Intellivision Amico - Tommy Tallarico introduction + Q&A

The hardware design video is amazing. Combined with the first edutainment games and more and more cool board/card games (and articles in mom's websites), it's clear that these people know what they're doing. These guys are serious about their proposal and plans!

Biplanes looks fun. Breakout IS fun (I tried it yesterday just before going to bed!). Blank Slate looks fun. Cornhole looks fun. And Missile Command, Pong, the Back Talk game... and let's not forget about the SECRET game to be revealed which is included with the console, an original concept that they don't want to reveal yet.

The console comes with 2 controllers and these 3 pieces of equipment look indestructible. Along with the games included, the value you get is huge!

And for the final part of my message, here's a difficult question for Tommy: the baseball game looks good for an initial version, but it was on a primitive state and appears last in the trailer. Do you think things like this can potentially turn some people off? Most people watching these trailers are hardcore gamers and they're used to more finished products in trailers, so maybe placing it in the middle of the video (less visible) with a huge "VERY EARLY PREVIEW!" caption would have been better?

I get a kick out of his cat in the basket, lol.  It's cute though.

4 hours ago, Intymike said:

My Power Book runs Doom II but no Breakout.  

 

Do you still play Doom II?  Did you know about a special code that gives you all the keys & unlocks all the weapons & levels?  I used to have this game and it worked back then.  Not sure if it works today.  The code is IDKFA.  Someone told me about the code.  That's one thing I miss about the older games were the cheats, lol.  Most modern games don't have codes.

Thank you for putting cats into Liars Dice! 

Awesome! Got a tiger and a lion! 

I didn't even beg that much!

I didn't get to watch the event live, but I am glad there were comments here filling me in because I didn't see anything in the two videos posted that discussed Burgertime or Bump and Jump. I am so excited for these, Bump and Jump is the main reason I still play my Colecovision from time to time. 

I really liked the hardware design video. The LED interaction with games I found to be an interesting concept and builds on the Bomb Squad portion of the previous event video. The focus on durability and longevity is important to me especially since my kid is incredibly accident prone and is really good at either taking stuff apart or dropping stuff. You can tell which Wiimote he uses on a regular basis 😂 The ability to charge the controllers separately and the 4-6 hour play time is nice but I was wondering if there was any mention of the amount of time the controller stays charged on standby? We are so bad about leaving controllers out but not used and then they are dead. 

In the gameplay demo video, I liked the improvements to Astrosmash and Missile Command. It's nice to see the evolution of these games over time. Sesame Street and Care Bears look fun and easy for littles to pick up and understand. I was excited to see multiplayer skiing, although I could see that being super distracting while trying to race but I guess that's the point...watching your opponent fly off the edge of a cliff because they weren't paying attention. The bear wandering across the course was new to me, will there be other obstacles like random snowballs rolling down the mountain behind you?

I think I mentioned Nitro Derby reminding me of RC Pro Am, it's really growing on me every time I see it, it gives me a Micromachines vibe and I like the top down view. I see this being played a lot in my house. The demo of Baseball was nice to see, although it was hard to see the action in the outfield as the ball was hit out there, is it going to be that zoomed out during actual play? 

One question I have is, how easy is it going to be to take the Amico along with you? It looks like there would be 2 cords, power and HDMI and that's it. We like the Switch because its pretty easy to travel with, but the Amico looks small enough and with very few cords to take on trips, etc. We connect gaming systems in our van during longer trips, so this could be easy to do. 

I am wondering when we will be able to pre-order extra controllers , the case and any other accessories that will be available on launch. 

I didn't watch the event. Can anyone here post the most important things that were said outside the two Youtube videos? Lode Runner, Bump N Jump... (I know one of these things was the Breakout demo).

Tommy,

Will the Breakout demo be coming to the Amico Club app or is it just going to be on PC?  

The lighting mechanics will definitely draw attention to in-store kiosks.

Tommy,

Any plans to have Dr. Seuss on Amico?  There could be an edutainment game that helps kids to read.  Also, if there is a reading type game on Amico, it would be interactive.  The kids can read and things pop up on screen, etc.  So, they're learning and having fun at the same time.  

3 hours ago, Cranker said:

I am wondering when we will be able to pre-order extra controllers , the case and any other accessories that will be available on launch. 

I would really like to know this as well. 

Yo! 

Check it out!  Let me know if you have any questions and what you think the product should be called!
 

Edit: LOL looks like both me an Tommy were trying to beat @Intellivision Master

Tommy takes the prize - this time

4 hours ago, Intellivision Master said:

Tommy,

 

Any plans to have Dr. Seuss on Amico?  There could be an edutainment game that helps kids to read.  Also, if there is a reading type game on Amico, it would be interactive.  The kids can read and things pop up on screen, etc.  So, they're learning and having fun at the same time.  

Dr. Seuss and I were born and raised in the same city!  Springfield, MA!  So growing up in Springfield... everyone was pretty much a big Dr. Seuss fan with the whole local pride thing.  There is even an epic life sized statue garden downtown outside the history museum!

https://tinyurl.com/yxrxq757

"Some people" have now been trying to "cancel" and take it down because in the 1940's during WWII he had drawn a few Japanese caricatures considered now to be "racist".  There isn't an eye roll emoji big enough to insert here.  So I'll my favorite TV girl take the honors...

Hahahha!

Anyway... getting back on track.

Yes.  I've been in contact with the estate and we've been talking.

4 minutes ago, GrudgeQ said:

Edit: LOL looks like both me an Tommy were trying to beat @Intellivision Master

Tommy takes the prize - this time

It's a badge of honor to beat @Intellivision Master!!  It's a rare occasion, but sometimes me & you are able to sneak one in.

Yo Grudge... question for you.  Did you put together a Youtube timeline thingy for our latest gameplay trailer showing where all of the games were?  I know that you do that sometimes.  If you did it for that one, could you please post it again so I can add it to the comments section of that video.

Thanks!

4 hours ago, squirrelgotdead said:

The lighting mechanics will definitely draw attention to in-store kiosks.

People underestimate the POWER of this!  All of our retailers said the same exact thing.  Can you imagine all of the attention it will grab when people see it for the first time.  

6 hours ago, Intellivision Master said:

Tommy,

 

Will the Breakout demo be coming to the Amico Club app or is it just going to be on PC?  

It will probably be on the Amico Club app at some point, but no guarantees.  It just doesn't look (or control) as nice on mobile.  But we might do it down the road a bit.

7 hours ago, Cranker said:

I am wondering when we will be able to pre-order extra controllers , the case and any other accessories that will be available on launch. 

I'm guessing at the beginning of the new year... but nothing set in stone just yet.  We are waiting to show off all our accessories at the same time... including our physical media and other cool surprises.

11 minutes ago, Tommy Tallarico said:

Yo! 

Check it out!  Let me know if you have any questions and what you think the product should be called!
 

Awesome idea!
 

BTW: My wife saw what seems to be like your movie room then turned to me and said "Where's MY Willy Wonka themed movie room?". I guess I'll have to finish the basement soon enough ...

7 hours ago, PeterPepper said:

I didn't get to watch the event live, but I am glad there were comments here filling me in because I didn't see anything in the two videos posted that discussed Burgertime or Bump and Jump. I am so excited for these, Bump and Jump is the main reason I still play my Colecovision from time to time. 

 

I really liked the hardware design video. The LED interaction with games I found to be an interesting concept and builds on the Bomb Squad portion of the previous event video. The focus on durability and longevity is important to me especially since my kid is incredibly accident prone and is really good at either taking stuff apart or dropping stuff. You can tell which Wiimote he uses on a regular basis 😂 The ability to charge the controllers separately and the 4-6 hour play time is nice but I was wondering if there was any mention of the amount of time the controller stays charged on standby? We are so bad about leaving controllers out but not used and then they are dead. 

 

In the gameplay demo video, I liked the improvements to Astrosmash and Missile Command. It's nice to see the evolution of these games over time. Sesame Street and Care Bears look fun and easy for littles to pick up and understand. I was excited to see multiplayer skiing, although I could see that being super distracting while trying to race but I guess that's the point...watching your opponent fly off the edge of a cliff because they weren't paying attention. The bear wandering across the course was new to me, will there be other obstacles like random snowballs rolling down the mountain behind you?

 

I think I mentioned Nitro Derby reminding me of RC Pro Am, it's really growing on me every time I see it, it gives me a Micromachines vibe and I like the top down view. I see this being played a lot in my house. The demo of Baseball was nice to see, although it was hard to see the action in the outfield as the ball was hit out there, is it going to be that zoomed out during actual play? 

 

One question I have is, how easy is it going to be to take the Amico along with you? It looks like there would be 2 cords, power and HDMI and that's it. We like the Switch because its pretty easy to travel with, but the Amico looks small enough and with very few cords to take on trips, etc. We connect gaming systems in our van during longer trips, so this could be easy to do. 

Thanks for the thoughts and reaction.

Yes... there are other "things" in Skiing that will be around.  I don't want to give away all of the surprises... but I just have one word to say...

YETI!

Baseball camera angles are still being worked on, but they are close.  Remember that you need to be able to see all of the runners (including home plate) for every single play... so in order to make the entire playfield bigger, we need to pan out a bit.  But again, still needs adjustments.

Amico will be SUPER EASY to take with you!  We even have an awesome carrying case that holds the entire console.  Will be showing that off within the next month or so.

Thanks!

3 minutes ago, Urlu Berlu said:

Awesome idea!
 

BTW: My wife saw what seems to be like your movie room then turned to me and said "Where's MY Willy Wonka themed movie room?". I guess I'll have to finish the basement soon enough ...

YEAH!  GEEZ!!  You're falling behind the Jones'!

11 hours ago, IntelliMission said:

The hardware design video is amazing. Combined with the first edutainment games and more and more cool board/card games (and articles in mom's websites), it's clear that these people know what they're doing. These guys are serious about their proposal and plans!

 

Biplanes looks fun. Breakout IS fun (I tried it yesterday just before going to bed!). Blank Slate looks fun. Cornhole looks fun. And Missile Command, Pong, the Back Talk game... and let's not forget about the SECRET game to be revealed which is included with the console, an original concept that they don't want to reveal yet.

 

The console comes with 2 controllers and these 3 pieces of equipment look indestructible. Along with the games included, the value you get is huge!

 

And for the final part of my message, here's a difficult question for Tommy: the baseball game looks good for an initial version, but it was on a primitive state and appears last in the trailer. Do you think things like this can potentially turn some people off? Most people watching these trailers are hardcore gamers and they're used to more finished products in trailers, so maybe placing it in the middle of the video (less visible) with a huge "VERY EARLY PREVIEW!" caption would have been better?

Thanks for the thoughts and kind words!

I think putting baseball last had the opposite effect in my opinion.  People weren't expecting to see anything so it was my final "surprise".  I think it really worked there, as I watched a bunch of live reaction videos and everyone freaked out at that part as it came as a surprise.  You'll notice that it was the only game that specifically had a label at the bottom saying "EARLY PROTYPE BUILD - OCTOBER 2020"