Just got an Odyssey 2. Help Classic gamers!

Reserved for classic gaming discussions.
matmico399
Posts: 1419
Joined: November 25th, 2015, 6:11 pm

Just got an Odyssey 2. Help Classic gamers!

Postby matmico399 » February 5th, 2016, 6:40 pm

Hi All,

I just got an Odyssey 2 I ordered off Ebay. $60, not a bad score. I have two main questions.

I remember my best friend throughout grade school and HS had an Odyssey 2 and I had so many great memories from playing that with him. Everyone else I knew had an Atari 2600 (like me) or an Intellivision.

My first question is this. It came with the original audio/video hookups from the early 80's. It does work but trying to play it on a flat screen it is covered with "snow". I get about 60% picture and 40% snow. I also have this problem on my 2600, but not as bad, about 80% picture and 20% snow. How can I remedy this in an inexpensive way? I would like obv to get as clear a picture as possible. I know I will need to purchase new cords or adapters or something, but trying to keep it inexpensive.

Secondly Odyssey 2 owners let me know which games are real treasures.....I have

-Pick Ax Pete
-K.C.'s Crazy Chase
-K.C. Munchkin
-Baseball
-Speedway/Spinout/Crypto Logic
-Cosmic Conflict

What other O2 games are worth owning? And no Lord Of The Rings please. Thanks!

User avatar
scotland
Posts: 2561
Joined: April 7th, 2015, 7:33 pm

Re: Just got an Odyssey 2. Help Classic gamers!

Postby scotland » February 5th, 2016, 9:35 pm

Congrats on the purchase. Hope you have lots of fun.

The system, like the WiiU never made as good use of its assets (here a keyboard) as it should have, and unlike the 2600, has a library that came mostly from 1 person who liked the native hardware assets (those little guys) a bit too much.

The system is best with a friend. Either head to head because AI is so early and primitive, and to take turns on quick arcade titles.

I use a simple.F male to RCA female adapter, and it works and dirt cheap, even on an HD tv.

There is a multicart if you want games and not concerned on collecting.

Some games to consider:

The homebrew KTAA, Kill the Attacking Aliens, is well done.
Freedom Fighters and U.F.O. are late games that can be fun in short bursts.
Computer Golf, Showdown in 2100 AD, and Football, while Dave did not like them, are as good as their Atari 2600 counterparts...I think football is better.
War of Nerves has not been reviewed by VGC yet, but I like it. The big tall guys make it sta d out.
Dave did not like Invaders from Hyperspace, but I played it a lot. I don't recall an Atari counterpart and while it could be better, its not an F. Helicopter Rescue, sure, thats an F (it seems like a proof of concept, not a game) but IFH is very playable.

matmico399
Posts: 1419
Joined: November 25th, 2015, 6:11 pm

Re: Just got an Odyssey 2. Help Classic gamers!

Postby matmico399 » February 5th, 2016, 10:49 pm

Thanks Scotland your points are well taken, esp about the hookups needed for a clear picture.

The multicart doesn't interest me (as you might have guessed) because I like playing them the way they were originally meant to be played. I will order those parts for a great signal, and even through the "snow' K.C.'s Crazy Chase is the best of the bunch. Great game! And when I was in 6th or 7th grade, my best friend Phil and I stayed up past midnight on a Friday night playing Cosmic Conflict, Crypto Logic and K.C. Munchkin. Thanks for the advice!

User avatar
scotland
Posts: 2561
Joined: April 7th, 2015, 7:33 pm

Re: Just got an Odyssey 2. Help Classic gamers!

Postby scotland » February 6th, 2016, 7:01 am

For the video: I do generally use a CRT, but that hookup has worked on HD tvs. If its still bad with a new connector it could be the connection at the tv, or the RF cable itself, or its connection inside the Odyssey. If you open up the Odyssey 2, I believe you can just plug in a new RF in the jack with no work required. The RF cable inside may also have a loop with a piece of metal that reduces RF interference. Check if its there. That may help too. Maybe someone mods them to AV, but I use the RF out.

I dont plug retail places often, but I have used Atari2600.Com for Odyssey supplies. The paper boxes are flimsy (the carts are resilient) so think about some form of replacement if you collect. i remember Marriot Guys's site,http://www.videogameconsolelibrary.com, has a nice article on plastic boxes. Give him a shout there about O2 plastic boxes, or maybe Dave or others here already know.

Please share your impressions of the game and system.

Teddybear
Posts: 212
Joined: April 7th, 2015, 7:50 pm

Re: Just got an Odyssey 2. Help Classic gamers!

Postby Teddybear » February 6th, 2016, 8:47 am

I took the plunge last spring and bought an Odyssey 2 off of EBay. I'm a guy that has 7 extra CRT televisions stored in my basement so I am useless to you regarding the snow you get on a modern flat screen.

But I highly recommend getting these games: Killer Bees and Attack of the Timelord. These two games are my favorites and along with the K.C. games will be the reasons I will continue to hook up the system from time to time in the future. Also, consider getting a voice module - it is a neat novelty that makes playing voice-compatible cartridges even more interesting.

User avatar
scotland
Posts: 2561
Joined: April 7th, 2015, 7:33 pm

Re: Just got an Odyssey 2. Help Classic gamers!

Postby scotland » February 6th, 2016, 11:04 am

Teddybear wrote:Killer Bees and Attack of the Timelord. These two games are my favorites and along with the K.C. games will be the reasons I will continue to hook up the system from time to time in the future.


Dave liked those as well. Killer Bees is very inventive. The imagic games are all solid too. Dave really likes Smithereens, perhaps from the voice enhancement. I like those catapult games but not this one due to the systems low resolution. Its the same issue with bowling, in that you need a variety of flight paths for gameplay that the resolution hampers (although Killer Bees sbows what the system can really do.)

Teddybear wrote: Also, consider getting a voice module - it is a neat novelty that makes playing voice-compatible cartridges even more interesting.


This is a neat topic by itself. The Odyssey had one, the Inty, the TI99 had a reputation for having very innovative voice tech, and then software means came later. The C64 has some decent sound, as seen in Apollo 18. Its a shame the NES or SMS, to my knowledge, never had voice attachments.


Return to “Classic Gaming”