Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

2 hours ago, Blarneo said:

Tell me about it. All versions of Tempest from Jaguar on, just don't cut it in the control dept. I've got the Dreamcast & XB360 versions & it's an effort in frustration. The game is not made for Dpads or analog sticks & makes for a frustrating game of scooting past the target channels. It was designed for a spinner and Amico's disc looks to do the trick.

 

Haven't seen the arcade cabinet in years. Must be in private collections.

I am right there with you - no point of Tempest without some sort of rotary control. Even the Amico disc won't be perfect but it will the closest thing you can get to a spinner in a hand held controller. Not sure if that new Atari joystick thing will be decent as a spinner type control (about the only potentially good product to come out of that mess) but who knows if it will actually come to market, how well it will work, what software support it will get and the ergonomics of spinning a flat disk seems way better than a spinning stick. Amico Tempest is definitely on my 'must buy' list.

7 hours ago, Sinjinhawke said:

You betcha ya should.  

When the Minnesota jokes come out, I just say Uff-da. 

On 11/6/2019 at 5:03 AM, Tommy Tallarico said:

Reminds me of Food Fight!

Could Food Fight be one of the Atari licenses that you have? That could be a great addition to the Amico family. 

On 11/20/2019 at 7:47 PM, woobman said:

Not that you didn't already have it... You just didn't know it. I already have the T-Shirt.. Now I have to get a matching console. If you tell me Adventure, Star Raiders, Warlords or any game made by the original Activision team, I'll have to eat ramen for a while.. But I think it will be worth it.

We have Adventure & Warlords and will be starting them both slightly after launch.  Should be ready by 2021!

2 hours ago, killersquirel said:

Could Food Fight be one of the Atari licenses that you have? That could be a great addition to the Amico family. 

We don't have that one... but once the others launch and are successful it would be easy to obtain.

I gotta say M.U.L.E. would be a great little game to add to this system.  Obviously, a little more depth and vastly improved visuals would be needed.  But, overall, this would be a great title to have on the Amico.  Just my opinion though.  Any thoughts?

18 hours ago, Lathe26 said:

When the Minnesota jokes come out, I just say Uff-da. 

Oh' Jeez Margie!

Hey uh', Ambrrr! Did you get mye Smookes? 

I just discovered an interesting discussion in a Spanish forum: The new Asterix & Obelix game includes a couch coop mode but not an online mode, so the user gerard78 said:

Quote

What f*****g hobby do these developers have in putting cooperative games without online options. It seems that these people do not realize that the times of playing with friends in a house are over and that now everyone plays in their own house in their underpants or how they like to be on the sofa without having company next to them.

As other forums, this one is mostly populated by male hardcore gamers in their 30s. Several users reply, starting with a message by the user JuanCarpintero:

Quote

That will be you. After 20 years, this game can continue to be played in cooperative thanks to being local. Another thing is that the more options better and if they introduce online multiplayer, then the better. But asking why adding local cooperative, fortunately, is not what I and many people think.

Other users launch personal attacks to the first one, calling him a loner, and he replies. Apparently, he has lived the old times, he has enjoyed couch coop, but he has shifted to the dark side:

Quote

 

The truth, kids, is that I have lived the consoles since the Spectrum era that we had to wait a s**t-ton of time to load the f*****g tape. I have spent the night in the early morning playing fighting games with friends at the neighbor's house with an average of 4-6 people on summer nights, or Fridays and Saturday nights when I was studying.
Also, I spent many afternoons at someone's house playing Streets of Rage 2 or completing some Sonic 3 stage. Playing Secret of Mana with 3 people at a friend's house with the multi tap, with his mother bringing us snacks while we were playing in the living room.

I have lived all that and possibly much more than those who have answered me jumping down my throat.
But like everything else in life, things change and now most people prefer to play alone, but with other people online.
That is what technology has caused, that people have the comfort of not having to move to anyone's house or that anyone comes to yours to play game.
Just like social networks have turned many into stupid people that can't live if they do not receive a like on Instagram or if they somebody doesn't tell them how handsome they are.

Some people even risk their own or others' lives to receive what I have mentioned.

And that, my friends, no matter how much you hate it, is the harsh reality.

 

The final reply to this user is simple but effective:

Quote

So you assume that you ask the online cooperative for an Asterix game because you have become stupid over time?

The replies defending couch coop have received 10x likes than the ones complaining about the lack of online.

I suspect the Amico can have a much bigger impact that many people think... even among hardcore gamers.

19 minutes ago, IntelliMission said:

The replies defending couch coop have received 10x likes than the ones complaining about the lack of online.

It's possible they truly liked the idea.  It's also possible they are developer fanboys who want to show support for the developer's decisions.  Some fans will support anything a creator or IP owner does.  Keyboard warriors who will even make it personal in their virtual war. 

Nevertheless, it's a dated and moot argument--at least on PC.  That game is "Remote Play Together"-compatible; Valve Steam's brand new way to play couch co-op remotely.

Oh, I forgot to add the link to the discussion (it's in Spanish).

And the game is coming out for almost every platform, so none of these users are fanboys or keyboard warriors defending their favorite company, at least in that topic (the developers are an unknown French company called Anuman and the users are Spanish, so we can discard the "Developer Fanboys" theory too).

This is not about the game being playable online or not in one particular system. These users are not aware of that option and are discussing online multiplayer Vs. couch coop. They are what is considered "hardcore players", so I believe it's revealing that so many of them are defending this kind of "old style" multiplayer. While the main focus of the Amico will be casual gamers, I am now more curious about how the console will be received by hardcore gamers and video game forums/magazines.

Thanks for the link.

I agree there can be other reasons than fanboyism.  Sometimes humor or saltiness is enough to get likes.  But that just buttresses my implied point that the likes may not be because they like the couch-coop idea itself.

5 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

This is not about the game being playable online or not in one particular system. These users are not aware of that option and are discussing online multiplayer Vs. couch coop.

You may have missed post #12 that mentions Steam and #13 that says PlayStation 4 has a similar feature (I think).

I find Tommy's vision great for kids and families.  I don't think he's targeting adult childless or empty-nest gamers, though.  If he is, it needs to come with at least a beer koozie. 

Holy crap - I just caught up on the Pat/Ian vs Tommy thing. I unsubbed from them ages ago because they were getting more and more arrogant. They talk about “journalistic integrity” yet it’s blatantly obvious that the subjects they talk about on their podcast they are only learning about as they read from their laptops. They research nothing. 
 

Tommy, they treated you with utter disrespect and I get the feeling they just trash talk everything to try and get clicks... I’m not sure why they think that would work.

Anyway, I’ll admit I was sceptical of the Amico at first. Especially after the Coleco Chameleon, but then I heard your name (and other industry vets) was involved and I listened to what you had to say and I started to gain confidence in the console. I had a baby boy earlier in the year and I’ve already told my partner that we’re getting an Amico to play as a family and I’m looking forward to it!

I do have one question/bit of criticism though. Earlier you talked about the Amico being a 2D powerhouse and brought up Cuphead and how the devs said it was really pushing modern consoles. I’m guessing that’s to do with so many frames of high resolution textures eating up VRAM? Anyway, I bring this up as the only Amico gameplay I’ve seen has been 3D and pretty basic at that. Now I understand it’s not meant to compete with PS5 etc and it’s going to be all about the fun, which I’m 100% onboard with but, where’s this amazing 2D stuff you promised?

Anyway, I just thought I’d offer my support. You have a day one buyer here. I’ve been a fan of your work since the Mega Drive days too, so Pat can stick his “more people know who I am” comment up his arrogant ass. You’ve got to where you are because of passion and hard work. They got to where they are (which is nowhere in the grand scheme of things) by being nasty.
 

Cheers!

MantaNZ, I was also disappointed about the lack of 3D graphics, it would have been visually refreshing to have such as system in 2020. Fortunately, we still have the Panic Playdate for a (deliberately limited) version of that.

Tommy said that, in the end, their vision was more about 2D controls using 3D graphics. They probably think that's the best way to do it. None of the games will have 3D controls ("free 3D roaming") or split screen. Since the machine is aimed towards casual gamers, I kind of understand their approach: 3D graphics with 2D controls mean simple controls but spectacular camera angles when needed.

5 minutes ago, IntelliMission said:

MantaNZ, I was also disappointed about the lack of 3D graphics, it would have been visually refreshing to have such as system in 2020. Fortunately, we still have the Panic Playdate for a (deliberately limited) version of that.

 

Tommy said that, in the end, their vision was more about 2D controls using 3D graphics. They probably think that's the best way to do it. None of the games will have 3D controls ("free 3D roaming") or split screen. Since the machine is aimed towards casual gamers, I kind of understand their approach: 3D graphics with 2D controls mean simple controls but spectacular camera angles when needed.

Ah I see. I’m all good with 2D style games but I’d love to see some actual 2D stuff too. Hoping Earthworm Jim will be that

In all honestly I can’t wait to see how the controllers work. Rather than just say “no one plays games like that” I want to experience it myself and see what kind of awesome control schemes developers come up with. I’m really excited for something different! I’m thinking football games where each player can choose their play without the others seeing it etc. Kinda like the Dreamcast VMU but better

11 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

I suspect the Amico can have a much bigger impact that many people think... even among hardcore gamers.

This.

9 hours ago, MantaNZ said:

Ah I see. I’m all good with 2D style games but I’d love to see some actual 2D stuff too. Hoping Earthworm Jim will be that

 

In all honestly I can’t wait to see how the controllers work. Rather than just say “no one plays games like that” I want to experience it myself and see what kind of awesome control schemes developers come up with. I’m really excited for something different! I’m thinking football games where each player can choose their play without the others seeing it etc. Kinda like the Dreamcast VMU but better

I think you will see some hand drawn style animation too it’s going to come down to what works best for the people programming the games the few games we have seen have been 2.5 D (3D with fixed camera) however I think we will also see beautiful 2D things as well I’m pretty sure at some point back on here Tommy said the Earthworm Jim art style would be more like the classic games but better 

On 11/22/2019 at 11:52 AM, Hwlngmad said:

I gotta say M.U.L.E. would be a great little game to add to this system.  Obviously, a little more depth and vastly improved visuals would be needed.  But, overall, this would be a great title to have on the Amico.  Just my opinion though.  Any thoughts?

Agreed! I've been on quite a M.U.L.E. kick recently. I played that game to death when it came out, and still love it 36 years later.

I think the memorable theme song would really benefit from a Tallarico treatment. And 8 player M.U.L.E.? The mind boggles.

On 11/23/2019 at 4:08 AM, IntelliMission said:

Oh, I forgot to add the link to the discussion (it's in Spanish).

And the game is coming out for almost every platform, so none of these users are fanboys or keyboard warriors defending their favorite company, at least in that topic (the developers are an unknown French company called Anuman and the users are Spanish, so we can discard the "Developer Fanboys" theory too).

 

This is not about the game being playable online or not in one particular system. These users are not aware of that option and are discussing online multiplayer Vs. couch coop. They are what is considered "hardcore players", so I believe it's revealing that so many of them are defending this kind of "old style" multiplayer. While the main focus of the Amico will be casual gamers, I am now more curious about how the console will be received by hardcore gamers and video game forums/magazines.

Part of the issue is that hard core gaming really is an exclusive club. Just the memory, practice and twitch motor skills needed to play a lot of these games is impressive. This is probably where a lot of the pride and dismissal of things like the Amico come into play - after all these people are in a league of their own. However that also means they simply aren’t that many around and this almost requires online play to bring in any social aspect. Tommy talks a lot about people being left behind by gaming and between life responsibilities or just not wanting to put the massive effort in - most/all of their in person friends have probably dropped away from gaming. This only leaves online play and so they need it - but on the same hand they also remember the great time they had playing with their high school buddies and want that to come back too. I fully expect a lot of Amico backlash from the notoriously independent American white 20 something males who don’t remember couch coop and who don’t “need” (or aren’t willing to admit it) in person group gaming. Older folks and cultures that value family gathings more (I fully expect the Amico to be huge in Central/South America for example) are going to be extremely positive once they get the message. 

21 hours ago, MantaNZ said:

Ah I see. I’m all good with 2D style games but I’d love to see some actual 2D stuff too. Hoping Earthworm Jim will be that

 

In all honestly I can’t wait to see how the controllers work. Rather than just say “no one plays games like that” I want to experience it myself and see what kind of awesome control schemes developers come up with. I’m really excited for something different! I’m thinking football games where each player can choose their play without the others seeing it etc. Kinda like the Dreamcast VMU but better

I loved that aspect on the Dreamcast about the VMU! No cheating by looking at my plays I pick on screen! 

There's a rumor of Atari possibly being in some legal trouble. Any possibility that would affect the Atari remakes on Amico?

1 hour ago, MrBeefy said:

There's a rumor of Atari possibly being in some legal trouble. Any possibility that would affect the Atari remakes on Amico?

Unlikely - usually something like this doesn’t invalidate existing contracts unless the contract is directly related to the disputed item. If Intellivision licenses “Atari” games now claimed to be owned by someone else then they may get an injunction on usage but also it could just be the money would just go to the actual IP holder if they won. All of that is very unlikely the issue with Atari - about the only thing I believe is that they own the Atari games IP. This is much more likely unpaid bills, stock holders being lied to or mis-representing claims to customers on the VCS.

It looks like Tommy has been spending a few days in Spain with the Video Games Live tour... Hey Tommy, how did you like Murcia? As a Spaniard who lives in Spain, I've never been there, but the weather and the monuments look great. Fun fact: It is both the most religious region in Spain (it's the small one at the bottom right) and the one where most people voted for Vox, the new Spanish far-right party that, among other things, proposes that hunting and bullfighting should be taught to children at Schools.

Back to the Amico, I just found the following interesting, recent articles:

- Diary Of An Arcade Employee Podcast 1UP – Night Stalker

- Parlamo di videogiochi - GameRome 2019 Part 1

- Parlamo di videogiochi - GameRome 2019 Part 2

- IGN Italy: Intellivision Amico family entertainment: In a market now saturated with consoles destined for more hardcore users, Intellivision aims to conquer a completely different audience.

The first one includes a 23 minute podcast about the development of Night Stalker.

The others are poor Google translations (Amico appears as "Friend") of italian articles about the recent GameRome event, where Hans Ippich gave some interviews to the media.

4 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

It looks like Tommy has been spending a few days in Spain with the Video Games Live tour... Hey Tommy, how did you like Murcia? As a Spaniard who lives in Spain, I've never been there, but the weather and the monuments look great. Fun fact: It is both the most religious region in Spain (it's the small one at the bottom right) and the one where most people voted for Vox, the new Spanish far-right party that, among other things, proposes that hunting and bullfighting should be taught to children at Schools.

 

Back to the Amico, I just found the following interesting, recent articles:

 

- Diary Of An Arcade Employee Podcast 1UP – Night Stalker

 

- Parlamo di videogiochi - GameRome 2019 Part 1

 

- Parlamo di videogiochi - GameRome 2019 Part 2

 

- IGN Italy: Intellivision Amico family entertainment: In a market now saturated with consoles destined for more hardcore users, Intellivision aims to conquer a completely different audience.

 

The first one includes a 23 minute podcast about the development of Night Stalker.

 

The others are poor Google translations (Amico appears as "Friend") of italian articles about the recent GameRome event, where Hans Ippich gave some interviews to the media.

Awesome links and worth a read though despite the clunky translation. For some eye candy - here is a high res view of the Amico console with controller and mobile app from GameRome 2019 Part 2.

On 11/23/2019 at 11:58 PM, xeex said:

Agreed! I've been on quite a M.U.L.E. kick recently. I played that game to death when it came out, and still love it 36 years later.

 

I think the memorable theme song would really benefit from a Tallarico treatment. And 8 player M.U.L.E.? The mind boggles.

 

8 player M.U.L.E. with a song that has Tallarico touches would be awesome.

On 11/22/2019 at 9:52 AM, Hwlngmad said:

I gotta say M.U.L.E. would be a great little game to add to this system.  Obviously, a little more depth and vastly improved visuals would be needed.  But, overall, this would be a great title to have on the Amico.  Just my opinion though.  Any thoughts?

Totally agree!!  LOVE that!!