Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

10 hours ago, ASalvaro said:

has Jumpman on the Amico been talked about yet?

i played it last night on the C64 emu for the 1st time in 30 years and man what a great game that is 

and i read someplace that the author Randy Glover has the rights to it so it would be pretty easy to get it on the Amico 

I've been playing a lot of Gateway to Apshai on the C64 Maxi, barely any Jumpan, though, although it is included on it.

G2A has been pretty fun, though!

37 minutes ago, AmicoBoise said:

I found this interesting.

"Hot Wheels goes digital with smart tracks and NFC cars, exclusively at Apple Stores. Hot Wheels id vehicles can be scanned into an app for kids to track speeds and stats."

Maybe or maybe not related to the Amico (I have no idea):
https://www.theverge.com/2019/6/14/18679341/hot-wheels-id-race-portal-vehicles-smart-track-apple-stores

That would be pretty cool if the Amico game could support that!

@Tommy Tallarico this is a pretty cool game that intellivision  should look into remaking for amico.its a metal slug style  shooter.   Which could prob be expanded on with new graphics, no levels new modes , expanded  multiplayer  and more depth ..  this game came out in 2002 and bever went past arcades. 

7 hours ago, MASTER260 said:

I've been playing a lot of Gateway to Apshai on the C64 Maxi, barely any Jumpan, though, although it is included on it.

 

G2A has been pretty fun, though!

I used to love Jumpman !!!! 

On 12/18/2020 at 9:57 AM, Starpaddler said:

Will there be any opportunity to by a reloadable, laser etched Amico Store cards of a different design then created for the founders edition? 

Not currently.  A lot of different types of logistics to make that happen.  We are doing something that is very different with the gift cards already so adding another layer of complexity on launch wouldn't be the best approach for us initially.  Maybe in the future though!

On 12/18/2020 at 12:09 PM, justclaws said:

Hi Tommy,
*re: Breakout Amico Demo for PC*
I PM'd you a few days ago, about this mostly, but I guess your mailbox gets a ton of messages. 😕 🤯
If it's possible to share a new link, or PM me back, that would be great. If you already did, sorry, I didn't find it yet.
It's amazing you can reply at all with so much interaction!  
Cheers, Richard / JustClaws.

Did you get it working?  What did you think?

On 12/18/2020 at 5:29 PM, IMBerzerk said:

For the sequal to Nitro Derby...

 

 

How about a Demolition Derby as well.. 😁

I did the audio for a few of those games in the mid 90's!

Also did about 3 or 4 of the Test Drive series as well.

On 12/19/2020 at 5:23 AM, IntelliMission said:

That's an excellent idea. We've been talking about killing people Vs killing robots, but what about destroying cars?

 

Tommy, the Amico must have some Destruction Derby style game and another one inspired by Twisted Metal. Violence against cars doesn't count, right?

 

Good luck trying to add all that action into a single screen, though.

The "Hot Wheels" game will be like that.

On 12/19/2020 at 8:04 AM, martianman2012 said:

Tommy,

 

At this point how many new, original I.P.'s in production from the Amico?  These are what I know of so far. Also of these which do you plan on being finished on launch?

 

Sesame Workshop

Hot Wheels

Telestrations

Blank Slate

Incan Gold/Diamant

Intellivision Monster Spades

Liar’s Dice

Space Strike

Intellivision ACL Cornhole

Nitro Derby

EWJ 4

Hi,

Please give me a better understanding of what you mean by Original IP's.  For example... Telestrations, Blank Slate and Incan Gold are pre-existing board games... but will get exclusive versions and only on Amico. 

Some may not consider that an "original IP".  I just want to define the terms so people won't take it out of context.

Missile Command is a pre-existing license... and the core gameplay for the main game is somewhat the same... but lots of things have been added and you won't be able to play anything close to our version on any other platform.  So would that be considered an Original IP? 

It's a tough question to answer as different folks have different opinions of what defines an original IP.

The only games not on launch from your list are EWJ 4 & Incan Gold and possibly Telestrations (if not on launch... shortly after).

On 12/19/2020 at 8:12 AM, martianman2012 said:

Tommy,

 

Another random question...

 

Say I have 2 amicos in the house (one in game room and one in living room). Would I be able to juggle a game purchased between the 2?

 

The scenario is I would have an Amico in living room primarily to play socially, but when someone is watching a movie in the living room and I wanna play solo but don't wanna move the system I would take the controller from the living room system (where I purchased the games), to the game room system?

 

Sorry if you answered this before I just keep eyeing the purple one and wanna justify a second LOL

All you would need to do is take one of your controllers (from the Amico that purchased the game) and bring it into the next room.  You'd be able to then play the game in that room as well (but not that same game on the original console it was bought for... WHILE you were playing in the other room).

On 12/19/2020 at 12:58 PM, 1980gamer said:

I used to go to the Dream Machine in Worcester!

As well as Playoff Arcade and a few others.

Plus the Zayre store had a few games on rotation.  Loved Monaco GP 1979-ish.  Moon Patrol and Defender were great while Mom was shopping!  LOL  Miss you Mom ❤️

Zayre's!!   Now there's a name I haven't heard in a long time!

Anyone remember Two Guys?

 

On 12/20/2020 at 8:03 AM, Nolagamer said:

Yes you can. Your game purchase info is on  the consoles controller rfid. So you can tap on the other console and download the game to play. Once you leave that console the games locked on til you return or you delete it.  

 

Just can be played on one  console at a time.  So if you want 2 consoles or more in house , you are good to go buy them. 

Bingo! 

Thanks for answering... I should have read ahead.

1 minute ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Hi,

 

Please give me a better understanding of what you mean by Original IP's.  For example... Telestrations, Blank Slate and Incan Gold are pre-existing board games... but will get exclusive versions and only on Amico. 

Some may not consider that an "original IP".  I just want to define the terms so people won't take it out of context.

Missile Command is a pre-existing license... and the core gameplay for the main game is somewhat the same... but lots of things have been added and you won't be able to play anything close to our version on any other platform.  So would that be considered an Original IP? 

It's a tough question to answer as different folks have different opinions of what defines an original IP.

The only games not on launch from your list are EWJ 4 & Incan Gold and possibly Telestrations (if not on launch... shortly after).

 

 

Ah yes, sorry.  I meant brand new to the world like Cornhole and Earthworm Jim 4.  I'm excited for all, but I'm trying to filter the list in my head.

On 12/20/2020 at 9:17 AM, martianman2012 said:

I guess my hope if that it will be a smoother trade from system to system than the Nintendo Switch to Switch lite.  For that I had all my games on the main Switch and I was hoping to play the Lite on the road, make progress on the games, and then resume on from the normal Switch when home.  There were a lot of incompatibilities due to anti-piracy so I basically shelved the Switch lite and only play the original.  I'm sure the Amico will flow a lot better than that.  My follow-up though would be this:

 

If I had one system in living room with a non-pack-in game, brought one of those controllers to the gaming room system, tapped the system, started playing that controller and one of the gaming room controllers, then could someone in the living room still play something else like cornhole single-player with the remaining controller?  In a way since the games are so affordable it may make more sense to just buy the games on both systems with different accounts?

They could still play in the other room... they just couldn't play the same exact game in both rooms (if both Amico's didn't purchase the game).

On 12/20/2020 at 9:32 AM, martianman2012 said:

#AmicoYouAreCo-OpsOnlyHope!

2 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

Bingo! 

Thanks for answering... I should have read ahead.

 

 

 

Man, you should have said "No man, that will not work".  Now I must but multiple consoles for the house... haha LOL.  Oh well

On 12/21/2020 at 3:42 PM, Intellivision Master said:

 

I showed and explained the physical media stuff to RetroBro & Cyrus last night.  They seemed to really love it and mentioned that they would be doing some videos as well.

I can't wait to share what we're doing with everyone.

On 12/21/2020 at 7:15 PM, Battlefish said:

That whole "Release Date Fall 2021?" thing had me worried for a sec, until I actually watched the video. It's just speculation on Turbo Joe's part, which I disagree with...don't think the Amico will get delayed that long, if it does!

I agree with you! 

If there is a delay... it would more than likely be summer... not fall.

On 12/21/2020 at 7:18 PM, CurlyQ said:

Have You Been Naughty Or Nice This Year?

 

I nominate TJ @AtariSociety as the Official Intellivision Amico Santa Claus. 🎅

 

Hahahhaa!   HELL YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm totally gonna hire him next year to be the Santa at our Intellivision Christmas Party!!!

Just need to make sure Rainbow doesn't show up and spike the punch!

On 12/21/2020 at 7:27 PM, CurlyQ said:

 

Would a limited release be out of the question? Ship the Founders and VIP editions and get all the bugs ironed out before the big launch day.

 

Sound like a plan?

 

The issue is compliance.  We can't legally send out purchased consoles to people if the compliance isn't met.  That being said... there are "development units" that can be sent and placed in homes for "testing" (and eventually need to be returned).  We will definitely be doing this and will make sure those households are making fun videos with their families during the process.  

On 12/21/2020 at 9:15 PM, AtariSociety said:

Ok, better get my lap ready for lots of sittings.🎅

You talking about Santa or a strip club?

On 12/22/2020 at 12:29 AM, Steven Pendleton said:

I haven't been here for a while, I think...

 

I asked before and it wasn't decided yet at that time, but I'm curious to see if it's been decided how the Amico's game store will work for those of us (me) who live in countries where the system isn't officially launching. I mean with stuff like the ability to enter my Japanese address and use my Japanese card to buy games. I want to be able to give Intellivision my money after the FE card runs out~

 

So yeah, basically I'm interested to know if it will be like Steam and more or less be region free (although Steam itself has a stupid and frustrating region lock that can actually prevent you from playing games you've already bought if you move to a different country, depending on the game) or if it will be closer to something like how PSN/Switch eshop work with their different variants for different countries, with each one requiring an address and payment method for that country.

Yep!  That is the current plan... although different "rating systems" and regional laws could get in the way for some folks.

We have a team of people who have been working on our Amico Game Shop for over a year.

Looking forward to sharing some of its unique features!

On 12/22/2020 at 9:25 AM, GrudgeQ said:

Precisely why we need Cloudy Mountain ASAP:

 

 

Hahahha!

That was great.

Although the only way this could have been better and more accurate is if he would have died at the end because he skipped all the nonsense and then didn't know how to control the game.  That's what happens to me sometimes.  At that point I just put the game down and never play it again.  Not worth the time to learn everything only to forget it a few days later. 

Don't worry!  Switch has you covered.  

To be clear... I'm not putting down games that give players lots of options and choices.  I'm just pointing out that what our overall general attitude and goals are.... are a bit different and unique and appeal to a "different" kind of audience.

On 12/22/2020 at 12:16 PM, woobman said:

I was thinking about the physical media and the possibilities. I realized that if Intellivision is structured to "make it's money" off of the digital distribution. I wonder what can be done with making nice packaging and whatever form the actual physical game takes on. What can be manufactured for $5.00-$8.00? Adding some  for actual shipping costs. The possibilities are quite numerous. I also wonder what "extras" he was discussing.. More fun to think about.

 

Leading me to wonder - Will all the boxes be the same size? I'd ask for the size of packaging.. But I know better. OR will we have one the size of a typical Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. The other to be like Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows?  OR a Chibi Transformer toy vs the new Unicron that is coming out. (If you have not seen that. Wow). HASLAB Unicron

We are targeting our physical media for $19.99.  Our software $ margins aren't as big as the higher priced selling games (obviously) and I would rather pass the savings on to the consumer.  Retail takes 40%, 3PL (distributors) take a percentage, plus shipping costs, plus warehouse storage, plus initial shipping to the 3PL provider (from the manufacturer).. throw in customs, potential VAT or other taxes... and you can easily see how we end up making just a little more on physical media than we do with digital.  We are doing it though because it's cool, unique and helps to bring back a part of gaming that has generally been lost, but we are now seeing make a slight comeback with successful companies like Limited Run, etc.

We have something pretty unique that I'm looking forward to sharing... and that familes, kids & retro fans really like.

On 12/23/2020 at 7:23 AM, GrudgeQ said:

Looks to me like a minor retailer paying little attention to a product and just bumping the price 30 pounds over other retailers. They might be part of the official Koch Media distribution chain (probably is looking at their website) but I highly doubt they are getting anything early and instead are just going by old info & price gouging on top of that.

 

23 hours ago, RxScram said:

 

I'm guessing they are adding VAT, and not actually price gouging. 

Correct.  Phil confirmed this.

Koch is legit and a huge provider/distributor all across Europe (one of the oldest, biggest and best in fact).  The CEO of Koch is very good friends with Hans for many years.  He visited our E3 booth back in 2019 and LOVED Amico.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koch_Media