Intellivision - Help me stop hating it so much!

[Lendorien]

I have to admit that I have always been completely unimpressed with the intellivision. My dislike for the system is so intense that I actually would go so far as to say I despise it.

 

That's strange too because I even like the 3do and my silly APF TV fun.

 

The original Intellivision controllers are a complete disaster with that recessed radial dial that has 16 directions. It's fussy and hard to use. The games are complicated and confusing with all the buttons and the side buttons on the controllers barely work. Also, having the controllers not be removable is stupid in the extreme... though I'm sure it'd be pretty easy to hack nine pin connectors on them and the console.

 

Added to that, the game don't look that great. Certainly not much better than the 2600, though it has what, six times the ram AND a 16 bit CPU?

 

I have one and it's just wasting space because all I have for it is space battle, blackjack, ML baseball and Armor Battle (and because it sucks?). I've played intellivision Lives! for PS2. Are those games typical fare for the system? (I hope not, because they all pretty much suck, though that one with the biplanes is moderately fun with two people).

 

I'm hoping someone can convince me that I shouldn't get rid of the system completely (which I've already tried to do on the Marketplace forum) and that this irrational hatred for the system is misplaced. Right now, on list in terms of game systems I like and own, the intellivision is dead last.

 

Help! Break me free of this hatred for the intellivsion!

[GroovyBee]

Its on my list of consoles for some homebrew love

[Eltigro]

I had to say "LOL" for the title of the thread alone.

 

I saw one in a resale shop once and asked how much it was. The guy behind the counter said it didn't work, wasn't for sale, and just had it for show.

[nightglider1]

PM sent.

[akator]

I remember being pretty impressed with it as a kid, but since reacquiring one in the last year I can't figure out why I used to like it so much. My best guess is that I was a graphics whore even back then...

[Rev]

Its on my list of consoles for some homebrew love

 

dont listen to this guy...intellivision is awesome!

 

just look at those graffiixxxxx!

[eightbit]

It has a couple of good games. I think Burgertime for it is one of the best versions of the game personally. Beauty and the Beast was something I used to like as a kid. Bump n' Jump is ok as well. Other than that, I kind of agree with you.

 

I had a conversation similar to this one years back on DP. Years later, I re-acquired the Intellivision and decided to revisit the console with the thought that maybe I just missed something. Nope, I still don't like it much. It is funny that Atari released the 5200 because they wanted to directly compete with the Intellivision, when they already had a superior console in the VCS in my opinion. In other words, I don't think the Intellivision is nearly as good as the VCS. The games are hard to play, the graphics are overly blocky, the controllers aren't the best, and even the box art and labels suck.

 

That said, mine is on ebay as I type. I know you were probably looking for some Intellivision love, but I cannot give it unfortunately. I'll leave it for the next poster

[tz101]

I somewhat agree with the OP. I had a VCS in the day, and never saw the draw to the Intellivision. The gaming library was nowhere near Atari's, and the graphics were only slightly better. I don't think I even tried them out at a Sears or anywhere that might have had an Intellivision kiosk set up, so did not know how good/bad the controllers might be.

 

Fast forward to today, and I have have two Intellivision I systems, along with about 45 game carts, mostly picked up through CL and some thrift finds. The one system I have has some joystick mod done to the controllers that makes them better from a playability standpoint. Yet, these consoles and games sit mostly unplayed.

 

I am not the one to talk you out of hatred for the Intellivision. Mine are kept strictly for collector reasons.

[+thegoldenband]

I really like the Intellivision, but in large part for its quirkiness: the controllers, the 20Hz animations, and so forth. If someone's mainly looking for pure arcade action, they probably won't like the Inty; its strong suit is RPGs and strategy games, at which I think it excels in a way that the 2600 can't.

 

It also has some very good sports titles that were way, way ahead of their time; my girlfriend and I recently discovered Bowling, which is quite impressive. Again, it's definitely not best used as an arcade-style system, IMHO, though many people have done a fine job of trying to make it a plausible contender in that department.

 

Having said that, I like all the games you mention, especially Space Battle (though there are two diferent versions of that, and the "slow" one is way too easy). But my favorites are Utopia, AD&D: Cloudy Mountain, Tower of Doom, Frog Bog...games that sit relatively well on the Inty controllers, and which don't depend on rapid button presses and the like. Another problem is that a lot of the most impressive games are harder to obtain, like Tower of Doom, Thunder Castle, and the other late INTV releases.

 

The Inty can't out-VCS the VCS...but the VCS also can't do many things that the Inty can do. All in all, I'd say that the two systems complement each other almost perfectly, and lucky was the gamer who had both back in the day!

Edited September 6, 2010 by thegoldenband

[GroovyBee]

Back in the day games had timescales and budgets attached to them. Programmers did what they could, with the resources they had, in the time available. Not all programmers were created equal either. All these factors affected the quality of the games available.

 

Skip forward to now and in homebrew terms the machine isn't getting as much support as other consoles . However there are a few hardcore developers doing interesting things with the machine. All the Inty needs is more programmers and you'll start to see it fly.

[tz101]

Forgot a couple things:

 

One thing strongly against Intellivision is its lack of 3rd party controller support. The main reason being the controllers were not designed to be swappable.

 

One thing for Intellivision: The retro woodgrain look of the console is sweet in any gaming room.

[Lendorien]

I feel like my hatred for the intellivision is irrational. But I just can't stand it. I mean, I NEVER have this sort of kneejerk reaction to anything, but the intellivision has done it. Playing the Intellivision Lives games on PS2 made me think it was utter rubbish. Then I foolishly acquired one and it did nothing to convince me otherwise.

 

The Atari is such a beautiful platform. The control scheme is accessible by anyone. Seriously. I mean, a joystick with one button and maybe the use of the select and reset buttons for most games.

 

Intellivision LOOKS complicated; all those buttons. And the controllers have those telephone handset cords and they're just hard to use. Now, I will admit that I did play a real Atari before I played a real intellivsion, and I also have a dislike for high learning curve stuff. That could be one reason I don't care for the intellivision.

 

I did not know that the Inty sucked at arcade games, nor did I know it had a lot of good adventure and rpg style games. What sort of games are they? Like Indiana Jones and Adventure for VCS?

 

Unfortunately, so far, no-one here has said anything to convince me that the system isn't rubbish yet. Surely there's someone out there who can show me a redeeming feature or two.

 

Sorry Groovybee, potential future homebrew doesn't count.

[GroovyBee]

Sorry Groovybee, potential future homebrew doesn't count.

 

It does for me .

[4Ks]

Just get Atlantis and all will be forgotten.

[tz101]

"Hatred" might be a strong word to use regarding the Intellivision. How about, "disdain" or "lack of desire to play anything on it"? That about sums it up for me.

 

Maybe if I had owned one when it originally came out, then I might have some sentimental love for the system...

 

I kind of equate it to Sega Master System. I owned a NES during the later part of the 80's. Since my goal was to collect every system ever made, I acquired a SMS about a year ago. Yet, it sits largely unplayed. I think a good part of it is that I don't have any fond memories of it because I did not own it "back in the day". Also, the SMS games are difficult to find in the wild around my area, so I only have five games.

 

Does this maybe sum up your "hatred" for Intellivision?

[+cmart604]

"Hatred" might be a strong word to use regarding the Intellivision. How about, "disdain" or "lack of desire to play anything on it"? That about sums it up for me.

 

Maybe if I had owned one when it originally came out, then I might have some sentimental love for the system...

 

I kind of equate it to Sega Master System. I owned a NES during the later part of the 80's. Since my goal was to collect every system ever made, I acquired a SMS about a year ago. Yet, it sits largely unplayed. I think a good part of it is that I don't have any fond memories of it because I did not own it "back in the day". Also, the SMS games are difficult to find in the wild around my area, so I only have five games.

 

Does this maybe sum up your "hatred" for Intellivision?

 

 

I think this is a valid point. I owned an INTV as a kid and in the late 90's when I decided to start playing and collecting classic videogames my first choice was to start with the INTV since I had fond memories of it. One of my buddies had a 2600 and then later a Colecovision so I played those a lot as a kid as well and naturally they were the next two systems I started playing/collecting. I think most of us are going to be biased towards the systems of our youth. I never owned an NES or a SMS and so I have a half-assed NES collection that I may or may not add to in the future.

 

As to why you should love the INTV, I'm not sure anyone can convince you, I think it just boils down to playing a bunch of the games. There's a top 25 list in the INTV threads area that should give you some direction and I must admit I had no problem coming up with my own list, and could have gone beyond 25 easily, which for a system with only 125 games I think is impressive. I don't know if collectability factors at all into your opinion about a system but I find with 125 games + variants (if you're that way inclined), the INTV is a good but manageable challenge, save maybe Spiker.

 

As for the much-maligned controllers, I don't agree, as I can only think of a few games where they bothered me, although maybe this has to do with familiarity.

 

As to GroovyBee's point about homebrews, my main reason for pulling out my Vader recently has been the great batch of homebrews in 2010 which has sparked my interest in the 2600 again. If you ever get a chance to play Joe Z's (intvnut here on AA) Space Patrol (INTV interpretation of Moon Patrol) you'll see what the INTV is truly capable of.

 

I say pick up a few of those top 25 games and approach it with an open mind and you just might find there's a place for the INTV in the non-hated systems part of your collection.

 

Oh, one final point, eightbit I must respectfully disagree with your assessment of the INTV boxes and labels which I love for their collectability and artwork.

[SoulBlazer]

I know the easiest way to get around the bad controller problem -- buy the upcoming release of games for the Nintendo DS. Problem solved!

 

But yes, the Intellivision was great in non arcade games -- it could do those better then the 2600 could, thanks to its more complicated controlers, it's better graphics and memory, and later release. There are many good adventure and strategy and early RPG's for the system, and the sports games are far and away better on it. Plus the speach module was a very fun add-on back in the day.

[jaybird3rd]

Geez, if the OP hates it that much, why doesn't he just get rid of it? I'll gladly take it off his hands.

 

I had never seen an Intellivision until my thirties, so I can't claim to have grown up with it. But I've since built up a decent collection (about 85 games, plus some semi-rare accessories like an ECS and Music Synthesizer), and I've come to appreciate what it has to offer.

 

If you ask people who grew up on Atari consoles what they don't like about the Intellivision, the answers you'll get basically boil down to "I don't like it because it isn't an Atari": the controllers are different, the graphics look different, the types of games in its library are different, etc. I think what helped me is that nostalgia doesn't play much of a role for me when I sit down to play a game on a classic computer or console: I still like playing the games I played when I was a kid, but I'm not so limited by my experience that I can't appreciate anything else. It's important to get beyond this kind of limited thinking if you are to evaluate the Intellivision on its own terms.

 

Regarding the much-maligned hand controllers: in my opinion, the main stumbling block that modern gamers have to overcome is their familiarity with gamepads. If you try to use the hand controller like a gamepad, as newcomers to the system often do, you're only making it harder on yourself because that isn't the best way to use it. For side-to-side games like Astrosmash, use your index and middle fingers to "rock" the disc back and forth; for four-direction games (like Snafu), I often find that it's easier to "spin" the disc around in a circle with your index finger to reach the directionals, rather than manhandling it by pushing it up, down, left, or right with your thumb. You have to find a method that works for you, but again, don't approach it like a gamepad! It also helps if you can find a way of holding the controllers that makes the side buttons more comfortable.

 

Once you get used to them, you'll find that the hand controllers aren't as bad as their reputation might suggest: they offer sixteen directions, a feature unique to the Intellivision and Aquarius (and yes, it does make a difference in games that were designed for it). They also offer a keypad for secondary input, an idea that the Atari 2600 needed a whole separate controller to implement. As for the criticism that the controllers are hard-wired (in the original Intellivision) and that the cords are too short, consider this: in the late 70s and early 80s, video game consoles were not placed in a home entertainment center close to the television, but on the floor or on a table close to the players. You'll notice this if you look at video game ads from that era, and this was the way the Intellivision was intended to be played. In this setup, there is really no need to extend the controller cords, and except for those rare occasions when you have to repair or replace the controllers, having them hard-wired to the console isn't much of an issue, in my experience. When would you ever need to unplug them?

[tz101]

When would you ever need to unplug them?

 

Ummm, for things like switching out with a better 3rd party controller. Seeing that the stock Mattel controllers were not the most comfortable, or even very user friendly in their button configuration, some enterprising company may have come up with something similar to say, Jaguar, controller. But, with the lack of being able to conveniently unplug the stock controllers, 3rd parties completely ignored the console.

 

Mattel righted this in the design of the INTV II, but it was too late.

[eightbit]

Well, unplugging them would be a great thing to replace them if they are BROKEN I have run across these systems with busted controllers in the past and I do have to say that it is a major pain in the rear to have to dismantle the system just to simply replace a broken controller. As said in the last post, the Intellivision II rectified this by actually adding joystick ports which was a good thing. And then the INTV III went right back to the old non-removable design

[jaybird3rd]

Ummm, for things like switching out with a better 3rd party controller.

Perhaps, but that possibility probably didn't even occur to anyone when the console was designed; I'm not sure if a third-party controller market even existed in 1978. One can hardly fault Mattel for not making allowances for something they weren't in a position to anticipate at the time. Besides, with the overlays, sixteen-direction disc, keypad, and other unusual features offered by the stock Intellivision controllers, it wouldn't have been as easy for third-party manufacturers to create a suitable alternative (or to adapt one of their Atari designs, as many of them did for non-Atari platforms), so who knows how many of them would have done it even if the option was available. I do agree that Mattel did the right thing by switching to a removable controller with the Intellivision II.

 

Like I said, I don't have a problem with the stock Intellivision controllers, so I never really felt a need for a third-party solution. As a general rule, I usually prefer to play with the stock controllers on any platform, unless they're exceptionally bad (like, in my opinion, the stock 99/4A joysticks).

[eightbit]

I personally never had a problem with the stock controllers either. It was very smooth with playing Beauty and the Beast and Burgertime and quite enjoyable actually. I really can't say that I "hate" the system, but most of the games (personal opinion) were just not very good to me. Graphics were never such a huge priority to me as long as the game was fun, but if I didn't have fun with the game AND the graphics were not very appealing...well...it really turned me off.

 

I would like to see some modern homebrew projects emerge that did some different things with the console myself. Maybe some things can be done to make the system a must have down the road.

[tz101]

I'm not sure if a third-party controller market even existed in 1978. One can hardly fault Mattel for not making allowances for something they weren't in a position to anticipate at the time.

 

Atari got a ton of 3rd party support for the VCS which came out in 1977. So Mattel could not see it coming in 1978?

[carmel_andrews]

I guess that intellivision is a bit like marmite, some people like it, some people hate it...it's an acquired taste

[Atari2600Lives]

I have to admit that I have always been completely unimpressed with the intellivision. My dislike for the system is so intense that I actually would go so far as to say I despise it.

 

That's strange too because I even like the 3do and my silly APF TV fun.

 

The original Intellivision controllers are a complete disaster with that recessed radial dial that has 16 directions. It's fussy and hard to use. The games are complicated and confusing with all the buttons and the side buttons on the controllers barely work. Also, having the controllers not be removable is stupid in the extreme... though I'm sure it'd be pretty easy to hack nine pin connectors on them and the console.

 

Added to that, the game don't look that great. Certainly not much better than the 2600, though it has what, six times the ram AND a 16 bit CPU?

 

I have one and it's just wasting space because all I have for it is space battle, blackjack, ML baseball and Armor Battle (and because it sucks?). I've played intellivision Lives! for PS2. Are those games typical fare for the system? (I hope not, because they all pretty much suck, though that one with the biplanes is moderately fun with two people).

 

I'm hoping someone can convince me that I shouldn't get rid of the system completely (which I've already tried to do on the Marketplace forum) and that this irrational hatred for the system is misplaced. Right now, on list in terms of game systems I like and own, the intellivision is dead last.

 

Help! Break me free of this hatred for the intellivsion!

 

 

I'll tell you what B-17 Bomber and Advanced Dungeons and Dragons are two super fun games. Football for the system embarassed all other football games that came before it. So for this stuff alone it was an awesome system.