The Mana Bar Impressions

With the highly anticipated opening of Australia's first video game bar being a week ago, some friends and I thought the weekend just gone would be a good time to check it out. We'd avoid the opening night kinks and crowds, but still catch the buzz while it was high. Continue?

After two hours of pre-valley drinks at a friends place, our party of seven arrived at The Mana Bar at around eight o'clock. There was no line to speak of, just a doorman dressed as Snake from the Metal Gear Solid series checking IDs and shadowing him like the principal at a school formal was none other than Benjamin "Yahtzee" Croshaw a.k.a. The Man That Smiles Forgot. In order to acknowledge his presence and let him know that I had cleverly deduced his identity despite the absence of his signature fedora and goatee, I verbally pointed Yahtzee out to one of my friends loud enough for him to hear. Of course, being the typical gushing fan that I am, I managed to embarrass myself before I was even halfway through the sentence. (I blame the Maker's Mark.) I encountered Yahtzee twice more during my time at The Mana Bar and both times his demeanour was such that I considered myself lucky not to be spat on.^{+No, I'm not the sort of fan that would enjoy that.}

Once inside, my first thought was: "Where's the rest of the place?" I had spoken to people who have been to The Mana Bar before so I'd heard it was small, but this place is TINY! Still, they've done well with the space they have and it looks decent. I counted a total of four gaming stations consisting of three Xbox 360s and a Wii. I'm not sure if it was intentional, but the Wii was the closest one to the men's room. Each station accommodated four players and had a small chest height table on which to rest your drinks. In one corner by the bar was a display case filled with gaming themed paraphernalia in front of which was another table. The men's room was adorned with gaming posters and stickers, but the decorations seemed a little sparse. It would be cool to see the walls become increasingly busy with video game characters, console logos and the like over time.

A friend tried the Mana Potion, one of the bars custom cocktails, and gave it the thumbs up. I played it safe and went with a delicious Jack Daniels slushy which came in a Grand Theft Auto cup. Regretfully, the ever vigilant bar staff made of with my empty cup before I had a chance to add it to my inventory.

The only console I got a chance to play was the Wii which I started out playing with three friends, but was soon playing with three strangers. Once my newly acquainted doubles partner and I had been defeated at the tennis portion of Wii Sports, I introduced him to my table of friends and his friends then came over and introduced themselves. One of them turned out to be a developer from halfbrick studios, makers of Raskulls which was being played not two metres away. This kind of socialising isn't what I typically experience when I go out to other pubs and clubs. But at a gaming themed bar, you already have something in common with the other patrons and most of them are members of the Brisbane/Queensland gaming community in one form or another. You get the whole "small world" thing going on.

At about 10 o'clock, when we left The Mana Bar, there was a line up to get in about the same size as the crowd inside. So my advice would be to get there early while the bar is enjoying its current level of popularity.

I found that patrons of a refreshingly high calibre created a friendly and jovial atmosphere. The lighting and the music were both at comfortable levels. Not too dark or too loud. I can't comment on the price of drinks as my mate elRobbo (a.k.a. Paully Fast Fingers) shouted me my slushy. That reminds me: $20 purchase minimum for eftpos. That's a f---ing scam if ever there was one. (Do I have to bring back the swear jar? Ed)

In the end, I found The Mana Bar to be a quite a tidy little establishment and a not just different, but worthwhile. Definitely a must see if you find yourself in Fortitude Valley.

www.manabar.com.au

P.S. Later in the evening my entourage and I wound up at Dome Sound Bar Karaoke where we had an absolute blast. Not the cheapest, but a nice place with great service.^{+No. Sleep. Til Brooklyn!}