Both Microsoft and Sony are set to release a new console this Winter. To say I don’t care is an understatement. There is a console that I am really looking forward to playing and it is a new iteration of something from many years ago. I’m talking about the Intellivision Amico. Personally, I play my PlayStation 4 (PS4) less and less these days.
Games are so complicated today and require so many hours to fully immerse oneself, in an elaborate, story-driven game. For a family man, playing these games can be isolating. Many times, I have spent playing games and I feel guilty for not spending time with the family. In an interview with Tommy Tallarico, who is the CEO of Intellivision, he said, and I quote, “We’re not selling guilt!” It was an off-the-cuff moment because he expressed what many of us older gamers have come to live. We have other obligations in our current stage of life. We can’t tie ourselves to a game that requires an extensive commitment to play, once. After beating the game, then what?
With the Amico, the focus is on “couch co-op,” so families can play together…and the families that play together, stay together. The games are geared towards all generations, in a very Wii-like concept. Personally, I have fond memories with the original Intellivision, which was originally test marketed in 1979 and officially released in 1980. It was the first 16-bit console, although it paled in comparison to the Sega Genesis, Super NES, or NeoGeo. It was a different world back then. Al Gore hadn’t invented the Internet (I say that tongue and cheek!) yet and the only way to communicate with people, outside of direct contact was by REAL-mail or phone. If we played a game together, we were in the same room and talking…to each other. My earliest memories of gaming were with my grandmother on the original Intellivision.
Putting nostalgia aside, as stated earlier, games have become more similar to a big-budget blockbuster movie than the type of game, I grew up with. I enjoyed these games most before I had kids. With the family, I prefer smaller, basic, and most importantly, family-friendly games. We have Monopoly on the Switch and it is a game that every member of the family can play. The Amico is going to focus on that type of gameplay. Well, sign me up!
…But what if the Amico fails? Well, judging by how expensive the mini-consoles are getting (the TurboGrafx 16 Mini was $100), I look at it like this; the Intellivision Amico can be considered a player-curated “Amico Classic.” To end on a positive note; I don’t think it will fail. The team has many strong members who are talented and competent. The Amico will be available this October!
