ScuzzBlog: Diaries December 2018
Entry 8th December 2018: Post 02: Atari - Extra Terrestrial Landfill
Atari CX- Extra Terrestrial Landfill
I am pretty sure that the guys that went to dig up Atari's ET in
the Alamogordo desert in 2014 were hoping for much more than 1300
rotting and decomposing ET cartridges. Rumour had it that Atari
ditched 700,000 copies of ET, the game that was dubbed the worst
computer game ever made, in New Mexico following the crash of
the video games market in 1983. The actual game ET created by
Howard Scott Warshaw was not totally to blame, but in truth it
can be said it didn't help.
I have a copy of the game and I can confirm that it really is a
very very poor game. But then, sorry, they all are. I played PONG
or a version of paddle pong in my local pub when they first came
out. I recall the evening very well. We walked into the bar and
there was this booth like box with a TV screen and nobody and I
mean nobody had any clue how the thing worked or what it was for.
Soon though we had mastered the game and it was not very long
before it was swapped out for Space Invaders.
Quite soon after that there were Space Invader games in the pubs
tables so you could play while sitting drinking. The games became
very sophisticated and quickly. Soon the space ships were mobile
all over the screen as were the invaders. But the console games
just were nothing like the arcade games we popped our pennies in
to play. That is why I never bought an early console or TV game.
They were just so inferior to arcade games.
And so when I review these cartridges I show below I can honestly
say I can see why they wanted to bury them in the desert. In truth
the only secret weapon Atari had was Jay Miner and he left the
company to create something that if that was buried in the desert,
I would be digging out with my bare hands.
The games are dross. So bad they are not worth replaying. Space
Invaders has been done to death, as has Pac-Man and there are way
better versions to play. The only great game was River Raid which
eventually evolved into Banshee by Core. I do have my 2600 'rainbow'
set up permanently with River Raid cus it is a classic and kinda
timeless. As for the others, well, they annoy me to death cus I
am forever kicking them over. And I swear that the CX10 joysticks
reproduce when you are not looking. I mean is there a worse
joystick on the planet........ So funny fake wood veneer on a
computer.
Anyhoo... I thought I would show the little wonders of Atari
before I find somewhere here to bury them and hopefully forget.
I know I am being a little harsh on Atari. And I know there will
be one or two reading that object to my comments. But when I
reflect on matters as they evolved in my lifetime and compare the
technology with everything I have known... sadly they are still
crap. There is no getting away from the fact that the games
cartridges are abysmal. And if you don't believe me just look.
I do have one treasure here beside the rainbow 2600 and that is
the six switch Atari 2600 which for its age runs brilliantly.
Just needs something worthwhile to play on the console.
Anyway.. take what I say with a pinch of salt and maybe what is
shown here wont leave a bad taste in your mouth... And don't
forget that if you get lost in the images... ' Phone home '.
By the way... I have never ever seen ET the movie.
Atari Woody and Rainbow
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