intellivision games

[spanks_4]

how hard is to actually find complete games for this system? i haven't done much research on the system, but since i got one for 20 bux complete with the little stand(thing you sit it on and put the games inside) for it with like 8 games(have everything, but overlays) i was wondering how hard it is to find the games in minty condition with the overlays?

[Jumpman Jr.]

Fairly easy. Well, the overlays and manuals make it a bit harder to find complete Intellivision games, but compared to the other consoles of that time (Colecovision and 2600), I'd say that it is considerably easier to find complete or boxed copies of games.
It's weird because the boxes were cardboard just like every other console's games, which means that they should be prone to being thrown out. However Intellivision boxes seem to have stayed around for a lot longer.

The main theory for that is that the Intellivision was marketed towards an older audience who didn't want to throw out their boxes.

[Arcade Antics]

The main theory for that is that the Intellivision was marketed towards an older audience who didn't want to throw out their boxes.

I always suspected the INTV boxes stuck around because all the games had overlays, and it was the easiest way to keep them coupled up with the game and instructions.

[Steve W]

I mostly come across the gatefold boxes in the wild, on the off chance I find any Intellivision games. I have never found the INTV era boxes in flea markets and thrifts. I think the gatefold boxes are more convenient to store carts in.

[spanks_4]

what is a gatefold box steve-o?

[wufners]

Instead of opening at the top like NES games or Atari games, the gatefold boxes open like a book. Inside is a nice little depression for the cart to fit snuggly into and there's a pocket on the inside of the cover for holding instructions and overlays. It's a nice design--don't know why more companies didn't use it (higher production costs? *shrugs*.)

[BydoEmpire]

what is a gatefold box steve-o?I think he refers to the boxes that have a cover that folds open like a book. They have a space in the 'big' part of the box for the cartridge, which was convenient for storage.

[spanks_4]

i thought that all INTV games came in those?

[wufners]

Not all of 'em. My copy of Donkey Kong and Burgertime both came in non-gatefold boxes. Donkey Kong is a Coleco game, so my guess is that non-Mattel produced games came in regular boxes. Burgertime was released by Mattel, but might have come at a time when they were starting to cut production costs.

I have two games, Thunder Castle and Pac Man, that I ordered from an Intellivison catalogue in 1986 that didn't even come in boxes. They were in a non-descript shipping box with some bubble wrap inside. The end labels are also just a cheap white. Ah, the Intellivision's last hurrah.