Odyssey 2 frustration

[Cybergoth]

Hi there!

 

Is it just me? I just can't get warm with the "single live" games of the O2. For me they add a level of frustration to the extent of ruining all of the fun for me. I'll even go so far and say that I'd prefer to play a game of 2600 Pac-Man over KC. Munchkin any time.

 

Greetings,

Manuel

[PickAxePete]

I'll agree with you on that. The one thing that gets my goat is that when you die, it's game over.

 

There's also the 2-player games that don't have a 1-player option.

 

But still, they can be fun games.

[Big Player]

Is there a technical reason why almost every O2 game has only one life?

 

Not enough RAM?

 

Anyone know?

 

Still like my O2 though.

[ozyr]

Main reason the games only have one life, as far as I know, is that is just the way the games were programmed! Nothing really to do with memory and such.

 

Personally, games like UFO and Pick Axe Pete, are more challenging with one life. Sure, it would be nice to have more game lives, but the games are just a blast to play - even with the one. Of course, that's just my opinion, everyone has there own....

[raindog]

I never could understand the "one life" thing in O2 games.... the only first-party game I know of that had multiple lives was Turtles, which I never actually had when the system was new.

 

My best guess now is that they were thinking "well, in the arcade you get 3 chances for your quarter, but at home you can have as many chances as you need!" But it might be nice someday to try to hack some of the more classic O2 games like the KC's, UFO, Freedom Fighters and Pick Axe Pete to have multiple lives. I leave out Timelords because JG Munchkin is more fun anyway

[desiv]

Probably because they were almost all written by the same guy, and he thought one life was all you needed.

 

This was back in the days when the programmer made the rules, not playtesters or marketing people..

 

:-)

 

desiv

[Phosphor Dot Fossils]

I like the single-life element of the O2 - it'd never fly in the arcade, but for a home system...it makes a truly high score that much more of an accomplishment.