History of Video Games: Part 8
For this installment comes a closer humorous look at the Magnavox Odyssey 2 released in 1978. Some of the games talked about in this video are alien invaders, computer golf, and more!
Watch the entire 10 part History of Video Games series here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL925332D8BE4B7E2B
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The IRATE Gamer Season 6 Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVXowHXIcoggC6xoQvpCCyg364SWNsRJy
Irate Gamer Complete Playlist 2007-2021: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLVXowHXIcogjF1p3QYk0IEgD30t0DSPkF
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23 comments
Changing boundaries or moving blocks or removing baddies.
I think this tactic worked for KC Munchkin too.. or that mouse trap clone...
Anything with a maze or boundary could be altered this way
GTE, being the half-ass company it was at the time, delivered the console almost 3 months after Christmas, AND the box was damaged upon arrival. Mine, like this one, came with the same 3 game cartridge and it played fine, but after about a month, that one cartridge got stale to the point of me not wanting to even touch it after awhile. Unfortunately, Odyssey wasn’t a popular platform at all, unlike the Atari which had a wide selection of games at just about every department store in the country. The closest place to buy Odyssey games was 40 miles away at 1 one store in the mall. What was equally as frustrating was the fact that we only went to the mall when we had other business in that town, so no quick trips unless it was accompanied by official business that justified the gas and time it took to go there and get back. Add to that the 1 store that DID sell the games had a selection of only 3 or 4 different titles at any given time AND the individual games were almost $10 more expensive than the 50 or so odd titles available for the Atari. The absolute WORST part was finding out that almost none of the anemic selection of Odyssey games they had would work on my unit because mine was a first generation unit and was being discontinued, as EVERYTHING ELSE was in the GTE company catalogue.
After about a year, I gave up on it and ended up selling it to a buddy who had about 10 first generation games so he’d have a console to play them on after his unit took a dump. Even after selling it for about 1/2 of what it cost brand new and explaining the deal to my Dad, he STILL refused to meet me halfway so I could get an Atari. So basically, from about ‘81-‘84, I had no gaming system except a ragged-out Pong platform that I inherited from my uncle that I only used once before boxing it up and throwing it in the basement to rot.
By ‘84, the hottest thing on the market was the Commodore 64. Once again, they were everywhere, most of my buddies had them and I started dropping hints and leaving brochures around the house where I knew my Dad would see them and hopefully take the bait. Sure enough, he went back to the GTE company catalogue which I promptly threw into the trash as soon as he handed it to me. About a month later, he came to me with an offer to buy me the cheaper and useless Commodore Vic-20. I promptly shut that down before he decided to act on his own and buy one for me as a surprise and then get mad when I’d never use it.
It was another 6 months, or so, when he mentioned that we were going to the mall and wondered if I was still interested in getting a Commodore? I told him “Only if it’s the 64 and NOT the Vic-20”. He hemmed and hawed before telling me that he had been talking with one of the young guys at work and that he was told that the Commodore 64 was the way to go and that he’d be willing to get me one for my birthday, IF I promised to play with it and not just let it collect dust on a shelf. I agreed and we ended up getting one that same day. A couple months later, Dad started to ask me if I was interested in getting a 1541 Disc Drive for my 64 and I couldn’t believe my ears. That, plus Escape From Wolfenstein was my sole Christmas present that year. I was in 7th Heaven over his newfound generosity and the fact that I actually had a state-of-the-art gaming console/computer that I actually used daily.
One day, a few months after I got the disc drive, Dad asked me to give him my Wolfenstein game for a couple of days. I thought it was odd, so I asked him why and he told me that the guy at work who convinced him to buy the 64 and the disc drive wanted to borrow my Wolfenstein game, copy it for his own use and in exchange, he was going to copy ALL of the games he had for his 64 and put them on disc for me, because he apparently had 2 1541 disc drives. About a week later, Dad showed up with my Wolfenstein game, an additional dozen discs with ALL SORTS of awesome games on them, photocopied loading and game instructions and a “thank you” note from the guy who did all of the work. Once again, I was a pig in slop and spent the next year playing those games with my friends and having a ball.
I kept that Commodore system and continued to thoroughly enjoy it until it gave up the ghost in the early 90s. Even though Super Nintendo was the console to have by then, there was still something special about the old-school Commodore that just wouldn’t allow me to completely abandon it for the younger chic at the dance.🥲
a motocross type motorcycle game where you had to run over the fuel canisters on the route to refuel the bike, which was also addictive. This was more around 1983-85 or so.
Some local deli had both of those machines so we'd hang out there during lunch in jr. high and spend tons on 'em.
Change My Mind
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