Space Odyssey (version 2)

Space Odyssey (version 2) is a two-player vertical flying shooter released by Sega in 1981. Players pilot spacecraft through increasingly challenging sectors, tasked with destroying attacking UFOs to earn points. Each round consists of seven distinct sectors, and the game rewards skillful piloting with bonus points for traversing gaps within targets and maintaining high speed throughout each sector. Navigating hazards like indestructible meteors and temporarily disabling black holes adds to the challenge. The scoring system ties directly to gameplay; points are awarded based on destroying enemies, multiplied by the current round number, while an end-of-round bonus is determined by distance traveled. Exceptional play can earn players a temporary extra ship. Utilizing Sega’s G80 raster hardware and running on a Zilog Z80 processor, Space Odyssey delivers vibrant visuals with a palette of 128 colors across its vertical screen. This title was an early example of Sega's “Convert-A-Game” system, allowing arcades to easily update their game offerings. Players control the spacecraft using an eight-way joystick and two buttons, striving for high scores amidst a barrage of UFOs and cosmic obstacles.