The history of ET – the game that killed Atari?

[patmanqc]

 

[Draco1962]

Great one! As an Atari owner when ET came out, Atari was already in trouble with poor decision-making and bad deals with software houses in and out. 

It wasn't really a bad game. It just wasn't imagined very well. 

ET didn't kill Atari. It was suicide.

[hansolo77]

ET's problem was a bug in the code.  With a simple patch the game is completely playable nowadays in emulators.  Kinda fun too.

[RIP-Felix]

Anyone who thinks that E.T. is the worst video game ever made hasn't played many video games! It's not even the close to the worst games on the 2600. IMO that dishonor goes to the pornographic "Beat 'Em and Eat 'Em".  And this was before the ESRB rating system!

ET Gets a bad rap for being rushed out and not living up to the hype, that's all.  With a little refinement it could have been good game.

[tthurman]

There were so many bad games for the 2600 that it's impossible to pick one to crown as king!

I admit being floored by the 2600 at launch, but it quickly showed it's age and given the superior systems that followed in short order, I'm still amazed that it stayed as popular as it did for so long back in the day.  Personally, I can't imagine playing any of these titles in this day and age!

[tthurman]

For the record, it's obvious the importance this system played in the console market, so I don't mean to come across as dissing it.  Given the time period and price constraints, it really was an amazing system for the time, but you gotta admit it was long in the tooth long before it was retired.

[RIP-Felix]

On 10/20/2020 at 6:57 PM, tthurman said:

For the record, it's obvious the importance this system played in the console market, so I don't mean to come across as dissing it.  Given the time period and price constraints, it really was an amazing system for the time, but you gotta admit it was long in the tooth long before it was retired.

Never! I have am Atari RGB kit I've been putting off installing, because I'm lazy, but once I do I can upscale it in glorius 1080p via the OSSC to my modern TV. Why?

DEMON ATTACK!

[tthurman]

Never heard of it, but it looks pretty decent.

 

[RIP-Felix]

Yup, that's the one. Those little demons after the bigger one splits are hard to hit. This game separated itself from others in the genre for me because of the demos erratic movement. They are hard to predict and their movment is dependent on yours. They attack attack and dodge you. The AI was wicked good for the time and the game is still fun!

My mom's favorite game it is my favorite game - DEMON ATTACK!!!!

MY dad likes MOON SWEEPER.

MY Sister's favorite game is COSMIC ARK (my 2nd fav).

Honorable mentions:

• LASER BLAST
• PITFALL!
• ADVENTURE
• RAIDERS OF THE LOST ARK
• HALO 2600

And many more. The Atari 2600 is the only console my parents bought new for themselves. I played it growing up later, after they lost interest in video games. So it occupies that rare spot in gaming where my parents and I have nostalia for the same console. That's why it has firm place under my TV.

It's definitely worth owning, if for no other game than DEMON ATTACK. It's addictive and you'll find yourself trying to get a higher score. Oh, and please don't emulate it (atari 2600), lag will ruin the experience. CRT is what you want and need for a 2600.

[hansolo77]

Love me some Demon Attack!  Don't forget River Raid, Moon Patrol, Pitfall! 2..