Intellivision Lives!

Intellivision Lives! is a compilation of over 60 Intellivision video games, originally produced by Mattel Electronics and INTV Corporation between 1978 and 1990. Using original game code and software emulation, Intellivision Productions released the first edition in December 1998[2] on a Windows and Macintosh hybrid CD-ROM. A sequel, Intellivision Rocks, was released in 2001 that includes third-party games originally published by Activision and Imagic as well as Mattel Electronics Intellivoice and ECS games.[3] Versions of Intellivision Lives! were then released for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and Nintendo GameCube by Crave Entertainment. In 2010 Virtual Play Games released a Nintendo DS edition.

Intellivision Lives!
Original cover art for Windows
Developer(s)Intellivision Productions, Carl Mueller Jr, Quicksilver Software
(computers)
Realtime Associates
(consoles and Nintendo DS)
Publisher(s)Intellivision Productions
(computers)
Crave Entertainment
(consoles)
Virtual Play Games
(Nintendo DS)
Platform(s)Windows, Macintosh, Nintendo GameCube, PlayStation 2, Xbox, iPhone, iPad, Nintendo DS
ReleaseWindows/Mac
PlayStation 2
  • NA: November 20, 2003
  • PAL: September 24, 2004
Xbox
  • NA: February 2, 2004
GameCube
  • NA: November 4, 2004
Nintendo DS
  • NA: October 27, 2010
Genre(s)Compilation
Mode(s)Single-player, Multiplayer

Some games could not be included due to licensing (e.g. Tron, Lock 'N' Chase, BurgerTime, Loco-Motion, Mission-X, Masters of the Universe, Pac-Man, Dig Dug, Diner, Pole Position, Commando). Others such as Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Cloudy Mountain and Treasure of Tarmin are working prototype versions to avoid trademarked names. Licenses such as Major League Baseball, NFL, NBA, NHL, NASL, PGA, US Ski Team, PBA, the Electric Company were simply dropped from the titles. Also included were games never before released and made available for the very first time such as King of the Mountain, Brickout, and Takeover.[4]

In addition to the games, the Crave Entertainment editions, have several unlockables such as the classic Intellivision commercials.[5] The original Windows/Mac edition is a resource for development history, unfinished prototypes, box art, overlays, instructions, hidden features, programmer biographies, and video interviews.

Games
List of Available Games by Genres introduced in PlayStation edition
Game Title Genre Notes
Bomb Squad Arcade not on Windows/Mac edition
Buzz Bombers Arcade
Racing Cars Arcade part of Triple Action on Windows/Mac and Nintendo DS editions
Night Stalker Arcade
Pinball Arcade
Shark! Shark! Arcade
SNAFU Arcade
Duncan's Thin Ice Arcade prototype version of originally released Thin Ice cartridge
Vectron Arcade
Armor Battle Combat & Sorcery
Adventure Combat & Sorcery Windows/Mac only, Crown of Kings on Nintendo DS, prototype of originally released ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Cartridge
Minotaur Combat & Sorcery Windows/Mac and Nintendo DS only, prototype of originally released ADVANCED DUNGEONS & DRAGONS Treasure of Tarmin Cartridge
Battle Tanks Combat & Sorcery part of Triple Action on Windows/Mac and Nintendo DS editions
Biplanes Combat & Sorcery part of Triple Action on Windows/Mac and Nintendo DS editions
B-17 Bomber Combat & Sorcery not on Windows/Mac edition
Hover Force Combat & Sorcery
Sea Battle Combat & Sorcery
Sub Hunt Combat & Sorcery
Thunder Castle Combat & Sorcery
Tower of Doom Combat & Sorcery
Utopia Gaming & Strategy
Astrosmash Space
Space Armada Space
Space Battle Space
Space Hawk Space
Space Spartans Space not on Windows/Mac edition
Star Strike Space
Auto Racing Sports requires two controllers for single play
Baseball, Classic Sports Major League Baseball
Baseball, World Championship Sports also known as All-Star Major League Baseball
Basketball, Classic Sports NBA Basketball
Basketball, Super Pro Sports Slam Dunk Super Pro Basketball
Bowling Sports PBA Bowling
Boxing Sports
Track & Field Sports Super Pro Decathlon
Football, Classic Sports NFL Football
Football, Super Pro Sports
Golf, Classic Sports PGA Golf
Golf, Super Pro Sports Chip Shot Super Pro Golf
Hockey, Classic Sports NHL Hockey
Hockey, Super Pro Sports Slap Shot Super Pro Hockey
Motocross Sports
Skiing, Classic Sports US Ski Team Skiing
Skiing, Super Pro Sports Mountain Madness Super Pro Skiing
Soccer Sports NASL Soccer
Stadium Mud Buggies Sports
Tennis Sports
Volleyball Sports Spiker Super Pro Volleyball
Wrestling Sports Body Slam! Super Pro Wrestling
(APBA) Backgammon Gaming & Strategy not on Nintendo DS edition
Checkers Gaming & Strategy
Horse Racing Gaming & Strategy
Las Vegas Poker & Blackjack Gaming & Strategy requires two controllers for single play
Reversi Gaming & Strategy
Las Vegas Roulette Gaming & Strategy
Royal Dealer Gaming & Strategy
USCF Chess Strategy Network only on Windows/Mac edition
Crosswords Kids part of the Electric Company Word Fun on Windows/Mac edition
Frog Bog Kids
Factor Fun Kids part of Learning Fun I on Windows/Mac edition
Math Master Kids the Electric Company Math Fun on Windows/Mac edition
Memory Fun Kids part of Learning Fun II on Windows/Mac edition
Sharp Shot Kids
Word Hunt Kids part of the Electric Company Word Fun on Windows/Mac edition
Word Rockets Kids part of the Electric Company Word Fun on Windows/Mac edition
Blow Out Unreleased only on the Nintendo DS edition (2010), exists on the PlayStation edition but not accessible through the interface
Brickout Unreleased
Deep Pockets: Pool & Billiards Unreleased Realtime Associates[6]
Hard Hat Unreleased
Hypnotic Lights Unreleased not on Nintendo DS edition
King of the Mountain Unreleased only on Windows/Mac edition, lacks sound effects, only mountains 1 and 6 accessible
Land Battle Unreleased only on Windows/Mac edition
Magic Carousel Unreleased not on Windows/Mac edition, first released on Intellivision Rocks in 2001
Number Jumble Unreleased only on Windows/Mac edition
Space Cadet Unreleased only on Windows/Mac and Nintendo DS editions
Takeover Unreleased only on Windows/Mac and Nintendo DS editions
Super Soccer Unreleased only on Windows/Mac edition, prototype of World Cup Soccer
Demo Cartridge not for resale original in-store demonstration cartridge
Air Strike Unfinished only on Windows/Mac edition
Grid Shock Unfinished only on Windows/Mac edition
Meteor Unfinished only on Windows/Mac edition
Crazy Clones demo/proposal only on Windows/Mac edition
Go For the Gold demo/proposal only on Windows/Mac edition
Happy Holidays demo/proposal only on Windows/Mac edition

History and development

In June 1995, former Mattel Electronics programmers led by Keith Robinson started the Blue Sky Rangers Intellivision website.[7] Blue Sky Rangers being a nickname given to the Mattel Electronics programmers in a TV Guide magazine article from the 1982 June 19 issue.[8] The website provides the history of the Intellivsion games and credits the programmers and artists. It was well received with fans asking how the games can be played on their computers. In 1997 Intellivision Productions, Inc. was formed by former Mattel Electronics programmers Keith Robinson and Stephen Roney with the purchase of the rights to the Intellivision and its games.[9][10]

At the same time, a student in Michigan named Carl Mueller Jr. was independently working on reverse engineering the Intellivision. With the help of Intellivision ROM dumps from Sean Kelly and then William Moeller and Scott Nudds, Carl was able to create the first Intellivision emulator that plays the games on a modern computer.[4][11] Sean was fortunate to have two Intellivision prototype cartridges with standard 8-bit EPROMS as opposed to the more complex memory mapped ROMS used by standard cartridges.[12] William and Scott were able to dump the Intellivision embedded executive control software and graphics ROMS, as well as build a cartridge reader to dump any Intellivision cartridge.[13]

Carl's MS-DOS emulator and a Macintosh emulator created by Intellivisions Productions' Steve Roney would be used in the free Intellipack downloads[14] so anyone could play select Intellivision games on their computers for the first time in 1997. The Intellivision for PC/Mac Volume 2 download, also of 1997, was the first release of Deep Pockets Super Pro Billiards, the last game programmed for the Intellivision in 1990 but unreleased by INTV Corporation. They would also be used to play the original Intellivision games in the Intellivision Lives! PC/Mac CD-ROM edition released in 1998 by Intellivision Productions.[4]

PC and Macintosh system requirements

The PC/Mac edition was produced with Macromedia Director and may not be compatible with modern operating systems. The QuickTime videos, emulators, and Intellivision ROM image files are directly accessible on the CD-ROM.

The Intellivision Lives! PC/Mac v1.0 system requirements:[15]

  • PC: Pentium 90 MHz, Windows 95, 8MB RAM, 8x CD-ROM, QuickTime v3.0 or better
  • Mac: Power Macintosh, OS7.5, 100 MHz, 16MB RAM, 8x CD-ROM, QuickTime

The Intellivision Lives! PC/Mac v1.1 system requirements:[4]

  • PC: Pentium 266 MHz, Windows 95/98/Me/2000/XP, 32M RAM, 8X CD-ROM, 16-bit DirectX compatible sound & video cards, DirectX 7 or better, QuickTime v3.0 or better
  • Mac: Power Macintosh, OS 8/9/X, 120 MHz, 32M RAM, 8X CD-ROM, QuickTime

Controller functions are mapped to the computer keyboard; an extended keyboard is required to access both left and right Intellivision controllers. With Macintosh, USB game controllers could be used indirectly with a joystick to keyboard mapper utility. For PC, Intellivision Productions promoted the Gravis GamePad Pro game controller (game port version).[16] The MS-DOS emulator, directly accessible on the CD-ROM, also supported original Intellivision controllers through the INTV2PC Hand Controller Interface. INTV2PC is a parallel port adapter that accepts original Intellivision hand controllers. This feature although not promoted is documented in the INTVPC files on the CD-ROM.[4] Modern intellivision emulators and USB controller adapters have since become available, compatible with the Intellivision Lives rom image files.

To play the games using real Intellivision controllers Intellivision Productions supported the use of a device called the Intellicart.[17] The Intellicart is a RAM cartridge with an RS-232 interface that can accept a copy of an Intellivision ROM image file from a computer. Rather than play the Intellivision Lives! games through an emulator, they can be played on a real Intellivision through an Intellicart. Since that time modern Intellivision flash memory cartridges have been made that achieve the same result.

In 2002 an updated Intellivision Lives! PC/Mac v1.1 was made available by Intellivision Productions. Those that purchased the original could upgrade for a nominal fee.[18] It added Windows 98/ME/2000/XP support with a native Windows emulator supporting DirectX sound, video, and game controllers.[4]

Modern video game consoles

Realtime Associates developed the video game console editions published by Crave Entertainment for PlayStation 2 (2003), Xbox (2004), and Gamecube (2004).[19] In these versions the games are accessed from a 3D "overworld" set in a circa 1980s pizza parlor; an inaccurate representation as the Intellivision games were originally designed for a home console. Games were also re-organised by genres rather than the original Mattel Electronics Networks used in the PC/Mac edition. Some games require two controllers, even to play single player.[20]

In 2010 Virtual Play Games published Intellivision Lives! for the Nintendo DS handheld system, also developed by Realtime Associates. It features wireless, multiplayer support using a single game card.[21] The Nintendo DS's touch screen emulates the Intellivision's 12-button keypad including an overlay image for each game. The Nintendo DS lacks a 16 direction pad used by some Intellivision games. This limitation was overcome, in Vectron for example, by mapping directional inputs to the touch screen. Only 10,000 copies of the Nintendo DS edition were ever released.[22]

The Xbox version of Intellivision Lives! is fully forward compatible with the Xbox 360 console, and in 2008 Intellivision Lives! became available for purchase as a download through Xbox Live Game Marketplace's Xbox Originals.[23]

Intellivision Rocks

Intellivision Rocks is the PC-only sequel to the original PC version of Intellivision Lives!. As with Intellivision Lives!, Intellivision Rocks is a collection of games which were originally found on the Intellivision, presented in emulated form. It mainly features 3rd-party games from Activision and Imagic. In addition, several unreleased games are included.[24]

Reception

IGN said that Intellivision Lives! is "still blocky after all these years, sure...but these games really need the controller."[27] GameSpot editors said that although the controller emulation is a little hard to handle, the collection does a fine job in delivering classic Intellivision games.[25]

References
  1. "Official Intellivision Classic Videogame Website - Main Page". Intellivision Productions. Archived from the original on January 25, 1999. Retrieved October 16, 2019.
    News 12/18/98: "CD-ROM available now!"
  2. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116045349/http://www.intellivisionlives.com/history.php
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116045349/http://www.intellivisionlives.com/retrotopia/rocks.shtml
  4. "Intellivision Lives! PC/Mac". Intellivision Productions. Archived from the original on 2018-01-16.
  5. Curtiss, Aaron (3 May 1999). "Want to Visit--or Revisit--the Early 1980s? You Can". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 4 November 2016.
  6. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116045349/http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/games/credits/intv4.shtml#pool
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 1999-01-25. Retrieved 2010-10-27.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116045349/http://intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/people/tvguide.html
  9. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116045349/http://intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/history.shtml
  10. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116045349/http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/people/askhal/askhal.html#A5
  11. Kelly, Sean. "Intellivision". Digital Press.
  12. "Prototype Stuff".
  13. "many many thanks". jzIntv.
  14. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116045349/http://www.intellivisionlives.com/download.shtml
  15. "Intellivision Brasil".
  16. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116045349/http://www.intellivisionlives.com/faq/support.shtml#15
  17. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116045349/http://www.intellivisionlives.com/bluesky/people/askhal/askhal.html#1
  18. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116045349/http://www.intellivisionlives.com/faq/support.shtml#Anchor-WILL-17521
  19. "Intellivision Lives! (Game)".
  20. https://web.archive.org/web/20180116045349/http://www.intellivisionlives.com/retrotopia/ps2xbox.shtml
  21. "Intellivision Lives!". 19 December 2011.
  22. "Intellivision Really Lives".
  23. "Intellivision Lives!".
  24. "intellivisionlives.com". Retrieved 2010-10-27. |archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)
  25. Tracy, Tim (2004-02-09). "Intellivision Lives! Review". GameSpot. Retrieved 2010-03-20.
  26. Harris, Craig (2003-11-18). "Intellivision Lives! Review". IGN. Retrieved 2003-11-18.
  27. IGNPS2 (2003-11-18). "Intellivision Lives! Review". IGN. Retrieved 2010-03-19.
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