Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

54 minutes ago, N0mi said:

Oh well, I was somehow hoping the AMICO games would have a certain look and feel. Back in the old days you could almost immediately tell from the looks if it was a Atari, Intellivision or ColecoVision game without seeing the actual console.
Even on the Genesis and SNES it was fairly easy to spot the difference on a lot of games as it was decades later on the Wii(U) compared to the other consoles around then.
But I do get the intention of using different artwork, styles, themes - the more variety, the more people attracted.
I'm just a little too oldschool on this one, I guess...is someone else here feeling this way?

I can understand that line of thinking I guess it depends on what your main focus was.  I was always amazed by the graphics of the next machine we got from Intellivision to Nintendo to Super Nintendo I remember saying each time how amazing the graphics were and it could never get better than that by PlayStation I learned my lesson it can always get better given enough time. And while I did enjoy the graphics for me it was always more about having fun with my dad and after PlayStation the local multiplayer pickings were basically sports titles or fighting games with a few other games thrown in. On PS2 the majority of our play together was Tiger Woods Golf because on a fighting game dads fingers would wear out fast.  So it’s the philosophy of Intellivision that draws me to the system more than any certain art style I kind of like the range of styles because to me it’ll be fun maybe discovering a style of design I enjoy I had never thought about. My brother sent me a photo recently of my nephews sitting down together playing on the Intellivision Flashback I got him for Christmas a few years ago along with the full pack of overlays seeing them playing together was a lot of fun and brought back memories of playing with my dad and brother and my step brother on Intellivision it’s those opportunities to create memories like that again that I am most excited for because of that although graphics are important to a point it’s not my driving force or concern    

50 minutes ago, Alpha82 said:

I can understand that line of thinking I guess it depends on what your main focus was.  I was always amazed by the graphics of the next machine we got from Intellivision to Nintendo to Super Nintendo I remember saying each time how amazing the graphics were and it could never get better than that by PlayStation I learned my lesson it can always get better given enough time. And while I did enjoy the graphics for me it was always more about having fun with my dad and after PlayStation the local multiplayer pickings were basically sports titles or fighting games with a few other games thrown in. On PS2 the majority of our play together was Tiger Woods Golf because on a fighting game dads fingers would wear out fast.  So it’s the philosophy of Intellivision that draws me to the system more than any certain art style I kind of like the range of styles because to me it’ll be fun maybe discovering a style of design I enjoy I had never thought about. My brother sent me a photo recently of my nephews sitting down together playing on the Intellivision Flashback I got him for Christmas a few years ago along with the full pack of overlays seeing them playing together was a lot of fun and brought back memories of playing with my dad and brother and my step brother on Intellivision it’s those opportunities to create memories like that again that I am most excited for because of that although graphics are important to a point it’s not my driving force or concern    

I recognize Super Pro Basketball!  I loved that game.  The drafting of the players at the start always dictated what style I'd play.  A team full of tall guys like Tree Adams, Toothpick Green and I'd dominate the boards.  If I got lucky and drafted superstar Kyle Stevens I'd be shooting from anywhere.   Other favorite players for me was Steve Cousey and Rebound D'Reilly.  

So it looks like this is an 1987 updated version of a 1980 game.

Did they introduce any gameplay changes? Both look identical.

In any case, it's just another cool and fun game for the original Intellivision. I can't believe that so many kids got to play this 9 years before I started playing video games in 1989. Many of these games look really advanced and fun.

Interestingly, just as the volley ball game reminded me of the EA game Kinds of the Beach (1988), this basketball game reminds me of another EA game, Lakes Vs Celtics and the NBA Playoffs (1989).

1 hour ago, IntelliMission said:

So it looks like this is an 1987 updated version of a 1980 game.

 

Did they introduce any gameplay changes? Both look identical.

 

In any case, it's just another cool and fun game for the original Intellivision. I can't believe that so many American kids got to play this 9 years before I started playing video games in 1989. Many of these games look really advanced and fun.

 

Interestingly, just as the volley ball game reminded me of the EA game Kinds of the Beach (1988), this basketball game reminds me of another EA game, Lakes Vs Celtics and the NBA Playoffs (1989).

Slam Dunk added more computer AI so you can play one player against the computer; NBA was a two player game only.  It also added three point shots, fouls, manager and coaching features, different player characteristics to name a few of the improvements.  Annoyingly, they moved some of the controls around from the original.  NBA is one of the best Intellivision cartridges but the awkward controls in Slam Dunk make it unplayable to me.  [Intellivision NBA Basketball was available in Europe and around the world in the early 1980s; it just didn't have the NBA license.]

I'm looking forward to see how Amico does Basketball and all their other sports games.  Volleyball is another one that should be on Amico.  Maybe they'll use the names Slam Dunk and Spiker.

On 8/6/2020 at 4:50 PM, The Wren said:

Wow...what a video yesterday @Tommy Tallarico. Tons of stuff in there that both my wife and daughter found entertaining and exciting. My daughter liked Evel Knievel, my wife liked Astrosmash and i liked that they both were exited about games coming out. Its happened before but the enthusiasm in my house right now is sky high! My daughter loved the bit where you were showing the Amico in parts (she thought you were hilarious) and you asked about the glossy or matte finish and she came up with an interesting question...

 

"I think the matte Daddy...because if the controller is glossy won't it give (us) trouble with reflections when you try and look at the screen?" In my heart of hearts i'm sure it wouldn't effect the screen but i thought it was one heck of an observation.

 

Cheers All,

 

The Wren

Thanks!  Appreciate the comments and I love that both your wife and daughter enjoyed it and liked different titles.

On 8/6/2020 at 6:34 PM, Swami said:

Great comment from MJR in the ASE comments:

 

MetalJesusRocks

23 hours ago

This is exactly the type of video you guys needed to really show exactly what games are coming to Amico, meet the teams involved, show the hardware and more. Great video. I'm pumped!

Isn't it interesting that all of the people who have actually played Amico are excited about Amico.

On 8/6/2020 at 9:00 PM, supahwally said:

I don't understand why so many people don't understand the Amico. 

 

The very idea of it seems to be rubbing a portion of the gaming industry and gaming public the wrong way.  Are modern gamers who isolate themselves for hours to play harboring some kind of guilt about it?  If not, what's with the defensive and irrational reaction by so many to a simple system that people MUST be in the same room to play against (or cooperatively with) one another?   The Amico is not your Mom telling you to take off the headphones and come down for dinner, it's not your wife standing in the doorway waiting for you to finish your game and take care of the kids, it's not your fat, depressed dog who hasn't been exercised in a week because you have a level to beat.  It's just a console, stop projecting!

 

The people who write about the gaming industry appear to think it's current state is the only possible way it will ever be, and challenging that notion confuses them.   'Baffling' in the title, CNET? Seriously?  Then, a questioning subtitle implying the public at large will be as puzzled as the 'experts'?  Really?  With the team Tommy has assembled, the international game developers on board, the worldwide distribution network, exclusive editions for different retailers, not to mention controllers with a form factor never seen before...I think the word you are looking for is 'unprecedented'. 

 

The CNET article title, subtitle, AND those critical lead in paragraphs were all loaded with negativity and derision.  He calls it a 'Bizarro' console.  The controller is described as a 'weird, knock-off iPod'.  'Bizarro and Weird' put in the reader's mind that the controller is hard to understand, and 'knock off' implies...cheap.  Any attempt at a compliment has a caveat-'the controllers look interesting IF you're a lover of paddle games'...huh? The caption under the Earthworm Jim rendering asks if anyone even remembers the first 3.  He says the Amico 'supports 8 player multiplayer, if you buy more controllers', which is a flat-out lie.  No mention of the smartphone app that allows your phone to be a controller?  The smartphone-as-controller thing is HUGE.  Massive.  Never done before, groundbreaking, and this guy not only doesn't mention it, but implies you need to spend more money to use this with more than 2 people-one of the major selling points.  Pathetic.  Deliberately misleading or unprofessionally lazy?  Base on the tone of the article, I'm picking the former.

 

Sure, he talks about the games, but includes little digs all the way through.  Calling it bean-bag toss, not Cornhole, like it's a little kids game.  No mention of the reasons for the 2021 delay, no mention of the experience level of the Amico team, no mention of the international developers and sales teams, no mention of retailer exclusives, no mention of the number of consoles that have already been pre-ordered.  Just the 'Coolier Than Thou' tone of the hardcore gamer, with a bit of implied eye-roll in the direction of these clowns who think there is a market for...whatever it is they are trying to do.  Insular is the word that keeps coming to mind.  Did the Wii even exist to these people?  The idea that the market is being fully served is absurd. 

 

If my coworker, who knows little about the Amico (but is casually interested, he's 40, played video games all his life and has 2 kids in early teen years) found that CNET article, I am quite certain he'd lose interest.  That article was absolutely a hit piece-consciously or not-and fits exactly what I said at the beginning:  The Amico triggers some personal response in 'gamers' that makes them immediately, irrationally defensive.  

 

OK that's my rant.  I'll be back the next time something pisses me off.

 

 

You need to win an award for this epic post!

😋

🏆🥇🏆🎖️

On 8/6/2020 at 9:57 PM, Jake67 said:

I think the reality is that a lot (I mean, really, A LOT!) of people simply aren’t going to get the Amico until they’ve played it or see it being played.

Exactly!

The Amico experience is based a lot around people getting together and actually having unique gameplay experiences either through the controller or co-op or just simplicity and fun.  These are things that people need to experience for themselves in real time.  Showing a screen shot or video of people doing it helps... but it's not the SELLER.  People trying it for themselves is the real seller and where we get all of our confidence because of the incredible positive focus group testing we do.  We have folks come in who absolutely hate video games (mostly because their kids play them too much) and leave by asking how they can pre-order.

Most gamers absolutely HATED the Wii before it came out.  They said it was going to be a HUGE failure and that Nintendo would be either going out of business or will be sold to Disney, Sony, etc. or that they would only be a game publisher from now on.

Then people played it and saw lots of other people playing it and enjoying it.

And then it became the 3rd biggest selling console of all time by selling over 102 million units (it's actually 4th now that PS4 has passed it).

I'll take 1/10th of that success.  Hell... we'll take 1/100th of that and still be a big success.

On 8/8/2020 at 7:38 AM, GrudgeQ said:

Was cruising through Facebook on Tuesday and someone posted that they felt the *24 hour* delay in the presentation was an indication that the Amico was a scam. So I decided to create a little graphic & text just to cut-n-paste when I needed it - feel free to use this in similar situations if you like:

 

 

 

Major Licenses: Major League Baseball, Sesame Street, Hot Wheels (Mattel), American Cornhole League, Evel Knievel, Atari, Imagic, Earthworm Jim

Retailers: Walmart, Walmart.ca, Amazon, Amazon.ca, Amazon Europe, GameStop, Best Buy Canada, Electronics Boutique, Koch Media, Media Markt, Saturn

Key Staff: Tommy Tallarico (award winning video game composer & 30+ year industry vet), Hans Ippisch (former CEO Computec Media Group, 30+ years in the gaming industry), J Allard (former Microsoft CTO & Xbox co-creator), Phil Adams (founder Spectrum HoloByte), Janson Enos (formerly of Sega, Konami & Bandai), Cara Acker (Mattel Marketing Manager for Tangled, Frozen & Disney Princess toy line), David Perry (CEO Shiny Entertainment & Gaikai – now Playstation Now)

Offices: Irvine CA, Salt Lake City Utah, San Francisco CA, Dubai, Nuremberg Germany

 

Thanks for the cool graphic and dropping of facts. 

It could be twice that size if we wanted to show all our cards at this point to the public.  But now that we are still 8 months away from launch... we need to pace everything out.

On 8/8/2020 at 7:39 AM, Starpaddler said:

From what I’ve seen to date, think IE and the developers are generally taking a good direction, but like everything else, there is always room for improvements.  

Yep!  Everything is still being worked on and improved every time it's shown. 

On 8/8/2020 at 8:15 AM, Alpha82 said:

I am more excited about this system after the live event mostly because I showed my grandma some of the game play videos they showed such as Intellivision Spades, Cornhole and also explained the games that the system is coming with and how they worked and is excited to play 4 games we know are coming and she hasn’t played a video game since Tetris on NES

Grandparents are our secret weapon that no one ever takes into account.

On 8/8/2020 at 10:15 AM, Relicgamer said:

Tommy I know its a long ways off any info as to if there will be a future Amico with a EWJ 4 edition? Like,

Custom box art

Custom console colors and controllers

Is yes is all we get cool any other hints would be cool too

Wouldn't That Be Something?™

On 8/8/2020 at 11:16 AM, theswede said:

That’s exactly what I’m saying, if a product hits all the marks for me/my family, I really don’t care/worry about what other people thinks , that’s for Tommy and the good folks at IE to worry about, and try to balance their features and game choices to reach a wider customer base and or financial success for the company. But I don’t think I’m so lucky that I got this perfectly tailored around my unique taste/likes, so I just assume there is a few million other people that will be just as happy with the choices made so far 😄

Agreed. 

People will either find Amico fun to play or they won't.  The people who don't think it's fun won't buy it.  The ones that do... will buy it.

Not sure why anyone would think that if a video game system isn't 100% perfect to their liking that it would stop them from purchasing.  As we all know... all you really need is ONE great experience.

Wii Sports (mainly the bowling demo) was that experience for the Wii.  Our different and unique offerings are going for an even bigger demographic with Kids/Edutainment, Retro Reimagined, Puzzle/Card/Dice, etc.

On 8/8/2020 at 12:48 PM, flickertail said:

I've pre-ordered an Amico. I want it to be successful. And I hope Amico will have the all-ages family game playing experience that Tommy talks about. I really want to see all-age family games.

You will definitely have them!

On 8/8/2020 at 12:48 PM, flickertail said:

My point is, people can't bury their heads in the sand and pretend the games shown so far are going to capture the attention of families when they have other family-friendly options, not only video game options, but those including physical board games and card games as well.

With all due respect, this is an unfair statement to make.  You are assuming that everyone here likes and wants the same experience as you do.  You are saying that people who have said positive things about the games they saw (and their family members) are just burying their heads in the sand?  Kinda insulting to those folks.

On 8/8/2020 at 12:48 PM, flickertail said:

 

Sales to console-less families headed by Karens, and well-meaning grandparents is a fictional market. And relying on nostalgia will only go so far.

Again, with all due respect, please feel free to share this data with everyone because I have data that says the EXACT opposite.  Saying you think it may be a fictional market is fair.  Declaring it as fact is burying your head in the sand.

On 8/8/2020 at 12:48 PM, flickertail said:

Don't count on the Karen/grandparent market to drive sales.

Explain the Wii & mobile then.

On 8/8/2020 at 12:48 PM, flickertail said:

Getting the rest of my family to sit on the couch and play Amico on the regular when there are other family-friendly options will be difficult, unless there are game titles that my kids want to play. These games don't have to be cutting edge, they just need gameplay that can compete with the other options that my kids care about.

Sure it's difficult.  That's why there aren't many people in the world who are trying to do this.  Intellivision is one of them. 

I agree 100% that the games don't need to be cutting edge and that they just need to have great gameplay (I would throw the word "simple" in there as well).  And that is exactly what we will be delivering.

I understand and appreciate that there may not be anything that checks those boxes for you at this moment.  I think that will change once you have a chance to see it and play it with your family.

But I do feel that you are being a little unfair to declare that the market doesn't exist and that the biggest customer segment of gaming by far (mobile) and the folks who catapulted the Wii to the top of the charts are not going to help drive sales and excitement levels.

On 8/8/2020 at 12:51 PM, cmart604 said:

The comment I'm most puzzled by that I keep seeing is "I don't like the look of that game or that game is not for me" as if every single game should appeal to you. Can anyone name a system they own that they like every single game that's been made for that system? I consider myself to be a fairly big Intellivision fan and I certainly don't love every game on the system. Off the top of my head I'm pretty sure I'll like Astrosmash, Nightstalker, Cloudy Mountain, Skiing, Baseball, Fox, and a handful of other ones at a minimum. For me that's enough to buy the console. My 2 cents. 

Just wanted to recognize and highlight this post again. 

Got through another 5 pages of responses this morning (phew!) and still have 10 more to go!  (yikes!)

I felt this was a great post to end with today.

I didn't realize the lure of Earthworm Jim in the video game community. The intellivision "first look" video for EWJ4 has over 86K views, more than the August event itself has, that's kind of nuts.  Maybe Tommy knows what he's doing after all? 😄

Hey, Tommy.  Has the upcoming release of Tron Ares affected positively or negatively with Disney granting you the license for Tron Deadly Discs?  Do you think that there's a good chance we'll be able to play as Ares in the remake in order to tie in with the movie?

On 8/7/2020 at 2:33 PM, vprette said:

you mean treasure of tarmin 2

Yes... Call it what you like. The "Bard's Tale 4" on the Apple IIGS was released as "Dragonwars" when the licensing was lost, so if "Treasure of Tarmin" isn't available, it doesn't matter what it is named. But I think that a 1-st perspective timed/turn-based dungeon crawler like Wizardry or Bard's Tale or Dungeon Master that makes use of the controllers in a unique way would be an attractive game. A lot more screen could be dedicated to the game if there was a minimal summary on-screen, and each player had their stats and equipment and etc on their own controller. It would have an "end" that could be reached according to difficulty and maybe a reasonable mix of player levels so if the grandson plays a lot and has a 5th level wizard and she gets her uncle to visit and play and he wants a warrior-type he's first level so monsters cater to that mix of skill/ability so it's challenging for both people.   

This is why people that dont get the Amico always miss the mark trying to prove their point. 

Just because a game from sony that has sharks in it doesn't mean it can be compared to Shark Shark. 

Lets see its a single player game with mature content.  Lol trolls gotta love their attempt to seem smart 

News from Spain:

- The event didnt' make it into the news of gaming websites

- The Earthworm Jim "trailer" did make it, one week later (they missed it one week earlier because they didn't see the event)

- The Earthworm Jim news article has 3 pages of comments, with some people loving it and others hating it.

- Among the negative comments, a couple said that they would never play an "auto-runner". Others said the beach was not sinister enough for the usual EWJ scenery.

- Among the positive comments, some people said it looked "better than expected" and others said the haters were angry "because the game doesn't come out for your favorite console".

I love how Earthworm Jim is Tommy's password to the world of hardcore gamers. The Amico is going to get more and more news articles as we approach the launch date.

1 hour ago, First Spear said:

Yes... Call it what you like. The "Bard's Tale 4" on the Apple IIGS was released as "Dragonwars" when the licensing was lost, so if "Treasure of Tarmin" isn't available, it doesn't matter what it is named. But I think that a 1-st perspective timed/turn-based dungeon crawler like Wizardry or Bard's Tale or Dungeon Master that makes use of the controllers in a unique way would be an attractive game. A lot more screen could be dedicated to the game if there was a minimal summary on-screen, and each player had their stats and equipment and etc on their own controller. It would have an "end" that could be reached according to difficulty and maybe a reasonable mix of player levels so if the grandson plays a lot and has a 5th level wizard and she gets her uncle to visit and play and he wants a warrior-type he's first level so monsters cater to that mix of skill/ability so it's challenging for both people.   

You'd have to figure out how to do the first person perspective in a local multiplayer game.  Are you thinking split_screens?  [Edit:  Is it that everyone shares the same perspective?]

1 hour ago, Relicgamer said:

This is why people that dont get the Amico always miss the mark trying to prove their point. 

Just because a game from sony that has sharks in it doesn't mean it can be compared to Shark Shark. 

Lets see its a single player game with mature content.  Lol trolls gotta love their attempt to seem smart 

Hilarious. So many issues. Two different games, completely. Also, the referenced game here, didn't look all that different from a PS1/2 game. It's free, but it has in-game purchases like crazy, so you're likely spending up to $20 in the life of the game. This game, I would have zero interest in playing. I don't really mind gore, but when it's the point of the game, hard pass for me. Also, as you point out, it's single player. I would get bored with that game after a half hour. Imagine Shark Shark with up to 8 people of varying skill levels, that would be something.

On 8/6/2020 at 11:00 PM, supahwally said:

I don't understand why so many people don't understand the Amico. 

 

The very idea of it seems to be rubbing a portion of the gaming industry and gaming public the wrong way.  Are modern gamers who isolate themselves for hours to play harboring some kind of guilt about it?  If not, what's with the defensive and irrational reaction by so many to a simple system that people MUST be in the same room to play against (or cooperatively with) one another?   The Amico is not your Mom telling you to take off the headphones and come down for dinner, it's not your wife standing in the doorway waiting for you to finish your game and take care of the kids, it's not your fat, depressed dog who hasn't been exercised in a week because you have a level to beat.  It's just a console, stop projecting!

 

The people who write about the gaming industry appear to think it's current state is the only possible way it will ever be, and challenging that notion confuses them.   'Baffling' in the title, CNET? Seriously?  Then, a questioning subtitle implying the public at large will be as puzzled as the 'experts'?  Really?  With the team Tommy has assembled, the international game developers on board, the worldwide distribution network, exclusive editions for different retailers, not to mention controllers with a form factor never seen before...I think the word you are looking for is 'unprecedented'. 

 

The CNET article title, subtitle, AND those critical lead in paragraphs were all loaded with negativity and derision.  He calls it a 'Bizarro' console.  The controller is described as a 'weird, knock-off iPod'.  'Bizarro and Weird' put in the reader's mind that the controller is hard to understand, and 'knock off' implies...cheap.  Any attempt at a compliment has a caveat-'the controllers look interesting IF you're a lover of paddle games'...huh? The caption under the Earthworm Jim rendering asks if anyone even remembers the first 3.  He says the Amico 'supports 8 player multiplayer, if you buy more controllers', which is a flat-out lie.  No mention of the smartphone app that allows your phone to be a controller?  The smartphone-as-controller thing is HUGE.  Massive.  Never done before, groundbreaking, and this guy not only doesn't mention it, but implies you need to spend more money to use this with more than 2 people-one of the major selling points.  Pathetic.  Deliberately misleading or unprofessionally lazy?  Base on the tone of the article, I'm picking the former.

 

Sure, he talks about the games, but includes little digs all the way through.  Calling it bean-bag toss, not Cornhole, like it's a little kids game.  No mention of the reasons for the 2021 delay, no mention of the experience level of the Amico team, no mention of the international developers and sales teams, no mention of retailer exclusives, no mention of the number of consoles that have already been pre-ordered.  Just the 'Coolier Than Thou' tone of the hardcore gamer, with a bit of implied eye-roll in the direction of these clowns who think there is a market for...whatever it is they are trying to do.  Insular is the word that keeps coming to mind.  Did the Wii even exist to these people?  The idea that the market is being fully served is absurd. 

 

If my coworker, who knows little about the Amico (but is casually interested, he's 40, played video games all his life and has 2 kids in early teen years) found that CNET article, I am quite certain he'd lose interest.  That article was absolutely a hit piece-consciously or not-and fits exactly what I said at the beginning:  The Amico triggers some personal response in 'gamers' that makes them immediately, irrationally defensive.  

 

OK that's my rant.  I'll be back the next time something pisses me off.

 

 

I just read this article based on this post and i have to say...that was the most painfully slanted journalism I've read in a long time. This article was "mailed in". I've used CNET for reviews in the past and found their reviews to be unbiased and even-keel. Evidently they've started a sarcasm division. CNET should be embarrassed by this level of journalism...if you can even call it that.

15 hours ago, wolfy62 said:

Get one of these,its awesome ! $60.

It has 6 USB charging ports in the back. From New Wave Toys.

I use it with my 4way cords from My Arcade to hook up 24 mini arcade machines at once.👍😊

 

This is awesome. I think I am going to get it. Thanks!