Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

2 hours ago, CurlyQ said:

 

Space Hawk was one of my most anticipated games as a kid. I envisioned the 'bubbles' as some kind of time travel mechanism. Enter the bubble and immediately be transported to some other part of space or other world. Ultimately it was a pretty simple game (as most games were back then). But, the prospect of flying around in space caught my childhood imagination hook line & sinker. Similar to Star Strike and Space Battle.

 

And yes, the Intellivision controllers were absolute murder on your trigger fingers especially during those epic long gaming sessions! "Gamers Thumb" was almost a daily occurrence in my household...lol 🤕

 

 

That's really cool,I have never seen that before!

Thank you for sharing!👍😊

Ok so I owned the original intellivision when I was about 14. And loved it. But obviously there was titles I didnt have. Fast forward and I bought another console because I lost the last one many years back. So a few games I never played and tron deadly disks was one of them. So I picked up a pile of games recently off Ebay and in the stack was this tron game ive been wanting to play. God god its good. I couldn't stop playing it. And after seeing the preview of the new Night stalker of which I do have  the original as well, love it. Made me realize even more how special the Amico is really going to be. I really want Tron deadly disks more than ever 

This is something I would almost expect to see behind Tommy at his house during a live stream just going abouts it day of cleaning,

10 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

 

This is something I would almost expect to see behind Tommy at his house during a live stream just going abouts it day of cleaning,

 

 

 

That was pretty cool.

11 hours ago, LePionnier said:

So is it a good question or not ? 😆  lol

You have no voice and no text yourself ! 😂🤣  lol 😉

If I understand, you want to say that Nintendo was not the only one !? 🙄

 

Edit : Luigi's Mansion 3 is a recent game and If I remember well, there is no voice.

My point is also, if you have children's 4 and 5 years old playing, they will need voice because they can't read !

So for Edutainment game it will be a most to have voice from Amico.

From other games, I don't know. 😊

 

 

It was just the first example that I could think of because I played it recently (which means maybe 2 years ago).

10 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

We won't know the full effects of COVID until after the lockdown is over.  Los Angeles county just said that businesses can't open until August now.  If that happens in Orange County (we are the next county over from L.A.) I can tell you that it won't be ready by October... or even by the end of the year!  We need to be in the same room in order to complete hardware.  Especially to the level we're doing.  Imagine telling a car manufacturer to make a car but everyone needs to stay apart in different places.  Being apart for smaller games doesn't affect the software/games... but the hardware.  Yes.  2 of our guys are literally hand building controllers from scratch to get to our many developers around the world.  And parts are very late and delayed from China and of course need to be quarantined the second they arrive and are opened.  But if it takes 2 people to build a controller... how can you accomplish this when everything is in the office?  One guy comes in and does what he can do, then another comes in after that, etc.  How can we all test the different parts of the hardware when each machine part needs a ton of testing and companies that do it are closed and the hardware we have is limited.  It's crazy, but we're trying our best given the circumstances and health/lockdown laws that the state of California has placed upon everyone.  It is what it is.  Nothing we can do except try our hardest and work as long as humanly possible.  We were really hoping California would be "opened up" by May 1st.  And now they're talking about being closed til August?  Impossible to get hardware done in that time.  I refuse to put out a product that isn't the best it could be.  We're not going to rush it or cut corners and take shortcuts.  Part of the reason J Allard is such an important part of the team now.  He's been through the "red ring of death" and knows why and what happened.  Not enough time for heat and component testing was a big part of that.  I'm doing everything in my power to keep the promise I made to my mom, dad & brother about honoring my sister Karen's birthday on 10/10.  They keep telling me over and over not to worry.  And if this crap continues for another month... it's out of my hands.    But maybe if 10/10 slips I can do something super special on 10/10.  Maybe have a huge public showing where the general public can play all the games for the first time (like what we had planned for E3 and Gamescom).  Maybe we do one on the west coast (LA?) and one on the east coast (NYC?).  I don't know... I really don't feel like thinking about it or discussing that at this point.  10/10 launch is still our #1 goal right now. 

 

Founders Editions would be a few days before launch I would imagine... not a few weeks.

 

Road Rash would be pretty cool.  EA would need to be on board.  Probably wouldn't happen til 2022.

 

 

 

Understandable. The state of emergency just got lifted in a bunch of prefectures the other day. Tokyo Prefecture and I think most of the surrounding prefectures (Kanagawa, Chiba, Saitama, etc.) are still in a state of emergency. I've not really been paying attention to the situation in the USA, though. You guys have a high population in CA and probably a high population density, so it doesn't surprise me that the state is in that sort of situation right now.

Keeping it closed until August, though... that's going to have a big financial impact on pretty much everything in the state. CA's economy is large enough for it to separate from the Union and act as its own little country, so not having probably most of that economy right now must be really damn crappy for the whole state. No choice but to keep doing what you can. If it causes the launch to be delayed, I'll keep waiting for it until it's ready. I hope not, but it's up to the government's decision as this point, it seems. Best to take your time and deliver a quality product and not a pile of trash that falls apart the first time you try to use it.

So going back in time to our discussion from a few months ago, now that J Allard is on board, I'm wondering about how he feels about that potential Japan launch. He was at Microsoft for 2 console launches in Japan, and although I don't know how much involvement he had in those, I'm wondering about how you guys feel about the feasibility of launching in Japan. Of course, the launch in the USA and Europe is higher priority than the possible Japanese launch, especially now.

If you guys do do something special on 10/10, perhaps I might pay a visit. I have a terrible habit of never taking vacations (1 time in 12 years, now that I think about it), so I've been thinking about going back to the USA for a few days and maybe I'll stop by if you do. No promises, though.

6 hours ago, Blarneo said:

The story I heard, was that Sega was in too much debt to support Dreamcast's growth beyond what they already did. In short, they had a great first year, but ran out of money to support a second, especially since Sony announced Playstation 2 in January 2000, even though it wasn't going to be released until winter 2000. Dreamcast sales took a nosedive after that announcement. Sega couldn't save their hardware business. 

 

10 Million sales in 14 months is anything but a  "bomb". That's Nintendo Switch numbers.

Yes, the Dreamcast was I believe either the fastest selling console in history at that point or the biggest console launch in history at that point. I forget which, but I think it was something like that. The thing that killed it was the massive failure of the Saturn outside of Japan, where the Saturn outsold the N64 (deservedly so). Sega lost so much cash on the US and European Saturn failures that they couldn't afford to keep the Dreamcast going. I'm looking forward to buying both consoles for the first time within the next month or so.

I've played the Dreamcast for 2 or 3 minutes and never played the Saturn at all, but some research over the past few months tells me that both of them are awesome systems that should not have died as fast as they did.

4 hours ago, vongruetz said:

This brings to mind a question I've had for sometime. 

For everyone in here: How much does nostalgia play into your enjoyment of older consoles?

 

I bought a Dreamcast a few years ago, and just couldn't get into it.  Likewise, I was a Genesis kid back in the day, so I have a hard time playing all of the SNES games, even today. Atari games do little for me since I was into Intellivision.  The same goes for PS1 games, which I skipped entirely back then. But I do find that all of the games or consoles I do have nostalgia for, I can play and love for hours today. Intellivision, NES, Genesis and PS2 through today are all I played when they were new and still really enjoy.

None. Of the systems that I just bought for the first time in the past year, I love my PC Engine and my SuperGrafx and I look forward to buying both the GT and the LT. I love my Neo Geo even though I only have 2 games for it. I even love the 32X, even if it's terrible, because even that has some awesome games! Will be buying a Skeleton Saturn next week for sure. Maybe a Dreamcast to go with it, as well, but it depends on what Dreamcasts I find.

Still, I will say that Genesis/MD and PC Engine >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> SNES/SFC. It has good games, including the single best game ever made, but I'll stick with Sega overall.

4 hours ago, vongruetz said:

This brings to mind a question I've had for sometime. 

For everyone in here: How much does nostalgia play into your enjoyment of older consoles?

 

I bought a Dreamcast a few years ago, and just couldn't get into it.  Likewise, I was a Genesis kid back in the day, so I have a hard time playing all of the SNES games, even today. Atari games do little for me since I was into Intellivision.  The same goes for PS1 games, which I skipped entirely back then. But I do find that all of the games or consoles I do have nostalgia for, I can play and love for hours today. Intellivision, NES, Genesis and PS2 through today are all I played when they were new and still really enjoy.

For me personally nostalgia plays a HUGE part in enjoying the old systems. Reminds me of the day I rolled into Ames and bought the Dreamcast right off the shelf with my brother...9-9-99. Picked up NFL2K, Soul Caliber and was hooked. Had been a Nintendo guy till then and loved most every game I purchased. Still enjoy it and play it and even tho nostalgia drives me to keep it around, the games are fun. Sega hit the sweet spot with Dreamcast...sad it had a shortened life cycle.
 

I feel that way with most systems I enjoyed as a child and young adult. Now in my mid 40’s I play and collect anything. Not as much time with work, hubby and dad duties...but that is where Amico comes in. Hope to get my family on board and replace my Wii as the go to family gaming machine!

28 minutes ago, Steven Pendleton said:

SNES/SFC. It has good games, including the single best game ever made, but I'll stick with Sega overall.

Ok. You can't tease us like that. So spit it out!

And if it's anything other than Super Metroid then you're just plain wrong, and have to give me all of your HuCards.

9 minutes ago, Blarneo said:

Ok. You can't tease us like that. So spit it out!

 

And if it's anything other than Super Metroid then you're just plain wrong, and have to give me all of your HuCards.

Don't worry, it is in fact Super Metroid and anything else is wrong. I figured that it's pretty obvious so I didn't say it!

@Tommy

Hey Tommy, here is one you may not remember from the arcades that I love and would really like to see on Amico..

Two Tigers

It seems not a lot of people have had a chance to play this great co-op game..

The game is 2 WWII fighters (players) have unlimited lives and work together (co-op) or dogfight while trying to sink a giant ship on the screen. 

Sinking a ship is done by dropping your bomb (unlimited) or shooting down enemy planes which the wreckage causes the deck of the ship to chip away until there is a hole and a water spout appears.. Damage the ship and create enough water spouts on the ship and it sinks!

If you sink the ship it blows up in this great fashion, if not it escapes.. if you fail to sink enough ships its game over, so time is not on your side..

Sink enough ships and you will finish the wave..

The arcade used 2 flight controller yokes but only rotated left and right and one fire button for your tiny bomb..

The real power comes when you shoot enemy planes and their fiery fuselages damage the ship, so timing is everything.

Amico has the discs which would be a perfect way to play this, and this is a game that never is all that fun to play on MAME due to it being analog and most mame cabs have digital joys.

In any case looking forward to your next announcement!

I am very much looking forward to getting Amico when it is released!!

7 hours ago, vongruetz said:

This brings to mind a question I've had for sometime. 

For everyone in here: How much does nostalgia play into your enjoyment of older consoles?

 

I bought a Dreamcast a few years ago, and just couldn't get into it.  Likewise, I was a Genesis kid back in the day, so I have a hard time playing all of the SNES games, even today. Atari games do little for me since I was into Intellivision.  The same goes for PS1 games, which I skipped entirely back then. But I do find that all of the games or consoles I do have nostalgia for, I can play and love for hours today. Intellivision, NES, Genesis and PS2 through today are all I played when they were new and still really enjoy.

Its funny because I was into only nes SNES and just never got  into sms genesis or any sega, till more recently where I just decided to pick up any and every console I can get my hands on. And in this last year I've picked up every Sega console from sms to dreamcast.  And thats just sega. And what I've found is there are not just a few gems on all these consoles but many.  Im just glad I did because if I hadn't I wouldn't have the opportunity to find those hidden works of art. 

The thing with the Dreamcast was its controller. I still can't believe they gave the green light to that in 1998. It was a clear step backwards from the Playstation and Saturn controllers from 1994 and even the controversial Nintendo 64 giant spaceship had much better buttons. Only one analog stick was not a very smart move either, but the main problems were the buttons and triggers.

13 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

I suggest the Anctartica base or the 200 inhabitant-city Edinburgh of the Seven Seas, located in a tiny English volcanic island some hundred miles west of South Africa, both Coronavirus-free sites.

Correction: it's almost 2K miles west of South Africa.

By the way, here's an amazing article on how living on that island is. Spoilers: You need to plan your visit one year in advance and take a 6 day boat trip from Cape Town to get there.

13 hours ago, MarioMan88 said:

I enjoyed almost every Dreamcast game I played. Still fun to play Virtua Tennis or Speed Devils.

I remember Micro Machines being a real fun DC game. Racing on pool tables and through a museum

Tommy, have you ever played NBA Jam? That's another EA series that I'd like to see come back on any platform. It is decent alone, but add even one more person and it becomes way better. When I was last in the USA 2 years ago, I made sure to bring NBA Jam Extreme on the PS1 back with me for a reason.

I know EA is not currently onboard, but I had to mention it because it's so fun.

OEB Pete has a live stream coming Monday May 18th @ 4pm Pacific, 7pm Eastern.  It's a Q&A with Tommy.  I tried uploading the link/URL but it won't allow me to embed the link.  Anyway, that's why I thought it best to just write it out the old fashion way.  

3 hours ago, Steven Pendleton said:

Tommy, have you ever played NBA Jam? That's another EA series that I'd like to see come back on any platform. It is decent alone, but add even one more person and it becomes way better. When I was last in the USA 2 years ago, I made sure to bring NBA Jam Extreme on the PS1 back with me for a reason.

 

I know EA is not currently onboard, but I had to mention it because it's so fun.

That was a Midway game. Owned by Warner Bros now. 

1 minute ago, Blarneo said:

That was a Midway game. Owned by Warner Bros now. 

Is it? I have the PS3 one (the newest one) and it was done by EA.

7 hours ago, imstarryeyed said:

Two Tigers

It seems not a lot of people have had a chance to play this great co-op game..

 

The game is 2 WWII fighters (players) have unlimited lives and work together (co-op) or dogfight while trying to sink a giant ship on the screen. 

7 hours ago, imstarryeyed said:

 

 

 

This reminds me of another game I can't remember the name of. It played like a Space Invaders clone, but the boat was in the middle of the screen and it can shoot up in the air and down into the sea. I liked that one. 

5 minutes ago, Steven Pendleton said:

Is it? I have the PS3 one (the newest one) and it was done by EA.

You're right. I just assumed since WB pretty much bought Midway's library lock, stock & barrel in 2008 for $49million. But EA bought NBA Jam in 2010.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Jam

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midway_Games

8 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

The thing with the Dreamcast was its controller. I still can't believe they gave the green light to that in 1998. It was a clear step backwards from the Playstation and Saturn controllers from 1994 and even the controversial Nintendo 64 giant spaceship had much better buttons. Only one analog stick was not a very smart move either, but the main problems were the buttons and triggers.

I dont know I actually like the feel of the dreamcast controller.  But agree on the 1 stick. My biggest complaint was the placement of the cord. If I had to choose between the DC controller vs n64 I would take the DC. Because I feel the N64 is the worst controller ever imho. 

https://venturebeat.com/2020/05/14/intellivision-taps-xbox-veteran-j-allard-as-global-managing-director/

This may be an excellent article from a reputable site but right in their first paragrah, it’s evident they too don’t quite get it.   Yes, It’s very frustrating to see Amico referenced once more as a “retro console”.  “Retro inspired” would be fair, but it’s not a retro console and the press needs to get this so that you guys can target your audience appropriately.  This shows there is still work for Tommy, J and everyone on Amico team to work towards:  changing the culture tag Amico presently has.

I think to fix this, you need to go old school, like they used to do it back in the day:  At the official press unveiling when VG reporters all get to try it out themselves in the (hopefully) near future after the lockdown is over, you gotta go all in Tommy, you gotta go 100% and go the distance, GO FOR THE HOMERUN!  The brass ring is there Tommy, you can grave it so Yes Tommy, it’s time, it’s THAT time Tommy, it’s time for B&B man.  B&B should help fix any pre-conceived notion of what Amico is all about by straightening any remaining preconceived Warped notions of what Amico is all about.

B&B?   Yes Tommy, it’s time for Bitches and Blow

It’s the only way!

1 hour ago, Relicgamer said:

Because I feel the N64 is the worst controller ever imho. 

Worse than Sega Activator?

1 hour ago, Blarneo said:

You're right. I just assumed since WB pretty much bought Midway's library lock, stock & barrel in 2008 for $49million. But EA bought NBA Jam in 2010.

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NBA_Jam

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midway_Games

Yeah, the old NBA Jam was Midway. I lost track of what happened to it aside from EA getting it and making the newest one. Honestly, that newest one isn't very great. I can't describe it, but something about it just feels very wrong. I have not played the download only one, though. I doubt that they changed it much from the one released at retail.