Omega Race

[Wraith Storm]

I picked this up for my Commodore 64 a few years back and was suprised by how much I enjoyed it. Normally I don't care for the asteroids style of control, but I really really enjoy this game.

Recently I picked up some a/v cables and a new controller and have really got back into the game. It has that "just one more try" feel that I love about the classics.

So I was curious what the DP crew thinks of the game and what other version people enjoy? If there is a version of Omega Race that is even better than the c64 version I would love to try it!

[tom]

Of course the arcade original is the best followed by the Coleco version. The VCS version is good too with the add on controller and extra RAM

[Wraith Storm]

Of course the arcade original is the best followed by the Coleco version. The VCS version is good too with the add on controller and extra RAM

Wow! The Coleco version looks awesome! I like how they added options like a tunnel through the scorebox. I also read something about Warp Gates that sounds really cool.

The C64 version looks and plays great, but the Coleco version looks to include all sorts of extra touches and extra options that sound awesome. I need to track this one down!



Okay DP.... Does no one except me and Tom enjoy this game?

[Jorpho]

Ahh, yes, I spent a very long time with the Coleco version as a lad. It was really the only decent two-player simultaneous game we had, and I think it would hold up pretty well today.

Apparently it is faulted sometimes for using sprites instead of the vector graphics of the original, but I never knew any better – and given that the original vector graphics were black and white, I think I prefer the color sprites. I also had no idea it was originally a trackball game, as the joystick fared just fine. The sounds and music were pretty kickass, too – a real haunting outer-space vibe.

I remember that the instruction manual was really pretty ambiguous. Specifically, a lot of advanced features never showed up in the one-player game unless you selected a higher skill level at the beginning, no matter how far you advanced – but then, that's not so different from other CV games.

By and large, it was generally feasible to set the ship to bouncing vertically straight up and down on one side of the screen, and then to rotate the ship to face horizontally and pick off the circulating enemies.

[CRTGAMER]

I picked this up for my Commodore 64 a few years back and was suprised by how much I enjoyed it. Normally I don't care for the asteroids style of control, but I really really enjoy this game.

Recently I picked up some a/v cables and a new controller and have really got back into the game. It has that "just one more try" feel that I love about the classics.

So I was curious what the DP crew thinks of the game and what other version people enjoy? If there is a version of Omega Race that is even better than the c64 version I would love to try it!

Both the C64 and VIC20 versions are great. Hit the Function keys to change the "Vector" colors.
For a real treat, plug in an Atari Paddle and play the Spinner game the best way! :)
The VIC20 version looks better with a larger screen do to the 22 column.

EDIT
I loved flying the spin victory after killing the last ship.

[Wraith Storm]

Ahh, yes, I spent a very long time with the Coleco version as a lad. It was really the only decent two-player simultaneous game we had, and I think it would hold up pretty well today.

...

By and large, it was generally feasible to set the ship to bouncing vertically straight up and down on one side of the screen, and then to rotate the ship to face horizontally and pick off the circulating enemies.

Yeah, the Coleco version looks excellent. I just watched some videos of it and it looks and sounds great. I'm gonna have to give it a shot in the near future.

I use the same tactic you mentioned to pick off a large chunk of the enemies at the start. I leave a few to go about their business and start dropping mines and then I rack up a bunch of points as i chase them around and shoot their mines.


Both the C64 and VIC20 versions are great. Hit the Function keys to change the "Vector" colors.
For a real treat, plug in an Atari Paddle and play the Spinner game the best way! :)
The VIC20 version looks better with a larger screen do to the 22 column.

EDIT
I loved flying the spin victory after killing the last ship.

I have some Atari paddle controllers somewhere. I need to find them, it never dawned on me that you could use them in Omega Race.

I am glad to see some others have really enjoyed this game! I feel it's very underrated as I had never heard of it until I managed too acquire it in a lot of C64 stuff. :)

[tom]

They were so innovative back in the Atari VCS days,
extra RAM to enhance the game, joystick condom to add a second button....

http://www.videogamecollectors.com/gallery2/main.php?g2_view=core.DownloadItem&g2_itemId=364049&g2_serialNumber=5

Shame there wasn't an A8 version.

[Wraith Storm]

They were so innovative back in the Atari VCS days,
extra RAM to enhance the game, joystick condom to add a second button....

Shame there wasn't an A8 version.

Oh, man! I didn't realize that the 2600 version got the CBS Electronics Ram Plus treatment. They also made Tunnel Runner and its one of my favorites.

I really don't collect for my atari anymore but I might just make an exeption for this game or any other good cbse ram plus games.

[InsaneDavid]

The nice thing about so many of the home ports of this game is they all capture the spirit of the arcade original. Spinner games usually translate horribly to a joystick but Omega Race is an exception at home. The flat out rarity of a working dedicated Omega Race machine makes the arcade version the ultimate but really you can't go wrong with the VCS or Colecovision versions, as has been said.

[Mayhem]

The Vic20 version is quite widely held as a great game for the machine, so try it out :)

[allsport11]

I loved Omega Race on the C64. One of my all time favorites. Might have to dig it out and give it a go. :)

[NeoZeedeater]

I think the Vic version's the best one. The slight gameplay differences like being able to tap thrust and stop your ship make it more strategic and enjoyable.

[Jorpho]

I think the Vic version's the best one. The slight gameplay differences like being able to tap thrust and stop your ship make it more strategic and enjoyable.Crikey, that just changes the game completely. (Did any ports of Asteroids work like that?)

[NeoZeedeater]

I should mention the full stop only seems to work at certain angles and speeds. Tapping thrust lets you control the ship in ways that don't work the same in the C64 version despite how similar they look.