Page 36 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #5

doors, advancing to the next voice. Better
level. A section of one of yet, nobody
the floors disappears with could sue for
each succeeding level, giv- this game –
ing the bouncing boulders sure, it bor-
more room to pick up speed rowed ele-
and fling themselves in dif- ments of
ferent directions. Pac-Man and
Sure, no giant apes were Nibbler,
flinging these boulders at among oth-
Monkeyshines you, but the game’s inspira- ers, but threw
tion was obvious. Still, there Attack of the Time Lord them into a
avoiding/shooting everything else in were enough unique elements to blender set on
sight – Freedom Fighters! was hampered Pick Axe Pete to put adequate “puree’” until the
by a pointlessly complex control scheme. distance between the Odyssey 2 game ingredients came out as a very playable
It required players to use the right and the original to avoid another lawsuit – and different game.
joystick to pilot the ship while in and the game is frighteningly addictive.
“hyperspace” (scrolling) mode, and the Some may disagree with me about my Time Lords, Turtles, and Bees, Oh My!
left joystick while at “sublight” speeds declaration that Pick Axe Pete is the ulti- Any science fiction fan who’s been
(confining the ship to the area shown on mate Odyssey 2 cartridge, but it’s one of alive since the late 70’s can tell you what
screen). the few Odyssey games that can lead to a Time Lord is. Of course, it’s a member
North American Phillips’ other 1981 a single round lasting into the wee hours. of the same mystical, secretive alien spe-
Challenger Series title was a bizarre at- I once played a single game of Pete that cies that gave rise to the lead character in
tempt at a logic game involving men and lasted almost seven hours. What a great Doctor Who! At least that was what I
monkeys. Two players tried to tag mon- game. And after that, I really had to hit thought in 1983. Lo and behold, my par-
keys and then avoid them, or something the can. ents got me the Odyssey 2 cartridge At-
like that. As with K.C. Munchkin, Mon- Later in 1982, the newest Odyssey 2 tack Of The Time Lord! for Christmas.
keyshines players could edit the maze- innovation came along – the Voice of Od- The next thing I knew, I had a Time Lord
like playing field of platforms and walls. yssey 2 piggyback speech synthesizer. shooting at me; specifically, the skeletal
The instruction manual even suggested The bulky unit, which contained its own Spyruss the Deathless (Time Lord of
one variation of the game in which adding speaker, rested atop the Odyssey 2 con- Chaos), a rare example of a custom
or deleting plat- sole, plugging into graphic character on the Odyssey 2. Is-
forms in mid- the console’s car- suing threats through the Voice’s speaker
game could add tridge slot and pro- (in an homage to Space Fury that proba-
to the chal- viding a new one of bly looked really damn weird to anyone
lenge. Some its own. With playing this game without the Voice mod-
gamers specu- “specially pro- ule), Spyruss started chucking tons of
lated that the grammed heavily-armed assault craft at my one
primate premise games” (touted the little earthbound cannon. Attack Of The
was an attempt advertising), the Od- Time Lord was, in fact, a great tip of the
to create an yssey 2 could now hat to Galaga, incorporating a fleet of
Odyssey 2 ver- talk. Though this enemy ships that would bob, weave, and
sion of Donkey was nothing more drop all kinds of lethal weaponry on my
Kong…but this than a minor embel- head with alarming regularity. I’ve actu-
theory was dis- lishment in game ally gotten ten levels into this game, at
proved in 1982 by a burly Pick Axe Pete terms, North Ameri- which point it’s nearly an exercise in futil-
man wielding a pick axe. can Phillips made sure it was ity – but it’s a blast!
noticed by creating a new Challenger Another Challenger Series title, Smith-
Speak Up! Series title – one which starred an old ereens!, earns the title of the all-time best
1982 saw the release of the best friend, and the last character anyone ever party game for the Odyssey 2. Two play-
game ever created for the Odyssey 2: expected to see on their screen again. ers man catapults on either side of the
Pick Axe Pete. To some observers, the The first Voice-Enhanced Challenger screen and try to smash each other’s
creation of a game so obviously close to Series game was K.C.’s Krazy Chase, a castles into dust with well-timed shots.
the basic premise of Donkey Kong was a sequel to K.C. Munchkin. In his latest Timing means more than aim in Smither-
daring move for North American Phillips; adventure, K.C. tried to chomp on the eens! (there really is no aim with a cata-
it had been slapped with an injunction segmented body of the Dreaded Dratapil- pult, just altitude and dumb luck) and mis-
from Atari barring it from further sales of lar from Venus without making contact timed shots could have undesirable ef-
Pac-Man clone K.C. Munchkin. In Pick with the centipede-esque creature’s fects, ranging from pulverizing a piece of
Axe Pete, players control an agile miner head. Two “Drats” also wandered the one’s own castle to sending one’s projec-
who starts in the middle of the screen maze, and couldn’t tile into orbit.
with a pick axe. Boulders emerge from be defeated without The joystick
three doors at the top, bottom, and center eating a segment of really only con-
of the screen, and ladders snake down, the Dratapiller. This trolled tension.
allowing Pete his only chance to climb to bizarrely original An understand-
the next level. Pete’s pick axe deterio- game featured con- ing of the phys-
rates after a few seconds, leaving him stant goading and ics of pinball
helpless to do anything but jump over or encouragement from was helpful for
duck under the boulders. Periodically, the Voice, saying Smithereens. I
new pick axes appear on the bottom things like “That’s love to drag
floor, and keys rocket up to the top floor. incredible!” and “Look this game out
A new pick axe will last about as long as out!” and “Oh no!” in for guests – it’s
the old one did, while grabbing a key al- a slightly demented, a howl. The
lows Pete to dive into one of the three game-show-host Voice is also at
K.C.’s Krazy Chase
Classic Gamer Magazine December 2000 36