Blockout!

[doug0909]

I can't remember if this was suggested before, but wouldn't a remake of the Odyssey 2 game Blockout on the A2600 be possible? It could be a fantastic two player game.

 

Blockout on the O2 was basically a two player breakout game where one player controlled the paddle, trying to knock out four layers of bricks, and player 2 controlled four little men, one on each level. Upon touching the side of the screen, the little men start blinking and they can then rebuild a brick. Moving the joystick different ways (lower left and right for the lowest man, left and right for the second man, upper left and right for the third man, left and right with button for the top man) allowed player 2 to control all four men. If you were glowing and the ball collided with you, you would stop glowing but no brick lost. If you were not glowing, your guy would be killed and you'd have to wait a few moments for him to reappear. Sometimes you would have to commit suicide with your little men when they were "trapped" in a section of bricks with no access to the side of the screen. There was real strategy deciding which men to control and when.... (Game 2 on this O2 cartridge, "Breakdown," was the same thing but the brick went all the way through the levels with each pass and the goal was to destroy all the bricks, not to just get to the top... and the 2-player function was not good as it was just a matter of dexerity as to whether player 2 could rebuild anything in time...).

 

The O2 cartridge was fun, but it had 3 BIG flaws:

1) Digital control of the stick; there was no paddle on the O2 but analog is way better for this

2) The physics (ball angles and speeds) were quite bad

and

3) The game lacked variation

 

I think all three problems could be solved on the 2600. 1) the paddle could be used for one player (though the other player would still need to use a stick); 2) the physics could be improved; and 3) you could have game variations, offering this simple addition: reward player two with either a) extra speed or b) the ability to throw the ball back down when a man collides with a ball IF PLAYER TWO IS HOLDING THE BUTTON WHEN IT HAPPENS......

 

Just my two cents of an idea, does anybody else like it?