Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

35 minutes ago, Intellivision Master said:

Yes, I've seen the old Westworld movie.  It was pretty good for it's time.  Did you know there's a hack on Atari 2600 of Westworld but it's a Berzerk hack set in Westworld?

 

Hahaha!  That is PERFECT!!  OMG!  So good!

Berzerk was the perfect game to do that with.  Kudos to the designer of this.

28 minutes ago, Steven Pendleton said:

Yes, the original angry video game nerd. Honestly I'd say 8 is a good score for Metroid Prime. It's got a few big problems, like that hunt for the keys near the end, but it's still a great game.

 

Didn't like Metroid Prime 2 at all. I bought it on launch day and I finally forced myself to finish it either last summer or 2 years ago. Yes, I had the damn thing for a decade and a half before finishing it. Naturally, I was using the Wii version on my Wii U. Those motion controls are actually very well done. Metroid Prime 3's motion controls are super annoying, though, and I have not played beyond the first 2 or 3 hours since I like that game even less than Prime 2.

Who?  Me?  Angry?

Never.

We played that one up a bit for the camera... and I didn't really walk off the set.  I was actually late for the airport and we added the tire squeal sound effect in post.

The reason the show worked so well is because both Vic & I respected the hell out of each other.  So whenever we "fought" on camera is was like watching 2 brothers fight and busting each others balls knowing damn well within 2 minutes we'd be laughing and agreeing (or disagreeing) on something else.

The thing that I didn't love about Metroid Prime from a gaming standpoint was the controls.  See, I was playing FPS's on the PC, PS, XBOX by that time so while a lot of people were experiencing an FPS for the first time on Nintendo... it didn't hold a candle at all to a mouse & keyboard FPS in my opinion.

It was hard for me to do that review knowing that I worked on it. because no matter what I said I was going to get heat.  A score too high... I'd be labeled as biased because I worked on it.  So I would always tell my honest opinion no matter what.  Even when I knew I was going to get backlash.  I HATED Super Smash Bros. and gave it like a 4 or something.  Didn't think it was technically, graphically or strategically as good as games like Tekken and Virtual Fighter at the time.  Still never became a fan of that one.  There was never any winning.  There was always someone out there to be "offended".  "HOW DARE I LIKE A VIDEO GAME LESS OR MORE THAN SOMEONE ELSE DID!!  HOW DARE I!!!"  And no matter how many times I said it during the show that "This is only my personal opinion and I can understand why other folks may differ".  Nope!  Didn't matter.  If my tastes didn't exactly line up to theirs.. then I was torn apart, lied about, taken of out context, etc.

So um... anyone starting to see a pattern here?

17 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Who?  Me?  Angry?

 

Never.

 

 

 

 

 

The thing that I didn't love about Metroid Prime from a gaming standpoint was the controls.  See, I was playing FPS's on the PC, PS, XBOX by that time so while a lot of people were experiencing an FPS for the first time on Nintendo... it didn't hold a candle at all to a mouse & keyboard FPS in my opinion.

 

It was hard for me to do that review knowing that I worked on it. because no matter what I said I was going to get heat.  A score too high... I'd be labeled as biased because I worked on it.  So I would always tell my honest opinion no matter what.  Even when I knew I was going to get backlash.  I HATED Super Smash Bros. and gave it like a 4 or something.  Didn't think it was technically, graphically or strategically as good as games like Tekken and Virtual Fighter at the time.  Still never became a fan of that one.  There was never any winning.  There was always someone out there to be "offended".  "HOW DARE I LIKE A VIDEO GAME LESS OR MORE THAN SOMEONE ELSE DID!!  HOW DARE I!!!"  And no matter how many times I said it during the show that "This is only my personal opinion and I can understand why other folks may differ".  Nope!  Didn't matter.  If my tastes didn't exactly line up to theirs.. then I was torn apart, lied about, taken of out context, etc.

 

So um... anyone starting to see a pattern here?

 

 

Yes, this review was the one I had in mind!

The tank controls in Metroid Prime are okay. I think it was one of the first first person console games I ever played, but I'd already played Unreal, Unreal Tournament, Doom, Doom 2, Dark Forces, and maybe a few more first person games on Mac already. Yes, I was like 8 or 9 when Unreal Tournament released, but my father was fine with me playing it because they knew I was mature enough and it remains one of my favourite games ever.

Anyway, yeah, the tank controls. I figured that the game would control the way it does because it was a console game and I never had problems with it. Remember, I skipped 5th gen consoles completely and went Genesis/Mac -> PS2 that I never used and continued to use my Genesis/Mac instead-> Gamecube. And yes, I should probably also mention that I had my own Mac when I was like 6 or 7.

I am an extremely harsh critic, though, and overall I love Metroid Prime even though it's nowhere near as good as Super Metroid, which still remains the best game ever made. It saddens me that Metroid Prime's sequence breaks mostly got removed in the Wii version and I left my original Gamecube copy of the original revision of the game in the USA, so rather than not have sequence breaks, I played it on an emulator using a PS4 controller instead rather than use the real Wii disc.

53 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Did you ever see the follow up to THAT version called:  Futureworld!

Oh yeah, I forgot about the sequel.  I did see that too.  I can't recall if I liked it or not.  Lol.

44 minutes ago, Steven Pendleton said:

Yes, this review was the one I had in mind!

 

The tank controls in Metroid Prime are okay. I think it was one of the first first person console games I ever played,

No GoldenEye???

I felt that controlled a LOT better IMO and it pre-dated Metroid Prime by 5 years and a game console generation.

18 minutes ago, Intellivision Master said:

Oh yeah, I forgot about the sequel.  I did see that too.  I can't recall if I liked it or not.  Lol.

Typically not a good sign.

Just now, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

 

No GoldenEye???

 

I felt that controlled a LOT better IMO and it pre-dated Metroid Prime by 5 years and a game console generation.

 

 

Oh, man, after praising Mary Skelter, people are REALLY going to hate me after this one...

My neighbour had an N64 and Goldeneye and I played it.

and I hated it.

Some context. I'd already played Unreal Tournament (and even played it online) on the Mac before I knew Goldeneye existed. By the time I got to it I felt the controls were super wonky and the aiming imprecise. As such, I was like "lol why would I want to play this over UT?", and so that's why I don't like Goldeneye.

Also, he had Mario Kart 64, now that I think about it, and my sister and friends and I enjoyed that game much more anyway. Still one of my favourite N64 games even now. I think it's gotten expensive recently, though, and I don't remember if I bought a copy after I finally bought an N64 in late 2004/early 2005. It's in the USA in storage right now, so I can't play it anyway.

https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_nkw=mario+kart+64&rt=nc&LH_Sold=1&LH_Complete=1

Yep, expensive for a common cart-only N64 game for sure. Sadness. Maybe I'll go check prices on it when I go to Akiba today. Got to ask them about this Thunder Force V that I bought the other day that looks like it got part of the label burned off with a damn laser or something.

6 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

HOT OFF THE PRESS!!!

For those in the know...

 

This is HUGE news!

 

 

KOCH MEDIA SECURES EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS FOR INTELLIVISION AMICO HARDWARE, GAMES, AND ACCESSORIES

 

Europe´s leading publishing partner takes over exclusive distribution of full Intellivision Amico™ range in Europe, Australia and New Zealand

 

Nuremberg – May 26, 2020 – Intellivision Entertainment Europe committed to Europe's leading publishing partner for digital games, games merchandise and accessories for the introduction of the Intellivision Amico family entertainment system, launching October 10, 2020. Koch Media, founded in 1994 with its 1,300 employees at seventeen offices and branches in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Australia, Scandinavia and the Benelux, will play a decisive role in the successful launch of the Intellivision Amico video game console and related products.

 

Koch Media has secured the exclusive retail and online sales rights for all of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, and will bring the entire Amico product portfolio to the market. In addition to the five different versions of the Amico console – Graphite Black, Glacier White and limited editions Vintage Woodgrain, Galaxy Purple and GTO Red – and the corresponding individual controllers, there will be various game products, Amico Game Shop Cards, console and controller cases, lanyards and overlays.

 

"We are thrilled that we have been able to sign Koch Media, Europe's leading distributor for the launch of Intellivision Amico. We cannot imagine a better partner,” says Hans Ippisch, President Europe of Intellivision and Managing Director of Intellivision Entertainment Europe GmbH. "Dr. Klemens Kundratitz has been closely following our development since 2018 and presented a convincing concept to get the exclusive distribution rights from Europe, Australia and New Zealand. "

 

Dr. Klemens Kundratitz, CEO of Koch Media GmbH, adds: “The Amico product range fits perfectly into our broad line-up and further strengthens our position in the family entertainment category. Our colleagues look forward to fully supporting this unique product offering in our local markets with our broad publishing experience, which extends to games as well as hardware and merchandise.”

 

Intellivision Amico is planned to release in Europe beginning in October. Exact pre-sale and launch dates for the different countries will be announced in the coming months. For more information, please visit www.IntellivisionAmico.com.

 

 

Some early nationwide coverage:

http://beta.gamesmarkt.de/details/450848?fbclid=IwAR0j36cADTFyLf3dD0cop9q_3en27XjaA2J0cdnrMRLMEIrhX7qw0QsFuBM

 

https://www.gameswirtschaft.de/marketing-pr/koch-media-vertrieb-intellivision-amico/?fbclid=IwAR1ejdpihRXxNm2UEJ7cHylj4A2j_KChqOf5NEMepjNRkNv6UU7c8eop9w8

 

 

I will leave this lil nugget right here "overlays."  Nice work Team Amico

6 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

HOT OFF THE PRESS!!!

For those in the know...

 

This is HUGE news!

 

 

KOCH MEDIA SECURES EXCLUSIVE DISTRIBUTION RIGHTS FOR INTELLIVISION AMICO HARDWARE, GAMES, AND ACCESSORIES

 

Europe´s leading publishing partner takes over exclusive distribution of full Intellivision Amico™ range in Europe, Australia and New Zealand

 

Nuremberg – May 26, 2020 – Intellivision Entertainment Europe committed to Europe's leading publishing partner for digital games, games merchandise and accessories for the introduction of the Intellivision Amico family entertainment system, launching October 10, 2020. Koch Media, founded in 1994 with its 1,300 employees at seventeen offices and branches in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, England, France, Italy, Spain, Poland, Australia, Scandinavia and the Benelux, will play a decisive role in the successful launch of the Intellivision Amico video game console and related products.

 

Koch Media has secured the exclusive retail and online sales rights for all of Europe, Australia, and New Zealand, and will bring the entire Amico product portfolio to the market. In addition to the five different versions of the Amico console – Graphite Black, Glacier White and limited editions Vintage Woodgrain, Galaxy Purple and GTO Red – and the corresponding individual controllers, there will be various game products, Amico Game Shop Cards, console and controller cases, lanyards and overlays.

 

"We are thrilled that we have been able to sign Koch Media, Europe's leading distributor for the launch of Intellivision Amico. We cannot imagine a better partner,” says Hans Ippisch, President Europe of Intellivision and Managing Director of Intellivision Entertainment Europe GmbH. "Dr. Klemens Kundratitz has been closely following our development since 2018 and presented a convincing concept to get the exclusive distribution rights from Europe, Australia and New Zealand. "

 

Dr. Klemens Kundratitz, CEO of Koch Media GmbH, adds: “The Amico product range fits perfectly into our broad line-up and further strengthens our position in the family entertainment category. Our colleagues look forward to fully supporting this unique product offering in our local markets with our broad publishing experience, which extends to games as well as hardware and merchandise.”

 

Intellivision Amico is planned to release in Europe beginning in October. Exact pre-sale and launch dates for the different countries will be announced in the coming months. For more information, please visit www.IntellivisionAmico.com.

 

 

Some early nationwide coverage:

http://beta.gamesmarkt.de/details/450848?fbclid=IwAR0j36cADTFyLf3dD0cop9q_3en27XjaA2J0cdnrMRLMEIrhX7qw0QsFuBM

 

https://www.gameswirtschaft.de/marketing-pr/koch-media-vertrieb-intellivision-amico/?fbclid=IwAR1ejdpihRXxNm2UEJ7cHylj4A2j_KChqOf5NEMepjNRkNv6UU7c8eop9w8

 

 

This is awesome Tommy.  Can't wait for the next press release.

The PS1 and N64 needed some 4 player split screen Doom/Doom 2/Wolfenstein 3D:

- No control issues as you can't look up and down

- Better music, enemies, weapons, stages?

- Potentially no frame rate issues in split screen since the whole games are in "fake" 3D

Quake 2 has control issues on consoles, Medal of Honor only has a 2 player mode. Goldeneye and Perfect Dark had the 4 player options, but the controller and frame rate didn't help.

The N64 conversion of Hexen was the example that should have been followed, it's a shame.

2 hours ago, vongruetz said:

It's fun to see how different people approach the game. My daughter and mom have a "slow and steady wins the race" mentality, while I am more of a "go big or go home" kind of player. 

Haha, exactly the same in our house 😆

59 minutes ago, OEB_Pete said:

I will leave this lil nugget right here "overlays."  Nice work Team Amico

Shhhh!!   No one was supposed to notice that!

It's maybe not what people think though.  More of a "customization" thing as opposed to a functionality thing.

 

54 minutes ago, Intellivision Master said:

This is awesome Tommy.  Can't wait for the next press release.

Coming next Monday!
 

Get your "cookies" ready.

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

nom nom nom nom nom

About Unreal:

- It's interesting how some 128 bit games will never feel outdated to me because the graphics got me so hyped at the time: Unreal/Halflife/Quake 3 on the PC, MGS2 on the PS2, Sonic Adventure/VF3 on the Dreamcast, Sega Rally on the arcades...

About violence in games:

- Am I the only one who thinks blood/gore/dead bodies never feel offensive in a game when they are pixelated? 8 bits, 16 bits, 32 bits. I mean, Silent Hill gave me nightmares (don't play the game just before bed, kids) when I was 19, but those pixelated things were not too disgusting. It's something interesting I just discovered.

49 minutes ago, IntelliMission said:

Medal of Honor only has a 2 player mode

Medal of Honor I believe also gave us modern FPS controls for consoles, unless there is something that I'm missing.

The series as a whole also gave us one of the best soundtracks in video game history. I would know, since I have a copy of the beautiful Medal of Honor series OST box set signed by Christopher Lennertz and Ramin Djawadi. If I ever meet Giacchino, I'll be sure to have him sign it.

3 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Coming next Monday!
 

Get your "cookies" ready.

 

🍪🍪🍪

 

 

With next Monday being the first of June.  It's a good way to begin the new month.  Also, I will have milk with my cookies. 🥛

15 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Coming next Monday!
 

Get your "cookies" ready.

 

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

 

nom nom nom nom nom

 

 

Not even trying to hide the clues now?  Intellivision Entertainment, along with the Children's Television Workshop, are proud to present a new educational children's interactive game, coming exclusively to Intellivision Amico, and featuring the beloved Sesame Street character Cookie Monster (and friends?).

26 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Coming next Monday!
 

Get your "cookies" ready.

 

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

 

nom nom nom nom nom

 

Been waiting on this, its about time we get GTCM  ( Grand theft Cookie Monster)

Yeah, perhaps the Medal of Honor control method was better than I remember, but it still didn't have 4 player modes in PS1. I finished the first one. I never understood why Quake 2 didn't have this control option on PS1, it forced you to walk using the buttons.

Still, what I meant was that I looking up and down is overrated in FPS and I prefer fast 4 player action on a single console. Dual analog control isn't bad, but many prefer mouse and keyboard for a reason.

16 minutes ago, IntelliMission said:

Yeah, perhaps the Medal of Honor control method was better than I remember, but it still didn't have 4 player modes in PS1. I finished the first one. I never understood why Quake 2 didn't have this control option on PS1, it forced you to walk using the buttons.

 

Still, what I meant was that I looking up and down is overrated in FPS and I prefer fast 4 player action on a single console. Dual analog control isn't bad, but many prefer mouse and keyboard for a reason.

Yeah, Medal of Honor controller setting #4 with the analog controller gives you what is now the standard L2 = aim R2 = fire + dual analog move + look that every modern console shooter uses. Don't ask how I remember that it's #4 after all of these years, since I'm not sure myself how I remember. The face buttons are mostly unused, but I think X is mapped to jump and I think circle does something as well, but I forgot. I think L1 and R1 are reload and prone or something. I forget exactly, but it's something like that.

Anyway, Medal of Honor's 2 greatest contributions were its music and then Call of Duty, which probably makes it the single most important game released since its own release. Giacchino is everywhere now, and it's basically all because he did Medal of Honor for a few years.

Edit: yes, I think circle changes weapons. Might be wrong, though.

22 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Coming next Monday!
 

Get your "cookies" ready.

 

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

 

nom nom nom nom nom

 

 

While this clue may seem painfully obvious, I believe it’s to throw us off course.

This, in fact, will be a new edutainment title teaching kids how to safely navigate the web by learning how to remove cookies from a browser.

This is a life-skill every small child should learn as part of Internet safety, and kudos to the Amico team for picking up the gauntlet and going where other consoles fear to tread... unless those companies can sell it for $60 and fill it with IAPs, and then make a ton of sequels.  

Because if it really involved a certain creature with poor eating habits, the “we hate it yet we hang on Tommy’s every word” fans of the Amico would charge Tommy with doing something that’s even worse than soft-porn on the Switch... contributing to childhood obesity and messing eating.

If it was, in fact, a title that “comes from the street” shall we say, that sound you'd hear would the Mom 2.0 website scraping off the Amico banner from their conference sponsorship list. They will not stand for any sort of puppet-like creatures on consoles for their kids, especially blue ones who never learned to chew with their mouth closed. 

You heard it here first... and likely last.

Nice try, Tommy... nice try.

52 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Coming next Monday!
 

Get your "cookies" ready.

 

🍪🍪🍪🍪🍪

 

nom nom nom nom nom

Great !

Will we also see some images ot the game ? 🙄

9 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

Yeah.  You're gonna love breaking bricks on little girls asses and boobs like this gem.

 

😜

 

 

 

As of this writing, the only home console this is available on is the Switch.  It's also available on PC through Steam.

 

The description on the Nintendo website is pretty funny:

SENRAN KAGURA has transformed into a sexy pinball game on the Nintendo Switch!
 

Bounce your ball along the curves of a crazy theme park, starring a ninja girl who thinks she's an animal! (Yep, you heard right!) ♪

Feel every shake and bounce with the HD Rumble feature. Build up points to unlock special challenges, which showcase the girls' charms!

The usual features of the franchise are here too, including dress-up, diorama, and intimacy mode! Customize your favorite characters and enjoy some high-quality pinball with them.

 

 

 

 

 

Damn it, there goes my chance of seeing Bride of Pinbot or Xenon pinball out on Amico! LOL

I just thought of a game that would be cool to see on the Amico. I used to love Gorf with that classic “Tron” handle. I would also like to see Tron. Those 4 levels in the game were all pretty cool 😎