Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

3 hours ago, woobman said:

While on the subject of cool things we'd like to see make it to the Amico. I'd love to see a version of Dark Tower.  For those of you who do not remember. Among the treasure trove of goodies on wishbookweb check out below:

 

 

Yes!  Never even thought of it.  I still play it!  Also a TSR board game called Dungeon, those were two biggies for me and my buddies when we were young teens.  

28 minutes ago, Blarneo said:

I agree and it's exiting. I just see a few folks that want this to be a total retro colecovision/2600 repository, and I don't think that's going to happen, based on what we've been told.

 

I'm glad that they're redoing some of the older games, and most of the big name recognizable ones at that. 

When Tommy announced this system 2 years ago & he mentioned classic Intellivision games reimagined, I was intrigued by it. Then the inclusion of Imagic games is what sold me on it. I thought those games would be lost to time forever. What a coup! The further addition of Irem games to the console was just gravy to me.

 

But... Just something to remember... Sometimes our memories of good times past are more fulfilling than those times actually were. What we're about to see I'm hoping will exceed those memories.

We still actually regularly play on our intellivision.  My son (21) loves astrosmash. I think its still fun to dive in and try to beat each others scores.  Adding multiplayer makes it that much better 

1 minute ago, Relicgamer said:

We still actually regularly play on our intellivision.  My son (21) loves astrosmash. I think its still fun to dive in and try to beat each others scores.  Adding multiplayer makes it that much better 

I get that. Me, not so much. I'd much prefer these games get a hi-def facelift, with stereo sound, foley recordings and REAL musical instruments, and be HDMI hooked up for ease of use without having to go to Salvation Army & buy an old boob tube, or spend $100 on a signal converter/adapter.

I have the ATGames thing I got at Walgreens a few years ago. Had it hooked up for a week. It's been in the closet ever since. 

3 minutes ago, Blarneo said:

I get that. Me, not so much. I'd much prefer these games get a hi-def facelift, with stereo sound, foley recordings and REAL musical instruments, and be HDMI hooked up for ease of use without having to go to Salvation Army & buy an old boob tube, or spend $100 on a signal converter/adapter.

 

I have the ATGames thing I got at Walgreens a few years ago. Had it hooked up for a week. It's been in the closet ever since. 

I got 2 crts 1 32 and 1 27 flatscreen crts with component hookups. For free. They are the best for displaying classic games up to ps2 og xbox. But I do av mods on my classic consoles and its also alot of fun picking up games at used game stores. I just got beauty and the beast for 10 bucks cib. Patlrt of the fun. Plus not every game is going to be reimagined.  But I respect your approach to gaming.  Collecting is expensive and not for everyone. Its just something my son and I love doing together.  Hell my wife loves it to

1 hour ago, woobman said:

I had zero clue that this was a thing..  Wow... There goes more money...  I guess I must sell a kidney between all my wants from this forum and now this board game.

There's also an app for that... 🙂

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mow.droidtower

7 minutes ago, BiffMan said:

There's also an app for that... 🙂

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mow.droidtower

I use the iPad version. Both are faithful to the game.

Intellivision was always known for being innovative.  I have a suggestion for the Amico to carry on that tradition.  What if you take an extra Amico controller and place a 3D holographic projector on the controller’s video screen?  It could be a holographic Oracle/wizard displaying different magic spells in a dungeon crawler game; or as a long range sensor in a space game. (Reference: How to make 3D hologram projector w/resin (super clear) - resin DIY on YouTube). The controller/projector could sit between the players to provide extra information for the game.  I like the cast acrylic because it is more durable around children than a plexiglass projector.

How many people know that Intellivision was going to release 3D glasses in ‘82 (I think) and the first game to use them was going to be Space Shuttle?  But, sadly, the crash happened. So this would fit with Intellivision’s legacy.

27 minutes ago, Relicgamer said:

I got 2 crts 1 32 and 1 27 flatscreen crts with component hookups. For free. They are the best for displaying classic games up to ps2 og xbox. But I do av mods on my classic consoles and its also alot of fun picking up games at used game stores. I just got beauty and the beast for 10 bucks cib. Patlrt of the fun. Plus not every game is going to be reimagined.  But I respect your approach to gaming.  Collecting is expensive and not for everyone. Its just something my son and I love doing together.  Hell my wife loves it to

I do collecting too, but my collecting is in the 16bit era and Dreamcast. 

I thought about my last post & what I remember from my teenager Intellivision experience. I don't think I was ever satisfied back then. The games and controls were never good enough. The 2600 was even worse, where most games with the arcade name on them was just a pale knockoff shell compared to the charm and visual treat the arcade games had. This was my actual thoughts way back in the early 80s.

Nothing affordable back then could match the arcade games of the time, and as impressive as it was in 1980, I was never blown away by Intellivision's capabilities, and especially the fact that it's sound chip couldn't do low bass explosions & there wasn't an arcade-like controller for the games on it (those side buttons! Don't get me started!). Home versions of arcade games always had something missing (even most Colecovision games), and somehow felt... I dunno, compromised. I felt cheated. 

It wasn't until 16bit that I was satisfied with home game systems capabilities, and began to not feel like I was ripped off by an Asteroids or Pac Man game that looked & played nothing like the originals. 

We get a ton of fantastic e-mails and social media messages every day.  Here's one that circulated around the company e-mail list today that I felt a lot of folks in here would enjoy.

It's the exact thing that we all know to be true (and our data, research and focus group testing backs up), and the exact thing the hardcore elitists haters don't get and will fight and argue doesn't exist.

Just wait til average every day folks start finding out about Amico.  The revolution is coming.  

Good morning,

I also agree that, from a design standpoint, simplicity is greatly underrated. I recently got a Flashback, and my 2 kids (aged 6 and absolutely love it. They both comment on how much they enjoy the low-res graphics (my oldest calls them "Cube Games) and simple sounds, which have a charm that flashy modern stuff simply cannot. I suspect a large part of this is that it leaves more to the imagination, and thus provides a degree of intellectual stimulation, rather than just sensory. The games themselves tend to be very accessible, striking that nice balance between easy-to-learn and hard-to-master. 

8 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

We get a ton of fantastic e-mails and social media messages every day.  Here's one that circulated around the company e-mail list today that I felt a lot of folks in here would enjoy.

It's the exact thing that we all know to be true (and our data, research and focus group testing backs up), and the exact thing the hardcore elitists haters don't get and will fight and argue doesn't exist.

Just wait til average every day folks start finding out about Amico.  The revolution is coming.  

 

 

 

Good morning,

 

I recently heard about the upcoming release of the Amico, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts. First off, I was fortunate to grow up with an Intellivision in the family (it was at my grandparents' house,) and we enjoyed it for many years (although we fought continuously over who got to use the 1 Baseball insert, and I'm baffled that no-one ever thought to simply swap it whenever fielding!) It did indeed provide opportunities for interaction and bonding, and many fond memories were formed around it. 

 

The Amico's emphasis on this kind of group play is definitely long overdue. On a society-wide level, we have become far too isolated: Families do very little together, parents typically work, transport the kids to school and activities, and buy them stuff to make up for the fact that they don't spend time with them (advertisers and marketers call this "guilt money.") Depressingly few families even eat meals together anymore, and are simply a collection of individuals who happen to live under the same roof. Social media has made the problem even worse, which I won't really delve into. Suffice to say, we are all lacking in real interactions with real people, and it's causing us a wide variety of very serious problems.

 

I also agree that, from a design standpoint, simplicity is greatly underrated. I recently got a Flashback, and my 2 kids (aged 6 and absolutely love it. They both comment on how much they enjoy the low-res graphics (my oldest calls them "Cube Games) and simple sounds, which have a charm that flashy modern stuff simply cannot. I suspect a large part of this is that it leaves more to the imagination, and thus provides a degree of intellectual stimulation, rather than just sensory. The games themselves tend to be very accessible, striking that nice balance between easy-to-learn and hard-to-master. 

 

Lastly, I appreciate your philosophy regarding content, and I'll leave it at that! It seems to me that there would be many family-focused entities (magazines, faith-based organizations, parent groups, even community or professional collaboratives) that would be interested in this new system and your vision for it. I haven't yet browsed through the site completely, but do you have -or could you create- a sort of manifesto to share with such groups? I'd be willing to bet that there are a lot of psychologists -believe it or not- who would be willing to promote the console and the ideals behind it! I have been encouraging people to do similar things with their family members (using documentaries, mainly,) with very promising results.

 

            Sincerely,

Wow, a message from one of the normal humans of Earth!  How refreshing after a few months of myopic youtubers.  I'm looking forward to watching this console 'disrupt' everything in the coming year.

15 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

We get a ton of fantastic e-mails and social media messages every day.  Here's one that circulated around the company e-mail list today that I felt a lot of folks in here would enjoy.

It's the exact thing that we all know to be true (and our data, research and focus group testing backs up), and the exact thing the hardcore elitists haters don't get and will fight and argue doesn't exist.

Just wait til average every day folks start finding out about Amico.  The revolution is coming.  

 

 

 

Good morning,

 

I recently heard about the upcoming release of the Amico, and I wanted to share some of my thoughts. First off, I was fortunate to grow up with an Intellivision in the family (it was at my grandparents' house,) and we enjoyed it for many years (although we fought continuously over who got to use the 1 Baseball insert, and I'm baffled that no-one ever thought to simply swap it whenever fielding!) It did indeed provide opportunities for interaction and bonding, and many fond memories were formed around it. 

 

The Amico's emphasis on this kind of group play is definitely long overdue. On a society-wide level, we have become far too isolated: Families do very little together, parents typically work, transport the kids to school and activities, and buy them stuff to make up for the fact that they don't spend time with them (advertisers and marketers call this "guilt money.") Depressingly few families even eat meals together anymore, and are simply a collection of individuals who happen to live under the same roof. Social media has made the problem even worse, which I won't really delve into. Suffice to say, we are all lacking in real interactions with real people, and it's causing us a wide variety of very serious problems.

 

I also agree that, from a design standpoint, simplicity is greatly underrated. I recently got a Flashback, and my 2 kids (aged 6 and absolutely love it. They both comment on how much they enjoy the low-res graphics (my oldest calls them "Cube Games) and simple sounds, which have a charm that flashy modern stuff simply cannot. I suspect a large part of this is that it leaves more to the imagination, and thus provides a degree of intellectual stimulation, rather than just sensory. The games themselves tend to be very accessible, striking that nice balance between easy-to-learn and hard-to-master. 

 

Lastly, I appreciate your philosophy regarding content, and I'll leave it at that! It seems to me that there would be many family-focused entities (magazines, faith-based organizations, parent groups, even community or professional collaboratives) that would be interested in this new system and your vision for it. I haven't yet browsed through the site completely, but do you have -or could you create- a sort of manifesto to share with such groups? I'd be willing to bet that there are a lot of psychologists -believe it or not- who would be willing to promote the console and the ideals behind it! I have been encouraging people to do similar things with their family members (using documentaries, mainly,) with very promising results.

 

            Sincerely,

Thanks for sharing Tommy, but thanks for everything you and team Amico are doing to resurrect so many wonderful memories for so many of us.  I hope you truly realize the epic amount of good you are doing for so many people around the world, especially during these uncertain times.  I did not grow up with the Intellivision but I am so happy my kids will grow up with Amico. 

2 minutes ago, supahwally said:

Wow, a message from one of the normal humans of Earth!  How refreshing after a few months of myopic youtubers.  I'm looking forward to watching this console 'disrupt' everything in the coming year.

and for all the hater's with their constant negativity and bashing to finally be silenced and eating crow for over two years of that crap. 

A pirate game could be very interesting - one that would let you explore the islands of the Caribbean.  You could have sea battles against British and Spanish man o war.  Weather elements, like wind, tides, etc. could affect your ship.  You could search for clues to locate and raid your opponents‘ buried treasure. And if you’re low on men and supplies you can go back to your home island.  The game could incorporate history, geography and seamanship.  You could not only attack other ships, but also do shore bombardment and raid settlements or merchant ships.  

I’d love to see a companion console to the founder’s edition in a metal flake forest green with either a burl wood or birds eye maple inlay.

46 minutes ago, Blarneo said:

I do collecting too, but my collecting is in the 16bit era and Dreamcast. 

I thought about my last post & what I remember from my teenager Intellivision experience. I don't think I was ever satisfied back then. The games and controls were never good enough. The 2600 was even worse, where most games with the arcade name on them was just a pale knockoff shell compared to the charm and visual treat the arcade games had. This was my actual thoughts way back in the early 80s.

 

Nothing affordable back then could match the arcade games of the time, and as impressive as it was in 1980, I was never blown away by Intellivision's capabilities, and especially the fact that it's sound chip couldn't do low bass explosions & there wasn't an arcade-like controller for the games on it (those side buttons! Don't get me started!). Home versions of arcade games always had something missing (even most Colecovision games), and somehow felt... I dunno, compromised. I felt cheated. 

 

It wasn't until 16bit that I was satisfied with home game systems capabilities, and began to not feel like I was ripped off by an Asteroids or Pac Man game that looked & played nothing like the originals. 

I guess for me its the surprise you get when these older systems surprise you.  Games like warlords on the 2600. 4 player and sure it was available at the arcade but its not common and most have never played it. Also games like hero. Dont believe there ever was a arcade version.  Thats a real gem. And I also play on pc xbox one x and ps4 pro.  But its still fun to fire up my intellivision and whoop my son butt. The laughs we have with warlords never gets old. If you haven't played that on 2600 I suggest you do. That game still amazes me.  Also the 2600 space invaders to many its the best version.  2 player mode is unique to that game franchise 

25 minutes ago, Relicgamer said:

The laughs we have with warlords never gets old. If you haven't played that on 2600 I suggest you do. That game still amazes me. 

Bruno's Pizza about a mile away when I was in HS had a cocktail version of Warlords. I saw it once more on an Army base in San Antonio, but that was it. I dropped a lot of quarters down that, playing my sister. And yes, 2600 Space Invaders was a VERY rare exception to the rule. It was also made when Atari cared. 2600 Defender & Pac Man were made when Warner Communications cared about raking in the cash. 

On 5/4/2020 at 4:20 PM, Hwlngmad said:

Man, I gotta say the early 1980's were a really cool time with the various consoles like the 2600, Intellevision, and Odyssey 2 along with the great dedicated handhelds like those from Mattel Electronics.

Yeah, definitely a great time for 1st gen consoles.  The handhelds were the definition of simple graphics (just a bunch of LEDs) but highly fun to play.  Personally I had the Mattel Battlestar Galactica Space Alert.

On 5/4/2020 at 11:29 AM, OEB_Pete said:

@cmart604 and I should open a retail store just to sell and get the Purple Amico?  

Cant see cmart buying in, inventory flow is the wrong direction. 

3 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

We get a ton of fantastic e-mails and social media messages every day.  Here's one that circulated around the company e-mail list today that I felt a lot of folks in here would enjoy.

Your AA signature placement makes it look like you wrote that letter yourself  🤣

8 hours ago, woobman said:

While on the subject of cool things we'd like to see make it to the Amico. I'd love to see a version of Dark Tower.  For those of you who do not remember. Among the treasure trove of goodies on wishbookweb check out below:

 

Also note the electronic DnD game. That was cool too.

 

I know that there is a whole hubub about Dark Tower being pulled from the market sometime after due to MB doing some shady things. But Retro re-imagined.. And having the original people being on it would be amazing. In a perfect world have both the original person and the MB team do it together. This is what the Amico is about.

 

For those of you with Android devices there is a version that is a pretty good representation of how the game played and sounded.

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mow.droidtower&hl=en_US

 

Plus a decent Java version as well:

 

https://www.old-games.com/download/5186/dark-tower

 

My Dark Tower is in a plastic container out in the garage.

 

Man, I used to obsessive over, er... casually glance at these books every year as kid, so I have no idea how I missed that.  That looks like exactly the sort of thing I'd "have to have."

3 hours ago, Intellivision collector said:

A pirate game could be very interesting - one that would let you explore the islands of the Caribbean.  You could have sea battles against British and Spanish man o war.  Weather elements, like wind, tides, etc. could affect your ship.  You could search for clues to locate and raid your opponents‘ buried treasure. And if you’re low on men and supplies you can go back to your home island.  The game could incorporate history, geography and seamanship.  You could not only attack other ships, but also do shore bombardment and raid settlements or merchant ships.  

Really like this. 👍🏻

1 hour ago, Starpaddler said:

Cant see cmart buying in, inventory flow is the wrong direction. 

Haha! That said I could do with cleaning out some extra stuff to make way for all the Amicos heading back to my underground lair. 

1 hour ago, cmart604 said:

A pirate game could be very interesting - one that would let you explore the islands of the Caribbean.  You could have sea battles against British and Spanish man o war.  Weather elements, like wind, tides, etc. could affect your ship.  You could search for clues to locate and raid your opponents‘ buried treasure. And if you’re low on men and supplies you can go back to your home island.  The game could incorporate history, geography and seamanship.  You could not only attack other ships, but also do shore bombardment and raid settlements or merchant ships

Thats basically Sid Meiers Pirates... without the dancing which I never really understood too much...  

10 hours ago, woobman said:

My Dark Tower is in a plastic container out in the garage.

Mine is still at my parent’s in the box.  The box isn’t in the best of shape, no inserts anymore, but all the pieces are there.  I fired it up a few years ago and it still worked.  Loved that game!

38 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

Thats basically Sid Meiers Pirates... without the dancing which I never really understood too much...  

Ive actually got the Sid Meiers pirates on c64 and ine og xbox. Which the xbox version is really fun. Haven't spent alot of time on the c64. But its fun wonder what new elements could be added with the Amicos controller? Maybe swinging the controller for sword fighting or using it to aim a cannon