Gamasutra has just posted the fifth of six entries from me and Matt Barton in the "A History of Gaming Platforms" series, this time on the Mattel Intellivision, here. This was one of my favorite entries to write in the book this series is based off of, so I hope that you enjoy it as much as I did writing it. As a bonus, I've included here on Armchair Arcade the additional captions and images that Gamasutra chose not to include (I think I again improved image quality - by the way, those screenshots are DIRECT video captures straight from an Intellivision II, NOT from an emulator, and everything else of course is also straight from my personal collection). The next and presumably final entry will be on the Atari 8-bit. Enjoy and I'd love to hear some feedback, as I think it ranks right up there with the best overall articles ever written on platform (said with all due modesty and respect, of course ;-) ).

The unused images and all the captions (used and unused):

Hey, guys, just a heads-up, the second article in the series from the book, this one on the GCE/Milton Bradley Vectrex, has been posted by Gamasutra: http://www.gamasutra.com/view/feature/3117/a_history_of_gaming_platforms...

If you're interested, as a special bonus, here are four images they chose not to include in the article:

The music of Kraftwerk performed on 8-bit video game systems.

It really does. And provides a wonderful excuse for a lame pun. And a wonderful excuse to post something here. Sometimes I start writing and it surprises me that sometimes others are willing to pay for something that comes out of these fingers. (The thoughts don't stay in my mind too long.

Do you like reading Armchair Arcade retro feature articles, loaded with hard-to-find information and first-hand experience? Do you get giddy reading articles that you know only a truly dedicated (some might say obsessed!) retrogamer could ever dream to write? Do you say "AMEN" when you see something in our articles that you know you would never read elsewhere, because those other youngster "critics" have never actually played the games they attempt to write about? If so, keep your eye on this site this weekend. Better yet, just open the site and leave it up! I'm rolling out what I honestly think is my best-ever article, period! In fact, it's going to be so monstrous, so gargantuan, I'm scared I'll never be able to top it! Keep your eyes peeled, because this beast of a mega-article is hitting this site this Saturday. Be warned, though--the traffic might be so thick it might be Monday before you can login to this site to grab it yourself!

When I first heard of the Wii wrist strap breaking issue (currently sensationalized at Wii Have A Problem), I originally thought Nintendo should be held liable for television damage. I was wrong to come to this conclusion. I also said that the game player in question was using the controller following all safety precautions. I was wrong to come to this conclusion too, as my conclusion was based on an assumption that the person had read the manual (I don't know if he did or not). In any case, after a bit of careful research, I don't think Nintendo is liable on this issue and any potential class action lawsuits regarding the wrist strap should be thrown out.