- Mattel had it going on when they first came out with the
Intellivision system. It had far superior graphics than that of
the 2600 VCS, better sound, and even a graphics chip so that you
didn't have to redraw the screen every 60 cycles per second with
your asm code. During this period they had games grouped into
specific "Networks" so to speak, and their Sports Network
was just amazing. I remember comparing Activision Skiing to
Mattel's Skiing and wondering where I had been all those months.
(Not to knock Activision's skiing, but it's kind of lame)
Catalog #1:
Mattel Intellivision Catalog from 1982
This is probably the standard catalog you got from Mattel with
your games during this period. Reviews of most of their initial
line of games, plus some decent reviews of games to come within
the next year or so. Personally, I think that Mattel hyped their
games better than any other company did during that time. It seems
to me that the programmers there at Mattel were more of a family
than others elsewhere, and this may have contributed. Of course,
we're talking about the Blue Sky Rangers here, too.
The manual art is pretty good, too, check it out!
Click on the thumbnail for the full image:
The Mattel catalog's cover and back cover.
The Intellivision had been out for a little while and Mattel
came out with the Intellivoice, which would make it speak.
The Blue Sky Rangers go over this in great detail on their site,
but I'll just show you the pictures and the hype.
Astrosmash, Star Strike, Space Battle
Space Hawk, Space Armada, Night Stalker
Tron Deadly Discs, Tron II, Lock -n- Chase
Tron II was released as Tron: Maze-A-Tron
Sub Hunt, Sea Battle, Armor Battle, AD&D
Snafu, Frog Bog, Triple Action
NFL Football, NHL Hockey, Major League Baseball
NBA Basketball, PBA Bowling, NASL Soccer
Tennis, PGA Golf, US Ski Team Skiing
Boxing, Auto Racing, USCF Chess
Utopia, Reversi, Royal Dealer
ABPA Backgammon, Checkers, Horse Racing, Las Vegas
Roulette/Poker and Blackjack
The Electric Company Math Fun, The Electric Company
Word Fun.
The last page is a form to enter the Intellivision Official
Game Club. Like other clubs, it cost like $2 and got you very cool
newsletters and game offers.
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