Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

1 hour ago, Tavi said:

If you have no interest in remakes or updates of classic games, it was mentioned that Intellivision classic game bundles would also be released for the Amico at some point.

Could people stop making ridiculous ad hominems? This is really annoying.

 

I specifically said that I'm one of the people who'd like remakes. I even made a thread where I detailed what I wanted in a remake of Utopia and asked other people what they wanted to have in remakes.

 

However, I'm fully aware that not everything is about me and I want Amico to be successful more than I want a retro console for my own little needs. It's called being able to compromise.

5 hours ago, mr_me said:

It seemed like sometime in the late 1980s and 1990s video games became more linear with content to get through.  They are completed and players move on to the next game.  I see sometimes people ask how many hours to complete a game as if they don't expect to re-play the game again too often or at all.  It was almost as if publishers were doing this by design to sell more games.

It was not an evil ploy to sell more games, it was just to adjust to gamers.

 

OK, I will explain what I mean...

 

Trigger warning : this will include some controversial political ideas. So anyone who is easily offended should avoid reading this.

 

Up until the beginning of the 80s, people were a lot more social than they are now. For example, I remember my parents playing card games with their friends every Saturday from around 5 pm to midnight. As for me, when I was a kid, I was very often with my friends. As soon as I had a bit of free time, I was outside with my friends. This means that when I was going to local arcades, it was also almost always with at least one friend.

 

The same was true for console games. Those who were lucky enough to have one, still played very often with friends. Video games were generally not a solitary experience.

 

The overall social environment was also quite different than what it is now. More and more women were working, but society had no infrastructure to care for the children of those working mothers. So many children were left on their own. Parental supervision and guidance were lacking. The result is our behavior was more instinctive. This was particularly true because there was also more segregation between boys and girls than now. So without the other sex to tone down our own behavior, boys acted more like boys and girls acted more like girls. In particular, boys were more competitive than now.

 

One thing important to understand is that boys and girls naturally socialize (create social links) in different ways. For boys, socialization is done by proving abilities. The boy who was good at nothing ended up alone. For girls, socialization is done mainly by proving emotions (mainly by proving they care for others). The girl who was competitive or interested in things (instead of being interested in people) ended up alone.

 

During the end of the 70s and the beginning of the 80s, video games were mostly a way for boys to prove their abilities and therefore to socialize. Playing video games had pretty much the same role as playing dodgeball during recess.

 

This is what scores were about. They were a proof of our abilities and therefore a way to be accepted and to create social links with others.

 

Starting in the 80s, society went through massive changes very quickly.

 

First, with cable TV and VHS becoming omnipresent, people spent more time at home watching TV than socializing with their friends.

 

Second, society adapted to having more and more women working, so the school system took some of the role of parents. Children were not left on their own as much as before. They were once again strongly guided by adults.

 

Third, it was the start of the take over of society by women. Men lost their influence quite fast. Society became feminized. Instead of encouraging masculine competition and hierarchy, society started to encourage feminine caring and equality. Boys natural behavior was curbed and they were raised to act more like girls. There was also a big push to encourage mixing boys and girls as much as possible, with girls being prioritized over boys in those mixed environment. It was the start of the war on boys and masculinity (even if women believed it was for boys' own good). It was also the start of everyone's a winner and no child left behind.

 

Those massive changes created millennials.

 

In this context, the usage of video games as a tool for boys to socialize declined. Video games became more and more a solitary experience and scores were not a proof of anything. Scores became worthless.

 

Since scores were now mostly worthless, video games became more and more about winning or losing... and then simply about winning. Children who were raised in this "everyone's a winner" world had more and more difficulties accepting defeat. If they couldn't finish the game, it was because the game sucked. Everyone had to complete the game. Saves and reloads, checkpoints, and difficulty levels had to be implemented to make sure gamers were not upset after losing. Games became more and more about a journey from start to finish.

 

Of course, there was always pockets of resistance. Social indoctrination can't really erase someone's natural behavior.

 

Then there was the Internet. This Internet became a new world were children, teenagers, and to a point even adults, could be free again from the feminine orthodoxy. Online gaming allowed the return of competition between boys.

 

In some ways, Gen Z rediscovered a bit of freedom that Gen X had. In particular, Gen Z boys are rediscovering a bit of masculinity. They still live in an oppressive feminine society, but they have a small safe space. At least for now.

 

Anyway, that's my explanation as to why games have changed.

 

-

 

On another subject, you say that people play solitaire over and over. This is true, but solitaire is a pastime, not really a game. Most people who play solitaire or Bejeweled play on autopilot. It's about turning their brain off. Playing games is mostly about learning (not only for humans, but also for all animals) and that's not something do when playing bejeweled.

Edited February 27, 2020 by Papy

🤢

Errrrr....what was this thread about again? ....ah yes...Tommy while I'm sure some version of this has been asked, once you decided to do this what were the top 3-5 games you personally wanted to be reimagined in the Amico? 

I hope Papy's message doesn't get deleted (here's a Pastebin copy just in case), as he brings up some interesting points, and I say this as an European who would be called a "Sanders supporter" if he lived in the States.

 

I just hope Papy doesn't really think that we live in an "oppressive feminine society". Society is certainly oppressive, but I wouldn't blame women on it.

We should socialize more and play more, but this doesn't have to do anything with masculinity. At least that's my opinion.

 

In a world where physical strength is not as important as it used to, it's only natural that females take a prominent role. I believe we should accept them as equal instead of accusing them of being some evil creatures that want to slavish us. I do, however, agree that games today are too easy and want to be interactive movies, but I don't think we should make comparisons with masculinity or competition in society in general. In my opinion, games are more easy since they realized they could look and sound like movies. Hardware limitations were, ironically, the best thing that ever happened to video games. The Amico commandments will bring this glory back. 🌈

Edited February 27, 2020 by IntelliMission

5 hours ago, Papy said:

It was not an evil ploy to sell more games, it was just to adjust to gamers.

 

OK, I will explain what I mean...

 

Trigger warning : this will include some controversial political ideas. So anyone who is easily offended should avoid reading this.

Actually I think the answer is much, much simpler.  ROM got cheap.   Games got a lot more linear simply because now you weren't restricted to a simpler "Arcade" style high score game because you had room to introduce new game elements like stories, characters, places, maps, etc.  Add on battery RAM or similar technology and now you could save progress, too.   I don't think it's such a bad thing that a bunch of games ended up being like this, and in fact I welcomed it.  Metroid was the first time I really felt like I accomplished something when I finally beat it, spending weeks mapping it out and exploring every nook and cranny.

 

Even though I thoroughly beat it, I enjoyed playing it over and over, trying to get all the items, or beat my previous time, or whatnot.   It's kind of like reading a book.  You are allowed to re-read a book  you really enjoy.  The Fun Police(tm) aren't going to come and tell you you can't. 

 

I actually tend to prefer games with a defined endpoint, so you can beat it, put it down, and then pick it back up and try to beat it again, but faster or getting more items, finding things you missed the first time, etc.  The extreme end of this is speed running.  I seriously doubt giving a game a defined end point is done to sell more games-  it gives the player a sense of accomplishment which was always missing for me on arcade style games.   Back in the day, Adventure was my favorite 2600 game (on game 3 of course) I think because you could win and then try again.

 

Being able to nose around in every corner and crevice of a game like Zelda or Metroid is intensely fun and rewarding when you're a teenager, or at least it sure seemed that way when I was one.  Truly mastering the game and spanking it hard when you finally get it all figured out.  

 

3 hours ago, roots.genoa said:

🤢

🤮

2 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

I hope Papy's message doesn't get deleted (here's a Pastebin copy just in case), as he brings up some interesting points, and I say this as an European who would be called a "Sanders supporter" if he lived in the States.

 

I just hope Papy doesn't really think that we live in an "oppressive feminine society". Society is certainly oppressive, but I wouldn't blame women on it.

  Reveal hidden contents

The reason why we are isolated is purely economical: animals don't live alone, but we overprotect and separate our children. Money has divided us into families and houses, but this is an artificial division created by the human culture.

We should socialize more and play more, but this doesn't have to do anything with masculinity. At least that's my opinion.

 

In a world where physical strength is not as important as it used to, it's only natural that females take a prominent role. I believe we should accept them as equal instead of accusing them of being some evil creatures that want to slavish us. I do, however, agree that games today are too easy and want to be interactive movies, but I don't think we should make comparisons with masculinity or competition in society in general. In my opinion, games are more easy since they realized they could look and sound like movies. Hardware limitations were, ironically, the best thing that ever happened to video games. The Amico commandments will bring this glory back. 🌈

Don't forget that nearly "porno-level" acting in many of the story based ones. At least the 7th/8th gen talkies like D&D, Wolf Inside, Walking Dead, etc.

This thread has changed without Tommy around 😆

 

Some uh... Very interesting opinions and views here.

Edited February 27, 2020 by 1001lives

3 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

I do, however, agree that games today are too easy and want to be interactive movies

This trend started a long time ago. When Famicom became a huge success in Japan, video games were suddenly popular among kids that were too young to be allowed to play arcade games. Shoot 'em up (or STG as they call it) used to be the most popular genre in Japan, but then "light RPGs" like Dragon Quest arrived and they didn't require 'skills' (even though they were not necessarily easy). This was the beginning of the long decline of shoot 'em ups and arcade games in general. So maybe games have become more narrative-driven in order to get more mainstream, rather than the other way around. Moreover developers have always been inspired my movies, so this evolution was unavoidable.

43 minutes ago, roots.genoa said:

This trend started a long time ago. When Famicom became a huge success in Japan, video games were suddenly popular among kids that were too young to be allowed to play arcade games. Shoot 'em up (or STG as they call it) used to be the most popular genre in Japan, but then "light RPGs" like Dragon Quest arrived and they didn't require 'skills' (even though they were not necessarily easy). This was the beginning of the long decline of shoot 'em ups and arcade games in general. So maybe games have become more narrative-driven in order to get more mainstream, rather than the other way around. Moreover developers have always been inspired my movies, so this evolution was unavoidable.

Yeah, the three big pre-Pokemon RPGs (Dragon Quest, Megami Tensei, and Final Fantasy) all launched within months of each other and in that order. Megami Tensei released much closer to the later Final Fantasy than to the earlier Dragon Quest, though. Pokemon's ridiculous sales make me wonder if Megami Tensei is the most influential RPG ever created, by the way, and I think you'd have a hard time convincing me otherwise given Pokemon's sales numbers.

 

*I meant video game RPGs, by the way, so D&D/some other tabletop RPG might be more influential overall

Edited February 27, 2020 by Steven Pendleton

2 hours ago, 1001lives said:

This thread has changed without Tommy around 😆

 

Some uh... Very interesting opinions and views here.

Since I also can go by Tommy, my real name is Thomas and family calls me Tommy... I will take charge now.

 

Free Amico for EVERYONE!

and

the new Atari VCS for all the haters!

 

That work?

Tommy2

4 hours ago, kevtris said:

Actually I think the answer is much, much simpler.  ROM got cheap.   Games got a lot more linear simply because now you weren't restricted to a simpler "Arcade" style high score game because you had room to introduce new game elements like stories, characters, places, maps, etc.  Add on battery RAM or similar technology and now you could save progress, too.   I don't think it's such a bad thing that a bunch of games ended up being like this, and in fact I welcomed it.  Metroid was the first time I really felt like I accomplished something when I finally beat it, spending weeks mapping it out and exploring every nook and cranny.

 

Even though I thoroughly beat it, I enjoyed playing it over and over, trying to get all the items, or beat my previous time, or whatnot.   It's kind of like reading a book.  You are allowed to re-read a book  you really enjoy.  The Fun Police(tm) aren't going to come and tell you you can't. 

 

I actually tend to prefer games with a defined endpoint, so you can beat it, put it down, and then pick it back up and try to beat it again, but faster or getting more items, finding things you missed the first time, etc.  The extreme end of this is speed running.  I seriously doubt giving a game a defined end point is done to sell more games-  it gives the player a sense of accomplishment which was always missing for me on arcade style games.   Back in the day, Adventure was my favorite 2600 game (on game 3 of course) I think because you could win and then try again.

 

Being able to nose around in every corner and crevice of a game like Zelda or Metroid is intensely fun and rewarding when you're a teenager, or at least it sure seemed that way when I was one.  Truly mastering the game and spanking it hard when you finally get it all figured out.  

 

They could have taken all that content and made a shorter game with more random elements, creating more of a different experience everytime you play.  Some companies even sold magazines to reveal the secrets as a way to generate more revenue.

 

I think for the amico target market playtimes should be short.  Fifteen minutes to two or three hours depending on the game.  Games should typically be played without having to save but having that option when needed.

Edited February 27, 2020 by mr_me

3 hours ago, 1001lives said:

This thread has changed without Tommy around 😆

 

I agree. I prefer when Tommy is around but I know that when he is not, he is working hard for us ! 🙂

March is already there. Final decisions need to be made for the hardware, and a complete level demo for Moon Patrol to be done. So a lot of work and important decisions right now !

By the way, we have some members with interesting comments. But we all like facts and updates from Tommy for sure !  😊

In memory of Kazuhisa Hashimoto who died this week...  😌

 

 

Tommy, you could create a special code for Amico. Like pressing the 4 buttons and the disc at the same time and moving the controller 180 degree could provide to play the original game ( for those reimagined ) , see a making of, or have a couple music from a play list from the game !?🙃

5 hours ago, AtariSociety said:

Since I also can go by Tommy, my real name is Thomas and family calls me Tommy... I will take charge now.

 

Free Amico for EVERYONE!

and

the new Atari VCS for all the haters!

 

That work?

Tommy2

Oh man,even when I try to avoid Atari it finds me......

As long as this thread doesnt become a Bacon or Taco thread, with the same old things being brought up over and over like what has been happening in other threads. Its all good.  Difference of opinion is great as long as it's more then one point of view and people don't complain to mods when another point of view's are being defended with fact's and data.  

 

 

BTW , you guy's debating these last few pages, It was pretty interesting reading what you all have had to say.. 

 

Cheers guys looking forward to more of the same.  

For now we have absolutely no news about horse racing. Is it a surprise and it will be available at launch ? Later ? Only Tommy knows ! But I can't wait any longer ...  😜 lol

 

On the switch, for about 7$, there ia a neogeo game available. Stakes Winner 2. Did someone played this game ? Is it worth it ?

 

Thank you.

1 hour ago, m-crew said:

As long as this thread doesnt become a Bacon or Taco thread, with the same old things being brought up over and over like what has been happening in other threads. Its all good.  Difference of opinion is great as long as it's more then one point of view and people don't complain to mods when another point of view's are being defended with fact's and data.  

 

 

BTW , you guy's debating these last few pages, It was pretty interesting reading what you all have had to say.. 

 

Cheers guys looking forward to more of the same.  

Just now, digdugnate said:

Hmm, Interesting. I didn't realize Sargon of Akkad was an Atari Age member.

The cooking game discussion, and jokes about if Atari Master has asked about if every game will get a remake, got me thinking about the next reimagined game! Readjusted to for family fun!

 

 

 

Edited February 28, 2020 by MrBeefy

5 hours ago, digdugnate said:

 

I'm really stoked for the next announcement. I'm hoping it is something new like Cornhole. Something more casual than we've seen so far that I could get my mom or mother-in-law to maybe play.

 

On 2/23/2020 at 2:27 PM, m-crew said:

Not sure if this was asked already and answered. Has an re-imagined LocknChase been started yet? 

Not yet.

 

On 2/23/2020 at 2:31 PM, LePionnier said:

Tommy what can you tell us about toyfair ?

Did you buy some baby yoda toys ?

Do you prepare a big surprise and an Amico game with baby yoda ? Maybe an edutainment game ? 😗

It went GREAT!!  Back to back meetings all day long and lots of great announcements coming.

Great meeting with the MLB folks and doing something really incredible with them that I can't wait to tell folks.  Probably announced at E3 in June.

 

EA has all rights to Baby Yoda and anything Star Wars unfortunately.  I tried.