Here's three more games I added to the collection, that I found on the local market one of these past weeks. It's getting harder to find the missing games :P
Yay! Well, two of these seem pretty random, but I can't wait to try out N° 37! Looks like a fun little arcade title.
In this post, I would like to introduce you guys and gals to a long forgotten system, and show you my gaming collection... My Videopac collection! (as of today, August 1st 2010)
Dun dun duuuun~ What?! You don't know what this is?!
The Videopac, mostly known as the Magnavox Odyssey² everywhere was Magnavox (later part of Philips) entry in the gaming market.
It is a videogame system part of the second generation of gaming, as I like to call, the "first era of 8-bit" games. The 8-bits are mostly remembered (sadly) now as the era of the NES, but there were simpler times before the NES/Master System/etc.. that came before. Where games were a lot simpler graphic-wise and gameplay-wise. They mostly relied on gamer's imagination back then. That was the era of the Atari 2600/5200, the Intellivision, the ColecoVision, the Sega SG-1000 and the Odyssey² in question here!
Later in its lifecycle and mostly in Europe, the system was repackaged as the Philips Videopac. I have, thanks to my father who kept his', a Videopac +, which was like the Megadrive 2 was to the Megadrive 1, an update. It could run new updated versions of some games, displaying more colors and better graphics!
I had some games trhough my father, but bought a couple of other games here and there through the years. There aren't a lot of them, around 70 or so~ A funny fact, they're numbered, which I kinda dig.
I already reviewed one for fun, an almost-Pacman-clone right here.
Let's have a look at the games I currently have:
The first bunch of games, A,1to10, are mostly experiments. Many games in one, all using the same "engine". It's the most gimmick-ysh ones of the Videopac library I think :P
10 to the 40s are the more fun to play. Real games. Well, there's always some odd ones every now and then, like text-based games or some more computer simulation thingies. (45, later, really shows this trend)
And the later games are probably some of my favorites! Killer Bees!! Turtles! Nightmare!!
Anyway, that's all I have for now.
I'll leave ya with these videos of some favorite of mines, but really, it's the kind of games you have to experience for yourself, with the classic 8-bit controller in hand, since a video without preliminary knowledge won't describe the feel you got playin' those~
(This one is so much fun to play, specially on 2 players!!)
I always have a look whenever I have a chance and find a new batch of games in some places. (and I fully accept donations, *wink wink nudge nudge*)
This review is about a pretty damn' awesome retro game!
I played it tons of time as a kid and plugged the system once again this summer. And I still had a great time with it ^__^
Edit29/12/2010: Edited this old review with my current template, instead of the huge jpg picture I previously had...
VGR: Crazy Chase From Philips Played on Videopac+ (Odyssey2) Also available on / Type Arcade/Puzzle Year 1982
If you love retro games like me, you'll probably enjoy this one for sure! Most Videopac/Odyssey2 games are designed for 2 players but this one's more arcadysh.
This one's in fact a follow up to another game called Munchkin which was a Pacman clone for this Philips system.
In fact, Atari even sued Philips for Copyright infringement back then! ..And to much surprise the original Munchkin became a lot more popular than Atari's awful Pacman port anyway!
Well, at least Atari's made some money on their ugly Pacman port...off the poor Munchkin anyways...
Finally Philips came up with an original idea! They would make a follow up to Munchkin with new rules, this time it not about eating pills or ghost-guys but a snake/caterpillar which is a parody of Atari's own Centipede!
This sequel was called in a lot of countries Super Munchkin - in France where it was the most popular, it was called "Superglouton" as the followup to "Glouton".
The game is pretty addictive and pretty easy to have a grip on. You have to eat the Centipede-guy, avoid his face or the enemies around. You can eat the trees but they slow you down. Also once you start the eating animation the other enemies will lose their defenses and can be eaten!
The gamespeed goes faster and faster every new round!
This is one of those rare games I've been able to play with my dad (imagine how addictive it may be!)...
In fact it was him who bought the system and most of these retro games back in the day! :P
Let's recap! Great original arcade game; simple, retro and fun!
Don't expect any BGM or any super sound effects here, we're talking pre-Nes Atari-era.
If you get competitive, trying to score better than your friends, it's a great party game in a way! Sadly there hasn't been any port/remake/compilation, not even on Wii-ware/Xboxlive arcade/etc... :( (like most Odyssey games) You'll have to find a Videopac/Odyssey2 to try this one (or emulation) !
