Race/Spinout/Cryptogram

This is the single most common Odyssey² game, because it was packed in with the system in all parts of the world. Magnavox tried to impress people with the fact that their pack-in featured three games on one cartridge. In 1979, these games were loads of fun (well, maybe Cryptogram wasn't) -- but today, it's difficult to imagine anyone being impressed by any of these titles:

Race - An incredibly simple racing game where you control a figure-8 shaped blob that is supposedly a Formula-1 race car. Move faster and faster, and change lanes to avoid crashing your blob into the other Formula-1 blobs. The object is to drive at top speed, without crashing, for two minutes. This may sound exciting, but it's really not. Accelerating consists of pushing the joystick forward for a few seconds. Steering, such as it is, consists of moving your car from side to side. Since the game is timed, it's possible to achieve a perfect score. Aiming for one may give you a bit of fun with this game, but once you attain it, you'll likely never play it again (that is, unless you grew up playing Odyssey² and are consumed in a fit of nostalgia).

Spinout - A game requiring two players. You maneuver your box-with-wheels around the boxy race track, trying to outrace your opponent's box. Crash and you lose time. Your opponent can ram you, causing you to spin-out and lose more time. The semi-randomness of the spin-outs can bring a certain amount of giddy fun to the race if both players are evenly matched in terms of skill, or if you're intoxicated or have been awake for several days. This is definitely the best game of the three on this cartridge.

Cryptogram - A cryptogram game. You enter in a word or phrase, a "random encryption cypher" scrambles it, and your opponent has to guess what it is. The fact that this game even exists demonstrates what a novelty the Odyssey² keyboard was in 1979. "Oooh, I can type letters! On the screen! And the computer can rearrange them!" We laugh now, but it was incredible back then. The Odyssey² console box describes this game as a "mental blockbuster" where "your opponents have to out-think you... and the computer!" I don't know... could this have been that tough to figure out, even in '79? Just because people liked disco music back then, it doesn't mean they were idiots. But all kidding aside, this game was an effective demonstration of what the O2 keyboard could do. Now, it's just a technological relic.

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