Pick Axe Pete Pick-Off Picked On

Apparently, the 1982 World's Fair was a stunningly pathetic attempt to rejuvenate the sagging economy of Knoxville, Tennessee. But the Fair was also the home of the Pick Axe Pete Pick-Off, an Odyssey² competition with six grand on the line, so maybe it wasn't so bad after all. Well, according to video game journalist Bill Kunkel, it was. Kunkel was there at the last day of the Fair to witness the Pick-Off firsthand, and he wasn't impressed, to say the least. You can read all the unpleasant details in the latest installment of The Kunkel Report, Kunkel's recurring column on Digital Press. Prepare yourself for Fear & Loathing @ the Pick-Axe Pete Pick-Off.

For a less gloomy picture of the Pick-Off, watch some vintage news coverage of the event over in the Videos section.

Incidentally, I'm writing a quarterly column for Digital Press myself. It's called Found & Lost. Hope you enjoy it!

For Your Viewing Pleasure: O2 Videos!

There's a new page lurking in the Media section: Videos! Thanks to my recent acquisition of a TV capture card, I've been able to digitize my small collection of Odyssey²-related video clips into AVI format and put them up for download. Here's some of what's available:

• Four TV commercials featuring the Wizard of Odyssey >>
• 1983 Philips CES video promoting the Odyssey³ Command Center
• Pick Axe Pete Pick-Off news coverage
• Videos of Odyssey³ games and hardware
• Trans American Rally footage
• More Odyssey² TV commercials

All of these clips, plus any new ones I may come across, will reside on the Videos page. I'm always on the lookout for more clips, but they're scarce, as you can imagine. Do you have any Odyssey-related video on VHS tape? Tell me about it.

Planet Lander Has Landed!

Ted Szczypiorski's brand NEW homebrew Odyssey² game, the Lunar Lander-inspired Planet Lander!, is now available for purchase at Packrat Video Games. Each cartridge comes with a strikingly authentic label (see photo) and instruction manual. And, if you act by Monday, June 14, you can buy the game for a low introductory price of $18.95 (plus shipping). Wow... first Kill the Attacking Aliens, now Planet Lander!... now is a good time to be an O2 fan!

Read an interview with Ted Szczypiorski right here.

Videopac + G7400 Import/Modification Guide

Once again I have to apologize for the severe lack of updates recently, but I've been sidetracked with a bunch of other projects lately. Some will end up contributing to the site, others won't -- although pretty much everything that's kept me busy has to do with gaming. Ah, so much to do, so little time! In the meantime, here's an update that's actually been 99% ready for a good while, but I waited to announce it until I had the chance to research a few last-minute details.

If you're a regular visitor, then you probably already know about the Odyssey²'s "next-generation" follow-up console that came out in Europe: the Philips Videopac + G7400. And if you live in North America, you're probably bummed that you can't play the console over here. Well, it turns out you can, if you're willing to import a European machine and maybe perform a few hardware modifications. With MAJOR help from René van den Enden of the Netherlands, I've put together a multi-step G7400 Import and Modification Guide that explains what console model to look for, how to modify it for composite and/or RGB video, and what you need to get it working on this side of the Atlantic. Enjoy, and if this guide ends up helping you import your G7400, please let me know about it.

Major Collectibles Overhaul!

Finally, this update is done! After about two months of work, I've overhauled the Collectibles section. It's now much bigger, broken up better, more informative, and most importantly, has tons of new Odyssey² collectibles to drool over! It would take too long to list everything that's new here, but here are some highlights:

• The Collectibles area is still broken into three sections – Advertising, Hardware and Miscellaneous – but these are now broken into smaller sub-sections, including Magazines, Apparel, European Consoles, and more. This makes it easier to find specific types of collectibles.
• Each collectible has been given a "Find-ability" rating that indicates how easy or difficult the item is to obtain. This is only a general guideline however, not a hard and fast rarity rating.
• Better page layouts throughout the section.
• Photo captions and credits have been taken out of the image files, and are now stored in a database. This looks better, and is easier for me to maintain.
• TONS of new items are listed! This overhaul took me so long to complete because I had notes and photos scattered throughout my hard disk, on several CD-Rs and across two PCs. I scoured them all for this update. Look for photos of obscure promo items, a GTE employees' sales flyer, more information on Japanese and Canadian consoles, Odyssey t-shirts from Brazil, cool storage units, and much more!

I have to say, now that this update is finished, that I'm simply amazed at the sheer number of Odyssey²- and Videopac-related items that exist. Who'd have thought our not-so-popular system could have inspired so much stuff? And I know there's more out there to find... I'll keep looking!

Retrogaming Times, One Last Time

After seven years and 80 issues, the free online newsletter Retrogaming Times has published its final issue. But at least the publication is going out with a bang. Editor Tom Zjaba invited a lot of the old authors back to create an extra-large, "all-star" issue. I contributed one article (the uplifting "When Nostalgic Becomes Pathetic" on page 2), but please don't let that prevent you from reading it. Congratulations to RT for its long and impressive run. All the back issues are still available, so get reading!

Szczypiorski Speaks!

Want to know what it's like to program your own Odyssey² game? Then read my interview with Ted Szczypiorski, creator of the upcoming homebrew O2 game Planet Lander!. Ted gives some valuable tips for would-be O2 programmers, provides some tantalizing information about his next Odyssey² project, and reveals just what that whole "Ted Foolery" thing is all about. Thanks for the interview Ted!

Homebrew News!

There's some major news on the Odyssey² homebrew front! First, Sören Gust's remarkable Kill the Attacking Aliens is now available for sale at Packrat Video Games. For only $15.95 plus shipping, you get a KTAA cartridge and a full-color manual. The first shipments of the game were supposed to have gone out 3/29. I don't know about you, but I've ordered mine!

While browsing Packrat's site, you might notice that another new Odyssey² homebrew is in the works: Planet Lander!! This Odyssey² take on the arcade classic Lunar Lander was developed by programmer Ted Szczypiorski and will eventually be released under his "Ted-Foolery" label. Ted already has a web site about the game, complete with a fully playable ROM image and impressive looking manual. And what's more, Ted says on his home page that he's already started work on yet another new Odyssey² game! Check it out!

In keeping with these new developments, I've added an entry for Planet Lander! to the Games Database.

A Journey That Begins Where Everything Ends

From the deepest depths of blackest space comes a brand new review -- of Neutron Star, AKA Buraco Negro! (also AKA "Black Hole"). Reviewer Mike Cronis has braved the treacherous spaceways to bring us a detailed report on this rare game that squeaked onto the European and Brazilian markets, but was never released Stateside. Remember: no one may be able to hear you scream in space, but everyone will hear your screams of frustration while playing this incredibly challenging title.

This review comes to you courtesy of Mike's patient reminders that A) I hadn't updated the site in forever, and B) why didn't I get off my lazy behind? Sorry. But I do have some big updates in the works... stay tuned!

Late Updates

I'm a bit late posting these updates, but unfortunately I just haven't had time to post anything lately (I just moved into a new apartment, and my job situation is hectic right now, and lots of other excuses you aren't interested in reading.) Anyway, better late than never...

• Fatman Games recently announced "Odyssey² Week," several days of articles and reviews dedicated to your favorite system. A few Odyssey² features are already online; I'm not sure if more are planned.
• In addition to the cash bounties listed in an earlier news item, Twin Galaxies' Robert Mruczek is also offering a $50 bounty on Freedom Fighters!. It's open for the remainder of 2004. Can you rescue enough prisoners of the Pulsars to win 50 big ones?? Details are available here. Thanks to Manuel Rotschkar for the news.
• The UK games magazine GamesTM has taken its "Retro" subsection online with a new web site. There doesn't seem to be anything related to the Odyssey² or G7000 on the site right now, but perhaps in the future. Anyway, the site's definitely worth checking out if you're into classic gaming.

Enjoy!

High Score$

Twin Galaxies, the renowned keeper of video game high scores, is offering bounties -- actual cash prizes -- for people who set new records on selected games. Twin Galaxies' Chief Referee Robert Mruczek put up the dough from out of his own pocket, in an attempt to stimulate interest in video game record-breaking and to bring some attention to a few games he thinks are being neglected. His list of bounty challenges even includes two Odyssey² games: UFO! and K.C. Munchkin!. For the complete list of challenge games and details about how to submit your scores, head on over to the Twin Galaxies Forums.

Rex Battenberg Interview

Dieter Koenig of the Classic Consoles Center has just published an interview with Rex Battenberg, programmer of the arcade game Space Dungeon and the unreleased Odyssey3 prototype Flashpoint. Read the interview to learn how Rex got started in programming, how neither of the games he produced for Magnavox (Lord of the Dungeon being the other) was published, and what he's up to today. The interview also includes some mouth-watering Flashpoint screenshots. Thanks for the news, Dieter!

Retrogaming Times #77

Issue #77 of the online classic gaming newsletter Retrogaming Times is now online. This issue features some MAME reviews, a look at the legend of the arcade game Polybius, and, perhaps most significantly, some still photos from two Odyssey² TV commercials! Now you can bear witness to the awesome star power of the large-eyebrowed gentleman who played the Wizard of Odyssey on the small screen. Certainly, he was a fine actor whose fame faded all too quickly.

Two More Prototypes!

Happy New Year! Here's a piece of good news to kick off 2004.

Fresh after the discovery of the Spider-Man prototype, the Brazilian Odyssey site Odyssey 2000 has uncovered two more unreleased Videopac protos! The two EPROMs are owned by Bas Kornalijnslijper, the owner of the Spider-Man proto. One is "Spaans," a program that translates Spanish words into Dutch and vice-versa ("Spaans" is the Dutch word for "Spanish"). The other is a logic game that requires the player to put numbers in sequence, somewhat akin to the Videopac release Chinese Logic. The word "Melrep" is written on the EPROM, although what that might mean is a mystery (it doesn't seem to be a Dutch word). Until more is discovered, "Melrep" will have to serve as the name of the game. Again, it's not yet known if the ROMs will be made available.

Go to Odyssey 2000's "Archaeology" page to see photos of the EPROM as well as some screenshots of the games in action! Get an English translation here.

Spider-Man Prototype Discovered!

The Brazilian Odyssey site Odyssey 2000 today published some news of superheroic proportions – a working prototype of Spider-Man for the Philips Videopac G7000 has finally turned up! Parker Bros. developed but never released this Videopac game starring the web-slinging superhero. Screenshots available on Odyssey 2000 reveal that the game looks quite a bit like Spider-Man for the Atari 2600, which actually did make it to market. The EPROM-based prototype cartridge is apparently now owned by Bas Kornalijnslijper, but I don't know how it came into his possession. I also don't know if Kornalijnslijper plans to dump the game's ROM, but I'll keep you posted if I learn anything. In the meantime, head on over to Odyssey 2000's "Archaeology" page to see the photos and to learn more. (The site is in Portuguese, so here's an English translation.)

While you're there, check out Maurice Simon's interview with Gil Williamson, who helped develop games for Parker Bros. Williamson reveals the possible existence of a Videopac game based on Star Wars. There's also a European Imagic catalog scan on the site that hints that the games Moonsweeper and Fathom were planned for the Videopac console as well!

Rumors of an Odyssey²-compatible Spider-Man game started back in June 2002, when Ren´ van den Enden found a reference to the game in an article from an 1984 issue of the German magazine Commander-ROM. Now we know it was for real!

Gotta Rate 'em All!

Due to popular demand, I've now made it possible to rate any game in the Games Database, regardless of whether it has been reviewed or not. You can bring up a ratings form while browsing the Database, from a game information page, or from a game review if one is available. Also, if your browser has cookies enabled, you can select to have your name and (optional) e-mail address stored so that you don't have to retype them every time you submit a rating. Now go, and make your voice heard! Unless you don't want to! Then don't worry about it!

Odyssey² Snugwords Puzzle Online!

Robert S. Harris, programmer of Killer Bees!, has created an Odyssey² "Snugwords" puzzle! Snugwords is an online game developed by Mr. Harris that plays like a cross bewtween a jigsaw and a crossword puzzle. In his latest edition, you must put the pieces together to find Odyssey² game titles! Thanks to Classic Consoles Center for the news.

Speaking of Bob Harris, Toucan's TI-99/4A Cartridges site has recently put up pages containing information about Blasto and Hustle, TI/99 games also developed by Mr. Harris. Take a look to learn more about these obscure ports of early arcade titles.

Merry Christmas!

Happy Holidays to one and all! Your Christmas present this year was provided by perhaps the bravest man in the world – Ken Wood, who sent me a photo of his younger self wearing a Quest for the Rings t-shirt, and gave me permission to post it online. You have to admit, that takes guts. Behold... the '80s!

I hope you all have a great holiday season!

Kill the Attacking Aliens Released!

Sören Gust has released the final version of Kill the Attacking Aliens, his brand new Odyssey²/Videopac game! KTAA is an advanced shoot'em-up, boasting a number of rich features not usually seen in Odyssey² games, including:

• 7 different levels
• 6 alien types
• 4 types of power-ups
• 3 different shot speeds
• Bonus points for surviving objects at level end
• Highscore
• Custom sound effects
• Additional graphics on Videopac+ machines
• Runs on PAL and NTSC machines

You can download the ROM (which is playable on O2EM), read the instructions, and get the lowdown on the game's development history on Sören's KTAA site. And there's one more piece of good news – Sören claims to be in contact with a distributor who wants to sell carts, so a cartridge version of KTAA will eventually be available!

This game shows what the O2 is truly capable of, with the right programmer at the helm. Great job Sören, and congratulations!

In-Depth for the Rings

While in a sort of Tolkienian haze, I redid the Quest for the Rings In-Depth Review. While not substantially different in terms of content, the new review (actually more of an overview of the game) is laid out better and now fits in with the overall design of the site. I believe it to be much improved, but feel free to judge for yourself. Just beware the hideous Spydroth Tarantulus.

Meanwhile, I'm also working on some more substantive updates for the rest of the site. Hopefully I'll have time to finish them soon!