Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

17 hours ago, Lathe26 said:

Wait... does this mean the unreleased Mattel Intellivision prototype ROM "Chainsaw the Babies" won't be released for the Amico?  Aw man. 

Correct.  Sorry!  

6 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Hi,

I agree that the article went too far in describing what constitutes "violence"... but even if the number was half... it's still too far.  I was at E3 and every game being promoted on the walls, billboards, etc. was all adult content containing violence. 

We are NOT doing mobile ports.  Every game will be unique and exclusive and specifically built for Amico.

The President Trump tariffs on China currently have no bearing on what we're doing and if anything HELP our company.  We are attempting to assemble everything in America and have big meetings with Washington in regards to keeping everything here.    Won't know the outcome until later this year... but we have a great and solid plan right now that could benefit a lot of folks in a lot of different ways.

 

I don't disagree with your point that the video game industry uses too many shooters and other adult content for AAA games.  I agree that the Amico might be able to tap an undervalued market in going with games intended to appeal to all ages (Nintendo unfairly sometimes get labelled as games for kids when they try to get families to play their games). 

Specifically built for the Amico would be a good thing.  From what buzz is, I'll trust that you're not going for the Candy Crush knockoff kind of games.  (Was never into Earthworm Jim, but I remember playing demos of the original on the Genesis in Funcoland, which is now GameStop.  But if you have interesting other IP on the Amico like that, I'd be at least partially sold on the Amico)

Ah, interesting.  I'm glad to hear that you at least have some sort of plan in place in case of crazy tariffs on China.  Thanks for the reply,  Tommy Tallarico.  Will continue to keep the Amico on my radar, and will wait and see what you can deliver. 

1 hour ago, Abzeronow said:

I don't disagree with your point that the video game industry uses too many shooters and other adult content for AAA games.  I agree that the Amico might be able to tap an undervalued market in going with games intended to appeal to all ages (Nintendo unfairly sometimes get labelled as games for kids when they try to get families to play their games). 

 

Specifically built for the Amico would be a good thing.  From what buzz is, I'll trust that you're not going for the Candy Crush knockoff kind of games.  (Was never into Earthworm Jim, but I remember playing demos of the original on the Genesis in Funcoland, which is now GameStop.  But if you have interesting other IP on the Amico like that, I'd be at least partially sold on the Amico)

 

Ah, interesting.  I'm glad to hear that you at least have some sort of plan in place in case of crazy tariffs on China.  Thanks for the reply,  Tommy Tallarico.  Will continue to keep the Amico on my radar, and will wait and see what you can deliver. 

Yes... NONE of our games are Candy Crush type rip-off's, etc.  Everything is 100% original content made by some of the top developers in the world.

 

In a world of plug-n-plays and "classic" re-releases, its a breath of fresh air that a beloved classic console is getting a second chance in a new generation.  Thanks for keeping the revolution alive, Tommy!

ASSEMBLED IN THE USA is an amazing idea!  What other game console has that going for it? NONE that i know of!   

14 hours ago, ArcadeJunkie said:

In a world of plug-n-plays and "classic" re-releases, its a breath of fresh air that a beloved classic console is getting a second chance in a new generation.  Thanks for keeping the revolution alive, Tommy!

THANKS FOR THE SUPPORT!!  It really means a lot!

9 hours ago, AlecRob said:

ASSEMBLED IN THE USA is an amazing idea!  What other game console has that going for it? NONE that i know of!   

The original Intellivision??  

Nintendo, Microsoft & Sony all made in China.  Will be interesting to see how the tariffs effect their pricing.  If the other consoles are going to be closer to the $500 range... then I suppose that can only be good news for us and our under $200 price tag. 

8 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

The original Intellivision??  

 

 

Don’t forget the good ol’ atari Jaguar!

One of big press/media folks we let see and play the Intellivision Amico was my great friend Victor Lucas (of course!). Vic has always been sincere with his commentating. Check out what he had to say!!

 

22 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

One of big press/media folks we let see and play the Intellivision Amico was my great friend Victor Lucas (of course!). Vic has always been sincere with his commentating. Check out what he had to say!!
 

Video removed...

 

Tommy, I said it in the other thread... but I'm really happy to see such a good vibe surrounding the first look of the Amico. 

I agree with a lot of what you posted in reference to the violent content of games lately.  Seems kids are growing up knowing how to load and operate a SAW (Squad Automatic Weapon) before they can even spell their own last names thanks to the genre of games presently on the market.  I've played many of these myself and swear sometimes I was in actual live combat from the stresses the games impose on your psyche.

I'm excited to see the Amico possibly spearhead a movement back to traditional fun family gaming, somewhat like the Wii did for a while until the PS3/4 and Xboxes flooded intense graphics and violence into the gaming world and trampled that aspect.

Looking forward to what lies ahead with this...

JR

PS... don't forget to have vinyl peel-off stickers all over the boxes and cases of every unit that clearly say in big white bold lettering... PROUDLY MADE IN THE USA!

Before game ratings existed in the industry (i.e. rated Mature, Teen, etc), Mattel policed their own games.  For example, B-17 Bomber originally had blood-splats. 

I have the picture of the black amigo on my Desktop at work.

My boss came to see me, ans saw this picture.

He ask me what's this console ? I explain and knew that he would love to have it.

He have 4 childs ! He is in line for buying it. Near 200$ (Canadian Price) he says it's a bargain !

I am sure that most of  my friends will do the same.

We will surprise the world !!

P.S.  My boss tell me that he was a big player of Pitfall and River Raid.

I don't remember if we have the rights for this two games ?? From Activision.

Thank you.

14 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

The original Intellivision??  

 

Nintendo, Microsoft & Sony all made in China.  Will be interesting to see how the tariffs effect their pricing.  If the other consoles are going to be closer to the $500 range... then I suppose that can only be good news for us and our under $200 price tag. 

 

 

Intellivision is making gaming great again! 

Dropping bombs daily! 

 

I'm really excited about the possibilities with the Amico. When you look at what is out on the market now, all of the consoles are the same and somewhat simple. I saw a good article on Gamespot earlier today talking about the lack of any new ideas even for the new PS5 and Xbox Scarlett: https://www.gamespot.com/articles/platinum-games-boss-on-ps5-and-next-gen-xbox-scarl/1100-6467910/

I'm very interested in seeing what Intellivision brings to the table--even if it is not as well funded or doesn't have the best graphics compared to the big three, I think it is definitely time for some innovation in the gaming industry. I'm even interested in Atari's offering at this point.

So far, I am really liking what I am hearing and it sounds like the Amico will be a complete platform--not just a bunch of Android ports like the Ouya or the other failed "lower-cost" consoles. I could really see this succeeding.

Wow tommy! Congratulations!!  All the news is so great.  Amico in europe!  

I think amico will also have incredible potential in asian markets..    I’m rooting for yall, intellivision world!

100 percent good, genuine vibes in your company.  Not a big corporation vibe, not a greedy vibe, just pure passion for fun games!   

Amazing progress! Besides owning and playing a Flashback Intellivision I have had no experience from the Inty before, but your enthusiasm and openness of development has made me a fan of yours.

I'm looking forward to see some games in action. I wish you all the luck and success you can handle.

20 hours ago, AlecRob said:

Wow tommy! Congratulations!!  All the news is so great.  Amico in europe!  

 

I think amico will also have incredible potential in asian markets..    I’m rooting for yall, intellivision world!

 

100 percent good, genuine vibes in your company.  Not a big corporation vibe, not a greedy vibe, just pure passion for fun games!   

Thank you so much for noticing!  It really means a lot!

I won't let you down!

9 hours ago, Raticon said:

Amazing progress! Besides owning and playing a Flashback Intellivision I have had no experience from the Inty before, but your enthusiasm and openness of development has made me a fan of yours.

 

I'm looking forward to see some games in action. I wish you all the luck and success you can handle.

Thanks!!  I can't wait for you to play the games and the machine!!  Everything is made with passion by an incredible team of mega experienced folks I've been able to build around me and who have the same vision of bringing games back to what they used to be!

Another E3 interview came out today with big game journalist Dean Takahashi.  Atari was mentioned a few times in the article. 

https://venturebeat.com/2019/06/21/intellivision-entertainment-prepares-for-its-rebirth-on-10-10-20/

29 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Another E3 interview came out today with big game journalist Dean Takahashi.  Atari was mentioned a few times in the article. 

https://venturebeat.com/2019/06/21/intellivision-entertainment-prepares-for-its-rebirth-on-10-10-20/

Very nice article I’m definitely enjoying finding out about the thoughts of the folks who got to see the games at E3 looking forward to seeing the game play trailer I’ve already warned friends to be expecting messages from me as soon as I find it released 

Congrats Tommy on what was obviously a great E3 for you.  With all of this new information I am really getting a sense just how big you guys are and that you are real players in the game.  I have to say the hype is great and everytime you drop more info, just makes me want the system even more, you have to be doing something right for that to happen!

Personally, I am remaining cautiously optimistic about the Amico. What we need here is to see it action. We need to see the games. They're not ready to be shown. That's fine. But we don't have anything of substance to discuss until they are. A new Earthworm Jim has been announced. That is a step in the right direction. But I don't need to see pictures of the console in various colors. I have paint. I can have any color I want. But I'm not going to be looking at the console when I'm playing a game. I'm not that keen on the console design, anyway. I suppose it's fine, but it reminds me of a baby humidifier.

The controllers are concerning. It's the only part of the console that in any way recalls the Intellivision. In fact, I could see this console being released without the Intellivision brand and just be a party game console that uses everyone's smartphones are controllers. That's not a horrible idea, getting people to do things with their existing devices they couldn't before. That's how Ralph Baer came up with the Odyssey. I don't know if it'll catch on, though. Some have expressed concern over the controller design in how kids will react to them, but I think they're like a smartphone with extra buttons on them. I don't think younger people will have trouble adapting.

I am not sure about the angle of this being a kids console, as in that all the games are rated E or whatever. I don't pay much attention to that stuff. I don't see that as being a particularly strong selling point because Nintendo already occupies that niche comfortably. It's not a wide open niche. The Switch may be considerably more expensive, but the NES Mini and the Flashback systems are under a hundred dollars. Now there's a PlayStation mini and upcoming Sega Genesis and Turbografx-16 minis. It's a crowded market. I don't find that all the games will be rated E to be a good selling point, anyway. Most people won't care. It's only going to appeal to people who have kids but are not interested in parenting them and expect the manufacturers of consumer electronics to do it for them. So that mormon housewife who had her kids' copy of Princess Bride edited so that all the swords were replaced with light sabres because that makes it "less violent" (this was a real service someone was offering a few years ago) will find this appealing. No one else cares.

The Amico takes a few cues from the Wii and I'm not sure that's a great idea. Sure is sold a lot of consoles, but who bought games for it? Some but most people seemed to play Wii Sports, the pack-in title, and maybe five additional party games and that's it. Know what kids are doing with their Wii's now? They're cutting up the motherboard to make portable GameCubes.

GameCubes because no one cares about Wii games. The casual game market may be large, but they are fickle and they don't buy much. Didn't help that most of the games on the Wii was horrible shovelware.

I've voiced most of my concerns. Most of these will just go away once we get to see the games. Because marketing for the console does not matter and is largely ineffective. The real marketing for a console is the games you can play on it. So, I'll be able to update my opinion once they're ready to be seen.

I just hope the "updated" Intellivision games aren't from that failed Intellivision Gen2 kickstarter. They looked like horrible Flash games from 2002.