Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

Quick question here. I have a 5yo and 7yo and as I'm imagining a woodgrain or black Amico in the house for the family proper (red if I get sole pick), I see getting one for them that they can control and play with just each other (one way to foster a bit of independence between them and parental units). The question is this: are the games purchased for a machine or account? Are they shareable between two Amico's in the same house?

The reason I ask is several-fold. I have multiple Wiis because the damn CD loaders kept breaking, so they all have different games and DLC on them. I have half The Beatles Rubber Soul Rockband songs on one and most on the other. Poo. We don't play the Wii any more because of that. Nasty taste in the mouth. Further, while I've introduced them to my Vader, I don't let them play with it unsupervised because they treated it like it was theirs and not mine. Now I realize that with the Amico I'd probably only have to worry about the controllers' durability, I'm still thinking that at the expected price point I'd like to buy two.

7 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Absolutely!

Trivia question... who was the very first musician/composer to ever release a video game soundtrack album worldwide and on a major record label?

Somebody who can afford a new pair of jeans and a modern haircut?👨‍🎨😈

15 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

Whoa, so many new messages talking about video game music and sound! Now this is a decent topic and not Bed Bath & Beyond.

 

Sound is a key element in a video game. For me, in the 80s it was the Saboteur 2 and Cauldron 2 themes, and in the early 90s the music and sound for games like Wolfenstein 3D, Doom, Monkey Island 2 or Space Quest IV made the games much better.

 

With the Playstation, sound gained even more importance. Check out games like Silent Hill, Metal Gear, Tomb Raider, Abe's Oddysee... Tommy did a great job with the music in games like MDK and Treasures of the Deep too. And yes, I also loved the songs in Bust a Groove!

 

So yeah, I'm glad the Amico sounds good. I hope this can help sell the system. In video games, sound is usually something that "is there" but people don't pay attention to it, at least consciously. But they are listening to it and it's an important part of their experience, even if they don't realize.

My text tone for years has been the "challenging stage" intro from Galaga. 🤣 People around me say... "I know that sound! Where did that come from?"

When I was 9-12 years old, video games were the first to bring music into my room, long before I started listening to the radio. Check out this collection of amazing Amstrad CPC tunes... it's incredible how they created this with such a limited tools.

An interesting part of that video is how you can have great music in a great video game that doesn't work because it doesn't fit the overall tone. Listen to the in-game music for the great beat em up Target: Renegade too see what I mean.

That little tune from Galaga is cool, it reminds me of the one in Arkanoid II. The sound design in Arkanoid II really impacts the game, there is a mysterious musical aspect to the sound of the ball bouncing... wait for the little tune, it appears at 11:00.

9 hours ago, JasperAK said:

Quick question here. I have a 5yo and 7yo and as I'm imagining a woodgrain or black Amico in the house for the family proper (red if I get sole pick), I see getting one for them that they can control and play with just each other (one way to foster a bit of independence between them and parental units). The question is this: are the games purchased for a machine or account? Are they shareable between two Amico's in the same house?

 

The reason I ask is several-fold. I have multiple Wiis because the damn CD loaders kept breaking, so they all have different games and DLC on them. I have half The Beatles Rubber Soul Rockband songs on one and most on the other. Poo. We don't play the Wii any more because of that. Nasty taste in the mouth. Further, while I've introduced them to my Vader, I don't let them play with it unsupervised because they treated it like it was theirs and not mine. Now I realize that with the Amico I'd probably only have to worry about the controllers' durability, I'm still thinking that at the expected price point I'd like to buy two.

Hi!,

Thanks for the question.  It's a great one that doesn't come up too often but something we have thought about a lot.

I can't really give you the exact answer at this moment because of patents pending HOWEVER I can tell you this.

If you purchased a digital game on your system downstairs... you will be able to play it on other machines in your house very easily.  I wish I could tell you more... but I can't until next June.  Just know that we have you taken care of and it's something we have thought about a lot!  Also... physical media would of course be very easy to take from room to room as well.  But I wanted to ensure that digital games within a household were capable as well.  And the great thing is that it's super easy to do!  Although there are some restrictions (if it's being played in one room... the same game can't be played in another)... but we needed some restrictions like that because of copy protection and potentially opening ourselves up for massive piracy.  

Hope that helped to answer your question somewhat.  I wish I could tell you more.

Thanks!

5 hours ago, Blarneo said:

Somebody who can afford a new pair of jeans and a modern haircut?👨‍🎨😈

Cut me a break!  The 80's had just ended!!   

 

8 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Cut me a break!  The 80's had just ended!!   

 

The 80's Ended ???? When did this happen, No Way , I can't believe that statement.. Ok now time to spin some Dio cranked to 13 .... lol BTW It looks like you wore your Sunglasses at Night.. Cory opps Tommy ...lol Cheers !!!

I was going to buy 10 Amicos, but Tommy's look in that picture made me regret that decision and now I will only buy 11.

1 hour ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Hi!,

 

Thanks for the question.  It's a great one that doesn't come up too often but something we have thought about a lot.

I can't really give you the exact answer at this moment because of patents pending HOWEVER I can tell you this.

 

If you purchased a digital game on your system downstairs... you will be able to play it on other machines in your house very easily.  I wish I could tell you more... but I can't until next June.  Just know that we have you taken care of and it's something we have thought about a lot!  Also... physical media would of course be very easy to take from room to room as well.  But I wanted to ensure that digital games within a household were capable as well.  And the great thing is that it's super easy to do!  Although there are some restrictions (if it's being played in one room... the same game can't be played in another)... but we needed some restrictions like that because of copy protection and potentially opening ourselves up for massive piracy.  

Hope that helped to answer your question somewhat.  I wish I could tell you more.

Thanks!

 

 

Thank you for the quick response.

I don't want to sound like I'm kissing your ass or anything, but your excitement for the Amico is infectious. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this all plays out. Our family is exactly who you are selling too. If you have a 2p Co-op game like Diablo 3, I might even be able to get the wife to play. Fuck, now that I think of it, she'd play something like Zombies Ate My Neighbors. We liked the Wii but after a few months got tired of the Rabids mini games.

4 hours ago, m-crew said:

The 80's Ended ???? When did this happen, No Way , I can't believe that statement.. Ok now time to spin some Dio cranked to 13 .... lol BTW It looks like you wore your Sunglasses at Night.. Cory opps Tommy ...lol Cheers !!!

Andrew Yang just karaoke'd "Don't You Forget About Me" very badly in a campaign stop last week. It's coming back... I guess except for the Cosby Show.😟

3 hours ago, Blarneo said:

Andrew Yang just karaoke'd "Don't You Forget About Me" very badly in a campaign stop last week. It's coming back... I guess except for the Cosby Show.😟

OK.. got my capizo shoes, skinny tie, Don Johnson white blazer with sleeves rolled up... and my bowl of Honey Combs ready for the Saturday morning showing of Wacky Races!!!

Just went to the Video Game Live event in Fort Worth Texas and waited in line for the meet & greet at the end. Shamelessly played my AtariAge Amico cred and Tommy shared with me a small video of the new Amico skiing game. Got to say, it looks bright, detailed and super fun - it has that impressive graphic aesthetic you saw in the other games in the trailer. Really excited with what they are doing with these games.

BTW If you ever get a chance to see a Video Games Live show they are definitely worth it. The "VS" video game mashup segments are hilarious & hearing these game classics with a full orchestra is pretty amazing. Plenty of hits like Pokemon & Final Fantasy but also stuff like Okami & Undertale.

Tommy, I have a question about purchase logistics for non US buyers and in particular for italian buyers like me.

The vintage woodgrain limited edition and the other variants of Amico (I'm interested in the Obsidian Black one also) will be available on online stores that ship from UE? I'm asking this for the customs fees.

Thanks.
 

More ideas for 2D top-down shooters... This is a Spanish game that has just been released for the ZX Spectrum: Paintball 2048

On 11/2/2019 at 8:47 AM, Tommy Tallarico said:

Hi!,

 

Thanks for the question.  It's a great one that doesn't come up too often but something we have thought about a lot.

I can't really give you the exact answer at this moment because of patents pending HOWEVER I can tell you this.

 

If you purchased a digital game on your system downstairs... you will be able to play it on other machines in your house very easily.  I wish I could tell you more... but I can't until next June.  Just know that we have you taken care of and it's something we have thought about a lot!  Also... physical media would of course be very easy to take from room to room as well.  But I wanted to ensure that digital games within a household were capable as well.  And the great thing is that it's super easy to do!  Although there are some restrictions (if it's being played in one room... the same game can't be played in another)... but we needed some restrictions like that because of copy protection and potentially opening ourselves up for massive piracy.  

Hope that helped to answer your question somewhat.  I wish I could tell you more.

Thanks!

 

 

Thanks for this.  The big question I had about Amico was this.  I also have a Wii with the same problem, and I was hoping the Amico wouldn't suffer from the same problem.

Break: ----------

So the Amico will come with 5 free games.  Are there any early guesses what they might be?  My early guesses are:
1. Skiing

2. Astrosmash

3. Moon Patrol

4. Night Stalker

5. Some sort of cornhole game (not yet announced or shown)

Any other guesses?

2 hours ago, vongruetz said:

Thanks for this.  The big question I had about Amico was this.  I also have a Wii with the same problem, and I was hoping the Amico wouldn't suffer from the same problem.

 

Break: ----------

 

So the Amico will come with 5 free games.  Are there any early guesses what they might be?  My early guesses are:
1. Skiing

2. Astrosmash

3. Moon Patrol

4. Night Stalker

5. Some sort of cornhole game (not yet announced or shown)

 

Any other guesses?

Call of Duty 47: This time with 5 more bullets!

Hi Tommy.

What I like the most is physical game, and I am happy that we will have a couple of them with Amico.

The only thing I dislike about it, is when we have to change the cartridge, DVD, or Blu Ray.

Sometimes it's turning me off to play it ! ( Lol, I am more and more lazy !! )

We don't know how exactly the physical game will be for Amico, but I was wondering...

Will it be possible to have access to those game without plugging or unplugging ?

Example, could it be accessible by wifi, or this sort of thing, like an object at 5 feet from Amico will be playable ?

Maybe you can't tell us for now and we will have to wait June 2020 ?

Thank you.

On 11/2/2019 at 8:01 AM, m-crew said:

The 80's Ended ???? When did this happen, No Way , I can't believe that statement.. Ok now time to spin some Dio cranked to 13 .... lol BTW It looks like you wore your Sunglasses at Night.. Cory opps Tommy ...lol Cheers !!!

in my house the 80s NEVER end! 

18 hours ago, LePionnier said:

Hi Tommy.

 

What I like the most is physical game, and I am happy that we will have a couple of them with Amico.

The only thing I dislike about it, is when we have to change the cartridge, DVD, or Blu Ray.

Sometimes it's turning me off to play it ! ( Lol, I am more and more lazy !! )

 

We don't know how exactly the physical game will be for Amico, but I was wondering...

Will it be possible to have access to those game without plugging or unplugging ?

Example, could it be accessible by wifi, or this sort of thing, like an object at 5 feet from Amico will be playable ?

Maybe you can't tell us for now and we will have to wait June 2020 ?

 

Thank you.

 

For the physical Copies.. maybe you can include a "download code".  Can't wait to see what the physical games look like. Even if you use Micro SD cards with a plastic shell to make it look like an old INTV game.. I wouldn't argue.  Same with the Game packaging. Would love to see a throwback to the old Boxes. Especially if you can recreate/update Imagic and Activision boxes. 

I only want to know more about the physical media itself... can anyone give me a clue? It's too mysterious. Yeah, I know, patents, but...

Hey Tommy have the shirts started shipping yet? Can’t wait to get mine! Thanks!

10 minutes ago, MarioMan88 said:

Hey Tommy have the shirts started shipping yet? Can’t wait to get mine! Thanks!

I refuse to wear a shirt until I get my Amico shirt.  Hope it comes soon.   It’s getting cold north of the wall.   

1 hour ago, Sinjinhawke said:

I refuse to wear a shirt until I get my Amico shirt.  Hope it comes soon.   It’s getting cold north of the wall.   

Hey, what happens north of the wall, STAYS north of the wall! 😄

19 hours ago, atarifan88 said:

Hey, what happens north of the wall, STAYS north of the wall! 😄

Y'all non gay guys always posting Will Ferrel like he's a catch. 

14 minutes ago, Blarneo said:

Y'all non gay guys always posting Will Ferrel like he's a catch. 

He is worth $100 million.  That buys a lot of Amico’s.   Hmm 🤔.   Nope, I settle for just one Amico and keep my wife.   I’m sure she will be thrilled.   Sorry Will.