E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is a video game for the Atari 2600 that was released in 1982. The game is based on the Steven Spielberg film of the same name. The game was developed by Howard Scott Warshaw in just five weeks, and it is widely considered to be one of the worst video games of all time.
The game is a platformer where the player controls E.T. as he tries to collect three pieces of a telephone to call home. The game is set in a series of underground mazes, and the player must avoid obstacles and enemies to collect the pieces of the telephone.
The game was poorly received by critics and players alike. The gameplay was criticized for being repetitive and boring, and the graphics were criticized for being poor. The game was also a commercial failure, and it is estimated that Atari had to bury millions of unsold cartridges in a landfill in New Mexico.
E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial is often cited as one of the factors that contributed to the video game crash of 1983. The game’s failure led to a loss of confidence in the video game industry, and it took several years for the industry to recover.
Despite its poor reputation, E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial has become a cult classic. The game has been featured in several documentaries and books about video game history, and it has even been referenced in popular culture. In 2014, a team of developers created a remake of the game that was more faithful to the film. The remake was well-received by critics and players, and it helped to rehabilitate the reputation of the original game.