Everyone in the gaming world should be very familiar with Atari. This company was the revolutionary behind Pong, owners of titles like Centipede and RollerCoaster Tycoon. I am personally a little too young to have experienced Atari first hand (believe it or not). I'm a child of the 90's, we were all about Sega and Nintendo.
Atari is also known for their massive bankruptcy in the 80's, and today I'm going to talk about the game that may have single-handedly destroyed the Atari 2600. Gamers across the world and of every generation have dubbed this the worst game ever made. It was so bad that most of the people who actually bought it SENT IT BACK! I'm talking about the infamous 1982 release - E.T.
For those of you, like me, who never played this game in its prime, you're wondering why it has such a terrible rep. Let me explain: after the hype of the incredibly popular movie and rumors of the game's production, Atari sped it through the process to get it out for Christmas, making several crucial mistakes along the way - like not adding anything to do with the movie to the plot!! XP
Dying = the boy from the movie shows up and resurrects you so you can KEEP PLAYING!
Beating the game = your mothership comes, transports you BACK TO THE BEGINNING, and you start over - again...
Tell me what any of this has to do with E.T.! Considering the money Atari spent to acquire the rights to make this game, it probably would have been in their best interests to take their time and do it right. Looking at it now, is it any wonder that it's become synonymous with failure?