It all started with an article by Seanbaby (who, by the way, rules) that I read in EGM. “The 20 Worst Video Games of All Time”. And there, at the very top of this pile of abominable rubbish, was E.T. the extraterrestrial for the Atari 2600.
The film version of E.T. was actually the first movie I ever saw in the theaters as a child. I was considering this lately, and realized this movie may have had a deeper impact on my psyche than at first I realized. Think about it (well, those who know me..) The movie features this misunderstood creature from outer space that bonds with this kid. Outer space….I wanted to be an astronaut when I was little….Aliens…I later became obsessed with X-Files….mis-guided government….well, we all know my current opinions on the government. I mean, come on…the movie opens with a Dungeons & Dragons game! And features Drew Barrymore! (Ok, so she wasn’t hot yet, but you see what I mean.) Clearly, this film was a major formative experience for me and all these years, I never even realized it.
So you can see how seeing E.T. there in infamy as the worst game ever would strike a nerve with me. Further intriguing was the fact story accompanying the article that millions of copies of this game were buried in a New Mexico landfill. It was like a mysterious gamer legend. Somewhere, in the deserts of New Mexico, lay 5 million copies of the worst game ever made. Though the idea tickled my fancy at the time, it wasn’t until recently I made the actual decision that I would find this site, and excavate this terrible tribute to my childhood hero.
My first stop was Seanbaby’s web-site, to find the digital version of his EGM article. Here it is, and it is a truly brilliant and insightful piece of writing. (heh) My excitement mounted when I saw the link at the bottom that took me to a more detailed account of the E.T. story. Unfortunately, this page filled me in on the sad fact that not only were these cartridges REALLY buried, they were also REALLY crushed by a steam-roller and then REALLY covered with cement.
My hopes at first were crushed, but I realized many questions remained…
Is this game really as bad as they say? (I think I know the answer to this one).
If so, how did this game happen?
How did the developers feel about their piece of work being dubbed the worst video game of all time, and dumped in a New Mexico Landfill?
Did the game really play a huge part in the downfall of the Atari 2600?
What sort of mall/department store stands on this historical site? Will they let me build a monument of some sort to this important piece of gaming history?
Even though it seems I will not be able to actually excavate copies of E.T. from the landfill, I can still pursue these questions. The answers, of course, will appear here.
The truth is out there….stay tuned….
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2 Responses:
July 19th, 2006 at 8:04 pm
Good article, glad you were looking for them. I have a signed copy of ET the game. It’s not a good game, but not bad for five weeks programming time. I’ve been working a screenplay on this subject, titled “The Atari Landfill”. Howard Warshaw would be tickled!
Geo