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Space Battle: The Mattel Intellivision and the First Console War
From the tense foreboding of Night Stalker to the competitive thrill of NFL Football, Mattel’s Intellivision rocketed into homes across the U.S. in the early 1980s and transformed video gaming. It packed superb arcade action and thrilling family entertainment into one 16-bit system with the industry’s first voice synthesis and controls unlike any other console. Combined with truly terrific games, the Intellivision seriously challenged Atari at the top of the video game market.In Space The Mattel Intellivision and the First Console War, video game historian Jamie Lendino charts Mattel’s fascinating but ill-fated foray into Intelligent Television. He examines the system’s surprise history; reviews more than 60 of its most dynamic and groundbreaking games; and explores how its legacy continues today in new titles, updated hardware, and a thriving enthusiast community collecting and modding the system in ways Mattel never could have imagined.The more you learn about the Intellivision, the more you’ll agree with George Plimpton that the Intellivision was the closest thing to the real thing.
284 pages, Paperback
Published January 3, 2024
9 people are currently reading
16 people want to read
About the author
Jamie Lendino
7 books7 followersJamie Lendino is an author, editor, mix engineer, and technology enthusiast. He writes books about old computers and video games, and what it was like to experience them when new. Jamie has written for PCMag, ExtremeTech, Popular Science, Electronic Musician, Consumer Reports, Sound and Vision, and CNET. He has also appeared on CNBC, NPR’s All Things Considered, and other television and radio programs across the United States. Jamie lives with his wife, daughter, and two bonkers cats in Collingswood, New Jersey.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 2, 2025
I still have mine. I have more than 70 games, and I take them out occasionally and play them. Yes, I was an Intellivision kid.
Like many kids of the late 1970s and early 1980s, I was an Atari 2600 kid first, then an Intellivision kid. In those days we did not really think about the comparisons; it really came down to which "toy" you wanted to play with at the time. Atari had River Raid (so did Intellivision, but I never knew that), Pitfall!, Adventure and Haunted House; Intellivision had obviously superior sports games plus two Advanced Dungeons & Dragons titles. We were awash in a world of cartridges and options. We had no idea how far video gaming would go, or the places it would take us. Just getting through those mountains on the first AD&D game and claiming the final treasure was enough of an adventure for us. It had to be. You couldn't save your game in those days.
Jamie Lendino was one of those kids, too. He, like me, came of age just as the first home consoles did, so many of the game reviews he provides in this book are derived directly from his childhood experiences. And I believe him. I still remember the emotions, the rushes, the crushing defeats forty years later. He didn't just use memories, though, he collected games over the past few years and played them again and again. Now that's my kind of research.
As usual with his titles, he provides in-depth histories of specific games, introducing, sometimes providing quotes from, the developers themselves. He talks about game strategies, controls, and offers opinions on where the games rank in the console's history. He intersperses other important moments in the console's history among the game reviews: ancillary product releases (e.g., the Intellivoice), industry trends, and more.
The "console war" was between the 2600 and the Intellivision, and in many ways, there was no competition. For me, though the Intellivision games and the experiences they provided were superior, I hated the controller. While it provided many more options for play, it was uncomfortable to use. And yet, the Intellivision lasted a remarkable 11 years and was still around long after the 2600 had disappeared. It even survived the initial onslaught of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), though not much beyond that.
If you were an Intellivision kid, you'll love this book. Each game is illustrated by a screenshot, and most of the time they bring back instant memories. In many cases, my reaction was, "That's exactly how I remember it!" In some cases it was, "Oh my god, I had totally forgotten that game." In a few, I said, "Hm, maybe I should try to find that game."
As I said, I still have my console and play it from time to time.
I was an Intellivision kid.
Like many kids of the late 1970s and early 1980s, I was an Atari 2600 kid first, then an Intellivision kid. In those days we did not really think about the comparisons; it really came down to which "toy" you wanted to play with at the time. Atari had River Raid (so did Intellivision, but I never knew that), Pitfall!, Adventure and Haunted House; Intellivision had obviously superior sports games plus two Advanced Dungeons & Dragons titles. We were awash in a world of cartridges and options. We had no idea how far video gaming would go, or the places it would take us. Just getting through those mountains on the first AD&D game and claiming the final treasure was enough of an adventure for us. It had to be. You couldn't save your game in those days.
Jamie Lendino was one of those kids, too. He, like me, came of age just as the first home consoles did, so many of the game reviews he provides in this book are derived directly from his childhood experiences. And I believe him. I still remember the emotions, the rushes, the crushing defeats forty years later. He didn't just use memories, though, he collected games over the past few years and played them again and again. Now that's my kind of research.
As usual with his titles, he provides in-depth histories of specific games, introducing, sometimes providing quotes from, the developers themselves. He talks about game strategies, controls, and offers opinions on where the games rank in the console's history. He intersperses other important moments in the console's history among the game reviews: ancillary product releases (e.g., the Intellivoice), industry trends, and more.
The "console war" was between the 2600 and the Intellivision, and in many ways, there was no competition. For me, though the Intellivision games and the experiences they provided were superior, I hated the controller. While it provided many more options for play, it was uncomfortable to use. And yet, the Intellivision lasted a remarkable 11 years and was still around long after the 2600 had disappeared. It even survived the initial onslaught of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), though not much beyond that.
If you were an Intellivision kid, you'll love this book. Each game is illustrated by a screenshot, and most of the time they bring back instant memories. In many cases, my reaction was, "That's exactly how I remember it!" In some cases it was, "Oh my god, I had totally forgotten that game." In a few, I said, "Hm, maybe I should try to find that game."
As I said, I still have my console and play it from time to time.
I was an Intellivision kid.
March 13, 2024
This is my 4th or 5th Lendino book and he delivers the nostalgic goods as always. As someone who grew up with Intellivision, it was a trip down memory lane reading about the history of the system and the spotlight on all of the most popular and groundbreaking titles. His love of the subject shines through his writing and you can tell that this was as fun for him to write as it is for us to read.
My only knock is that the books are geared more towards hardcore gamers. For example, my sister loved the Intellivision but I doubt that she’d be able to make it past the paragraphs of system and game specs. However, most people who actively seek out a book about Intellivision shouldn’t have that problem:)
My only knock is that the books are geared more towards hardcore gamers. For example, my sister loved the Intellivision but I doubt that she’d be able to make it past the paragraphs of system and game specs. However, most people who actively seek out a book about Intellivision shouldn’t have that problem:)
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews