Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

2 minutes ago, Stillagamer said:

In one of the interviews he said that initially people do use the sticky buttons for the touch screen but some take it off and prefer tapping on the screen because its faster. If people are playing a game using their phone its probably a simple party game not an arcade or sidescroller game. I just dont see why the option for a conventional controller is like a taboo subject

Yep, you're right. I amended my initial statement to clarify.

The reason a conventional controller is so reviled on here is because it drives our target demographic away. It's been covered in this topic probably a dozen times, so I won't rehash it too much, but it basically comes down (in my mind) to a few things:

1. There is nothing simple or intuitive to a non-gamer about "conventional" controllers. Even the original NES controller scared my mom away when I was a kid. The Amico controller is designed to be friendly, intuitive, and accessible. The fact that we've had complete non-gamers pick up our controller and immediately understand what to do is HUGE for our market. 

2. Many of the Amico games make great use of the private information that can be displayed on the screen. Conventional controllers don't have this option. 

3. There are, literally, tens of millions of "conventional" controllers in the world today. Why not try something different? The console gamers in the world number about 200 million... we're after the several billion gamers who don't use conventional controllers.

Thanks for your input, we appreciate the discourse!

9 minutes ago, Stillagamer said:

In one of the interviews he said that initially people do use the sticky buttons for the touch screen but some take it off and prefer tapping on the screen because its faster. If people are playing a game using their phone its probably a simple party game not an arcade or sidescroller game. I just dont see why the option for a conventional controller is like a taboo subject

Actually Tommy has said you can just connect a standard controller up via bluetooth - the problem is what sort of games would you be able to play with it? Most controllers don't have a touch screen/pad or rotating disk, the two main inputs of the Amico. The games simply aren't going to be setup to use a D-Pad or joystick inputs and mapping & play testing those inputs would be a lot of extra work just to support a more conventional controller. I am not against a Amico 'Pro Controller' some day but I would say lets get the regular controller out there and see if there is even a need or interest in such a thing.

2 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

Actually Tommy has said you can just connect a standard controller up via bluetooth - the problem is what sort of games would you be able to play with it? Most controllers don't have a touch screen/pad or rotating disk, the two main inputs of the Amico. The games simply aren't going to be setup to use a D-Pad or joystick inputs and mapping & play testing those inputs would be a lot of extra work just to support a more conventional controller. I am not against a Amico 'Pro Controller' some day but I would say lets get the regular controller out there and see if there is even a need or interest in such a thing.

I think youre wrong about gamess not being set up for a d pad. Tommy said that developers can program 8 inputs and showed that. Im not talking about a normal controller, in my post i said that it would have all of the internals and functions of the amico controller. But instead of buttons on the side you would have it on the face or shoulders with the screen in between the disc or dpad and the face buttons like a ps4 controller

4 minutes ago, Stillagamer said:

I think youre wrong about gamess not being set up for a d pad. Tommy said that developers can program 8 inputs and showed that. Im not talking about a normal controller, in my post i said that it would have all of the internals and functions of the amico controller. But instead of buttons on the side you would have it on the face or shoulders with the screen in between the disc or dpad and the face buttons like a ps4 controller

Your correct but also you are talking about a subsection of games which are usable with a regular controller, maybe a very small proportion, nobody really knows right now. As far an Amico controller with a different button layout, more front facing - that is exactly what is meant by an Amico Pro Controller. All the same inputs just with a more forward facing layout. I don't think Intellivision needs to rush those out because of the development cost & potential customer confusion, but yeah if people want/need it, why not - might make a great Amico accessory.

3 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

Actually Tommy has said you can just connect a standard controller up via bluetooth - the problem is what sort of games would you be able to play with it? Most controllers don't have a touch screen/pad or rotating disk, the two main inputs of the Amico. The games simply aren't going to be setup to use a D-Pad or joystick inputs and mapping & play testing those inputs would be a lot of extra work just to support a more conventional controller. I am not against a Amico 'Pro Controller' some day but I would say lets get the regular controller out there and see if there is even a need or interest in such a thing.

I agree, I think most people are not thinking about the real reason the “conventional” controller is made for most systems/platforms, it’s because most platforms/systems are open and most games are made for multiple platforms, so that makes it easier to have them follow this “standard”, but Amico will be a 100% curated system, where every game will be tailor made for its unique controller and system.

16 minutes ago, RxScram said:

 

Yep, you're right. I amended my initial statement to clarify.

 

 

The reason a conventional controller is so reviled on here is because it drives our target demographic away. It's been covered in this topic probably a dozen times, so I won't rehash it too much, but it basically comes down (in my mind) to a few things:

 

1. There is nothing simple or intuitive to a non-gamer about "conventional" controllers. Even the original NES controller scared my mom away when I was a kid. The Amico controller is designed to be friendly, intuitive, and accessible. The fact that we've had complete non-gamers pick up our controller and immediately understand what to do is HUGE for our market. 

 

2. Many of the Amico games make great use of the private information that can be displayed on the screen. Conventional controllers don't have this option. 

 

3. There are, literally, tens of millions of "conventional" controllers in the world today. Why not try something different? The console gamers in the world number about 200 million... we're after the several billion gamers who don't use conventional controllers.

 

Thanks for your input, we appreciate the discourse!

I agree and I did say that this imaginary controller would have all the functions of the standard one, just a different layout. The reason would be so I dont have to use the sticky buttons for a game that requires a more tactile feel. If im turning the controller sideways and putting sticky buttons on the touch screen, whats the difference except a worse experience? Even if the game is just move, run, attack like an nes game. The Wiis main audience i would assume played Wii Sports the most, but how much software did they sell outside of those type of games?  The reason Nintendo moved on is because that business model wasnt sustainable because you cant rely on non gamers to keep buying new games. Their huge hardware sales werent indicative of software sales if memory serves me right. The Wii was a fad. If the Amico is just about selling a console one time to that type of person then cool. But from what ive heard in the interviews the Amico will be more than that. We both know platformers are the pinnacle of 2D gaming but you wont get that opinion on here even if its a widely held opinion everywhere else. The controller im talking about would have shoulder 2 buttons, an "a" button, a "b" button, maybe 2 turbo buttons/switches on top and a dpad. Screen in the middle. Call it the "action controller". Wouldnt that be 100x better than turning the controller sideways and putting on sticky buttons? I would rather play Earthworm Jim like that and i doubt any non gamers are going to be interested in games like that.

2 hours ago, Stillagamer said:

I think thats a very optimistic way of looking at it. Maybe im off the mark but i dont think outside of the IE or Atari fanbase anyone wanted remakes of these games. To people who didnt grow up with them, we all played some variation of them for free as flash games in the 90s and early 2000s, so thats what we get reminded of when we see asteroids or astrosmash. The retro reimagined titles could have been made 1 or 2 at a time instead of all at once. I dont know how long it took for them to be made, but its hard not to look at the games reel and think some of that energy could have gone to a new release as the showpiece. Im thinking a game that would get a high score with reviewers like earthworm jim 4. You need one of those out of the gate IMO or at least in the launch window. I would have liked ALL of those games to be games like that, and Skiing, Breakout and such to be the "We have the retro stuff too". Its what was missing from that. I want the high quality Disney feel I know the Amico can produce, because Tommys team literally made those amazing Disney games for the Genesis and Snes that shit on any Atari or Intellivision game, no offense lol. There are a lot of developers now who make games in that same spirit and really the Amico seems like a hand in glove fit. I think the retro games work best as a complimentary piece like the Virtual Console. Not the steak part of the dinner IMO. Tommy is wasting his genius on Astrosmash come on man thats not right! But i get why you and others here would be so excited for this because its so over the top and unnecessary for such simple games hahaha

 

Im not against the controller or the disc even. I just know there are going to be games that require a high level of precision. I would rather there be a controller with face buttons for those games than attachable sticky buttons. The disc probably is better for games like skiing but will it be better for games like platformers? Tommy said the best platformers are games like metroid, megaman, castlevania etc. Those games would just be better on a Nintendo/Turbo Grafx/Sega/Ps1 style controller. When i think of highly praised 2D games, its games that require that precision and skill or as Miyamoto would say, "athletic" aspect. Those games need exact precision! Anyone who tries to play a hard platformer or fighting game with an analogue stick immediately wants the "no miss" precision of a good dpad.

There is absolutely nothing about a cross d-pad that makes it more fitting a solution to platformers than a well-made disc overlaying a directional array of inputs.  In some ways, it can even be worse than this proposed disc.

Yes, our beloved platformers may not have the absolute best input device in the d-pad.
 

With the disc, you can restrict the inputs to 4 quadrants, just like your standard d-pad.  Your thumb rests of a disc mounted to a central ball bearing or pivoting joint.  No different from the Genesis or other era Sega controllers.

Now, Amico’s control disc rotates, and unintended rotation can be problematic IF not accounted for in design.  The solution is enough friction to reduce inadvertent rolling in an undesired direction.  The original Intellivision pucks didn’t do this, they were so early in design.  These controls however have a custom silicon gel that can detect pressure.  I.E user intent.
 

And if their testing can accpunt for unintended slipping out of position (reads of various pressure inputs when going through rote exercises with the disc), they can factor in what counts as a “ move lower left” and what doesn’t register as a “move lower left” in instructions for the developers going out with that controller API.  What’s a more sensitive control scheme vs a less sensitive control scheme. 

There also should be enough contact so not to slip much, so I don’t see it as a great detractor.  But I do see the inherent way reading “intent” is better handled using a disc that CAN MEASURE INTENT using the pressure applied and 64 input array.  I played through Contra with my dad for the first time in a few years - i play it every year or so, but it was his first time breaking out the classic NES controller in a while.  Reflexes were quick, but there were a dozen cheated deaths because you TRIED to turn and duck at the same time as a running alien popped up behind you, but slight misplacement meant I turned and stood.  My fingers were on both the left arrow and the down arrow and the control should have picked up one thing.  However my weight was certainly not properly placed to register the down arrow.  Result, a precision turn and duck wasn’t executed because of user error.  So as no-miss precision goes.. it’s debatable.  Yea, every contact is a Yes/No Was Contact Made binary relay.  But those perfect jumps are 100% dependent on your honed mastery of finger placement, and there’s no room for intent or a hint of a shift. Is that the sole solution?

And there’s nothing a d-pad can do to alter that.  There aren’t enough inputs to have detected intent.  There’s no silicon layer to spread out and hit more contacts, again, indicating intent.  And would I had wanted to slightly adjust my position on a d-pad, I can’t roll slightly upward without depressing, because you only have your four directions and four combination directions.

the inabilities to perform these precision maneuvers are exactly why we use fighting sticks to give greater flexibility.  But they’re less pixel precision.  The analog stick is not ideal clearly because any shift of weight with a placed thumb on top is going to waggle, and they’re greater for operating in free space but not for precision.

The disc has merit, if handled correctly in game design, there is no reason why it should be a worse platforming experience - people just haven’t used a sophisticated modern disc design.  No offense to the team at APh Consulting who made the original, but precision and user intent weren’t the drivers to do what it needed to do.

And if as much care has been put into it as Tommy and J. Alvarado have shown, it looks like the disc will more than hold its own.  With some programming, could perform better than a traditional cross shaped d-pad. 

Of course that caveat that should go without saying: we have to feel the thing and see it in action.  But in theory and real-life examples, the scheme works.

6 minutes ago, RetroAdvisoryBoard said:

There is absolutely nothing about a cross d-pad that makes it more fitting a solution to platformers than a well-made disc overlaying a directional array of inputs.  In some ways, it can even be worse than this proposed disc.

 

Yes, our beloved platformers may not have the absolute best input device in the d-pad.
 

With the disc, you can restrict the inputs to 4 quadrants, just like your standard d-pad.  Your thumb rests of a disc mounted to a central ball bearing or pivoting joint.  No different from the Genesis or other era Sega controllers.

 

Now, Amico’s control disc rotates, and unintended rotation can be problematic IF not accounted for in design.  The solution is enough friction to reduce inadvertent rolling in an undesired direction.  The original Intellivision pucks didn’t do this, they were so early in design.  These controls however have a custom silicon gel that can detect pressure.  I.E user intent.
 

And if their testing can accpunt for unintended slipping out of position (reads of various pressure inputs when going through rote exercises with the disc), they can factor in what counts as a “ move lower left” and what doesn’t register as a “move lower left” in instructions for the developers going out with that controller API.  What’s a more sensitive control scheme vs a less sensitive control scheme. 

There also should be enough contact so not to slip much, so I don’t see it as a great detractor.  But I do see the inherent way reading “intent” is better handled using a disc that CAN MEASURE INTENT using the pressure applied and 64 input array.  I played through Contra with my dad for the first time in a few years - i play it every year or so, but it was his first time breaking out the classic NES controller in a while.  Reflexes were quick, but there were a dozen cheated deaths because you TRIED to turn and duck at the same time as a running alien popped up behind you, but slight misplacement meant I turned and stood.  My fingers were on both the left arrow and the down arrow and the control should have picked up one thing.  However my weight was certainly not properly placed to register the down arrow.  Result, a precision turn and duck wasn’t executed because of user error.

 

And there’s nothing a d-pad can do to alter that.  There aren’t enough inputs to have detected intent.  There’s no silicon layer to spread out and hit more contacts, again, indicating intent.  And would I had wanted to slightly adjust my position on a d-pad, I can’t roll slightly upward without depressing, because you only have your four directions and four combination directions.

the inabilities to perform these precision maneuvers are exactly why we use fighting sticks to give greater flexibility.  But they’re less pixel precision.  The analog stick is not ideal clearly because any shift of weight with a placed thumb on top is going to waggle, and they’re greater for operating in free space but not for precision.

 

The disc has merit, if handled correctly in game design, there is no reason why it should be a worse platforming experience - people just haven’t used a sophisticated modern disc design.  No offense to the team at APh Consulting who made the original, but precision and user intent weren’t the drivers to do what it needed to do.

 

And if as much care has been put into it as Tommy and J. Alvarado have shown, it looks like the disc will more than hold its own.  With some programming, could perform better than a traditional cross shaped d-pad. 

 

 

Of course that caveat that should go without saying: we have to feel the thing and see it in action.  But in theory and real-life examples, the scheme works.

Yeah i agree that it very well could be better than a dpad if done correctly. I like the rolling nature of some dpads and even prefer them loose for games like shootemups. The dpad itself is just personal preference for me but im open to the idea of a circular pad if a lot of thought went into the precision/slippage/intent and other things you mentioned, that would be awesome.

2 hours ago, Stillagamer said:

I think thats a very optimistic way of looking at it. Maybe im off the mark but i dont think outside of the IE or Atari fanbase anyone wanted remakes of these games. To people who didnt grow up with them, we all played some variation of them for free as flash games in the 90s and early 2000s, so thats what we get reminded of when we see asteroids or astrosmash. The retro reimagined titles could have been made 1 or 2 at a time instead of all at once. I dont know how long it took for them to be made, but its hard not to look at the games reel and think some of that energy could have gone to a new release as the showpiece. Im thinking a game that would get a high score with reviewers like earthworm jim 4. You need one of those out of the gate IMO or at least in the launch window. I would have liked ALL of those games to be games like that, and Skiing, Breakout and such to be the "We have the retro stuff too". Its what was missing from that. I want the high quality Disney feel I know the Amico can produce, because Tommys team literally made those amazing Disney games for the Genesis and Snes that shit on any Atari or Intellivision game, no offense lol. There are a lot of developers now who make games in that same spirit and really the Amico seems like a hand in glove fit. I think the retro games work best as a complimentary piece like the Virtual Console. Not the steak part of the dinner IMO. Tommy is wasting his genius on Astrosmash come on man thats not right! But i get why you and others here would be so excited for this because its so over the top and unnecessary for such simple games hahaha

A few counterpoints to your comments. All opinions are my own, and I do not speak for Intellivision. 

1. We're not doing these remakes because Intellivision / Atari fans want them. We're doing them because we have the licenses for them, and licenses are HUGE! We've got a large portfolio of games that we can remake without having to pay royalties to somebody else. The fact that we happen to have a small, built-in customer base because of these titles is just a huge bonus. And, just because they have the same title does not make them the same game at all. These are all local multiplayer (either co-op or versus), with a tremendous amount added to them. It's kind of like saying "Why did they just release a new Doom video game? They released that back in 1993."  (I was trying to think of another analogy, I realize Doom has been remade a bunch of times. Anybody have a better analogy for this?) 

2. Games like Shark! Shark! might be a "retro" game to you... but they are brand new to a 10 year old girl or 40 year old non-gamer mom. And the gameplay is wonderful and addictive to them!

3. Hmm, so you spent time playing some free games years ago, that were subpar remakes of the titles we're making? Those subpar remakes were kind of addicting, weren't they? That's why we make them! Now, imagine them being done properly! You know what would make them even more fun? How about playing them on your TV, with a bunch of friends playing with or against you? 

4. We are barely touching the number of "retro reimagined" titles that we're going to make. But we're certainly not making them "all at once". Also, how would you propose putting all of that energy into doing a "showpiece"? We're working with dozens of small game studios all over the world to release a decent sized library on launch, and to keep the pipeline full for a good amount of time afterwards.  It's not like we can take all of these dozens of studios and put them all to work on a single show-stopper game. And, again, I think you are missing who our target market is. It's people who want simple, affordable, family type games. If all we had were big, complex games like EWJ4 then we would drive our initial target market away, not bring them in. 

5. Wouldn't it be something (tm) if there were some really great games in the works that we couldn't show or tease yet because of contractual or legal reasons? Things that had that Disney feel? 

25 minutes ago, RxScram said:

2. Games like Shark! Shark! might be a "retro" game to you... but they are brand new to a 10 year old girl or 40 year old non-gamer mom. And the gameplay is wonderful and addictive to them!

I've actually never played Shark! Shark!, so this is all new to me as well. I even had an Intellivision growing up, but a lot of the re-imagined games are ones I've never played. Moon Patrol, Astro Smash, Missile Command... while I may have heard of them, they're not games I played. So those are "retro" games that will be completely new to me. 

Night Stalker on the other hand.... I can not wait for that one. It was a blast when I was a kid, and the new one looks just as great. 

5 hours ago, Relicgamer said:

The controller was what sold me day 1. And I dont even compare it to the original as some do. It just isnt that similar other than the disk. It has alot more added to it. And those added features opens it to new experiences you cant get with a standard nes type controller.  And asking for one males no sense to me. The games are all engineered to work with that controller. 

I would go so far as to say: Amico is primarily the controller (in combination with the games designed for it). When watching Tommys interviews then it is clear that they have put a lot of energy, passion and time during the development of the Amico into the refinement and optimization of this controller.

This is the point where the different characters of people separate: Some only trust on what they already know and have experience with (the NES controller style for example), others are open to new things.

The whole Amico is a brave move in a different direction than the current game consoles are going. It is therefore clear to me that it cannot use a conventional controller either. Otherwise it would only be some warmed up retro console. Which it is NOT!

(It is also much more exciting to try out a new Controller than the known stuff.)

1 hour ago, Stillagamer said:

Yeah i agree that it very well could be better than a dpad if done correctly. I like the rolling nature of some dpads and even prefer them loose for games like shootemups. The dpad itself is just personal preference for me but im open to the idea of a circular pad if a lot of thought went into the precision/slippage/intent and other things you mentioned, that would be awesome.

I’m guessing you’re primarily a fan of the  86 to 96 Nintendo/Sega generation of gaming? Gaming was just much worse in the decade before and after?

15 minutes ago, oelli said:

I would go so far as to say: Amico is primarily the controller (in combination with the games designed for it). When watching Tommys interviews then it is clear that they have put a lot of energy, passion and time during the development of the Amico into the refinement and optimization of this controller.

This is the point where the different characters of people separate: Some only trust on what they already know and have experience with (the NES controller style for example), others are open to new things.

The whole Amico is a brave move in a different direction than the current game consoles are going. It is therefore clear to me that it cannot use a conventional controller either. Otherwise it would only be some warmed up retro console. Which it is NOT!

(It is also much more exciting to try out a new Controller than the known stuff.)

It does seem like a lot of effort is going into the controller.  From what I see, there are three main areas of focus: controller, console, and games.  I'd be curious to know how the development resources are being split between the three.  Where does most of the time and money go to?

19 minutes ago, RxScram said:

A few counterpoints to your comments. All opinions are my own, and I do not speak for Intellivision. 

 

1. We're not doing these remakes because Intellivision / Atari fans want them. We're doing them because we have the licenses for them, and licenses are HUGE! We've got a large portfolio of games that we can remake without having to pay royalties to somebody else. The fact that we happen to have a small, built-in customer base because of these titles is just a huge bonus. And, just because they have the same title does not make them the same game at all. These are all local multiplayer (either co-op or versus), with a tremendous amount added to them. It's kind of like saying "Why did they just release a new Doom video game? They released that back in 1993."  (I was trying to think of another analogy, I realize Doom has been remade a bunch of times. Anybody have a better analogy for this?)

Are these franchises as beloved as a Doom or a Tetris though? Thats the question. And also is it just more of the same, or are their new gameplay hooks that evolve the formula and make them feel like new experiences?

34 minutes ago, RxScram said:

 2. Games like Shark! Shark! might be a "retro" game to you... but they are brand new to a 10 year old girl or 40 year old non-gamer mom. And the gameplay is wonderful and addictive to them!

Im sure it is, and thats the direction you chose to go in. Im not saying it wont be fun, a lot of games are fun. Im saying if it were me, and i understand im not the target audience, Shark! Shark! would have been a Virtual Console type of game not on the front line. I think its your personal love of these old titles that made you focus on remaking them. Youre telling me you and the Shiny team and all the other guys you have cant cook up a better game than Shark! Shark! in 2020??? Yeah it would be easier to just make a new version but when i think of a new console i think of new experiences.

52 minutes ago, RxScram said:

3. Hmm, so you spent time playing some free games years ago, that were subpar remakes of the titles we're making? Those subpar remakes were kind of addicting, weren't they? That's why we make them! Now, imagine them being done properly! You know what would make them even more fun? How about playing them on your TV, with a bunch of friends playing with or against you?

Millenials played them in computer class or at a parents office or something like that to kill time. Yeah it was probably a blast playing them in the arcades back in the day but my memories of these type of games are pretty much ports and remakes you could play for free when youre bored out of your mind. Its not nostalgic at all it just reminds me of being bored lol. And yeah we play co op sometimes but if we do its usually some insane game that gets better the more you drink. Still family friendly i guess but a lot more weird than the stuff on the Amico. Thats why i think Cornhole will be the one that stands out aside from Night Stalker.

1 hour ago, RxScram said:

4. We are barely touching the number of "retro reimagined" titles that we're going to make. But we're certainly not making them "all at once". Also, how would you propose putting all of that energy into doing a "showpiece"? We're working with dozens of small game studios all over the world to release a decent sized library on launch, and to keep the pipeline full for a good amount of time afterwards.  It's not like we can take all of these dozens of studios and put them all to work on a single show-stopper game. And, again, I think you are missing who our target market is. It's people who want simple, affordable, family type games. If all we had were big, complex games like EWJ4 then we would drive our initial target market away, not bring them in.

Well im no business expert or anyone with game industry experience so of course my opinion doesnt hold any weight. What i mean is all of this energy going into market research, and making sure these retro reimagined games are as good as they can be, and hiring outside devs and such. Would it have been better served if you just hired individual talent for specific game projects and ideas for specific roles? Made a new in house studio or 2? Made new IP that really makes use of all the Amico features in imaginative ways? Maybe hired one capable outside studio to do all of these retro games with some light guidance? I guess what i mean is, will a 10 year old or 40 year old non gamer be able to tell the difference between a top of the line soundtrack and design in your Astrosmash vs the average good studio composer/sound guy? Even if they do, would they really be like, "Man this Astrosmash is the GOAT of Astromash games". No they wont. A hardcore gamer actually would, but theyre not going to be playing a game like that if they even buy an Amico because youve said its not for them. So who are you trying to impress? The guys on this forum. Thats my point. What im saying is, the talent on your team can do better than what was shown so far. Also, Twilight Princess was a Wii launch game, so was Madden and Call of Duty 3.

1 hour ago, RxScram said:

5. Wouldn't it be something (tm) if there were some really great games in the works that we couldn't show or tease yet because of contractual or legal reasons? Things that had that Disney feel? 

If all of these things are in the works, why not wait on them until you can have that real magic that would make the Amico more than a passing fad? Games that kids will look back on and think "The Amico really gave me some magical experiences". I can tell you Shark! Shark! isnt going to be that im sorry. I know it was for you but things changed! The first game i ever played was Aladdin on the SNES, and my favorite game as a kid was Spider-Man for the PS1. That game was so fucking awesome i just learned you did the soundtrack for that. Thanks for that. I know youre not aiming for those kind of games on the Amico, my question is, why not? You have a great staff, you have everything you need to do it and can compare to Nintendo if you wanted. I think youve been on this forum for too long and in your spare time over the years and its clouded your judgment on how badly people want these games. Yes its a great idea. But im right about this.

1 hour ago, Stillagamer said:

 The first game i ever played was Aladdin on the SNES, and my favorite game as a kid was Spider-Man for the PS1. That game was so fucking awesome i just learned you did the soundtrack for that. Thanks for that.

Uh, I think you are confused who you are talking to. You can thank RxScram for helping land a probe on Mars, not so much for the Aladin soundtrack. Glad they aren't watering down the drinks at the bar however .

Speaking of @RxScram how about one of the Amico YouTubers interview Rx? I know he may be limited about what he can say about the Amico but I would love to hear more about his background, how he got into engineering, former projects he worked on, how he came to Intellivision, etc.

1 hour ago, RxScram said:

2. Games like Shark! Shark! might be a "retro" game to you... but they are brand new to a 10 year old girl or 40 year old non-gamer mom. And the gameplay is wonderful and addictive to them!

 I once played Shark Shark! with my 35 year old girlfriend that never ever heard of it before on my old Intellivision. And she loved it immediately!

27 minutes ago, Stillagamer said:

If all of these things are in the works, why not wait on them until you can have that real magic that would make the Amico more than a passing fad? Games that kids will look back on and think "The Amico really gave me some magical experiences". I can tell you Shark! Shark! isnt going to be that im sorry. I know it was for you but things changed! The first game i ever played was Aladdin on the SNES, and my favorite game as a kid was Spider-Man for the PS1. That game was so fucking awesome i just learned you did the soundtrack for that. Thanks for that. I know youre not aiming for those kind of games on the Amico, my question is, why not? You have a great staff, you have everything you need to do it and can compare to Nintendo if you wanted. I think youve been on this forum for too long and in your spare time over the years and its clouded your judgment on how badly people want these games. Yes its a great idea. But im right about this.

I think the answer to this is because those aren't the types of experiences they're aiming for.  You may have loved Aladdin and Spider-Man, but did you play those games with your parents? Did those games interest them and you all played together as a family? I love God of War, but I'm not playing that with my daughter or my wife. I just finished Spider-Man on the PS4, and while it's amazing, it's also a solo experience. I felt a bit of that guilt Tommy talks about because I wasn't spending time with my family while playing it.  Amico is being designed for that area where the current consoles don't go. Games everyone/anyone can play and play them together. 

And also, those games you're talking about are still out there.  They will be on PlayStation and Xbox and Nintendo. Amico is for non-gamers to be able to enjoy games as well. 

26 minutes ago, Stillagamer said:

I know youre not aiming for those kind of games on the Amico, my question is, why not?

Have you seen any of the thousands interviews/videos explaining the Amico target audience and game philosophy? I get the feeling you want the Amico to be focusing more on what you like, and that’s fine, but don’t be so sure that kids 5-7 (and their parents/grand parents) would automatically choose a super Mario or  Zelda game over Shark! Shark! 

39 minutes ago, Stillagamer said:

If all of these things are in the works, why not wait on them until you can have that real magic that would make the Amico more than a passing fad? Games that kids will look back on and think "The Amico really gave me some magical experiences". I can tell you Shark! Shark! isnt going to be that im sorry. I know it was for you but things changed! The first game i ever played was Aladdin on the SNES, and my favorite game as a kid was Spider-Man for the PS1. That game was so fucking awesome i just learned you did the soundtrack for that. Thanks for that. I know youre not aiming for those kind of games on the Amico, my question is, why not? You have a great staff, you have everything you need to do it and can compare to Nintendo if you wanted. I think youve been on this forum for too long and in your spare time over the years and its clouded your judgment on how badly people want these games. Yes its a great idea. But im right about this.

Stillagamer, you criticize RxScram that they do Shark! Shark! only because: "I think its your personal love of these old titles that made you focus on remaking them." and on the same post you are begging for games that you had played as a kid: "The first game i ever played was Aladdin on the SNES, and my favorite game as a kid was Spider-Man for the PS1 [...] I know youre not aiming for those kind of games on the Amico, my question is, why not?".

Sorry, but I find that a bit childish.

11 minutes ago, vongruetz said:

I think the answer to this is because those aren't the types of experiences they're aiming for.  You may have loved Aladdin and Spider-Man, but did you play those games with your parents? Did those games interest them and you all played together as a family? I love God of War, but I'm not playing that with my daughter or my wife. I just finished Spider-Man on the PS4, and while it's amazing, it's also a solo experience. I felt a bit of that guilt Tommy talks about because I wasn't spending time with my family while playing it.  Amico is being designed for that area where the current consoles don't go. Games everyone/anyone can play and play them together. 

 

And also, those games you're talking about are still out there.  They will be on PlayStation and Xbox and Nintendo. Amico is for non-gamers to be able to enjoy games as well. 

I understand what they are going for. I made a post earlier about how i think going with 2D games only is a stroke of genius. Same with all games having a co op option. Im not saying they should make a 3d spiderman game or anything like that, but there are a lot of great 2D games that have come out that would find a home on the Amico vs other consoles where they get buried or dont reach their full potential because they dont have the backing. Moon studios signed a deal with microsoft and Ori is one of the best kid friendly games out there. The Amico could be a place for that but thats just what I would like to see not the reality of the situation. Spider-Man being my favorite game as a kid is something i brought up because i know Tommy and his team are capable of creating amzing things more than what is shown. Otherwise it would be a waste of amassing so much talent to remake simple games. Thats my opinion and you may disagree.

25 minutes ago, theswede said:

Have you seen any of the thousands interviews/videos explaining the Amico target audience and game philosophy? I get the feeling you want the Amico to be focusing more on what you like, and that’s fine, but don’t be so sure that kids 5-7 (and their parents/grand parents) would automatically choose a super Mario or  Zelda game over Shark! Shark! 

Okay then whats the point of making earthworm jim? Wouldnt that be like a mario or zelda in your scenario?

24 minutes ago, oelli said:

Stillagamer, you criticize RxScram that they do Shark! Shark! only because: "I think its your personal love of these old titles that made you focus on remaking them." and on the same post you are begging for games that you had played as a kid: "The first game i ever played was Aladdin on the SNES, and my favorite game as a kid was Spider-Man for the PS1 [...] I know youre not aiming for those kind of games on the Amico, my question is, why not?".

Sorry, but I find that a bit childish.

 

You can think whatever you want. I dont want games from my childhood remade im not sure how you got that. My point throughout the rest of that post that you must have accidently missed, is that there are better games to be made in the now. Especially with a high profile team and the cool toy aspects of the Amico. It raises questions as to why go through so much trouble of doing this for an audience who cant tell the difference between clubhouse 51 games and Amicos games. Like the post i replied to above alludes to, will a 7 year old even tell the difference? No. The team on the Amico is better than Shark! Shark! (not bashing the game its just what keeps coming up.) The only ones who will tell the difference are people like you which is an even smaller demographic than the "hardcore gamers" it doesnt make any sense. Also I brought up Aladdin because at the time it felt like a magical experience that I dont believe kids will get from remade Atari era games but can get from games like Aladdin that indie devs already try to replicate! Nobodys getting hyped for Centipede except for people your age thats the truth. I have nephews who love games like Ori and even Undertale and i didnt even tell them about it they find out about these games playing with their friends. 5-7 is an excuse to remake these old games as a passion project and the soccer moms will fund it! Thats what it comes across as. Sorry if that upsets you.

26 minutes ago, Stillagamer said:

I understand what they are going for. I made a post earlier about how i think going with 2D games only is a stroke of genius. Same with all games having a co op option. Im not saying they should make a 3d spiderman game or anything like that, but there are a lot of great 2D games that have come out that would find a home on the Amico vs other consoles where they get buried or dont reach their full potential because they dont have the backing. Moon studios signed a deal with microsoft and Ori is one of the best kid friendly games out there. The Amico could be a place for that but thats just what I would like to see not the reality of the situation. Spider-Man being my favorite game as a kid is something i brought up because i know Tommy and his team are capable of creating amzing things more than what is shown. Otherwise it would be a waste of amassing so much talent to remake simple games. Thats my opinion and you may disagree.

I’d have to recheck since it’s not really my focus, but aren’t some of these 2D games on Steam and mobile from independent programmers that IE wants to reimagine the sort of thing you’re interested in? Granted, they won’t be launch. 

3 minutes ago, Swami said:

I’d have to recheck since it’s not really my focus, but aren’t some of these 2D games on Steam and mobile for independent programmers that IE wants to reimagine the sort of thing you’re interested in? Granted, they won’t be launch. 

Not necessarily reimagined games they already made, but games that take advantage of the Amicos unique quirks. My point is they should be launch, and too much energy is being spent on the retro side. Obviously that didnt go over well here even if it is good advice. Not that anyone here would agree its good advice. Apparently the pinnacle of gaming was Atari 2600 and i missed it...

4 minutes ago, Stillagamer said:

The team on the Amico is better than Shark! Shark! (not bashing the game its just what keeps coming up.) The only ones who will tell the difference are people like you which is an even smaller demographic than the "hardcore gamers" it doesnt make any sense. Also I brought up Aladdin because at the time it felt like a magical experience that I dont believe kids will get from remade Atari era games but can get from games like Aladdin that indie devs already try to replicate! Nobodys getting hyped for Centipede except for people your age thats the truth. I have nephews who love games like Ori and even Undertale and i didnt even tell them about it they find out about these games playing with their friends. 5-7 is an excuse to remake these old games as a passion project and the soccer moms will fund it! Thats what it comes across as. Sorry if that upsets you.

Knowing nothing about Shark! Shark! and not having played the Amico version of it but definitely saying that this game is under the dignity of the Amico game developers, seems arrogant to me.

1 minute ago, oelli said:

Knowing nothing about Shark! Shark! and not having played the Amico version of it but definitely saying that this game is under the dignity of the Amico game developers, seems arrogant to me.

Okay king nit picker, i just said i have nothing against Shark! Shark! Im always going to remember this game now lol relax. All of these games could be outsourced to one studio and 99% of the people who play it wont tell the difference. Its a tiny subset of a subset of the gaming community who will be happy these games are getting higher quality remakes than something an outside developer can do. I guess thats cool but you cant convince me thats not a waste of time in the grander scheme of things because you dont care about the grander scheme of things. You just want your Atari and Intellivision games to come back in all their glory, to the applause of like 50 people on Atari Age. Come on man. Youll get what you want. Im more interested in the potential of this thing and its much greater than retro! Party console sure. This could be better and nobody here will give good feedback because youre already getting what you want. I dont want anything out of the Amico im just giving my honest opinion. Yeah it hurts. F the market research. If i make a massage chair i bet the data will show me that old men will like it.