Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

32 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

I also think it's a little strange to blatantly rip off a game like Yahtzee and Connect Four

I believe they are relying on the fact that some countries have others versions of these games that are in the public domain like Yatzy.  

User interfaces/menus have often been annoying in Nintendo games. Wii Sport Resort for example, you have to press A thousand times before game starts. It's not practical, just frustrating.

1 hour ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Played Clubhouse 51 with my wife last night.

I wrote up my thoughts to share with some of my friends (that also did the same) and thought some of you may find it interesting as it's been referenced a few times in comparison to Amico.

p.s.  This is my personal biased opinion.  I don't care if anyone agrees or disagree.  

 

 

Value - 10 

Lots of great stuff that can be played over and over again either by yourself or with others for only $40. 

 

Gameplay/Fun Factor - 8

This is an important category.  If you're playing with others it's about an 8.  If you're playing by yourself it drops to about a 6.  And here's why...

 

A.I. - 4
The computer AI is really lacking and barely challenging at all.  It's more just "random" than intelligent... which in these style games isn't the way to go. As an example... if any of you play backgammon, chess or checkers... play a single player game and you'll see exactly what I mean.  Because Switch is a portable system, it would have been great to actually get super challenging A.I. in these games.  I never lost anything a single time in single player.  Zero challenge from that regards. 

 

Audio - 6
I averaged the sound design, v.o. and music and rounded up to get the 6. 

The sound design would get about a 7.  What's there is really good, but it gets repetitive and lacks dynamics.

The music is pretty annoying and production is poor.  I'd give it a 5.
Voice-overs are a little on the creepy and annoying side.  I'd say 5.

 

Graphics - 8

Very well done.  It is what it is.  Everything looked really good.  No complaints. 

 

Multiplayer - 8

The multiplayer experience was cool for certain games but completely lacking in others.  You do need multiple joy-cons or Switches to play over 2 player I believe.  It's actually a little confusing as to what you can and can't do with multiplayer because there are so many different combinations.  Not being able to plug in the all-in-one Switch controller (the one that looks like the Xbox or PS controllers) really sucked.  But for 2 player it's totally fine as much as I hate splitting the joy-cons.  Bowling & Darts worked well.  The shooting game was virtually unplayable.

User Experience/User Interface - 4
This is where it really takes a dive.  Frustrating is an understatement.  You need to hold the split up joy-cons in a certain way for the menu screens and other ways for the games and you never quite know which way you're supposed to be holding them and which button does what.  Constantly throughout the hours we were playing it was hard for both of us to move forward in menus or to back out.  The 4 joy-con buttons kept doing different things in our minds (because we were holding them wrong and it didn't show you how to hold it every time you were in the menus.  And even if we were, we couldn't remember which button moved forward and back.  Now hardcores will easily call me a "boomer" and idiot because I'm sure it was very easy for them to understand.  But the average person is going to be lost and frustrated.  Shannon literally finally got up and left because we both kept trying to do something in the menus... but couldn't.  It's also weird because sometimes her controller would advance or start a game, and sometimes mine did.  We never really even figured it out.  The other thing I want to mention is that it took a few minutes of total garbage before I could even play the first game.  It kept pushing all this crap on me that I didn't care about (avatars, globe info, etc.).  It was so frustrating... right out of the gate!

 

Presentation - 5

I hated it.  Weird plastic people as avatars, strange globe thing telling you about the games, cheesy dialogue, etc.  Why they didn't just make this more like Mario Party with all their amazing characters is beyond me.  Instead you get a bunch of strange plastic people where their animations consist of the plastic thing bouncing back and forth.  Very eye-rolling and annoying.

 

Enjoyment for non-gamers - 8

It would have gotten higher if not for the bad UI.

Game depth - 5

Barely any at all.  Each game is what it is... so I put this right in the middle of the scale.  No unlockables or even the ability to pick your own side/car/color/team, etc.  And I get it... it's a LOT of games in one... so it's hard to knock it for what it is.

 

Overall - I'd say a solid 7 overall.  Maybe even a 7.5 if I play more and get used to the controls.  The Metacritic average is around 8.0 so not that far off.

In comparison, the places the game is lacking are some of the most important things that we are doing right on Amico and what we feel casuals and non-gamers find to be very important.

Would love to hear folks in here give a review if you pick it up.  I believe a few of you said you were going to get it.

 

 

 

I have been playing this for the last 2 days and find it really fun BUT am surprised at several things. I have one switch but was thinking of getting a second one because the game selection is so confusing And there are many I can’t play with only one switch. Only 3 games that you can play more than 2 players ? Bowling and darts among others only being 2 players ????? Each menu you select has different games that you can’t play. The layout is super confusing. You use the pro controller to get the game going but then must use only joycons to play ??  The casual gamer would not understand why certain games are not available in different modes. Such great presentation otherwise it’s a shame. And even if I get another switch to play the games that need 2 systems , Nintendo’s game sharing rules for people like me that are all digital make it almost useless to get a second switch. I would be getting it only for clubhouse games. Grrrrrrrr !!! I would already have multiple switches if Nintendo had reasonable game sharing rules. Am I not understanding something ? If I get a switch lite as a second system it seems I can not have and play my digital games on both ? Is this correct ? Can anyone confirm this ? I want a second one but what’s the point if I can’t have my digital purchases and use both systems at the same time. I get not being able to play  the same game at the same time but can I play one game and my daughter play another at the same time ? Someone please clear this up for me. This can’t be right ....can it ?

9 minutes ago, Cranker said:

I have been playing this for the last 2 days and find it really fun BUT am surprised at several things. I have one switch but was thinking of getting a second one because the game selection is so confusing And there are many I can’t play with only one switch. Only 3 games that you can play more than 2 players ? Bowling and darts among others only being 2 players ????? Each menu you select has different games that you can’t play. The layout is super confusing. The casual gamer would not understand why certain games are not available in different modes. And even if I get another switch, Nintendo’s game sharing rules for people like me that are all digital make it almost useless to get a second switch. I would be getting it only for clubhouse games. Grrrrrrrr !!! I would already have multiple switches if Nintendo had reasonable game sharing rules. Am I not understanding something ? If I get a switch lite as a second system it seems I can not have and play my digital games on both ? Is this correct ? Can anyone confirm this ? I want a second one but what’s the point if I can’t have my digital purchases and use both systems at the same time. I get not being able to play  the same game at the same time but can I play one game and my daughter play another at the same time ? 

We have two Switch consoles, and with family online we have to designate one primary. When you play something on the second system, it will verify the primary is not using the game, and will then let someone play on the second system. 
 

I have had trouble with second system a couple of times when internet not available. Not sure for how long verifications are good. 
 

You also do need two copies of games to play at the same time, which we have Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, Uno, and Splatoon. Is pretty fun, but was obviously very expensive. I bought the second system as one of the last ones available at the beginning of covid shutdowns, as I wanted my son and daughter to both have something else to do. 

5 minutes ago, Oldfool said:

We have two Switch consoles, and with family online we have to designate one primary. When you play something on the second system, it will verify the primary is not using the game, and will then let someone play on the second system. 
 

I have had trouble with second system a couple of times when internet not available. Not sure for how long verifications are good. 
 

You also do need two copies of games to play at the same time, which we have Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, Uno, and Splatoon. Is pretty fun, but was obviously very expensive. I bought the second system as one of the last ones available at the beginning of covid shutdowns, as I wanted my son and daughter to both have something else to do. 

see this illustrates Tommys point exactly. None of that hoop jumping etc sounds fun to me or something I would pay upwards of a thousand dollars to do. To be honest, thats aggravation I just dont need in my life.  Score another point for Amico

12 minutes ago, Oldfool said:

We have two Switch consoles, and with family online we have to designate one primary. When you play something on the second system, it will verify the primary is not using the game, and will then let someone play on the second system. 
 

I have had trouble with second system a couple of times when internet not available. Not sure for how long verifications are good. 
 

You also do need two copies of games to play at the same time, which we have Animal Crossing, Mario Kart, Uno, and Splatoon. Is pretty fun, but was obviously very expensive. I bought the second system as one of the last ones available at the beginning of covid shutdowns, as I wanted my son and daughter to both have something else to do. 

I would need to get a lite at this point . I won’t pay over the retail for a switch. Ok I understood you can only play your digital games on one system at a time. Thx !

My switch is overheating and I can only play for about 20 mins docked !! Waiting to get it fixed ! It will be awhile with Covid and all. 
 

So you need Nintendo online to share games with 2 switches  ?

6 minutes ago, Cranker said:

 

So you need Nintendo online to share games with 2 switches  ?

Not sure, as we already had family online before we ever got the second Switch. I would think you would need it to share digital. 

9 minutes ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

see this illustrates Tommys point exactly. None of that hoop jumping etc sounds fun to me or something I would pay upwards of a thousand dollars to do. To be honest, thats aggravation I just dont need in my life.  Score another point for Amico

I don’t disagree, as I am in on a FE, and one VIP I intend to give to my parents. 
 

Local play usually works okay, and it is pretty cool to each be on your own screen in games, which we have side by side in the basement. Too much money, but since it was incremental (we had the first Switch when it came out) you talk yourself into the insanity, especially with insane shutdown. 

4 minutes ago, Oldfool said:

Not sure, as we already had family online before we ever got the second Switch. I would think you would need it to share digital. 

Thx. I’ll check it out ! I hope the lite will be cool !! 
 

I want my Amico now 😀😀😀

21 minutes ago, Oldfool said:

Not sure, as we already had family online before we ever got the second Switch. I would think you would need it to share digital. 

One last question as this is not a switch group ! Lol . I also though I read that on the secondary system you can only use the profile of the person that bought the game as opposed to any of the eight profiles available ? This would be bad if true if my wife and daughter have Zelda games they want to continue. You would probably have an answer to this since you have 2 switches. Thx !

I look forward to the Amico more and more everyday where it will be simpler and straight forward. 

3 minutes ago, Cranker said:

I look forward to the Amico more and more everyday where it will be simpler and straight forward. 

You & me both.  

Glad to see you all warm up to Lukas. I think you all now can maybe understand posting a negative video can turn out pretty good in the end. I'm not gonna tell you all I told you so but I told you so😉

Any new press releases on games or some new demo videos planned soon?  

I'm getting lost in all this high tech talk, just looking for an update.

Thanks!

2 hours ago, Cranker said:

I have been playing this for the last 2 days and find it really fun BUT am surprised at several things. I have one switch but was thinking of getting a second one because the game selection is so confusing And there are many I can’t play with only one switch. Only 3 games that you can play more than 2 players ? Bowling and darts among others only being 2 players ????? Each menu you select has different games that you can’t play. The layout is super confusing. You use the pro controller to get the game going but then must use only joycons to play ??  The casual gamer would not understand why certain games are not available in different modes.

Yeah... I forgot to mention that in my multiplayer or UX/UI section. A lot of things are greyed out depending on what "mode" you pick at the beginning.

Did you find the moving back and forth within menus and games (i.e. which buttons to press to advance or go back) as confusing as we did?

It was the single most frustrating part of the game for us.

1 hour ago, bigdaddygamestudio said:

see this illustrates Tommys point exactly. None of that hoop jumping etc sounds fun to me or something I would pay upwards of a thousand dollars to do. To be honest, thats aggravation I just dont need in my life.  Score another point for Amico

Yeah.  Obviously I agree.  

But certain folks will say how close we are to a Switch.  Not in the bigger picture.  I see @Relicgamer and others saying this to folks all the time.

In regards to the ability to connect and share...

Like I've kept saying from the beginning... the single most important attribute that people love about Amico in focus tests, data research, polling, etc. is the SIMPLICITY. 

Followed closely by FAMILY content only console.

1 hour ago, IMBerzerk said:

Any new press releases on games or some new demo videos planned soon?  

 

I'm getting lost in all this high tech talk, just looking for an update.

 

Thanks!

Next week a new games/partnership press release.

Then another multiple game one about a week later.

Looking to get a new (and longer) Moon Patrol demo on Amico Club this month and hopefully Breakout as well.

The riots have pushed a lot of press back the last week or so.  That's across the board... not just us.

1 hour ago, Cranker said:

I also though I read that on the secondary system you can only use the profile of the person that bought the game as opposed to any of the eight profiles available ? This would be bad if true if my wife and daughter have Zelda games they want to continue. You would probably have an answer to this since you have 2 switches.

You appear to be correct. To test, I just downloaded Super Mario Party (a title we only have on digital) to the second system and tried to play with my daughters profile. It gave the message “This user cannot play this software. If you have not purchased the software, you can do so from Nintendo eShop.”

We basically only use the second system for titles where we own two copies. I also try to have at least one of the copies be a cartridge. I think you can play cartridge games on either, but not sure, as I would have to test one where we only own one copy of the game. 
 

I myself am a little frustrated on how to manage two systems, as someone in your family should be able to use a digital copy if it isn’t being used at the time. 
 

I will also chime in that I can hardly wait for Amico. I showed my parents a picture of cornhole yesterday, and they thought it looked like fun. I have not told them I am buying them this system they know nothing about, but I know they will like it. Both my parents are upper 70’s, and both have multiple 300 games on Wii bowling. They would want nothing to do with the Switch, but I know they will play Amico with and without their grandkids. 

8 minutes ago, Intellivision Master said:

 

The channel is one day old and already doing an interview with Tommy? The word is out how to get your first 50 subs fast lol

53 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

 

Yeah... I forgot to mention that in my multiplayer or UX/UI section. A lot of things are greyed out depending on what "mode" you pick at the beginning.

Did you find the moving back and forth within menus and games (i.e. which buttons to press to advance or go back) as confusing as we did?

It was the single most frustrating part of the game for us.

 

Yes. Same . Surprising for a game with so much polish and Nintendo seal of approval 😁 why have stuff blacked out ? Just don’t include it if you can’t play it. Yes the buttons are confusing. It’s not that I can’t figure it out, but it should be ultra simple to navigate a game like this. It’s a very fun game so it’s hard to believe such simple aspects of it were ignored or left out. 2 player bowling and darts is just weird ! And  the controls In the menus and games seem are sometimes confusing. Great game otherwise but it could have been better without much extra work it seems.

27 minutes ago, CurlyQ said:

Hahahhaa!   Hell yeah!

50 minutes ago, Oldfool said:

You appear to be correct. To test, I just downloaded Super Mario Party (a title we only have on digital) to the second system and tried to play with my daughters profile. It gave the message “This user cannot play this software. If you have not purchased the software, you can do so from Nintendo eShop.”

 

We basically only use the second system for titles where we own two copies. I also try to have at least one of the copies be a cartridge. I think you can play cartridge games on either, but not sure, as I would have to test one where we only own one copy of the game. 
 

I myself am a little frustrated on how to manage two systems, as someone in your family should be able to use a digital copy if it isn’t being used at the time. 
 

I will also chime in that I can hardly wait for Amico. I showed my parents a picture of cornhole yesterday, and they thought it looked like fun. I have not told them I am buying them this system they know nothing about, but I know they will like it. Both my parents are upper 70’s, and both have multiple 300 games on Wii bowling. They would want nothing to do with the Switch, but I know they will play Amico with and without their grandkids. 

So you can play Mario party or any other digital game on the second system,  but only use the profile of the person who bought the game ? Did you verify that ? That is super irritating and leaves people who go digital stuck. I want another system but they don’t make it tempting. I guess everyone can use my profile on the second system. Sheesh 🙄 

This is part one.  I put up the second part first because this part wasn't available yet.  Sorry.

8 hours ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Great post!  You pretty much nailed everything and confirmed what our research and data has shown for years.

Some GREAT games in there that I didn't know about.  Please keep the 2D couch co-op stuff coming!

p.s.  Been speaking to the Never Alone folks for over a year.

 

 

 

Thats really awesome I cant wait to see what they come up with! No problem man here are some more great games. Im going to put some games that arent in the price range but i would love to see a game in that style on the Amico as well. For example a Tron styled version of Speedrunners would be a system seller in my opinion.

Speedrunners (14.99 on steam):

RocketsRocketsRockets (6.99 on steam):

Ultimate Chicken Horse (14.99 on steam):

Shatter (9.99 on steam):

Badland Game of the Year Edition (9.99 on steam):

Push Me Pull You (14.99 on steam):