Opinions on the Odyssey 2

[littleman jack]

I like the O2 a lot. KTAA is one of my favorite games for any system.

And the two KC Munchkin games, UFO, Killer Bees, and Pick Axe Pete are all fun too.

And games keep coming out of a few sites such as Pack Rat, so it gives you something to look forward to with the O2.

[Seob]

A interesting game for the G7000 is nightfighter. It's a flight simulator that makes good use of the videopac's keyboard. With key's to select weapons, lower or raise your landing gear. Remaining fuel. Graphic wise there isn't to much to see, hey you fly at night, but the use of the keyboard is great.

A great game for the G7400 is Flashpoint. It uses both controllers for 1 person. One joystick controls your vehicle, the other controls the direction you want to shoot at.

[Serious]

I love the Odyssey 2 as much as the VCS, possibly more.

 

The good games on the system are absolutely great. The controllers are also very good.

 

The VCS had the benefit of lots of very talented programmers learning lots of tricks, over time, to push that console far beyond its intended use. Compare the earliest VCS titles to the O2's games, for example. Who knows what could have been achieved with the O2 if there had been as much time and ingenuity applied to it? (Demon Attack seems to suggest it could do as much as other systems of its generation could, in the hands of great programmers.)

 

Magnavox's box art is absolutely beautiful.

[+thegoldenband]

I have an Odyssey^2 and enjoy it in moderation, though now that I think of it I haven't pulled the system out in at least a year. I've been meaning to try out the board game hybrids, and I think those might be a real feather in the system's cap, but otherwise I've only found a few games that I really enjoyed: Blockout/Breakdown, Killer Bees, Pick Axe Pete, Loony Balloon, and especially Smithereens (which is great with the Voice).

 

The graphic limitations are real, but to me, the sound limitations are almost as much of a liability. I think there was one game that managed to get around it (Turtles, I think?) and the Voice helps, but otherwise the lack of good tunes is a real problem.

[gamecat80]

So I dug out my O2 and plugged it in to play some games. It had been sitting for about a year collecting dust. I think one thing that made me put it away shortly after buying it and playing it for a week or so is that it glitches up all the time. I thought I cleaned it well (cart slot & carts) with a toothbrush and cleaners, but it still glitches up on me big time. I even pulled a game out while the system was on, and it still showed a playfield on screen. Weird. Actually, I have 2 Odyssey 2's -- one of them sorta works (the one I was talking about), and the other doesn't work at all and just shows the same graphical playfield. I wonder if the sorta-working O2 just needs to be cleaned further or if a chip or video RAM or something is going bad?

Still had fun playing the games (when they worked). I should clarify that KC Munchkin "winks" after a cleared level in KC's Krazy Chase!, not the first KC Munchkin.

 

I agree with others that the box art is beautiful and the controllers are very good. One thing that I wish the O2 had, though, is a little 'door' for the cart compartment to keep dirt/dust out.

 

Despite the O2's primitiveness, there is a certain charm to it. I'd play mine more if it didn't glitch up like it does.

[Jess Ragan]

I love the Odyssey 2 as much as the VCS, possibly more.

 

The good games on the system are absolutely great. The controllers are also very good.

 

The VCS had the benefit of lots of very talented programmers learning lots of tricks, over time, to push that console far beyond its intended use. Compare the earliest VCS titles to the O2's games, for example. Who knows what could have been achieved with the O2 if there had been as much time and ingenuity applied to it? (Demon Attack seems to suggest it could do as much as other systems of its generation could, in the hands of great programmers.)

 

Magnavox's box art is absolutely beautiful.

 

Yes, it's great! Imagine some of that stuff under a black light... it'd blow your MIND, man.

 

But I'll be honest with you, I don't think the Odyssey2 could have been pushed much harder due to its restrictive design. Most of the graphics were built into the unit, making arcade ports abstracted beyond recognition. The sound grates, seeming pulled from the Kraftwerk song Pocket Calculator. There was so little RAM that an expansion was necessary to make the machine play chess. The Ody is technologically hamstrung, not built for the long haul like the Atari 2600 was. You could probably improve the system with an expansion unit, but I don't think it would address the system's core issues.

[mbd30]

If the O2 could be pushed that hard, there should be some amazing homebrews for it. Are there any?

 

I know that there have been some amazing Atari 2600 homebrews.

[Serious]

If the O2 could be pushed that hard, there should be some amazing homebrews for it. Are there any?

 

I know that there have been some amazing Atari 2600 homebrews.

 

Check out the games by Revival Studios.

 

This is one of the more technically impressive games:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uji7kiOiQiI

 

The hires background only works on G7400 / Odyssey 3 consoles, but the rest of it (like the complex sprites) works on any Odyssey 2.

 

There is also a game coming out soon called Wildlife that is pretty impressive. It reminds me, in some ways, of Pitfall 2.

[mbd30]

Check out the games by Revival Studios.

 

This is one of the more technically impressive games:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uji7kiOiQiI

 

The hires background only works on G7400 / Odyssey 3 consoles, but the rest of it (like the complex sprites) works on any Odyssey 2.

 

There is also a game coming out soon called Wildlife that it pretty impressive. It reminds me, in some ways, of Pitfall 2.

Hey, that's pretty good. Very smooth.

[Jess Ragan]

 

Check out the games by Revival Studios.

 

This is one of the more technically impressive games:

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uji7kiOiQiI

 

The hires background only works on G7400 / Odyssey 3 consoles, but the rest of it (like the complex sprites) works on any Odyssey 2.

 

There is also a game coming out soon called Wildlife that it pretty impressive. It reminds me, in some ways, of Pitfall 2.

 

Gosh, that's pretty impressive for an Odyssey game. Multicolored sprites? And I thought Mr. Roboto was amazing!

 

What does the Odyssey3 do that the Odyssey2 can't, anyway? Is it just the static backgrounds or is there more to to the machine than that?

[Serious]

 

Gosh, that's pretty impressive for an Odyssey game. Multicolored sprites? And I thought Mr. Roboto was amazing!

 

What does the Odyssey3 do that the Odyssey2 can't, anyway? Is it just the static backgrounds or is there more to to the machine than that?

 

Most games that leverage the O3/G7400 hires mode just add a hires background. This is a nice one (Demon Attack Plus):

 

 

However, a game called Flash Point that was to be a launch title for the O3 uses the hires mode for all the graphics:

 

[CatPix]

Only 3 original games are Videopac + only : Norseman, American Rally and Helicopter Rescue. They all use "hi res" mode and will not work on an Odyssey²/Videopac.

[littleman jack]

If the O2 could be pushed that hard, there should be some amazing homebrews for it. Are there any?

 

I know that there have been some amazing Atari 2600 homebrews.

Check out Packrat Video Games website. They sell some excellent homebrews for the O2.

[gamecat80]

 

Most games that leverage the O3/G7400 hires mode just add a hires background. This is a nice one (Demon Attack Plus):

 

 

However, a game called Flash Point that was to be a launch title for the O3 uses the hires mode for all the graphics:

 

 

Those are impressive screenshots, especially the first one. The Demon Attack Plus looks very much like a ColecoVision game.

It's a shame the O3 wasn't released due to the "NA Video Game Crash" Would have been an awesome system with "updated" graphics & keyboard, as well as backward-compatibility to play the old O2 games!

http://www.pcmag.com/slideshow/story/264435/10-unreleased-video-game-consoles/5

[RickR]

My favorite two features of the O2:

1. The voice module is cool. Attack of the Timelord with voice is just plain awesome. The other voice enhanced games are cool too. The voice module adds so much to some otherwise crude games.
2. The multi-cart is cheap. I think it's about $40 for a multi-cart with most games.

[wolfy62]

My Odyssey 2 died. my Son keeps asking me to get a working one. i have an older Multicart but would love to get all the newer games. some of them look really good!

[Seob]

My Odyssey 2 died. my Son keeps asking me to get a working one. i have an older Multicart but would love to get all the newer games. some of them look really good!

Be aware that most of the new games use the g7400 ability to display backgrounds. They work on a normal o2, but u won't see the nice backgrounds.

[Falconhood]

The Odysey 2 was one of my first video game systems, so I have many fond memories of playing it. When my dad gave me a big box for Christmas and told me it was a hatchet inside, I cried and refused to open it, because the lie was too real. I often had to carry wood inside for the fireplace, and as I was older I figured it was time for me to be doing the chopping of wood. Thankfully inside the big box was an O2!

[timdu]

 

There is also a game coming out soon called Wildlife that is pretty impressive. It reminds me, in some ways, of Pitfall 2.

 

I am happy to report that we (2600 Connection and Rafael Cardoso) are announcing that

a new ODYSSEY²game a called WILDLIFE! - with inspiration coming from the famous

Atari 2600 game Pitfall! (by Activision) - will be released in March 2014.

 

WILDLIFE! features a "jungle adventure" style of gameplay that has never been available in the library

of ODYSSEY² / VIDEOPAC videogames. It will surely receive a warm welcome!

Rafael recently programmed HIGH WATER PATROL! and PIGGYBACK PLANET! for the Odyssey² / VIDEOPAC.

 

 

I personally love the Odyssey² system. Years ago, it was the frist system I bought in 1981. Even though I started

playing home videogames on a friends' Atari 2600 systems, there was something magical about this

system that attracted me to it. About a year later, I gave in to the dark side and caved in and bought

an Atari 2600 in 1982.

 

I have published 2 homebrew games for the Odyssey²: GOSUB! (in 2012) and WALLS! (in 2013)

Both games were created and programmed by none other than Chris "atari2600land" Read, who is

quite active here on AA. Chris is very talented.

 

 

Look for more details and information on WILDLIFE! to come. Stay tuned!

 

 

Happy New Year 2014!

 

Tim

Edited January 1, 2014 by timdu

[+LS650]

Sounds interesting...

[timdu]

I forgot to post the screen shot of the game...

 

Enjoy!

 

[+Gemintronic]

One great way to soil yourself is to forget just HOW LOUD THE SELECT GAME bleep is when alone in the house.

[simbalion]

I forgot to post the screen shot of the game...

 

Enjoy!

 

wildlifess.jpg

 

That actually looks pretty good for an O2 game.

[+LS650]

I'm thinking of getting an O2 with a few commons. Other than eBay or the AA market, is there anywhere people recommending looking for such a purchase?

[Seob]

I'm thinking of getting an O2 with a few commons. Other than eBay or the AA market, is there anywhere people recommending looking for such a purchase?

Try http://www.videopac.nl/forum it's the main O2/Videopac forum. Ask people there, maybe someone can hook u up.