Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

2 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Thank you for your support and kind words.  It means a lot.  

If we do everything right... maybe someday you'll change your avatar!!   


 

You're welcome.  And yes I may change my avatar.  

1 hour ago, OEB_Pete said:

Yeah I watched it,though when he talked about the Ouya I got really sad as that one I bought day 1 and was truly truly disappointed I felt lied to

I think the public support for the Ouya wasn’t matched by  management’s execution and was more of a missed opportunity than a bad idea. I am so happy the Amico is backed by gamers - pretty much top to bottom. I was even more pleased  to find out Tommy is a huge retro geek. We need a family friendly console but if it was headed by (insert any religion/do gooder organization) I am pretty positive it would suck because of the same reason the Ouya did - weak management & lack of true gaming experience.

For some reason this just popped in my head not sure if it’s a good idea or not but what about getting licensing to do a series of mystery games based for example off the old Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys books 

9 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Just wanted to let folks in here know that I just received an email forwarded to me from someone (whom I don't really even know that well) showing me an e-mail that he received from Tonytgd.

It's too bad that some people become so consumed with hate. But there's nothing you can really do for them. They can't be reasoned with. ✌️

1 hour ago, Atari_Master said:

You're welcome.  And yes I may change my avatar.  

Here you go!

8 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Here's their "latest" video.

I can't believe this tonytdg. Isn't this considered slander or libel? He's not even trying to hide it.

1 hour ago, RetroAdvisoryBoard said:

 

Here's a lead for you.. I'd been thinking of such a game as well, glad you guys have this on your radar.

 

For the last decade, but originating in 1986 from a Japanese toyline and children's series/books called "Maple Town" or "Maple Town Stories", Toei Animation with Tonka as the toys manufacturer created a whole woodland creature setting of anthropomorphic, cute critters targetting young children, especially girls.  Playsets, hundreds of collectible characters with clothes, every animal had a job - perhaps working at the post office, the local bakery, the supermarket, the sawmill, the furniture factory, etc.   There's the built-in building element of building a town filled with unique characters and tasks. 

 

That series died off in the mid 90s but was replaced in the late 00s as "Sylvanian Families" internationally, rebranded here in North America as "Calico Critters" (at one time "Calico Critters of Cloverleaf Junction").  The series has a new Netflix tie in and a toyline with hundreds of characters, reissuing some of the old Tonka molds but still dozens of character models, all with families, all with unique stores and jobs.  It creates quite the "lived in" town experience for a 3-12 year old target audience.

 

Owner EPOCH Everlasting Play (also goes by EPOCH Making Toys) does not have, nor have they had, a partnership for a video game license - neither "Calico Critters", "Sylvanian Families" or the possibly now-expired "Maple Town" license appear in game searches and these lines really haven't branched out to other licenses.  But they promote quality toys, they brand the line as wholesome and loving, they're a regular fixture at independent smaller toy stores, filling in the niche that was doll houses.  From their website:  All the citizens in Calico Village have hobbies and jobs. The underlying theme is giving, friendship and happiness. Calico Critters are wholesome, never trendy.  Calico Critters of Calico Village are timeless, classic toys that delight children and promote wholesome family values. 

 

Huh.  That sounds like a certain Nintendo-hating cult leader CEO who loves the groveling over on his AtariAge Intellivision threads that I know

 

Really, it may be a good match if you can reach out to them to discuss if they're open to a license.

 

As to gameplay, I would suggest the team or partnering developer take a multi-game approach.  Animal Crossing has the "checking in with friends and family over time" appeal to see what everyone has been up to.  You engage in little tasks and invest in characters chores and life-building.  Little Dragon's Cafe came out Summer 2018 but has the protagonist (group of friends/family) running a local cafe, the mechanics have customers come in and out of the cafe and telling stories, they need help to complete their adventures - the cafe becomes the hub for accepting adventures, BUT they're also running the cafe, so they have to run the shop, and hired help all have flaws and do silly things and are more troublesome than they're worth sometimes.  An opportunity for humor definitely (think Earthworm Jim humor, dialed to a for-kids audience, but in the end endearing as you grow attached to these characters coming in and out of your shop).  Now with Little Dragon's Cafe, your adventurers yield famous recipes that you can sell at your shop to draw in more customers... and some recipes could grow less appealing with time or customers grow bored of the same fare.

 

Of course such a team should look at the farming and crafting mechanics of Stardew Valley, Harvest Moon, Rune Factory, Stranded Sails, and Little King's story, or the dozens of more recent games built around crafting and allocated task management.

 

The unique Amico pitch?  Well, the group "adventure" could play out on screen.  Or managing the shop can be the on-screen shared tv experience.  Players are getting cues about things that need attention on their controllers.. they're maybe talking to each other as cues start buzzing from all over - oven is done, dishes are piling up, table four is flagging us down, a large party just arrived without a reservation.. eggs are burning, table seven has some unique request combinations for the soda jerk to make.. think about the frenetic moments of Overcooked that require a lot of people managing tasks.  BUT with the forgiving nature of the Karma engine that isn't going to condemn a player who can't keep up based on its tabulated metric of their experience and performance.

Then throw in a team adventure component.. maybe the whole team goes to one of the many other shops/locations in town to help, maybe one player goes to complete that task and they temporarily get a little map on their controller as they go to complete that task/fetch quest, and in the meanwhile, the remaining 3-7 players are running the shop and picking up their chores, their tasks, making their lives a little more hectic.  BUT if that player/players escaping the main gameplay can complete the task.. well, the whole group gets a bonus, sells more, has a new item, unlocked features.. etc. 

 

Replay ability?   You don't need to work at a cafe each time.  There's a hundred shops.  Each with a hundred tasks.  Throw the gang into the post office.  Into the chocolate factory a la I Love Lucy.  Into the fire station and respond to small emergencies around town.  You guys can build this into an amazing world for kids to explore and play together with friends and families.  Scale down for single player, or throw all sorts of tasks and happenstance and humor with groups playing together.

Since it's digital, the whole game can grow and grow and grow with future updates into its own beast of a game.

 

Like Animal Crossing, it

• has anthropomorphic cute characters
• you check-in with them as the world evolves over time
• build a town or exist in a built town
• complete small achievable tasks
• customizable characters
• mini games in every shop/location

Unique features

• group play
• fetch quests can be done solo or with others
• facility/shop management gives it an Overcooked frenetic sense
• you're invested in a growing cast of characters - it becomes your escapist town
• opportunity to use the phone app for easter eggs like wardrobe changes, decorate your home
• opportunity to use the phone app to assign tasks when not on Amico (think Farmville)
• sharing your village or town with friends through the controller RFID
• toyline tie-in already exists to engage young children
• Netflix shorts and classic series already exist to help expand the brand/concept

 

And although it's a natural fit for kids, we know Animal Crossing has a particularly outstanding demographic of women ages 18-24.  You know all those 30-something moms Intellivision is reaching out to?  How about a toyline tie-in that they're familiar with from the late 80s-mid 90s, with a hundred cartoon episodes as a tie-in, an almost identical concept now in toy aisles and on Netflix for their 2-10 year old daughters (and sons, nothing too gendered really)?   AND it hasn't been picked up as a license by any competitors?

 

Oh, and would you look at that.. look who's appearing at Toy Fair in a couple weeks and getting recognition as one of its 25 Hero toys.. if only Intellivision were sending somebody out to NYC's Toy Fair in a couple weeks.  *sigh*

 

EDIT - looks like they were at London's January Toy Fair.  They are not showing up when I look up retailers at NYC's February Toy Fair (must they share the same name???)

 Can't break all this down right now but I think a virtual pet/tomagotchi would be an amazing Amico exclusive. 

It could be some kind of a Harvest Moon/Animal Crossing mixture with the child or even adult caring for a virtual pet in the controller as well as on screen. Maybe the pet has it's own enclosure like Seaman had (Dreamcast) and you check in every day as it grows and evolves. You could furnish the house, get toys, do mini games, etc.

Every day could be tracked in real time with real seasons as you grow food for your virtual pet , train your virtual pet, expand the housing, get new furniture, items, etc. 

Could potentially be some battling too. Tap your controller to take your pet into your controller, bring it to a friends, and have your pets hang out or fight each other in an arena. Maybe like Digimon/Pokemon or the old web game "Neopets." The more you train your pet at home and in your day to day errands the stronger it gets. I could see house expansions for exercise rooms, game rooms, living areas, maybe a town with shops you visit, where there are also mini games for money, the farm you grow food on, etc.

This could be like a... Digimon... Animal Crossing... Tomagatchi fusion.

4 hours ago, Atari_Master said:

I saw the video and it has nothing to do with the title.  It's just click bait.

He probably wants Amico fans to go on there and flame him for the description, then he'll change the description and claim we are all crazed lunatics attacking his "legitimate" video. I saved a screen shot, just in case.  

35 minutes ago, Lathe26 said:

Here you go!

 

Well amico is more atari than the vcs as they already have more  new atari licensed titles than the vcs lol.

38 minutes ago, 1001lives said:

 Could potentially be some battling too.

Amico dog fighting! Why risk getting arrested or knifed? Sorry, couldn’t resist. 😜

10 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

The game prices are getting crazy right?!!?  I have an Animal Crossing style game on our "to do" list and have been looking for something in the realm from an indie studio on either Steam, Kickstarter, mobile or something that already exists on Switch.  Something we might be able to improve on, put some money and resources into and potentially move over to Amico as a unique product (and co-op!).  Those games are very detailed and take a LONG time to make from scratch... so right now we're trying to find a potential head start and alternative that we can get together for launch.

If anyone out there is familiar with anything like that... please let me know.

Also... Adam... please ask your daughter if she knows of anything AND what kind of game would she like to play with her dad together on Amico.

 

 

Many thanks, really appreciate that! I'll have a look on the Switch store (wish me luck with that...) and see if there's anything similar to Animal Crossing. I've asked Emily and she just said Animal Crossing, but I know she is also a big fan of Adventure Ponies on our Atari 800, she does get a bit scared when it comes to the end of level bosses, so usually I or her brother James sorts them for her 

Our James on the other hand, can't wait for Night Stalker and Astrosmash, but he's also said he'd like to play Outlaw with me on it, we had a lot of fun playing that when we had our 2600!

Cheers Tommy 

Tommy, question for you: will you update the Amico app with other demos?😉

20 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

HAHAHAHAHA!!!!

That's awesome!  He's the best.

 

p.s. need printer ink!

Funny video for sure but meh, I got disinterested when I saw he was holding the controller wrong

Actually very fun little vid TJ

Here's another cool rock song about negativity and haters: 311 - Hostile Apostile. It's actually about metal bands like Korn, but it can be applied here.

Everyone who has to deal with negative energy daily should give this band a try. A rare example of positivity in rock music. They have about 15 albums, so I recommend starting with Transistor, Soundsystem and From Chaos.

Tommy,

just received an Atari email with an update: still doesn’t sound good.

https://atarivcs.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=514d5e8e2ca64b78c0c6f5a2e&id=f338f207d8&e=7bcac1c252

1 hour ago, xucaen said:

 

I can't believe this tonytdg. Isn't this considered slander or libel? He's not even trying to hide it.

Do we know whether it is tonytdg?  I didn't watch the videos but the description writing style didn't seem to match how he wrote here.

10 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Please help me by REPORTING this video to YouTube.

Just done it.

6 minutes ago, Jeffrey Bouchard said:

Tommy,

 

just received an Atari email with an update: still doesn’t sound good.

 

https://atarivcs.us16.list-manage.com/track/click?u=514d5e8e2ca64b78c0c6f5a2e&id=f338f207d8&e=7bcac1c252

Pre-production? So they aren't in actual production yet? Do we have any way of knowing how many of these are being made? The pictures they took could be a dozen and that's all that are even manufactured right now.

Pre-production could take months.

And the OS is a WIP build... So in no ways final. 

1 minute ago, 1001lives said:

Pre-production? So they aren't in actual production yet?

 

And the OS is a WIP build... So in no ways final. 

On the good news front they did show the menu in action and actually went into Ant Stream and a game in the Atari collection (also I think they fixed the "Asteroid" spelling issue). However, yeah, there is no way they are shipping this thing anytime soon - hand assembling in a jig is about a prototype as you can get at the production level.

4 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

On the good news front they did show the menu in action and actually went into Ant Stream and a game in the Atari collection (also I think they fixed the "Asteroid" spelling issue). However, yeah, there is no way they are shipping this thing anytime soon - hand assembling in a jig is about a prototype as you can get at the production level.

I'm pretty impressed they showed anything at all, but the UI is really really poor and the console's lineup looks so barebones. 

1 hour ago, Loafer said:

Funny video for sure but meh, I got disinterested when I saw he was holding the controller wrong

 

Actually very fun little vid TJ

Yeh, you should see me trying to hold my Aquarius controller.  This "atari" joystick guy has LOTS to learn... and I will admit it.

Admitting it shows my 1st steps to my reconditioning to Intellivision-ness.  hahahaha

TJ

Tommy,

I want to thank you for everything you're doing with Intellivision.  I grew up playing (and loving) my Intellivision (which was an Intellivision II... which you've said some negative things about, but I loved it).  Countless hours were spent with my brother playing BurgerTime, B-17 Bomber, SNAFU, and Baseball.  I learned to play card games with LV Poker and Blackjack.  And yes, for many of those games, the overlays were absolutely critical.  They were simple.  They were fun.  And to this day, BurgerTime is the only video game I've ever been able to play with my dad.  The Intellivision may not have caught the world on fire, but it was tops in my house growing up.

Turns out, it was also the video game console of choice in the house of the woman who would eventually become my wife.  Funny enough, this didn't even come up until after we were married, and she would go on about how she and her cousins would play Dungeon & Dragons as a group... screaming at the TV to give directions or provide advice.  She loved it so much that for our "copper" anniversary, I was given a beautiful original Intellivision so that we could play it together as a family.  I've tried to get her to play other games, and even the Wii got her interest for a skinny minute, but alas, for us it's really Intellivision or nothing.  My wife is now as onboard, or even more so, than I am for the Amico.  In fact, she was the one who pre-ordered our Founders Edition and is completely sucked in by your unbelievable enthusiasm every she overhears me playing a podcast with you discussing your plans.

I think your idea to go after families and bring back local co-op is a genius move.  I remember thinking a few years ago when the book Console Wars came out, that there really isn't a console anymore that is trying to fight for the kids attention.  Aside from Minecraft, there really hasn't been a game where kids could all hang out together and play together.  My daughter will have friends over and they want to play games together, but the options are limited.  Mario Kart gets a few rounds of play... but then what else is there?  This was demonstrated the other night when we went to a friend's house for game night, and we wanted to play some video games together as a group.  Five of us: two moms, two teenage girls, and myself.  What did we end up playing?  Just Dance on a 13 year old Wii.  I've got to be honest, it wouldn't have been my first choice, but you always say that when you think about your greatest gaming experiences that they're always when you're with your friends playing together.  So I have to say, playing Just Dance with a group of friends with varied levels of skill... was really a lot of fun.  The one thing we kept talking about all night was how perfect it would have been if we had Amico to play.  October can't come fast enough.

I'm beyond excited to see brand I loved as a kid come back with such a clear vision, and with someone who is passionate about it.  When I heard of Keith's passing, I was really nervous for the future of Intellivision.  Then when I heard that some guitar player was taking over the company... I was really nervous.  But now, having seen the incredible team you're building and hearing what the vision is for the console, I'm all in.  I can't wait to play Night Stalker in its new re-imagined form.  I can't wait for game night again.  And mostly, I can't wait to finally play a video game with my dad again.

I can't believe some people have spent so much energy throwing hate at this console, because for me it's the perfect gaming machine that I've been waiting years to finally play. 

(and one last aside, and yes, I know I'm going long for this segment, but someone in my wife's office told everyone that he's getting married this year on 10-10-2020.  My wife got all excited and shouted, "THAT'S INTELLIVISION DAY!!"  Suffice it to say, your infectious passion about the dream of Intellivision is catching on) 

(pictured is my father playing BurgerTime in the same room where we used to play it together 30+ years earlier.  I actually snuck in and found him playing it without telling me.  I think he was brushing up on his skills)

OEB Pete (I always want to type OBE - Order of the British Empire, so you may get a promotion one of these days Pete)

Nice list of 10 Reasons to get an Amico

56 minutes ago, vongruetz said:

Tommy,

 

I want to thank you for everything you're doing with Intellivision.  I grew up playing (and loving) my Intellivision (which was an Intellivision II... which you've said some negative things about, but I loved it).  Countless hours were spent with my brother playing BurgerTime, B-17 Bomber, SNAFU, and Baseball.  I learned to play card games with LV Poker and Blackjack.  And yes, for many of those games, the overlays were absolutely critical.  They were simple.  They were fun.  And to this day, BurgerTime is the only video game I've ever been able to play with my dad.  The Intellivision may not have caught the world on fire, but it was tops in my house growing up.

 

Turns out, it was also the video game console of choice in the house of the woman who would eventually become my wife.  Funny enough, this didn't even come up until after we were married, and she would go on about how she and her cousins would play Dungeon & Dragons as a group... screaming at the TV to give directions or provide advice.  She loved it so much that for our "copper" anniversary, I was given a beautiful original Intellivision so that we could play it together as a family.  I've tried to get her to play other games, and even the Wii got her interest for a skinny minute, but alas, for us it's really Intellivision or nothing.  My wife is now as onboard, or even more so, than I am for the Amico.  In fact, she was the one who pre-ordered our Founders Edition and is completely sucked in by your unbelievable enthusiasm every she overhears me playing a podcast with you discussing your plans.

 

I think your idea to go after families and bring back local co-op is a genius move.  I remember thinking a few years ago when the book Console Wars came out, that there really isn't a console anymore that is trying to fight for the kids attention.  Aside from Minecraft, there really hasn't been a game where kids could all hang out together and play together.  My daughter will have friends over and they want to play games together, but the options are limited.  Mario Kart gets a few rounds of play... but then what else is there?  This was demonstrated the other night when we went to a friend's house for game night, and we wanted to play some video games together as a group.  Five of us: two moms, two teenage girls, and myself.  What did we end up playing?  Just Dance on a 13 year old Wii.  I've got to be honest, it wouldn't have been my first choice, but you always say that when you think about your greatest gaming experiences that they're always when you're with your friends playing together.  So I have to say, playing Just Dance with a group of friends with varied levels of skill... was really a lot of fun.  The one thing we kept talking about all night was how perfect it would have been if we had Amico to play.  October can't come fast enough.

 

I'm beyond excited to see brand I loved as a kid come back with such a clear vision, and with someone who is passionate about it.  When I heard of Keith's passing, I was really nervous for the future of Intellivision.  Then when I heard that some guitar player was taking over the company... I was really nervous.  But now, having seen the incredible team you're building and hearing what the vision is for the console, I'm all in.  I can't wait to play Night Stalker in its new re-imagined form.  I can't wait for game night again.  And mostly, I can't wait to finally play a video game with my dad again.

 

I can't believe some people have spent so much energy throwing hate at this console, because for me it's the perfect gaming machine that I've been waiting years to finally play. 

 

(and one last aside, and yes, I know I'm going long for this segment, but someone in my wife's office told everyone that he's getting married this year on 10-10-2020.  My wife got all excited and shouted, "THAT'S INTELLIVISION DAY!!"  Suffice it to say, your infectious passion about the dream of Intellivision is catching on) 

 

(pictured is my father playing BurgerTime in the same room where we used to play it together 30+ years earlier.  I actually snuck in and found him playing it without telling me.  I think he was brushing up on his skills)

all of this is awesome and agree on so many levels... I have an Intellivision 2, but just recently got the og.  Tommy is right, but any Intellivision is better than no Intellivision imho

43 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

OEB Pete (I always want to type OBE - Order of the British Empire, so you may get a promotion one of these days Pete)

Nice list of 10 Reasons to get an Amico

 

Awesome, even I mess it up and I am OEB Pete! For proof just  check my intro on the Silent Majority vid, lol.  I can be an OBE as I am Canadian and part of the Commonwealth, muhahahaha