Intellivision Entertainment is celebrating 40 years of Intellivision by releasing a closer glimpse as to what’s to come when the all-new Intellivision Amico console is released.

It was 40 years ago that the very first Intellivision video game console hit store shelves.  By the early 80’s Intellivision owned 20% of the home console market generating over $500 million in yearly revenue with over 1,800 employees worldwide.  Intellivision created and pioneered many “firsts” in the game industry that have now become de facto standards including the first directional pad on a controller (D-pad), the first console to be able to pause a game from the controller, the first spoken voice in a game (Major League Baseball), the first to license professional sports leagues (NFL, NBA, MLB, PGA, NHL, PBA, etc.), the first digital and subscription based system (PlayCable add-on), the first console to also be used as a home computer (Keyboard Component) and physical music learning device (Intellivision Music Synthesizer) as well as creating new genres of gaming such as the first “god / city building” and Real Time Strategy with the game Utopia.

Intellivision intends on keeping their legacy of innovation alive with the release of the brand new Intellivision Amico family gaming system which releases on the 10th of October 2020.

Intellivision CEO Tommy Tallarico stated, “We want to bring the industry back to the core root of gaming.  We believe that it is the unique games that are the most important part of any system as well as the talented developers who create them.  It’s not how fast something can be processed or streamed, it’s not about the complexity of the controls or how realistic the graphics are… but instead, the FUN FACTOR of the games.  I feel that sometimes this sentiment and approach has been lost in modern gaming.  This is what our brand and the upcoming Intellivision Amico console is focused on.  What makes Amico unique is that ALL games will be able to be played with friends and family no matter what the skill level of the player.  Each game will have a single player mode, but the most fun will be experienced when playing with others in the same room, which is reflected in our slogan… ‘Together Again’.  We’re creating something unique, simple and affordable that offers everyone a chance to enjoy gaming entertainment the way it was always and originally meant to be.  Its been said that ‘no news is good news’, we have a different perspective and believe that ‘more news is great news!’”

In celebration of the 40th Anniversary, Intellivision has announced new information for the upcoming Amico system.

Firstly, there will be an interactive Augmented Reality app. This allows the user to point the app at any new Amico logo to see the logo come to life in AR followed by letting the user play a short full screen game demo of Moon Patrol: The Milky Way Chronicles, a new and exclusive reimagining of the Moon Patrol game originally released in 1982 by Irem. Download the AMICO AR app in the Google Play Store or Apple App Store.

Also the first of five pack-in games for Amico is being announced.

Skiing is one of the sports and recreational activities that families love to enjoy together. The original Intellivision Skiing was no exception and was a very popular game among family and friends of all ages. A completely new and reimagined version will be available on board every console.It features up to 8 players, 10 courses and includes 4 player Ski Cross competitive racing.

Overall there will be over 75 unique and exclusive products from developers all over the world are currently in development.

And as a bonus, an original 11 and a half minute never-before-seen Intellivision promotional video from 1978 has been unearthed and is watchable above this post 😀

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Universal Music has released 40: THE BEST OF – 1979-2019, a new compilation album that covers all 40 years of legendary band Simple Minds recording career.

It captures their early experimentation, cross over chart successes, right up to their new imperial phase represented by songs from 2015’s Big Music and last year’s Walk Between Worlds, which was their highest chart success in over 20 years, charting at number 4 in the UK.

Formed in the seventies, and named after a lyric – ‘so simple minded’ – from David Bowie’s seminal 1975 single ‘The Jean Genie’, Simple Minds have become one of the most successful bands ever to come from the UK, selling over 60 million records worldwide, having number one singles on both sides of the Atlantic, and number one albums the world over, including five UK number one albums: Sparkle In The Rain (1984), Once Upon A Time (1985) and Street Fighting Years as well as the concert recording Live In The City Of Light (1987), and the compilation Glittering Prize 81 / 92.

Compiled in conjunction with the band, 40: THE BEST OF presents the very best of Simple Minds extensive catalogue. It is a comprehensive overview of 40 years of one of Britain’s most successful bands, taking in the innovative sheen of ‘Promised You A Miracle’ and ‘Glittering Prize’, the anthemic sweep of ‘Waterfront’ and ‘Sanctify Yourself’, the firebrand strand of Belfast Child and Mandela Day, the colossus that is ‘Don’t You (Forget About Me)’ and ‘Alive & Kicking’, and bringing things right up to date with the inclusion of a new track: a cover of King Creosote’s 2014 Song, ‘For One Night Only.’

‘For One Night Only’ captures Simple Minds unique talent of taking an already fantastic song – as they did with their cover of ‘The Call’s Let the Day Begin’ on 2015’s Big Music album – and injecting its sentiment with added urgency. The result is a clarion call to their fans the world over, which is sure to become a momentous live moment on their 2020 world tour.
The collection is a reminder of one of the most musically diverse and adventurous careers ever in British music, which saw Simple Minds record some of the most beguiling and inventive music of the post-punk period. On songs such as 1979’s ‘Chelsea Girls’ (from the band’s debut album, Life In A Day), and ‘I travel’, ‘Celebrate’ (1980’s Empires and Dance), ‘Love Song’, ‘The American’ (Sons and Fascination / Sister Feelings Call), Simple Minds set the standard for the British alternative scene. 

From 1982 onwards, the band produced some of their most inspiring and wide appealing work. Beginning with their 1982 classic album New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84), with several songs from the album included here, follow up album Sparkle In The Rain (Up On The Catwalk and Speed Your Love to Me), and culminating in two UK number one albums and a number one single: 1985’s Once Upon a Time (represented here by the aforementioned ‘Don’t You Forget About Me,’ ‘Alive and Kicking’ and ‘Sanctify Yourself’) and 1989’s ‘Street Fighting Years,’ and the single ‘Belfast Child.’

Into the nineties Simple Minds continued to release albums and create gems, many of which have grown in stature amongst fans and become staples of their live set. Included here from the period are ‘Let There Be Love,’ ‘See The Lights,’ ‘She’s a River’ and ‘War Babies.’

Over the past 10 years Simple Minds has rekindled the magic that made them a vital artistic force in their early days, found themselves referenced by younger artists and playing to tens of thousands of people every year, all over the world. They have been the recipient of the Q Awards Lifetime Achievement and received universal critical acclaim for their recent albums. 2015’s Big Music was described by MOJO magazine as “their best album in 30 years”, and last year’s Walk Between Worlds was acclaimed across the board and became their most successful album in over two decades, culminating in their largest US tour to date. Two songs are included from each of those albums: ‘Honest Town’ and ‘Blindfolded (Big Music)’, and ‘Sense of Discovery’ and ‘Magic (Walk Between Worlds).’

40: THE BEST OF will be available on a 2-LP Vinyl Edition, single CD and a 40-track digital format. It was remastered at the world-famous Abbey Road studios and has spectacular new art designed by long-time collaborator Stuart Crouch, featuring iconic symbols by Malcolm Garrett which represent the 40 years.

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English pop artist ABC, one of the biggest chart-topping bands of the 1980s, have joined the New Wave Concert Night line-up of NostalgiaCon’s ‘80s Pop Culture Convention September 28th and 29th, 2019 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

Led by lead singer Martin Fry, ABC will perform their greatest hits on Saturday, September 28th, including “Look of Love”, “Poison Arrow”, and “All of My Heart” and will participate in a panel discussing the 1980s Second British Invasion in music. NostalgiaCon’s concerts are open to attendees who have either purchased a one day pass for a designated concert day or who have paid for the show’s two-day pass.

Formed in Sheffield, England in 1980, ABC achieved 10 UK and five US Top 40 hit singles between 1981 and 1990. Their 1982 debut album, The Lexicon of Love, was a UK number-one. ABC’s early 1980s success in the US saw them associated with the Second British Invasion.

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Organizers of NostalgiaCon’s inaugural ‘80’s pop culture convention announced to us here at STG that Mark Goodman, Nina Blackwood and Alan Hunter, three of the iconic, original MTV VJs are joining the show for a weekend reunion that will also include them hosting the event’s two major music night concerts.

Goodman, Blackwood, and Hunter are pop culture royalty to legions of ‘80s kids who saw the world of music, fashion and sometimes film through the tastes, news updates and / or interviews of the MTV VJs. Last week MTV celebrated its 38th anniversary and Goodman himself is the answer to the trivia question everyone has in mind: Who was the first VJ to appear on MTV?

As part of a multi-faceted engagement at NostalgiaCon, the VJs will participate in a retrospective panel about MTV, sign autographs and take pictures with fans, as well as host the two nights of music concerts set for NostalgiaCon: Saturday’s New Wave Night and Sunday’s ‘80s Mixed Tape Night. This year the concerts are part of the all-inclusive one and two-day passes of NostalgiaCon.

NostalgiaCon takes place September 28th and 29th 2019 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

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Today Geffen and UMe continues its celebration for the release of Guns N’ Roses’ forthcoming Appetite For Destruction reissues with the debut of the original, newly discovered video for “IT’S SO EASY” (above).

Filmed live in 1989 at the infamous Cathouse, “IT’S SO EASY” was never completely finished and has remained in the vaults, unseen and unreleased. The footage was recently uncovered for inclusion in the box set and has been digitally restored in 4K UHD from 16mm film transfers with the original conceptual scenes edited back in with the live footage, just as the band had originally intended.

In addition to “IT’S SO EASY,” Geffen and UMe will also officially roll out Guns N’ Roses’ fourteen seminal music videos spanning the band’s career all in newly upgraded 1080p HD pillarbox video. “Welcome To The Jungle,” “Paradise City,” “Patience” and two versions of “Sweet Child O’ Mine” will also feature newly remastered stereo audio.

Following the group’s 1985 formation, Guns N’ Roses injected unbridled attitude into the burgeoning Los Angeles rock scene. They went on to captivate the entire world with the July 21, 1987 release of Appetite For Destruction, which remains the best-selling U.S. debut album ever, moving over 30 million copies globally. Appetite features such indelible tracks such as the No. 1 single “Sweet Child O’ Mine,” “Welcome To The Jungle,” “Nightrain,” and “Paradise City.”

The band’s ongoing success of the ‘Not In This Lifetime’ worldwide tour has elevated it to the 4th spot on the list of the most successful tours in music history, from its first two years alone – with no sign of slowing down. The next leg of the highly successful and anticipated World Tour continues in Europe in June & July 2018 and from what we hear, onto the fall.

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