment venues a new must-do staple anytime we travel to big cities in the future based on how much ridiculous fun we had. A perfect place to create lifelong memories together as a family. Thanks for the wild ride, Main Event – keep on doing what you do!