Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

I know it's not Amico related but I have some sad news.  😢  He's one with the force now.  He will not be forgotten.  

https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/david-prowse-darth-vader-actor-132256972.html

2 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Brag away my friend!

Isn't that is what Thanksgiving is really all about?  Going over your parents house and getting stuff back from your childhood!

 

 

Did you ever play the original Intellivision?  Or just the Intellivision II? 

 

I feel bad for people who had to endure just the Intellivision II as the controllers were so much worse (keypad & side buttons) than the originals.
 

Although I like the compact design and swap-able controllers, I was never a big fan of INTV II after having played the original for so long.

I'm curious...

 

How many people in here ONLY had Intellivision II growing up?  And if so... do you think the original design isn't as good because you only knew the INTV II and got used to it?

 

 

 

 

Haha thanks. Yep that is true and now that I collect retro I want it all back!

As far as the Int II it's funny because it's all I've ever known. I knew one other kid with one and it looked cooler. There was some reason my dad got us the II, but not sure.. was it compatibility for voice? Funny enough when I powered it up it ran great run I cleaned the carts with rubbing alcohol, but I did notice the player 1 controller drifts to the right (ok for he-man and bad for trigger and burger time). I am thinking I should keep this on the shelf, but buy another that works better. Should I make it a Int I? Also does that work for all games and voice?

Tommy, I apologize if this was discussed before but what are your feelings on Pilotwings and would you ever consider developing something similar for Amico? You could probably even make individual games of each minigame...couch co-op skydiving anyone?

I feel like the vibes of that game, the music, the intuitive gameplay, and just the overall atmosphere would make for a really cool experience on Amico.

Hi Tommy,

Did you ever find out if the black Amico will be available for preorder on Amazon UK?. Cheers. 👍😀

18 hours ago, martianman2012 said:

Howdy all,

 

Not to brag, but I need to brag today. My dad just gave me our family Intellivision II from storage. I haven't played this since the 90's and am plugging it in now to see if it still fires up...

 

 

I'd say that's not only worth a brag...but a damn award.  To be able to play the same console you did when you were a kid 30+ years later ...  that's serious bragging rights!! 

Great find and good to see your family kept it all this time.  Sorry about the basement becoming an indoor pool... Lots of my friends had those during Sandy in 2012.  Sucks.

Thanks for posting this great story!

8 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

The video says it's "UNAVAILABLE IN YOUR COUNTRY" so I wasn't able to see it (maybe why it didn't embed either).

 

The idea sounds horrifying though.  I am the music maker and I am the dreamer of the dreams...  I certainly don't dance to it! 

 

You wouldn't like that too much.  Hahhahaha!

 

🕺😱🤢🤮

 

🤣

 

 

That's a shame, you have the look of a guy I could imagine dancing along in a music video! Shame about the video not being available, it's a really fun song and video. I've seen it described as a fusion of disco, (acid) house and 80's pop music, something like that at least.

Maybe I can somehow trick you into doing it! Hmmm...

Edit: Maybe this video will work for you. It's not as good as the music video, but you get to see them all dancing along and having fun.

S'Xpress - Hey Music Lover (TOTP) - YouTube

8 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

How many people in here ONLY had Intellivision II growing up?  And if so... do you think the original design isn't as good because you only knew the INTV II and got used to it?

We were lucky enough to get the Original the first week it was released, and played the hell out of it until moving on to the Atari 800 when it got its graphic upgrade ( 1982 IIRC).  Never had or really played INTVII.  Back growing up me and my brothers were always looking and chasing the latest and greatest when it came to electronics etc. 

5 hours ago, Silverbot said:

Hi Tommy,

 

Did you ever find out if the black Amico will be available for preorder on Amazon UK?. Cheers. 👍😀

I'd be interested in that as well.  I've  pre-ordered a white one on Amazon UK but black would be my preferred choice.  Already got a space under the tv ready and waiting.  Not been this up for a new console release since the original Playstation!

Tommy,

Just remembered something I wanted to ask you about. Is the Finnegan Fox game connected to the Finnegan Fox from Save A Fox? Good stuff if so, it's one of my favourite Youtube channels, if not maybe you could do some kind of deal with them? They have over a million subscribers and are very much family friendly, so could be a good match for the Amico. Assuming you haven't already done a deal with them of course!

28 minutes ago, CurlyQ said:

If there's a Tetris game on Amico, methinks Arika should be in charge of development...and add a "Grand Master" mode, like their cult classic of the same name:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tetris:_The_Grand_Master

EDIT: Oh, how could I forget? They're also responsible for Tetris 99 on the Switch!

22 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I'm curious...

 

How many people in here ONLY had Intellivision II growing up?  And if so... do you think the original design isn't as good because you only knew the INTV II and got used to it?
 

I only had the Intellivision II growing up, and as it was what I used every day, I never had any problem with it. You say the controllers were horrible, but seeing as I had nothing else to compare them to, I thought they were great. My only experience with the original console as a kid was at my cousins' house, and that was only around once a year.  

I really liked the smaller design of the II as well as the ability to unplug the controllers. That really came in handy later in its life when one of them started to fail, and my brother and I could swap the good one back and forth. The one thing that did bug me was that there was no dedicated power button/switch. You had to push and hold down the Reset button to turn it off. Sometimes it worked well, sometimes it was a pain in the butt. 

As for the original, I wasn't crazy about it when I was a kid. It looked old and a bit too big. I really wasn't into the woodgrain back then, and the white of the II was much more appealing. Now all I have is the original, so I'd like to play on an INTV II again to see if I can tell a difference.

20 hours ago, Silverbot said:

Did you ever find out if the black Amico will be available for preorder on Amazon UK?. Cheers. 👍😀

I saw they will be available from MediaMarkt in Germany, but not available to me in The Netherlands.
https://www.mediamarkt.de/de/product/_amico™-first-edition-sonstige-konsolen-2651349.html
Also Saturn:
https://www.saturn.de/de/product/_intellivision-amico™-first-edition-2651349.html
If they're not for sale in the UK, perhaps you have a friend who can pre-order/get one from Germany?

23 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Brag away my friend!

Isn't that is what Thanksgiving is really all about?  Going over your parents house and getting stuff back from your childhood!

 

 

Did you ever play the original Intellivision?  Or just the Intellivision II? 

 

I feel bad for people who had to endure just the Intellivision II as the controllers were so much worse (keypad & side buttons) than the originals.
 

Although I like the compact design and swap-able controllers, I was never a big fan of INTV II after having played the original for so long.

I'm curious...

 

How many people in here ONLY had Intellivision II growing up?  And if so... do you think the original design isn't as good because you only knew the INTV II and got used to it?

I only had the Intellivision II growing up and my hands paid for it with those side buttons.  After getting a couple Intellivision Flashbacks and turning one into an Ultimate Intellivision Flashback with a Raspberry Pi, I have come to love those Flashback controllers as the side buttons are soft as toilet paper! 😄  I just hope the Amico controller buttons are soft so my 50 year old hands will survive!

20 hours ago, IMBerzerk said:

I'd say that's not only worth a brag...but a damn award.

6 minutes ago, atarifan88 said:

Yes!  I agree with this award.  He is deserves it...

The "Italian" award for playing your original 30+ year old INTV II!! 

13 hours ago, CurlyQ said:

Curly, you are too good at this! I saw a preview in my email, freaked out, thought this was real, and almost grabbed the credit card. I think Tetris would be great on this system, but would definitely crank up sales.

Quote

People between the ages of 45 and 54 reported spending 59% more time gaming and 76% more money, while those from 55 to 64 spent 48% more time and 73% more money.

Good news for the amico going forward, we old farts are gaming more and spending more than ever.

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-11-30-survey-finds-gaming-by-us-adults-over-45-has-spiked-in-2020

4 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

 

Good news for the amico going forward, we old farts are gaming more and spending more than ever.

 

https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2020-11-30-survey-finds-gaming-by-us-adults-over-45-has-spiked-in-2020

I’m one of those old farts ! I’m ready to

spend more than ever when I get my hands on the Amico !! 😂

4 hours ago, justclaws said:

I saw they will be available from MediaMarkt in Germany, but not available to me in The Netherlands.
https://www.mediamarkt.de/de/product/_amico™-first-edition-sonstige-konsolen-2651349.html
Also Saturn:
https://www.saturn.de/de/product/_intellivision-amico™-first-edition-2651349.html
If they're not for sale in the UK, perhaps you have a friend who can pre-order/get one from Germany?

Thanks, for the information, it’s really annoying that I can seem to order it in the UK. 😩

19 hours ago, nysavant said:

I'd be interested in that as well.  I've  pre-ordered a white one on Amazon UK but black would be my preferred choice.  Already got a space under the tv ready and waiting.  Not been this up for a new console release since the original Playstation!

Did you have to pay up front, or do you pay when they dispatch it to you. 👍😀

1 hour ago, Cranker said:

I’m one of those old farts ! I’m ready to

spend more than ever when I get my hands on the Amico !! 😂

I think the model in place for the Amico games being released is going to lend to high sales as well. If the default for the media of the games is digital, the price is around $10 per game, and there is a slow pace for new games available (once a week), people will easily be able to purchase every game as it's released and it won't break the bank. I plan on just adding my credit card and buying them all. This is will be a huge contrast to the Nintendo eShop.

I came across this video.  Thought it was unique and had to share.