Bill Loguidice's Blog, page 17

Intellivision Entertainment and Amico – Finally an update and more IP sold!

As an Amico console Founder’s Edition backer, I was among those privy to an 11PM EDT email on Monday, May 22, 2023, from Phil Adam, CEO of Intellivision Entertainment. I’ll post the email below for posterity, but essentially it indicated the hardships the company has gone through in the past 18 months and how they’re going to primarily focus on IP and publishing games, with the hope that they’ll eventually be able to release the Amico console, which had its first of several set launch dates back in October of 2020.

This, of course, was no surprise to anyone following the Amico saga. It was clear the company had mismanaged its funds and was mismanaged in general, leading to Tommy Tallarico stepping down as CEO in early 2022 and going silent on the project after several embarrassing run-ins with the public. Between the first public announcements in May 2018 to now, several new platforms, including consoles and handhelds, have been released, which makes the Amico issues and all of the funds raised from various sources – including Founder’s Edition consoles and the infamous empty game boxes (which I sadly have as well) – all the more frustrating.

A little before this new announcement, Intellivision Entertainment sold off their M Network game properties to the current version of Atari, who, for all their own issues, seems to be on a far better path, acquiring quite a few new classic IP and actually having released a new console, the VCS. (And again, despite the VCS predictably not selling well, credit where credit is due for not only releasing it, but continuing to support it.)

Shortly after this new announcement, BBG Entertainment acquired two of Intellivision Entertainment’s most valuable IP in ASTROSMASH and SHARK! SHARK!. However, as quoted from the press release: “…any preexisting activations of the original versions of ASTROSMASH® and SHARK! SHARK! as well as any versions for future platforms from Intellivision®.” So basically anything that’s already been licensed out, like the two Intellivision collections on Evercade, Intellivision Entertainment will still get whatever is still coming to them (and more importantly, Evercade doesn’t have to stop selling the cartridges), and obviously, the Amico or (ahem) any other console Intellivision Entertainment may put out in the future can still feature those games.

What I find most fascinating about this is that there are essentially three owners for ASTROSMASH in one form or another: Atari, BBG, and Intellivision. Quite unusual to say the least.

Anyway, the big takeaway from the first public Intellivision Entertainment announcement in more than a year (!) is that they still hope to keep working on and possibly releasing the Amico console, but it’s not at the top of their stated list and they don’t have the resources at the moment to push it forward. What’s at the top of the list is to release their games and possibly controllers for mobile (“Amico Home”). Presumably, this is a strategy to maintain positive cash flow, although we well know how competitive the mobile market is and how big of an ask entering that market and generating income is. Same thing for all of the other existing platforms.

What those of us who contributed to the Founder’s Edition will supposedly get (hopefully bonus points for those of us who also got the game boxes) is some type of priority access in the “Amico Club.”

Honestly, unless those of us who already gave them money will get free digital games of somewhat equivalent value as part of the Amico Club, I don’t think much of the priority access or discounts. I’m certainly not going to give them more money for anything until I get the console and games I already paid for. I know, however, that a handful of others feel differently as the Amico does have a small, but motivated group of superfans even after all that has happened.

More importantly, it’s clear that the console is not coming out in 2023, pushing us ever further past the first target launch date of October 10, 2020. Assuming a miracle happens and Amico Home and Amico Club do well and they generate steady revenue, the earliest I can see that creating enough of a cushion for a console release (manufacturing, shipping, spares, support, hosting the game store, etc.) would be some time in 2025, even if it were a modest run of 5,000 units.

Of course, the Amico would have already been technically dated on its initial launch date, let alone all of those years later, but since its essentially an Android-based box, presumably they can at least upgrade the processor should it ever reach that point. The main appeal of the console was its unusual screen-based controllers and focus on local multiplayer, so potentially, that can still have some appeal even a few years from now along with some internal tweaks. But frankly, if the console and games haven’t been finished nearly three years past the initial target launch date, there can’t be much optimism that having more time will improve the situation.

Here’s the official email:

The last 18 months, since becoming the CEO, has been an extremely difficult time for the Intellivision business. A long list of disappointments from both inside and outside of the company had to be taken head on. During this time we laid off a large portion of our staff, restructured our management team, and began the process of reevaluating every aspect of the business, which included the path that lay ahead for Intellivision.

What we have distilled down from countless hours of self assessment is that we are, or more accurately, wish to be, in the business of creating a living room experience that brings people of various ages together in group play. It is the experience between people, sitting in the same room, that will be our primary measure of success. This, first and foremost, comes from offering great content.

As an entertainment business, we realize that creating great content requires world class partners and a focus on strategies where we can effectively achieve the necessary level of excellence to succeed. To this end, we will be announcing a string of new partnerships that will not only help bring fun and innovative content that captures the Amico experience, but also bolsters and celebrates our content’s appeal by (1) licensing our IP to development partners who have product pedigrees that are creatively aligned and best poised to bring something great to market, (2) leveraging our IP in ways that ensures delivery on Amico but additionally expands our content to entirely new audiences Intellivision would otherwise be unable to reach and (3) acquiring new IP that embodies Amico and fits our strategic focus. This will include licensing IP for other platforms where it makes sense to do so.

Our commitment to delivering a unique and innovative platform that brings people together has not wavered. What has changed is our philosophy on how to deliver that experience. The business environment is quite different from what it was in 2018 when the original Intellivision business plan was put together. We cannot solely be dependent on a traditional hardware console business model. The cost and time to scale such a business is too great. We must be more creative in how we deploy our intended entertainment experience – not only delivering a better experience for our customers, but also reducing the time and cost to scale the business.

We want to assure our fans that shipping a console remains a part of our product strategy. The development and hands-on testing of our pilot units have been a successful step forward. As a testament of this progress, we are pleased to share with you this video of a father and son playing Shark! Shark! on one of the pilot units in their home!

As part of our expanded strategy, we also plan to bring the Amico experience to other hardware platforms, starting with mobile devices, under the name Amico Home. Amico Home will dramatically reduce the hardware footprint needed to enjoy Amico games and provide more developers the opportunity to explore the creative potential of in-room multiplayer games with our innovative physical and smartphone controllers. This broadening of the talent pool will bring new ideas and gaming that will shape the future of Intellivision and our place in the market.

We are excited for this future and what it means for bringing the Amico experience to the public. Those who supported Intellivision early on helped set the foundation for all that we have been able to achieve, and we are truly thankful to you all. In the coming weeks, those that have maintained a deposit will be able to sign in and verify their spot on the priority list (Amico Club List). The Amico Club List will be used as the primary mechanism to prioritize access to special products, early access to new games and other unique offers. More details to follow.

Again, we thank you for your patience and support as we chart a new course for Intellivision and establish our own unique position in the vast and vibrant video game industry.

Phil Adam, CEO

Intellivision Update May 2023

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Get Amazing Roguelike Deckbuilders and Co-Op and Competitive Multiplayer Games with these two bundles!

Play your cards right… (click here for the bundle options!)

…and you might just survive these ace roguelike deckbuilding games! Balance your hand, momentum, and positioning in the stylish action-movie inspired Fights in Tight Spaces. Use strategy to survive the gladiator pits of Alina of the Arena. Hit the jackpot to pay your rent (and topple capitalism in the process) in Luck Be a Landlord. Explore the cursed island of Avalon in the RPG hybrid Tainted Grail: Conquest. Get a collection of challenging card-driven games to return to again and again, and help support Save the Children and your choice of charity!

Then, pay what you (link here!) want for unbeatable co-op and competitive multiplayer games including Destiny 2: Beyond Light, Midnight Ghost Hunt, Northgard, Borderlands 3 Super Deluxe Edition, and more.

May Multiplayer Madness Game Bundle

You can always check out the most recent Humble Bundle offers here and here.

The post Get Amazing Roguelike Deckbuilders and Co-Op and Competitive Multiplayer Games with these two bundles! appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Mobile Game Review – Taxi Run

This review was originally written in 2021. It is reproduced here with no edits.

PROS:

Makes great use of the touchscreenEasy portrait-oriented gameplayClean visualsFast and fun gameplay

CONS:

Frequent ads in the free versionMediocre sound designLevels can sometimes feel too short

Apple App Store (review platform) | Google Play

Sega wowed both the arcade and console worlds with their popular Crazy Taxi series, which began in 1999. Often copied, but rarely matched, Crazy Taxi set the standard for stylish, over-the-top score attack racing video games. While gamers on iOS can enjoy a great mobile port of the original game with Crazy Taxi Classic, there’s a lot of additional mileage you can get out of the basic concept of throwing out traditional road rules and getting passengers from point A to point B in the fastest possible time.

Taxi Run keeps the wacky theme of its inspiration, setting play in a nice looking, colorful, and blocky 3D world filled with obstacles. However, instead of worrying about finding the best path, Taxi Run takes mobile gaming control limitations into consideration and simplifies play down to a single tap.

Although the game is conceptually an endless runner, it gives the player more direct control than those types of games typically offer. Instead of being focused on swipe-based obstacle avoidance, Taxi Run focuses on stop and go action.  It’s a subtle, but important, distinction, and helps elevate this game above the typical entry in the bloated endless runner genre.

Taxi Run (iOS)

To play, simply tap and hold to get your taxi moving, then remove your finger to stop. You’ll need to dodge other vehicles, dash between speeding trains, collect coins and keys, and more, by getting your timing just right. This can prove quite the task because once you get your taxi moving, the game’s speed doesn’t let up until you react, which can be a real test of your reflexes.

As you would expect, there’s plenty to discover, uncover, and unlock, including tons of additional cars with different attributes. The free version of the game is fully playable, but does feature loot boxes, and does run regular ads. Fortunately, ad removal is inexpensive at $1.99 USD, and gives you three storage containers, which normally cost 1,000 of the game’s currency. You can of course also choose to watch ads to get in-game currency should you prefer that option.

While the visuals are pleasing in their own cartoony way, the sound design is fairly pedestrian. You’ll hear basic car engine and coin collecting sounds more often than you’ll probably like.

Despite some rough spots, Taxi Run does a great job of capturing both the basic spirit of Crazy Taxi and the fun of endless runners without slavishly copying either. It’s a fast, fun game that’s especially great for quick play sessions, with enough to unlock and collect to keep you coming back longer term. 

Score: 4 (out of 5)

The post Mobile Game Review – Taxi Run appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

New low price for seamless Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X and S

If you’re like me, you’re already running low on internal Xbox Series X storage thanks to all of the great Xbox Game Pass games. Unfortunately, the only way to add seamless storage, meaning storage that’s exactly the same speed as internal storage and actually plugs right into the expansion bay on the Xbox Series X or S, is to get the proprietary storage expansion card.

Fortunately, the Seagate Storage Expansion card (NVMe SSD) is 32% off the usual price for the 1TB option and 30% off for the 2TB option. It’s still not exactly cheap, but it’s a far better price than it’s been. Check both of them out on Amazon here.

Seagate Storage Expansion Card for Xbox Series X|S 1TBand 2TB Solid State Drives – NVMe Expansion SSDs (STJR1000400)

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New collectible reproduction PCBs for classic Atari arcade games now available!

Classic arcade machine restorers, collectors, and unique art enthusiasts can rejoice as Atari has partnered with Retro Arcade to create high-quality authentic replica arcade machine PCBs for Black Widow, Gravitar, and Major Havoc.

These authentic, artistic, and limited edition reproductions are officially licensed 11.5 x 20.75-inch creations based on the original board sets and are considered a new PCB revision. The collectible boards use the original bill of materials, follow the original schematics, and can be used to replace damaged original boards by using the original parts from these boards. Hopefully, some talented individuals can do exactly that!

Major Havoc PCB: Revision D Gravitar PCB: Revision C Black Widow PCB: Revision A

The post New collectible reproduction PCBs for classic Atari arcade games now available! appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Mobile Game Review – Wasteland Lords

This review was originally written in 2021. It is reproduced here with no edits.

PROS:

Deep strategic gameplayIntuitive interface makes the large number of options more accessiblePVE and multiplayer event options

CONS:

Steep initial learning curveSetting is unoriginalVisuals are inconsistentNot fully optimized for all screens, with some outer interface elements partially cut-offPlayers can pay to power up

Apple App Store | Google Play (note that as of November 21, 2021, Wasteland Lords was discontinued and is no longer available; this review is posted for historical purposes)

X.D. Global’s Wasteland Lords is nothing if not shy about borrowing elements from popular post-apocalyptic mixed media predecessors. Whether it’s part of the title and post-nuclear war setting of the classic Wasteland computer role playing game series that was first released in 1988 and is still going strong today with Wasteland 3 (2020), or the over-the-top mutant gangs from the fourth installment in the Mad Max movie franchise, Mad Max: Fury Road (2015), Wasteland Lords is anything but original. However, as any gamer worth their salt knows, it’s all in the play, and that’s where this game really shows its value.

Wasteland Lords

You have been appointed as one of the leaders of the shelters scattered across the radiated desert wasteland. You need to protect your people, explore, develop new technologies and buildings, and survive in a wasteland filled with mutants.

The main strategic element of the game is to build and manage your own underground shelter with barracks, canneries, production facilities, storage, laboratories, weapons, and much more. It’s from this shelter that you can explore the surrounding wasteland and plan your strategies to lead your troops and mecha into battle, as well as conquer other shelters.

Wasteland Lords

The interface is packed with stats and animated views of the latest components of your base and various upgrade queues. It’s a lot to take in, but is presented thoughtfully, with new information well highlighted and just a tap away to access. Even with a good interface, however, the amount of options can be overwhelming for new players, so this is a game you’ll need to invest considerable amounts of time in to get the most out of the experience it offers.

Visually, the game mixes cartoonish and realistic styles in an inconsistent manner. While the menu items and overall user interface is clear and functional, some of the more comical character graphics, for instance, feel out of place. The uninspired sound design is a similar mixed bag, with bog standard sound effects and music.

Wasteland Lords

If you’re looking for a deep strategy game, Wasteland Lords delivers either as a solo experience or with its event-based multiplayer. The only downside with multiplayer is that other players can pay to power up for $0.99 – $99.99 USD per item, which can create imbalances. Nevertheless, there are enough Player Versus Environment (PVE) events in-game to help offset any multiplayer setbacks you might experience.

Score: 4 (out of 5)

The post Mobile Game Review – Wasteland Lords appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Master ChatGPT, AI chatbots, and more with these book bundles

Read up on conversational AI and so much more with one of these value-packed book bundles, available here.

Explore the cutting-edge world of ChatGPT and generative AI with this ebook bundle—ideal for software developers, product managers, and everyone interested in the potential of this transformational technology. Get an understanding of GPT-3, and learn to build chatbots with Rasa. Train your skills in Python, and try your hand at projects for Amazon Alexa. Deepen your AI knowledge, and help support Code for America with your purchase!

Conversational AI is a hot topic now and will form the basis of a more interesting future in exploring the possibilities of artificial intelligence

You can always check out the most recent Humble Bundle offers here and here.

The post Master ChatGPT, AI chatbots, and more with these book bundles appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Return to the world of Dungeons & Dragons with these comic collections

The tabletop legend gets the comic treatment. Choose from one of three great bundle options here.

Thanks to our pals at IDW Publishing, you can jump headlong into the world of Dungeons & Dragons no matter how poorly you roll your acrobatics check! Comic geniuses like Jim Zub, AJ Mendez, Sal Buscema, Rags Morales, Andrea Di Vito, Jan Duursema and countless others come together to tell the story of the heroes of Baldur’s Gate as they journey across Icewind Dale and other regions across the Forgotten Realms. With books like Dungeons & Dragons: At the Spine of the World, Dungeons & Dragons: Mindbreaker, Dungeons & Dragons: Legends of Baldur’s Gate, and two dozen others, you won’t want to miss this collection of adventures! Plus, your purchase goes on to support the Hasbro Foundation!

Great comic creations like Legends of Baldur’s Gate await!

You can always check out the most recent Humble Bundle offers here and here.

The post Return to the world of Dungeons & Dragons with these comic collections appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Get your choice of 90s-style FPS shooters in one of three bundles for PC Steam

Frag to the future with one of these three great bundle options, available here.

The spirit of ’90s FPSes lives again in this new collection of modern-era, retro-styled Boomer Shooters! Bring in a harvest of guts and gold in the rogue-lite looter shooter Nightmare Reaper. Take on the megacorps of the cyberpunk Deadlink. Confront the cosmic terrors of the Lovecraft-inspired Forgive Me Father. Hunt heretics and horrors as you solve the puzzling mysteries of Graven. Plus, your purchase helps support buildOn!

There are a variety of FPS styles in the bundle options.

You can always check out the most recent Humble Bundle offers here and here.

The post Get your choice of 90s-style FPS shooters in one of three bundles for PC Steam appeared first on Armchair Arcade.

Explore the legends and lore of Blizzard’s Diablo, StarCraft, and World of Warcraft!

An epic library of World of Warcraft, StarCraft, and Diablo fiction can be found with the bundle options available here.

Explore the stories and heroes that shaped your favorite Blizzard Entertainment worlds in this new bundle of novels, manga, and more fiction! Discover how the eternal conflict between the High Heavens and the Burning Hells changed the destiny of man in Diablo: The Sin War. Journey to the ruined orc homeworld of Draenor in World of Warcraft: Beyond the Dark Portal. Delve into StarCraft: Devil’s Due, Diablo: The Order, and more, and help support the Call of Duty Endowment with your purchase.

Get ready for Diablo IV with these bundle options!

You can always check out the most recent Humble Bundle offers here and here.

The post Explore the legends and lore of Blizzard’s Diablo, StarCraft, and World of Warcraft! appeared first on Armchair Arcade.