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The Konix Multi-system Games
Here are the know games that were either in development for the Konix Multi-system or had been planed to be. Some have screen shots from magazines and some have videos provided with kind permission of Jon Dean (the guy that actually filmed them). Please don't distribute or re-produce these videos as they remain Jon Dean's Copyright.
Sailing - ODE
On the face of it, this had the potential to be possibly the single most boring game in creation - but wait - there is a slight glimmer of hope...
I mean come on - a sailing simulator? How dull can you get? Maybe add a fishing controller and this could have been a combined deep sea fishing and sailing game? But where are the cutlass's and eye patches - I want to be a Pirate!
On the other hand, as long as the game was well implemented, and there were enough things to keep you occupied then you never know - they may have pulled it off. Simulators are a difficult thing to sell though - they are never as popular as simple arcade racing games - but they have a niche audience who will buy them.
Sailing - ODE
By the looks of it, the Power Chair was put to good use in this game and the simulation of bobbing up and down on the waves would have been a new experience to most players. I personally think the machine would have benefited from this later in its life, and not necessarily as a launch title - it's a more sedate form of interactivity than you'd probably want to sell your system on the basis of. Most youths would have wanted the aggressive shaking that they would have found in games such as Outrun, Afterburner and Space Harrier. I wonder if Konix ever thought about making a rocking chair simulator?
I don't sail. I'm not sure how many people who play video games do sail. I'm guessing the numbers aren't that high. But of course video games are about escapism. It's not every day you get to blast aliens from outer space (well not here in East Anglia anyway - although Rendelsham forest deserves an honourable mention) and equally it's not every day you get to sail around the world either...
I recognise that there are different forms of sailing; some of it is extremely exciting and exhilarating. Some of it is frankly just sitting still, bobbing up and down on flat featureless sea being dive bombed by Seagulls and hoping and praying for wind.
Now if I'd designed this game I'd have offered the opportunity to sail the world and visit far off destinations - maybe that will come in a decade - let's hope (and maybe fighting off pirates too!).
From the box's blurb:
Sailing is a game of strategy and simulation designed to capture the thrill of competing in top-level sailing competitions. You'll need all your wits about you as you design your boat to take part in this international challenge. Out there on the ocean, use your skills as a seaman to steer your Yacht around the buoys on the course, deciding when to hoist the spinnaker to your best advantage. And don't forget to watch for the weather - just one gust of wind can blow your chances of winning.
Sixteen nations compete - only the strongest can win!
The International Yacht Challenge Game - Review
Designed by Oxford Digital Enterprises published on other machines - AMSTRAD, C64, 48K Spectrum by Activision.
I was kindly given a copy of the proposal for this game specifically on the Konix Multi-system, it's actually an interesting reading! Download the PDF
Screenshots
 "Sailing - Image 1")
 "Sailing - Image 2")
 "Sailing - Image 3")
 "Sailing - Image 4")
 "Sailing - Image 5")
Only one image to show for the Konix version - captured from the video. It was an early build and as such there wasn't as much of an interface developed at that stage. One image suffices for the Konix version as there wasn't a great deal of action happening in the video. The other images I believe are from the C64 version and are a bit more representative of the sort of fun you may have had bobbing up and down in your Power Chair