Intellivision Amico’s trademark changed to ‘abandoned’

[Special Teams]

1 hour ago, Flojomojo said:

I know our taco jokes were tiresome,

You take that back!

 

They were awesome...

[MrBeefy]

4 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

• He had a lot of enthusiasm
• He had a lot of energy
• He has a cute doggie
• He attempted to engage with fans of the classic IP and spent a lot of time on making them feel special on a very personal level
• He serves as a good example on what could go wrong if you do not develop and follow a communications plan for a complex, multi-million dollar product
• He seems to have enough self-discipline to shut his pie-hole when ordered to do so by management or legal counsel

I remember when it seemed like maybe, with the touted money, connections, and modest product specifications, that Amico would do what Atari VCS or the Mike Kennedyvision dream consoles failed to deliver. I never anticipated it going on so long, with such colorful characters, and such profound mismanagement and ineptitude. 

 

I know our taco jokes were tiresome, but really, what would have been the harm in allowing people to gently mock @Tommy Tallarico's "I'm such a cool dude you should kiss my tiny feet" attitude? If anything, it would have forced him to tighten up his message and not waste peoples time. 

 

I'm talking about the semi-mean little jokes like this, for a console which was terribly communicated and 2 years late. Were we that afraid of alienating the pseudo-celebrity who claimed to have a lot of lawyers. A good product can take a joke. 

 

3 hours ago, Special Teams said:

You take that back!

 

They were awesome...

You can't trust a man who doesn't like tacos. That should have been enough for people to know you can't trust Tommy.

 

Someone had a perfect hot sauce suggestion that was relevant for Tommy's attitude.

[roots.genoa]

9 hours ago, Bill Loguidice said:

My assumption for the implication is that the VCS failed to break out in any way (as we all knew it wouldn't) and was not a net positive for the company in terms of revenue. It's something the current regime would have never pursued. With that said, of course all the credit to Atari for actually releasing it and extra points for still supporting it. I really thought they'd drop support by now, but the VCS may very well make it through the end of 2023 with the same level of modest support before being officially discontinued. 

To be fair, I don't think supporting the VCS is that hard, even though the current Atari would indeed prefer to do without it (especially the technical issues). It seems quite easy to "port" any game to the VCS, and since Atari offers a better percentage on sales, and that VCS doesn't have a lot of games yet (so VCS owners tend to buy almost everything, like in the early days of any new system), it's probably a quick and easy way to make money (probably not a lot, though) for developers.

 

The Amico would have probably benefited from being a new platform as well (if it had been released obviously), but it's clearly harder to port your game on it given the specific controller.

[Flojomojo]

18 hours ago, jerseystyle said:

What did the Atari VCS fail to do? They released, built an ecosystem, supported post release, have a bunch of games… Amico would love to have their success, I think. I’ll admit I was on the “VCS is a scam” train and they proved me wrong. 

Like I said, Atari’s communication at the time (around 2018-2020, under Fred Chesnais and Michael Arzt) was terrible and the hardware was 2 years late. I agree it wasn’t a “scam” since they delivered something, but it was a bad value that never really justified its existence. I’m a big retro fan, I have most of the Atari Recharged games on other systems and never felt like I was missing out by skipping the Atari VCS. As Bill points out, VCS was a money loser and did nothing to help the company’s image or strategy. (If you or anyone else have one and like it, that’s cool by me) 
 

To the larger point, the retro revival hardware projects were Coleco Chameleon, Atari VCS (2020), and Intellivision Amico. They all chose to use 1970s/1980s toy names in a “make gaming great again” way, the answer to a question nobody asked, with a largely undifferentiated product with unoriginal software and clichéd fear tactics about the evils of existing game consoles. Now that 3 attempts to exhume the major names of that era have failed in 3 different ways, maybe we can leave these childhood memories to rest in peace. 

[Bill Loguidice]

27 minutes ago, Flojomojo said:

 

To the larger point, the retro revival hardware projects were Coleco Chameleon, Atari VCS (2020), and Intellivision Amico. They all chose to use 1970s/1980s toy names in a “make gaming great again” way, the answer to a question nobody asked, with a largely undifferentiated product with unoriginal software and clichéd fear tactics about the evils of existing game consoles. Now that 3 attempts to exhume the major names of that era have failed in 3 different ways, maybe we can leave these childhood memories to rest in peace. 

Well stated. Let me add that we should celebrate platforms like Evercade that have taken far more intelligent approaches to retro gaming (with the occasional modern twist) with relatively flawless execution in comparison to the three platforms you mentioned, among others. I also love what companies like Analogue and Polymega have done (although not without delivery issues of their own) to allow for modern play of original classic games. So yeah, there are plenty of ways to have it make sense and do it right, "big" brand or no. We just haven't had those brands execute.

[Hydro Thunder]

4 hours ago, Bill Loguidice said:

Well stated. Let me add that we should celebrate platforms like Evercade that have taken far more intelligent approaches to retro gaming (with the occasional modern twist) with relatively flawless execution in comparison to the three platforms you mentioned, among others. I also love what companies like Analogue and Polymega have done (although not without delivery issues of their own) to allow for modern play of original classic games. So yeah, there are plenty of ways to have it make sense and do it right, "big" brand or no. We just haven't had those brands execute.

I was just thinking that I have no need for whatever the Amico was supposed to be, as my Intellivision Evercade carts allow me to play the classics in HD anytime I want and nostalgia was about all that had me raising an eyebrow at Amico.  Ok that and Moon Patrol looked neat in the new version.  So again, Evercade did it right; Cartridges, color manuals, good collections, inexpensive, well made.  Here's hoping they get some more big names on board and continue to succeed.

[MrBeefy]

7 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

Like I said, Atari’s communication at the time (around 2018-2020, under Fred Chesnais and Michael Arzt) was terrible and the hardware was 2 years late. I agree it wasn’t a “scam” since they delivered something, but it was a bad value that never really justified its existence. I’m a big retro fan, I have most of the Atari Recharged games on other systems and never felt like I was missing out by skipping the Atari VCS. As Bill points out, VCS was a money loser and did nothing to help the company’s image or strategy. (If you or anyone else have one and like it, that’s cool by me) 
 

To the larger point, the retro revival hardware projects were Coleco Chameleon, Atari VCS (2020), and Intellivision Amico. They all chose to use 1970s/1980s toy names in a “make gaming great again” way, the answer to a question nobody asked, with a largely undifferentiated product with unoriginal software and clichéd fear tactics about the evils of existing game consoles. Now that 3 attempts to exhume the major names of that era have failed in 3 different ways, maybe we can leave these childhood memories to rest in peace. 

Nah Vectrex is ripe for a comeback. I remember people wanting Tommy to do that one next. Maybe Tommy, Chris, and Mike can join forces to bring that one back.

 

They just need to makesure whatever they do they have woodgrain color as an option, and then make 5 other color variants and push that before locking hardware down. I hear the way to hook customers is color choices before hardware.

 

[famicommander]

1 hour ago, Hydro Thunder said:

I was just thinking that I have no need for whatever the Amico was supposed to be, as my Intellivision Evercade carts allow me to play the classics in HD anytime I want and nostalgia was about all that had me raising an eyebrow at Amico.  Ok that and Moon Patrol looked neat in the new version.  So again, Evercade did it right; Cartridges, color manuals, good collections, inexpensive, well made.  Here's hoping they get some more big names on board and continue to succeed.

The best part about Evercade is they set realistic goals and expectations, were upfront when they had any delays, and have delivered everything they promised.

 

From the start they said they hoped to get about 50 cartridges out in the lifespan of the system. Well, including the newly announced ones and the mystery releases they put on the schedule yesterday they're over that number and you have to think they blow right past it next year. 

[Bill Loguidice]

2 minutes ago, famicommander said:

The best part about Evercade is they set realistic goals and expectations, were upfront when they had any delays, and have delivered everything they promised.

 

From the start they said they hoped to get about 50 cartridges out in the lifespan of the system. Well, including the newly announced ones and the mystery releases they put on the schedule yesterday they're over that number and you have to think they blow right past it next year. 

The current count is 46 cartridges (not counting the built-in games on the EXP; game counts range from 2 - 20 games per cartridge), with a 47th soon to be announced because we don't know what number 32 is as of yet (1 - 34; A01 - A10; C01 - C-4; EXP). So far, there's 456 games, not counting quite a few unlockables and monthly freebies. I've collected all of the cartridges to date and don't plan to stop. It's a very easy platform to collect for, and, just as importantly for me, store. Again, nothing particularly "magical" or innovative about their business plan or model, just thoughtful execution and realistic goals.

[famicommander]

1 minute ago, Bill Loguidice said:

The current count is 46 cartridges (not counting the built-in games on the EXP; game counts range from 2 - 20 games per cartridge), with a 47th soon to be announced because we don't know what number 32 is as of yet (1 - 34; A01 - A10; C01 - C-4; EXP). So far, there's 456 games, not counting quite a few unlockables and monthly freebies. I've collected all of the cartridges to date and don't plan to stop. It's a very easy platform to collect for, and, just as importantly for me, store. Again, nothing particularly "magical" or innovative about their business plan or model, just thoughtful execution and realistic goals.

We have #s 1-31 in red, 1-10 in purple, and 1-4 in blue. That's 45. Then you have the two Duke Nukem carts, you have two mystery carts that were added to the timeline yesterday to be announced at a future showcase, and you have the Indie Heroes Collection 3 that was also on that timeline. So that's 50, minimum.

[Bill Loguidice]

2 hours ago, famicommander said:

We have #s 1-31 in red, 1-10 in purple, and 1-4 in blue. That's 45. Then you have the two Duke Nukem carts, you have two mystery carts that were added to the timeline yesterday to be announced at a future showcase, and you have the Indie Heroes Collection 3 that was also on that timeline. So that's 50, minimum.

Not by my count. I have all of the releases in a spreadsheet, including the ones announced, but not yet released. 1 - 34 is missing the announcement of #32, so that's 33. A1 - A10, which is the arcade, is another 10, so that's 43. C01 - C04 is the computer stuff, so that's another 4, so 47 total. Indie Heroes Collection 3 (thanks for mentioning that as I didn't see the announcement) must be the missing #32, so that's 48. I'm sure they'll announce more, but right now, that's 100% of everything announced. All of those, save for Indie Heroes Collection 3 since I don't have any info on that, but adding in The Capcom Collection on the EXP, brings us to 456 games that don't have to be unlocked.

If there are two other mystery carts (bringing the total to 50 cartridges), we don't know where they categorize yet, right? They could be in the standard collection, arcade, or computer.

[MrBeefy]

Maybe the mystery carts contain the secret knowledge of the status of the Astrosmash and Shark! Shark! IPs?

[famicommander]

4 hours ago, Bill Loguidice said:

Not by my count. I have all of the releases in a spreadsheet, including the ones announced, but not yet released. 1 - 34 is missing the announcement of #32, so that's 33. A1 - A10, which is the arcade, is another 10, so that's 43. C01 - C04 is the computer stuff, so that's another 4, so 47 total. Indie Heroes Collection 3 (thanks for mentioning that as I didn't see the announcement) must be the missing #32, so that's 48. I'm sure they'll announce more, but right now, that's 100% of everything announced. All of those, save for Indie Heroes Collection 3 since I don't have any info on that, but adding in The Capcom Collection on the EXP, brings us to 456 games that don't have to be unlocked.

If there are two other mystery carts (bringing the total to 50 cartridges), we don't know where they categorize yet, right? They could be in the standard collection, arcade, or computer.

 

 

Home carts:

Atari 1 and 2

Namco 1 and 2

Data East 1

Interplay 1 and 2

Mega Cat 1 and 2

Piko 1, 2, and 3

Technos 1

Xeno Crisis and Tanglewood

Oliver Twins

Atari Lynx 1 and 2

Jaleco 1

Indie Heroes 1, 2, and 3

Worms 1

Codemasters 1

Intellivision 1 and 2

Bitmap Brothers 1

Renovation 1

Gremlin 1

Morphcat 1

Alwa's Awakening and Cathedral

Sydney Hunter 1

Sunsoft 1

Duke Nukem 1 and 2

Total: 34

 

Arcade:

Technos 1

Data East 1

Gaelco 1 and 2

Atari 1

Jaleco 1

Irem 1

Toaplan 1 and 2

Piko 1

Total: 10

 

Computer:

C64 1 and 2

Team 17 1

Delphine 1

Total: 4

 

34 + 10 +4 = 48

 

The two mystery carts are both indie carts and will be announced at the Evercade Showcase Volume 2: Indie Special in July. This was mentioned in the Showcase Volume 1 video.

 

34 + 10 + 4 + 2 mystery carts = 50

 

Look at the attached timeline. We have 7 question marks on it.

 

2 of those are the mystery carts we just talked about. 2 of them are the Duke Nukem carts releasing in November. We see Indie Heroes 3 on it. 

 

So even with the 2 mystery indie carts we'll see announced next month, there are still 3 more carts on the schedule know nothing about.

 

So we have 50 we know or at least have a good idea what they are and 3 complete question marks.

Edited June 2, 2023 by famicommander

[MrTrust]

11 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

Like I said, Atari’s communication at the time (around 2018-2020, under Fred Chesnais and Michael Arzt) was terrible and the hardware was 2 years late. I agree it wasn’t a “scam” since they delivered something, but it was a bad value that never really justified its existence. I’m a big retro fan, I have most of the Atari Recharged games on other systems and never felt like I was missing out by skipping the Atari VCS. As Bill points out, VCS was a money loser and did nothing to help the company’s image or strategy. (If you or anyone else have one and like it, that’s cool by me) 

 

I do have one, and I do like it, but I got it at a deep discount, so that makes it a lot easier to like.  There's no way in hell I'd buy it at the original price.  If this one broke, I would want to replace it, though, because it really does suit my situation well.  I'm using it a lot now because I'm stuck in Baby Jail, but ordinarily I don't have so much time to play games, and I don't do that much desktop computing at home.  So having both things in an unobtrusive package I can stick anywhere in the house that has a screen is perfect for my lifestyle, but that's not really the point.

 

The main issue with it is the store is a random hodge podge of bullshit.  All the Atari stuff is fine and dandy.  Things like Sydney Hunter and Donut Dodo: very nice.  Every Orange Pixel game?  Okay.  They're cute I guess; what I've played are fun enough.  The rest is just weird slurry.  Here's a 30 year-old DOS wargame, there's a one-man indie game that looks like something out of 1998, and over yonder is some roguelite that has no reviews or information about it anywhere in the internet...

 

Nevertheless, I have paid $8-$10 for games I never would have coughed up that much for on Steam.  Having an insular "ecosystem" would be a good way for certain devs to bypass all the noise and get directly to me, and I guess I have demonstrated that I will pay some kind of premium for that.  There's value in hardware that does that which some ultra-niche streaming service wouldn't provide.  Maybe the old Columbia House model could be dusted off and tried for one of these hardware projects; you pay a subscription, and periodically, you get physical games just sent to you automatically.

 

IE were onto something I believe with the idea of using the hardware to kind of isolate your market segment, but they didn't have any follow-up plan.  A million times we heard the system is 100% FOCUSED on x type of game.  Great, but if they're just a random grab bag of games you happened to be able to scrounge up for your platform, there's no value.  You'd need to actually "curate" the library; you can't just use it as a buzzword to paper over the fact you have no developer support.  This means being heavily in the publishing game.  A company like Atari could theoretically do that.  Swing and a miss on the VCS for the most part, but I think there is potential in the model.

[mr_me]

19 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

Like I said, Atari’s communication at the time (around 2018-2020, under Fred Chesnais and Michael Arzt) was terrible and the hardware was 2 years late. I agree it wasn’t a “scam” since they delivered something, but it was a bad value that never really justified its existence. I’m a big retro fan, I have most of the Atari Recharged games on other systems and never felt like I was missing out by skipping the Atari VCS. As Bill points out, VCS was a money loser and did nothing to help the company’s image or strategy. (If you or anyone else have one and like it, that’s cool by me) 
 

To the larger point, the retro revival hardware projects were Coleco Chameleon, Atari VCS (2020), and Intellivision Amico. They all chose to use 1970s/1980s toy names in a “make gaming great again” way, the answer to a question nobody asked, with a largely undifferentiated product with unoriginal software and clichéd fear tactics about the evils of existing game consoles. Now that 3 attempts to exhume the major names of that era have failed in 3 different ways, maybe we can leave these childhood memories to rest in peace. 

The Ataribox is another Atari branded device for Atari SA to sell to its fan base, something different than the flashbacks.  I don't think Atari SA expected more than that.  They hoped it would make money so it may not have worked out as they wanted. Some Atari fans would pay a premium for the Atari brand and aesthetics. It's overkill for a set-top box compared to cheaper streaming devices but it's PC based providing more gaming options.  The Amico was intended for something more than a retro fan base.  Everything from the market required to sustain it, to the aesthetics and design of its games indicate that.

 

The Retro VGS/Chameleon (with or without the Coleco branding) had the same idea as the Evercade. A strictly cartridge based system that would appeal to retro collectors.  Evercade going with a handheld was a smart choice, as well as the type of games that are of primary interest to retro gamers, emulated classic retro games.

 

14 hours ago, Hydro Thunder said:

I was just thinking that I have no need for whatever the Amico was supposed to be, as my Intellivision Evercade carts allow me to play the classics in HD anytime I want and nostalgia was about all that had me raising an eyebrow at Amico.  Ok that and Moon Patrol looked neat in the new version.  So again, Evercade did it right; Cartridges, color manuals, good collections, inexpensive, well made.  Here's hoping they get some more big names on board and continue to succeed.

The Amico wouldn't have released with any emulated Intellivision games available anyway.  The Evercade is limited as an Intellivision emulator.  There are better ways.

[Flojomojo]

It’s all well and good to say “quality over quantity, only the hits,” but we’re in a post-scarcity phase for video games. Sometimes a weird diamond in the rough like Donut Dodo shines thru the pile of undifferentiated crap, but you’ve got to have enough content to entice someone to get there in the first place. Then have enough installed base to encourage developers to come. 

 

I’d feel better about the Atari VCS or Amico store if I weren’t locked into highly specific, hard to find hardware. My Steam library runs on anything, and if a switch/PlayStation/Xbox/phone/tablet were to break, it’s not hard to find another one. 
 

@MrTrust what is Baby Jail? I’m going to assume you’re a frustrated, sleep deprived new parent and not in some white collar prison for nonviolent financial crimes. If it’s any consolation, things change, you will sleep again, and time has a way of washing out the worst of the memories. It gets easier, or at least different. 
 

I remain of the opinion that Intellivision Amico is a regressive, unimaginative dud of an idea, poorly communicated and effectively canceled. 

[Flojomojo]

4 minutes ago, mr_me said:

The Amico wouldn't have released with any emulated Intellivision games available anyway.  The Evercade is limited as an Intellivision emulator.  There are better ways.

If anything @Tommy Tallarico came true, we would have seen emulated retro Intellivision games on Amico by now, in “year 3” after release, by Joe Z. I know you like to being up claims the team made and I could probably find several citations if anyone is still interested in what the guy said. 

[mr_me]

Eventually it would have had emulated Intellivision games but they were avoiding it until the system established itself in the intended market, is what they said.  PC, Mac, Playstation, Xbox, Nintendo, all got Intellivision collections, so Amico should too.  The Amico controller wouldn't make for a good Intellivision controller either.

Edited June 2, 2023 by mr_me

[Flojomojo]

Old Intellivision games would have made a lot more sense on the Amico controller than anything else that was shown. The little screen would serve as a digital keypad overlay with the unique functions for each game, much like the Nintendo DS version of Intellivision Lives. 
 

Keith Robinson spoke fondly of it but it seems like they had trouble finding a publisher as it didn’t come out until late in the system’s life. It could have been a good fit on the 3DS eshop as a download-only game. 

Supposedly Nintendo rejected it as a DSi download because they didn’t want emulation in the DSiWare store. DSi was the transitional system between DS and 3DS, and there were plenty of emulated games on 3DS. 
https://www.engadget.com/2009-05-07-intellivision-dsi-collection-held-back-by-nintendo-policy.html

The prospect of playing the old games in a new way was a lot more interesting to me than their botched attempt at a Cornhole simulator game. 

 

That collection and the 2014 Intellivision Flashback TV unit were the last retro-style releases from Intellivision Productions before Keith’s death. 

[MrBeefy]

6 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

I remain of the opinion that Intellivision Amico is a regressive, unimaginative dud of an idea, poorly communicated and effectively canceled. 

Well their marketing isn't working.

Mullis advertised Amico Shark Shark before Slopes did his review of PC Shark Shark. This is what winning looks like in Amico world! 

 

2 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

Old Intellivision games would have made a lot more sense on the Amico controller than anything else that was shown.

One of the initial gameplans was for them to have all the old games included on the hardware. If they had stuck to that people may have a very expensive plug and play. Now they don't have an over expensive vaporware plug and play, and non-working code in boxes.

[mr_me]

When the Amico was first introduced at PRGE, there was no mention of emulated Intellivision games, only new games.  The retro gaming fans watching asked about playing the old Intellivision games from the 1980s.  The CEO at the time was somewhat surprised people wanted the old games and said they would just include them with the system.  That turned into selling them in packs, and then finally they wouldn't be available until later to not confuse the market they are targeting.

 

4 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

Old Intellivision games would have made a lot more sense on the Amico controller than anything else that was shown. The little screen would serve as a digital keypad overlay with the unique functions for each game, much like the Nintendo DS version of Intellivision Lives. 
 

Keith Robinson spoke fondly of it but it seems like they had trouble finding a publisher as it didn’t come out until late in the system’s life. It could have been a good fit on the 3DS eshop as a download-only game. 

Supposedly Nintendo rejected it as a DSi download because they didn’t want emulation in the DSiWare store. DSi was the transitional system between DS and 3DS, and there were plenty of emulated games on 3DS. 
https://www.engadget.com/2009-05-07-intellivision-dsi-collection-held-back-by-nintendo-policy.html

The prospect of playing the old games in a new way was a lot more interesting to me than their botched attempt at a Cornhole simulator game. 

 

That collection and the 2014 Intellivision Flashback TV unit were the last retro-style releases from Intellivision Productions before Keith’s death. 

Naturally, retro video game fans would be more interested in the 1980s games than the new games intended for a different audience.

 

People do talk of the novelty of having Intellivision overlays displayed on a controller touchscreen.  But as has been discussed here the Amico touchscreen can't really emulate more than one button very well in an action video game.  And the shoulder buttons are in the wrong position for Intellivision players.  So not unlike other modern controllers, it has limitations emulating Intellivision games.

Edited June 2, 2023 by mr_me

[MrTrust]

8 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

It’s all well and good to say “quality over quantity, only the hits,” but we’re in a post-scarcity phase for video games.

 

And whether that's a good thing or not depends on your philosophical outlook.  As I've said in another thread, I don't think this is a net positive.  We were effectively in the post-scarcity phase by the end of the 20th century; you could walk into Gamestop on any given day with maybe $40 and a couple of trades, and walk out with an armful of good games, and there was probably more innovation and just as much variety going on then.
 

This ushered in a phase where gamers starting acquiring games at a far faster rate than they were actually playing them.  Nobody in 1990 that was into video/computer games (yes, piracy, I'm aware) would say things like "I haven't gotten to (title) yet," or "I really should play (title)," or even worse "I'm working on (title) right now.  Can't play (other) title until I'm done with that."  All of a sudden, we're casually talking about these things like they're an obligation.  Like they're a chore.  

 

I have all the Doom games on the Switch.  I kind of just want to play Eternal and see what it's all about, but for some reason, I'm making myself play the series all the way through.  I'm on Doom 3.  There's nothing wrong with the game, but I'm not all that into it either; there's no rational reason to force myself to keep playing it other than I got them all in a sale, and if I don't do it, I'll just play the new games and leave this one behind and that feels like a waste.

 

Now, I know I'm not a normal person, but I hear this sentiment from gamers a lot, and have for many years.  This is hardly an experience unique to me.  Maybe you're immune from over-purchasing and choice overload, but that would make you an exceptional fellow.

 

8 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

What is Baby Jail? I’m going to assume you’re a frustrated, sleep deprived new parent and not in some white collar prison for nonviolent financial crimes. If it’s any consolation, things change, you will sleep again, and time has a way of washing out the worst of the memories. It gets easier, or at least different. 

 

It's not that frustrating, and I'm not even that sleep-deprived.  It's just that you spend an enormous amount of time keeping an eye on an immobile baby, so you're not really occupied, but you're not really free to do much of anything, either.  My wife watches a lot of Judge Judy.  My vice is video games and AtariAge.  My other one is 8, so this ain't my first time at the rodeo, but I'm a lot older than I was last time.

 

8 hours ago, Flojomojo said:

Sometimes a weird diamond in the rough like Donut Dodo shines thru the pile of undifferentiated crap, but you’ve got to have enough content to entice someone to get there in the first place. Then have enough installed base to encourage developers to come. 

 

Well, that's the thing; I had no idea it existed until I got a VCS.  I don't know how that happened; I'm the exact target audience for it, and I hang out in enough of the right places that I should have seen this at some point, yet I did not.  I think a lot of more dedicated gamers underestimate how plugged in you need to be to cut through the post-scarcity noise.

 

Like I said, to pull an idea like Amico or VCS off, you can't just build a platform and leave it at that.  Even Nintendo can't do that; they're where they are because they support their platforms on the software side.  I know a Antstream kind of became a punchline for ribbing on the VCS, but that's a really good service.  It's not because of the game library; who cares about that?  You can easily find all that for free.  Instead, it's the tournaments and the challenges.  It's playing a game you already know in a new way, or getting into a game you otherwise would never have touched because of the way it's featured on this platform.  When I had the time to put into it, I was getting so much more enjoyment out of my old Atari consoles when I was doing the HSCs.  Instead of just flipping through 50 cartridges aimlessly and iterating over the same favorites, I was playing stuff I'd never played before, really learning and getting into the games.  I would never have played a game like C'est La Vie on the 800 at all, let alone enough to get any good at it if not for that.

 

That's just one example, but the point is there are ways to revitalize old games without rebuilding them from the ground up.  There are ways to re-present games in different formats and on different platforms that give them more longevity.  If a company built around that, and around a small stable of really high-quality titles, that would make an attractive system if the price was right.  

[MrBeefy]

5 hours ago, MrTrust said:

 

And whether that's a good thing or not depends on your philosophical outlook.  As I've said in another thread, I don't think this is a net positive.  We were effectively in the post-scarcity phase by the end of the 20th century; you could walk into Gamestop on any given day with maybe $40 and a couple of trades, and walk out with an armful of good games, and there was probably more innovation and just as much variety going on then.
 

This ushered in a phase where gamers starting acquiring games at a far faster rate than they were actually playing them.  Nobody in 1990 that was into video/computer games (yes, piracy, I'm aware) would say things like "I haven't gotten to (title) yet," or "I really should play (title)," or even worse "I'm working on (title) right now.  Can't play (other) title until I'm done with that."  All of a sudden, we're casually talking about these things like they're an obligation.  Like they're a chore.  

 

I have all the Doom games on the Switch.  I kind of just want to play Eternal and see what it's all about, but for some reason, I'm making myself play the series all the way through.  I'm on Doom 3.  There's nothing wrong with the game, but I'm not all that into it either; there's no rational reason to force myself to keep playing it other than I got them all in a sale, and if I don't do it, I'll just play the new games and leave this one behind and that feels like a waste.

 

Now, I know I'm not a normal person, but I hear this sentiment from gamers a lot, and have for many years.  This is hardly an experience unique to me.  Maybe you're immune from over-purchasing and choice overload, but that would make you an exceptional fellow.

 

 

It's not that frustrating, and I'm not even that sleep-deprived.  It's just that you spend an enormous amount of time keeping an eye on an immobile baby, so you're not really occupied, but you're not really free to do much of anything, either.  My wife watches a lot of Judge Judy.  My vice is video games and AtariAge.  My other one is 8, so this ain't my first time at the rodeo, but I'm a lot older than I was last time.

 

 

Well, that's the thing; I had no idea it existed until I got a VCS.  I don't know how that happened; I'm the exact target audience for it, and I hang out in enough of the right places that I should have seen this at some point, yet I did not.  I think a lot of more dedicated gamers underestimate how plugged in you need to be to cut through the post-scarcity noise.

 

Like I said, to pull an idea like Amico or VCS off, you can't just build a platform and leave it at that.  Even Nintendo can't do that; they're where they are because they support their platforms on the software side.  I know a Antstream kind of became a punchline for ribbing on the VCS, but that's a really good service.  It's not because of the game library; who cares about that?  You can easily find all that for free.  Instead, it's the tournaments and the challenges.  It's playing a game you already know in a new way, or getting into a game you otherwise would never have touched because of the way it's featured on this platform.  When I had the time to put into it, I was getting so much more enjoyment out of my old Atari consoles when I was doing the HSCs.  Instead of just flipping through 50 cartridges aimlessly and iterating over the same favorites, I was playing stuff I'd never played before, really learning and getting into the games.  I would never have played a game like C'est La Vie on the 800 at all, let alone enough to get any good at it if not for that.

 

That's just one example, but the point is there are ways to revitalize old games without rebuilding them from the ground up.  There are ways to re-present games in different formats and on different platforms that give them more longevity.  If a company built around that, and around a small stable of really high-quality titles, that would make an attractive system if the price was right.  

Sounds like you need some Amicos who work with you in finding those games and share gems that each of you find.

 

 

 

 

Footbath not required.

[roots.genoa]

10 hours ago, MrTrust said:

Well, that's the thing; I had no idea it existed until I got a VCS.  I don't know how that happened; I'm the exact target audience for it, and I hang out in enough of the right places that I should have seen this at some point, yet I did not.  I think a lot of more dedicated gamers underestimate how plugged in you need to be to cut through the post-scarcity noise.

I think checking a video game website every now and then is largely enough. That's how I discovered Donut Dodo, personally.

 

And it's a bit ironic that the press is dying while people complain they have no way of discovering new stuff. 😩

[Bill Loguidice]

I think games are always going to slip through the cracks outside those of us who are gaming news/vintage gaming news enthusiasts, and sometimes even those of us who are (at least for a short time). Donut Dodo had good buzz on Steam and iiRcade, so the fact that one person discovered it on the VCS seems perfectly fine (I think that was among the first platforms with the other two, with Switch later and Evercade most recently). I mean, it's a game that stood out for a reason, so it's not surprising it would be "discovered" again on any of the platforms it was released on. I'm sure the recent monthly release on Evercade was the first exposure to the game for a lot of people as well, despite the game's regard. 

 

I'm still not convinced of the argument of a small, more curated game library versus a massive, less curated one. Strictly as a player, I'd rather take my chances with more and not less, although I do get the whole spoiled by choice thing. I'll never ever play a large percentage of the physical and digital games I own, which is both a first world problem and kind of sad from a gaming standpoint (but not a living a well-rounded life standpoint).