Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

Another fun picture of stuff on a wall at my house.😊👍

1 hour ago, WhatWasThatSound said:

Hi there. I made this account because I'd like to try and address Tommy directly about a few things with the Amico/Intellivision in general, and I noticed he's been posting here a lot, so I figured this would be my best place to do so.

First off, lemme just say that while I am going to be tossing some criticism your way, I intend for it to be constructive. This is by no means an attempt to attack Tommy or the company, but rather, I do think there are some issues here that need to be discussed, and they might fall a bit into the "hard question/criticism" territory.

You wrote a lot, and even though I don't follow all the info from Amico, I know that pretty much everything you brought up has already been addressed, replied to, argued about, rinse and repeat multiple times.  Whether you accept the answers and reasons for "why do this" that have already been given is up to you.  Having them stated again seems pointless.  My question to you is -- why do you give a shit so MUCH that you'd waste time from your life writing nearly 2000 words of negativity explaining why a toy/entertainment device is doomed to failure?  (and even worse, spending all that time not asking anything that hasn't already been drudged up past the point of tedium)  It's not for you, fine.  It might not be for me either, I'll know for sure in a year or 2, I suppose.  Do you waste life writing similar essays on every new product release that you just "know" isn't gonna work?  

Also, I do have kids, 10 and 14.  And they have a half brother who is 6 and is, of course, part of the family as well.  And they LOVE simple games and don't get a crap about Fortnite.   Not all kids will love this, that's true.  But there's a market out there.  Whether it succeeds of fails, time will tell.  

There are no "hard questions" surrounding this thing.  Get over yourself.  It's a toy.  An entertainment device.   No lives, health, or well being are on the line here.

Hard questions... 🤣

17 minutes ago, LordRayken said:

look i dont give a shit. tommy isnt intimidating to me. hes a human being. he has no ego. he brings up his achievements to show credibility not because he has an ego. the only person who thinks thats an ego is someone who is insecure because they have no credibility themselves.

ill say it right now i dont care

 

the consoles too expensive. do i want a premium product? yes. do other people find value in premium products? market research suggests otherwise if atgames sells like it does.

 

the console needs kickass games and all of them need to be skiing quality or higher. all i see now that is good is skiing and night stalker. shark shark is rough. wip in progress or not. console launch in 5 months step to it. i gave you my money yes i did preorder. if it sucks i will be on this board to say good job trying not on this board shitting on it. this isnt a toilet.

 

anyone who says tommy doesnt take criticism is just trying to attack tommy and not actually offer criticism. people are mad jealous of his ferrari and his achievements so they see something they can tear down and they tear at it. they have nothing so tommy opens up they think they can also hurt him so he has less and is more like him. aka less intimidating to them.

 

yes i took counseling classes in college and majored in business management. unlike our friend whatsthatsounds business degree, mine was actually worth it.

As always... I appreciate your point of view.

And just to hopefully give you a little more confidence about what we're doing.  Skiing & Night Stalker are definitely the 2 most finished "looking" games.  I would also throw Breakout in there as well.  Games like Moon Patrol & Astrosmash aren't even close to being completed "art-wise" (yet a bunch of folks are really loving the looks already).

I just wanted to throw that out there as not many people have asked about which games I feel are completely from an artistic standpoint.  And the two that you mentioned and liked the most are exactly the ones that are on that list!  We're hoping to get everything up to that kind of level and polish by the time they're released.

Thanks again for the feedback.

14 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

 

As you mentioned that you are an openly gay man... I've been waiting for you to comment on Fudgie the Whale.

 

BUT NOTHING!!!  What the hell!!

 

Don't disappoint us now!

 

 

 

 

 

Well I wasn't into Samantha Fox. 🥱

Does it come with a side of vanilla soda called Spermie The Whale? 

Can you get Fudgie in teabags?

Here was my Catherine Bach as a teenage boy

1 minute ago, Blarneo said:

Well I wasn't into Samantha Fox. 🥱

 

Does it come with a side of vanilla soda called Spermie The Whale? 

Can you get Fudgie in teabags?

Eeeeewwwwww!!!!🤮

8 minutes ago, wolfy62 said:

Another fun picture of stuff on a wall at my house.😊👍

When this is over  Intellivision / Amico party at Wolfy's (Dale's)   Impressive 

1 minute ago, m-crew said:

When this is over  Intellivision / Amico party at Wolfy's (Dale's)   Impressive 

M-crew,you always have an open invite to my place brother! 

For those of you not in the NY area and didnt have cable yet, WPIX in the 80s during the afterschool cartoon hours WPIX would have people call in and play Intellivision games for 30 seconds by yelling PIX into the phone trying to win prizes. They started the promotion with Atari Games but went to Intellivision games soon therafter since Intellivision had much better graphics.

Anywho another nice teenage memory brought back.

5 minutes ago, wolfy62 said:

Eeeeewwwwww!!!!🤮

Don't blame me! The Boss man asked!😇

2 minutes ago, wolfy62 said:

M-crew,you always have an open invite to my place brother! 

Thanks and Cheers to you and all the great people here !!!  

1 hour ago, WhatWasThatSound said:

Hi there. I made this account because I'd like to try and address Tommy directly about a few things with the Amico/Intellivision in general, and I noticed he's been posting here a lot, so I figured this would be my best place to do so.

First off, lemme just say that while I am going to be tossing some criticism your way, I intend for it to be constructive. This is by no means an attempt to attack Tommy or the company, but rather, I do think there are some issues here that need to be discussed, and they might fall a bit into the "hard question/criticism" territory. I don't mean to disrespect you, but I believe that these are things you need to consider. These questions and criticisms are meant to be advice, and I hope that you respond to them and don't take them as an insult or anything like that.

Let's begin with talking about the Amico itself.

 

From what I've seen and read, you seem to be aiming the Amico towards the family, and especially the early childhood market, correct? The perfect console that everyone in the house can enjoy, and one that is perfect for children whose parents won't let them play other games because they find them to be too violent/otherwise inappropriate.

 

But... I don't think this is the correct market that you should be aiming for. I feel like this market isn't actually going to make the Amico successful. What I believe you should be aiming at instead, are the older crowd. The people that are your age - or even older. People that had the original Intellivision, or other similar consoles like the Atari ones, back when they were kids or teens. I feel like hitting that nostalgia factor is really your best bet of making the Amico successful, and while you do have some retro game remakes on the system, I feel like that should have been the core focus of the system to begin with, to appeal to that group of nostalgic older gamers.

 

To be honest, I don't feel like this system has ANY appeal with the younger demographic at all, nor does it appeal to families as a whole. Allow me to explain...

 

I don't have any kids myself, but several of my friends do, and I see them all the time. As a gamer myself, their kids will often talk to me about the games that they're enjoying. These kids are between the ages of 6 and 12, and I can tell you with certainty that not a one of them would enjoy the vast majority of games on the Amico. They already know what they like, and what they like are fundamentally different from what the Amico offers. They like games like Fortnite, Minecraft and Super Mario Maker 2. They don't play the kind of simplistic games that are on the Amico - they find them to be boring. Even a lot of the free to play phone games that are popular these days bore them to tears. And yes, while this may only be a small group of people, I think that in general, this is how kids these days feel. They like two kinds of games in general - shooting games, and building games. And if the Amico doesn't have those? They won't be satisfied with it.

 

Kids don't want to play Pong, or Space Invaders, or Galaga, or anything like that. They just don't care about the games of yesteryear. So I think that if you're expecting parents to buy their kids a walled garden console that only has simplistic, retro-inspired games... all you're gonna get is disappointed kids in the end. And as for the families as a whole... I doubt you have any market there either. Most of the adults that aren't already hardcore gamers are extremely casual gamers who play things like solitaire and golf on their phones. To them, they already have a gaming device - their phones. They don't need another one. Trust me, I've been trying to get my uncle to borrow some of my games during the quarantine because he keeps complaining that he's bored, and he'd much rather play solitaire on his phone than my 3DS and a huge stack of games that I know would appeal to him if he gave them the chance. I think that if any families are gonna be buying the Amico, it will be almost purely for their children, and those children.... will probably be disappointed.

 

I feel like you have this vision, that the Amico is going to be the next Wii. That it's going to be this massive runaway success that changes the entire industry and brings casual gamers that stopped playing dedicated consoles post-Wii, back to gaming. I... don't think this is going to happen. At all. I think you are overestimating just how much casual gamers care about something like this. Or even more so, how many of them even know that the Amico exists. I mean, I browse gaming forums and various gaming Youtube channels every day, and I very rarely even hear a peep about the Amico. So what makes you think that the average family with non-gaming parents knows what the Amico is? Or that they have any intention of buying it?

 

I think that you're expecting that kids across the world are going to ask for an Amico for Christmas, and when they open it, they're going to be overjoyed that they got exactly what they wanted from Santa. But I feel that the more likely situation is that they're going to ask Santa for a Nintendo Switch, Playstation 5, or the Xbox Series X, but because it was cheaper and possibly bargain binned and "family friendly", they're going to open up an Amico and they're going to cry because they wanted Fortnite and the Amico doesn't have Fortnite, and grandpa just didn't know that there was a difference.

 

And I know it sounds like I'm just trashing you, but I'm not trying to be mean, it's because I feel like you've made a lot of bad business decisions with this product. That there most certainly could be a market for the Amico, but it ain't the one you're aiming for. Especially not at the price point you're aiming for either.

 

I'm sorry, but the price you are asking for the Amico is ridiculous. Maybe you have a reason - maybe the tech inside is so amazing an advanced that you NEED to charge that much to make a profit. But in that case, I feel like the entire project should have been downsized. I think that what you should have done is made it an affordable, budget alternative to the big-name consoles, closer to the "classic" or "mini" consoles that came out over the last few years, but packed it entirely with classic, remastered original Intellivision games (and the original versions of those games as well), and sold the whole thing for NO MORE than $100. Forget about all the new games and being able to buy more games for the console, I think you should have made the entire thing a "retro remastered" box at a competitive price, which could have been HUGE for older gamers.

 

Like, think of this realistically here. Do you REALLY think that your system has more value TO THE CONSUMER than something like the Switch Lite? Why would someone buy the Amico with it's lineup of (IMO) unimpressive games for $250 when they could instead buy a Switch Lite and a game from an established series that they enjoy for about the same price? I mean, I know you're gonna say that they would, because you have to because you're in charge of the company, but please, do stew that around in your brain for a minute. Does the Amico REALLY offer the value that you think it does? I mean, one of the talking points in a recent trailer that you released was that the Amico has a whole bunch of board and card games, but the Switch is getting Clubhouse Games soon, and that has 51 different board and card games in one package. So you could buy a Switch Lite and Clubhouse Games for about the same price as the Amico and get FIFTY ONE different card and board games. Are you prepared to offer more than 50 games in one package on the Amico?

 

Anyway, let me move onto the next subject. You, Tommy Tallarico. And I know that you're probably gonna take it as an insult, but I want you to understand that I'm trying to offer you constructive criticism, which may be harsh, because I'm trying to give you helpful advice.

 

You come off as... kind of a jerk, Tommy. You have the attitude of someone like Reggie Fils-Aime, but you're not as subtle as he is. You act like you have this enormous ego, and it makes you seem intimidating and rude. I don't think that's a good look for a corporate CEO, Tommy. When people criticize you, you have a habit of attacking them, being very rude to them even when they weren't rude, deleting their comments, calling them trolls and just generally not taking criticism well. Heck, I have the feeling that you're probably just gonna call me a troll or something for this message, even when I feel that I'm being perfectly reasonable and offering you genuine advice. You really need to stop that kind of behavior, Tommy, because... well... you're not as cool as Reggie is. He can pull off the badass attitude and not seem like a jerk. You can't, so please, stop it.

 

Oh and one last question that I forgot to ask earlier in the message. You mention during your video that you have a former president of Nintendo, and someone involved with Tetris on your team? Who exactly are they? I can't seem to figure out who you were referring to.

 

Anyway, yeah. I have the feeling that you're not gonna respond well to this message, but I would appreciate it if you would try and take some of this to heart. As it stands, I don't think that the Amico is going to be successful, but I think you could probably do a few things to make it worthwhile before it releases, and maybe aim it towards a market that is actually going to care about it. Because trust me, no child is going to care about the Amico.

 

(Edit: Minor formatting fix.)

This persons sounds like a little Bitch! This is the only way to deal with people like this. Call them out for who they really are. BITCH!! Just another TROLL!

4 minutes ago, poconojo said:

This persons sounds like a little Bitch! This is the only way to deal with people like this. Call them out for who they really are. BITCH!! Just another TROLL!

5 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

For those of you not in the NY area and didnt have cable yet, WPIX in the 80s during the afterschool cartoon hours WPIX would have people call in and play Intellivision games for 30 seconds by yelling PIX into the phone trying to win prizes. They started the promotion with Atari Games but went to Intellivision games soon therafter since Intellivision had much better graphics.

 

Anywho another nice teenage memory brought back.

I grew up in the NY/NJ market, so I definitely remember the "TV Powww" games.  They mention the Intellivision, but that particular video seems to have a mix of Intellivision and Channel F games; the Bowling, Baseball, and Shooting Gallery games are definitely Channel F.  At least some of the Intellivision "TV Powww" games were featured in Sharp Shot, as I recall.

Just now, poconojo said:

This persons sounds like a little Bitch! This is the only way to deal with people like this. Call them out for who they really are. BITCH!!

Calling this person a Bitch  insults female canines , I can think of better words for this kind of person. Plus I'm sure this person had a few other alias here on AA.  The hate is entrenched deep inside their heart. It's really getting annoying constantly reading post like that from those few. It's been going on for a year with the same shit being said by them. Which has been addressed countless of times by Tommy , IE and the community here.   

1 minute ago, jaybird3rd said:

I grew up in the NY/NJ market, so I definitely remember the "TV Powww" games.  They mention the Intellivision, but that particular video seems to have a mix of Intellivision and Channel F games; the Bowling, Baseball, and Shooting Gallery games are definitely Channel F.  At least some of the Intellivision "TV Powww" games were featured in Sharp Shot, as I recall.

In LA, it was called "Say POW!" and it had intellivision only. 

29 minutes ago, ASalvaro said:

i love ALL 80s pop music lol...i remember those posters from Spencers..i had the Heather Thomas one 

OH CRAP!!!!!!!!!!    Yes!!  I had that one as well! 

Ha!

26 minutes ago, wolfy62 said:

Another fun picture of stuff on a wall at my house.😊👍

WOWOWOWOWOWOWOWOW!!!!!!!!!

LOVE THIS!!!

23 minutes ago, Blarneo said:

Well I wasn't into Samantha Fox. 🥱

 

Does it come with a side of vanilla soda called Spermie The Whale? 

Can you get Fudgie in teabags?

 

Here was my Catherine Bach as a teenage boy

....aaaaaaand... thank you for NOT disappointing!

😂

34 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Damn!  I've never seen OEB Pete upset. 

 

Good job!  I didn't think it was possible.

 

That poster needs to win a prize or something?

 

 

I sure hope he does not post a video that shows poutine blowing out of his mouth in anger.

Then and only then shall we all beg for mercy!

TJ

Watch "OEB Pete Interview" on YouTube

Hey. Here is my first video. 

Tommy's interview is uploading as we speak.

Then an interview with Mr. Beefy.

Watch if you'd like

😃

19 minutes ago, m-crew said:

When this is over  Intellivision / Amico party at Wolfy's (Dale's)   Impressive 

HELL YES!!!!!!!!!!

I can not wait!!!!!!!!!!!!

17 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

 

 

For those of you not in the NY area and didnt have cable yet, WPIX in the 80s during the afterschool cartoon hours WPIX would have people call in and play Intellivision games for 30 seconds by yelling PIX into the phone trying to win prizes. They started the promotion with Atari Games but went to Intellivision games soon therafter since Intellivision had much better graphics.

 

Anywho another nice teenage memory brought back.

YES!!   I would watch this all the time whenever I stayed at my grandparents and uncles place in Niagara Falls, NY!

Seeing BurgerTime on the wall reminded me that this game was talked about the other day.

I wanted to chime in...  Kieth needs to be someplace in the re-imagined version, in his Peter Pepper getup.

1 hour ago, WhatWasThatSound said:

Anyway, let me move onto the next subject. You, Tommy Tallarico. And I know that you're probably gonna take it as an insult, but I want you to understand that I'm trying to offer you constructive criticism, which may be harsh, because I'm trying to give you helpful advice.

 

You come off as... kind of a jerk, Tommy. You have the attitude of someone like Reggie Fils-Aime, but you're not as subtle as he is. You act like you have this enormous ego, and it makes you seem intimidating and rude. I don't think that's a good look for a corporate CEO, Tommy. When people criticize you, you have a habit of attacking them, being very rude to them even when they weren't rude, deleting their comments, calling them trolls and just generally not taking criticism well. Heck, I have the feeling that you're probably just gonna call me a troll or something for this message, even when I feel that I'm being perfectly reasonable and offering you genuine advice. You really need to stop that kind of behavior, Tommy, because... well... you're not as cool as Reggie is. He can pull off the badass attitude and not seem like a jerk. You can't, so please, stop it.

I could address plenty, and I will later (actually have kids to entertain.. you know, those buggers you know so much about), but let's not frost the cake with shit and call it chocolate.  "You come off as... kind of a jerk".. "You have the attitude... but you're not as subtle.." "You really need to stop that kind of behavior, because... well... you're not as cool as Reggie is.  He can pull off the badass attitude and not seem like a jerk.  You can't"

On what corner of the planet is anything you said, ad hominem attacks on a person's character, throwing slights and comparative "you're not as cool as he is" any sort of "constructive criticism"?

I hope Tommy does address your questions and exercises brevity.  Because I don't know that someone with so little self-awareness and tact is worth the effort.  Honestly you come across as a prick. 

Which I mean constructively.

4 minutes ago, Michael Garvey said:

Watch "OEB Pete Interview" on YouTube

 

 

Hey. Here is my first video. 

 

Tommy's interview is uploading as we speak.

 

Then an interview with Mr. Beefy.

 

Watch if you'd like

 

😃

listening to now.

tj