This is the first post in a series called “Hungry Goriya Used Acquire” that serves to highlight the contents of a large game collection I procured from an old high school friend of mine, Joe. Read here for the backstory.
Though I had previously heard of the Magnavox Odyssey console, I had not heard about its successor the Odyssey 2, nor did I ever expect to own one. The console was released in the late 1970s and was in direct competition with other massively popular consoles of the time like the Atari 2600 and the Intellivision. The Odyssey 2 is not rare by any means, but having been out and about at game swaps and exchanges a lot over the past few years, I can honestly say I’ve never seen one before now.
The Odyssey 2 I received from Joe came to me boxed. Though it was a little worn along its edges, the console box was in decent shape without any major scratches, scuffs or tears. Along with the console and the connectors, five games were also included.
I don’t know about you guys, but I am absolutely adoring the packaging for the Odyssey 2. Everything is so bright and fun! Speaking of glorious things for my eyes to take in, the Odyssey 2 also came with all its inserts, manuals, and warranty card. I love seeing stuff like this. I especially love the 70s-esque family with pure delight on their faces playing the games. Let those kids have a turn!
The game boxes for this console were either made of plastic or cardboard, and the cardboard ones have definitely seen better days. Although they are not torn or ripped, some of their integrity is gone as if the material has given up after all these years. The games we received are Computer Golf!, Alien Invaders Plus!, Las Vegas Blackjack!, K. C. Munchkin, and a compilation cartridge with three games, including Speedway!, Spin Out!, and Crypto-Logic!. I promise I am not being overly enthusiastic. Each Odyssey 2 game has an exclamation point at the end of its name to clearly emphasize all of the awesomeness contained within.
What do you all think about this awesome box art for Alien Invaders Plus!? I’ve seen a lot of RPG box art with similarities to this like the tiny city in the bubble (Final Fantasy, anyone?) or scaly creatures attacking the protagonist (ummm, Dragon Warrior?), but nothing like that for a Space Invaders clone! I think the thing everyone is wondering about this image is where those enemy ships coming from. That’s one mighty multi-snake orifice. Yuck.
Though none of the games we got here are particularly rare, one of them was shrouded in controversy following its release: K. C. Munchkin. It is a “Pac Man clone”, though truthfully it only bears some similarities in design and concept and has about an equal number of differences to set it apart. I’d capture some gameplay for you all, but I currently have no way to capture RF output – we are looking at old VCRs and the like all the time to no avail. Thankfully in the times of the internet, there are plenty of videos online showcasing the game’s footage. I’ll let you all be the judge even though a real judge already ruled on this lawsuit case ages ago.
Before finding Joe’s collection, I only owned one retro boxed console. It was my childhood NES, which is put away in a closet somewhere at the moment. I’m pretty proud to be able to add this beautiful box and its contents to its place in the Nerd Room in the (hopefully) near future. We definitely need to get more shelves and get organized! There are so many new goodies to set up and display.
Thank you very much for reading. I hope you’re looking forward to the next posts in the series.
-GG