As Intellivision announced a delay of their Amico console into 2021, they also announced the launch lineup of games, including a sneak peek at the upcoming Earthworm Jim 4. Tommy Tallarico became the president of a reformed Intellivision Entertainment in May 2018, announcing their intentions to revive the 80s console as a new system built for families and casual players. The Amico's feature-rich controllers combine touch screens and motion controls with buttons and the dial imported straight from Mattel's original design. Funded through a wide preorder campaign and Fig investments, the console will cost consumers $250 at launch.
Games on the system will range from retro remakes to 2D games that might fit in with an older era, and the company has stated that all releases for the Amico will be exclusive to the platform. Six games will come preloaded on the system, including Intellivision Skiing and a game based on the American Cornhole League. Forty additional titles will be available for purchase at launch, with a new game coming out every ten days after that. In addition to being exclusive, all Amico games will hit an E or E10+ rating in America and feature some sort of support for local multiplayer.
During today's presentation, Tommy Tallarico went through a good chunk of the launch lineup, but Earthworm Jim 4 was saved for last. There was a brief shot of a beach that revealed the new style for the game. The graphics look similar to the 16-bit originals, just more defined and a bit more colorful, using a drawn style rather than pixel art. Jim leaps out of the water with his worm head still hiding in his "shell", before popping out and walking along the beach with a familiar cadence. The game is scheduled for after the console's launch, so there will be plenty more to see as time goes on.
Other games revealed during the hour and a half long press conference include a motorcycle game based on the career of Evel Knievel, a licensed Hot Wheels racer, and multiple games for children featuring the gang from Sesame Street. All the news about games was surrounded by a bit of bad news, as the global pandemic has delayed the console's originally scheduled launch on October 10 (or 10/10/2020). The console now has a new planned launch on April 15 of 2021, with those who've already preordered getting it on April 3 (or 4/3/21).
The initial pitch for Amico has not gained much traction in the world of gaming, even with exclusives to beloved franchises like Earthworm Jim 4. That's probably A-OK in the long run, as Amico is not really designed for those who complete Destiny raids solo and argue about which next-gen console will run things better on a 4K TV. Gaming is a big enough industry to house all sorts of markets, and the same players who made Nintendo's Wii a smash success haven't really been catered to in quite some time. Much like Nintendo's dominance of what was once the portable market, Amico hopes to carve out its own niche and provide another outlet for smaller games and innovative controls to shine.
Source: Intellivision