Posted Tue Sep 6, 2005 3:56 PM
I LOVE the Flashback 2 way better than the first Flashback because it's a real working Atari 2600 VCS. I also had the first Flashback (I got it for Christmas last year from my father) but the games were redone, like on the Jakks Pacific TV Games but much worse. At least the Jakks TV Games tried to match the originals, but Atari totally redid every game on the first Flashback that they look totally different. For example, play Solaris on an actual 2600 and then play it on the Flashback 1. The original cart performs flawlessly, while on the Flashback 1 the action was extremely choppy. Another example is Breakout. In the original cart (and the Jakks TV Games for that matter) the ball is served to your pong-like paddle. On the Flashback 1, the ball shoot from the paddle like it had been all ready hit!
Now I like the Flashback 2 because the games were not re-created. They are from the original cartridge sources, mainly because, as stated previously, it's an actual working 2600 VCS. It has 40 games built in, as opposed to Flashback 1's 20 games. Plus the Flashback 2 has brand-new games and unreleased prototypes, including Combat 2, Frog Pond, and Saboteur (that last one also appeared on the first Flashback). And it has actual working 2600 joysticks that you can use on your old Atari systems as well as the Flashback 2. Plus, you can also modify it to actually play your old carts, as stated by Atari Historical Society's Curt Vendel, who helped Atari design both Flashback consoles. If you want one, pick it up at either Walmart, Atari's website, or here at AtariAge (though in limited quantities).