Poll: Is ET as bad as people claim?

[7800]

Not sure why E.T. gets singled out as the worst game, AND the one that started the video game crash. There are hundreds of other 2600 titles that suck more than E.T. IMO most of the 2600 games are lackluster, only a handful are truly fun to play, addictive, and have replay value. E.T. is good, but could have been better, just like hundreds of other titles.

[high voltage]

But that's with any console.

I was talking to a NES fan once and he said his favourite games are SMB, DK, Zelda and a few others. His mother always rented NES games from Blockbusters to play, they were tried out and to be regarded as crap, put on the kitchen table to be returned the next day, and back we went, playing SMB, Zelda and Metroid.....Good games in any gaming library are limited.

 

Actually the VCS, out of the ~500 original games released for it, had a very good 'good games - bad games' ratio. The 1970s released games are very good, games improved during the 80s with the silver box range, and improved even more with the red box range. Not bad for console which was designed to play only tank type games. Coders innovated on the VCS.

 

 

BTW, ET was released in 82, the crash was in 84, no relation. you can read all about it in Electronic Games magazine March 1984 issue.

Edited May 3, 2014 by high voltage

[karokoenig]

 

Raiders of the Lost Ark was hard to figure out but still a good game.

 

Raiders is way more cryptic than E.T.

[R.O.T.S]

As said many times before no it is not the worst and neither is Pacman,they were just rushed projects.

For bad games try tictac-toe,bowling and some sport games for a bad playing experience, the hatred for E.T is just some people (many who were not even born back then) surfing a tsunami of hatred created by an earthquake of misinformation and misunderstanding.

[Rhomaios]

As said many times before no it is not the worst and neither is Pacman,they were just rushed projects.

For bad games try tictac-toe,bowling and some sport games for a bad playing experience, the hatred for E.T is just some people (many who were not even born back then) surfing a tsunami of hatred created by an earthquake of misinformation and misunderstanding.

They were rushed projects, but because they were both so highly anticipated, they were seen as Atari's failure. They're not the worst, but they're the most notorious for that reason.

[Jinks]

I never seen pac man or et as failures of video game history when I bought and played them. Only read they were failures in the internet age. Anything and everything else is lies.

Oh I know mario and luigi are gay lovers.. if enough people on the net spread it around 20-30 years from now it will be common knowledge.. nintendo had a gay agenda from day one!!

Edited May 3, 2014 by Jinks

[7800Lover]

I didn't think it was that bad. There are worse games on the 2600.

[Andromeda Stardust]

You could say the prople who can't play ET properly also cannot play SMB, obviously they keep falling off the edges because they don't know the 'jump' button.

I can play Super Mario Brothers in my sleep. Run & Jump is all there is too it, but there's not a lot of tricky jumps in Super Mario Brothers, except that certain chasm in World 8-2. Now Lost Levels on the other hand, forget it. Jump across large chasms using Koopas as platforms, or floating on gale force winds, knuk knuk...

 

Oh I know mario and luigi are gay lovers.. if enough people on the net spread it around 20-30 years from now it will be common knowledge.. nintendo had a gay agenda from day one!!

I think you have them confused with Bert and Ernie? I hear they're common law husbands now, knuk knuk...

[SoulBlazer]

Some people certainly suck.

 

But usually people hate a game because the frustration level is not compensated by motivation. And/or the game doesn't play fair to them.

 

On the other side there is E.T. Here you know everything it has to offer within minutes (except maybe for the escape sequence). Also E.T. is unfair (due to the bugs and especially the collision detection) and therefore I regularly feel cheated by the game. Which overall makes it pretty boring and annoying.

This. A THOUSAND times, this! E.T. is not a terrible game but it's not great either, for the reasons Tom said.

[high voltage]

I can play Super Mario Brothers in my sleep. Run & Jump is all there is too it, but there's not a lot of tricky jumps in Super Mario Brothers, except that certain chasm in World 8-2. :

Maybe that's it, NES players are used to play easy as punch games, complicated games, precision is required, like ET, a whole new ball game

Edited May 4, 2014 by high voltage

[+Random Terrain]

This. A THOUSAND times, this! E.T. is not a terrible game but it's not great either, for the reasons Tom said.

 

I agree that the well idea was stupid, but since we were stuck with the wells, it should have been easier for the common man or kid to get out of them. But for people in the 21st century who have grown past casual gamer status, E.T. shouldn't make them feel cheated, annoyed, or bored.

 

The only bug that I know of that could make someone feel cheated is having Elliott in the forest when the ship lands. Don't allow that to happen and everything will be fine. If the difficulty of getting out of wells for casual gamers is considered a bug, I have tips and a video that should help just about any casual gamer learn how to deal with the wells like a pro.

 

The game uses mixed perspectives, similar to other games. E.T. is seen from the side, but he interacts with the wells using their overhead perspective. The collision detection is pixel perfect. Using the tips on my web site and my YouTube videos, a moderately skilled gamer without mental blocks can learn how to get out of any well without hardly ever falling back in. He or she can learn how to run around wells without falling in if they pay attention to my videos. I run along the safe strips in spurts. Run in a straight line, stop, run in another direction, stop, run in another direction, stop, and so on.

 

You can't feel annoyed or cheated once you learn how to play. That means you no longer clumsily fall into wells, you can easily get out of wells without falling back in, you can avoid humans and send them back to Washington, D.C., and you keep Elliott out of the forest when the ship is on the way.

 

If you advance past casual gamer status, you could get bored because a round is so easy to finish, but you can play with faster humans and that should make it challenging enough so you will never get bored.

[R.O.T.S]

They were rushed projects, but because they were both so highly anticipated, they were seen as Atari's failure. They're not the worst, but they're the most notorious for that reason.

True a lot of money would of been spent on these projects back then and they did over do it with production for what was an average game, but notoriety has somehow spawned into complete hate for some people which is baffling to me. It would depend how old you were regarding the hype for the game of course as I was 11 years old in 1982 and had no knowledge of the game its hype or marketing until I made a new friend in high school and was invited around for Atari, I then saw E.T and Pacman for the first time as we both sat in front of the tv and played both games without complaint. We were old enough to know a poor game for sure but I do not recall complaining about any Atari game , we fell down the pits and hovered back out and just got on with it! and Pacman was not expected to look like the arcade version just like Asteroids and Space Invaders as it was an Atari VCS and we understood that even as kids.

I did not truly know of the cauldron of hate for E.T on Atari 2600 until I became a full multi-format retro gamer in 2010, I started joining plenty of retro gaming forums and message boards and I reckon out of the 16 or so forums I am a member of 3/4 must have an E.T and Pacman thread.

Edited May 4, 2014 by R.O.T.S

[WolfAmongWolves]

I don't see the wells as the main problem. As others have said, after a few tries you learn how to fall in and float back out as needed. What often kills the fun for me and keeps this from being a truly good game is the random placement of the “call ship“ spot, which can take forever to find and can be terrifically frustrating. While the technique for finding the phone pieces is something that you can definitely improve with practice, the call ship spot is a different story. It doesn't matter whether you're a beginner or an expert, everyone has to methodically walk every square inch of the entire map in order to find that elusive spot, losing energy with every step, and it's pure luck whether you find it at the beginning or at the end of your search. There is no skill involved. I've played this game countless times, and whether I can beat it or not (and whether I find the game enjoyable or not) largely depends on whether I stumble across the call ship spot relatively soon or whether I need to waste all my time and energy looking for it. IMO the game would profit from a fixed call ship location, e.g. Elliot's house. As it stands, the game is just too random for my taste. Then again, maybe that's why RT enjoys the game so much

[+Random Terrain]

I don't see the wells as the main problem. As others have said, after a few tries you learn how to fall in and float back out as needed. What often kills the fun for me and keeps this from being a truly good game is the random placement of the “call ship“ spot, which can take forever to find and can be terrifically frustrating. While the technique for finding the phone pieces is something that you can definitely improve with practice, the call ship spot is a different story. It doesn't matter whether you're a beginner or an expert, everyone has to methodically walk every square inch of the entire map in order to find that elusive spot, losing energy with every step, and it's pure luck whether you find it at the beginning or at the end of your search. There is no skill involved. I've played this game countless times, and whether I can beat it or not (and whether I find the game enjoyable or not) largely depends on whether I stumble across the call ship spot relatively soon or whether I need to waste all my time and energy looking for it. IMO the game would profit from a fixed call ship location, e.g. Elliot's house. As it stands, the game is just too random for my taste. Then again, maybe that's why RT enjoys the game so much

When I play, I usually check the 4 well sites first and run around the wells in quick straight line spurts, making an imaginary rectangle around each well. That way I can quickly find the Find Phone Piece Zone and the Send Humans Back Zone. Those are the only normal zones that I care about. I'll usually get lucky and find the Phone Home Zone on one of the 4 well sites during my normal search. If I don't find the Phone Home Zone during my normal search of the well sites, it should be in Washington, D.C. or the forest. If I check those two sites and can't find it, I know that the sneaky little zone will be hiding in the top row or bottom row of the Log Screen (the site with a bunch of wells).

 

The good news is that the Phone Home Zone is usually in a place where you're going to be walking/running anyway if you draw imaginary rectangles around the wells with E.T. like I do.

 

Finding the phone pieces, the normal zones that you need, and the Phone Home Zone are all part of the fun/challenge. The times when it's harder to find the Phone Home Zone adds to the suspense and excitement. Can you find everything you need and get E.T. home before he dies? Hurry! He's turning white! You must get E.T. home!

[TheGameCollector]

Okay that's not the official AVGN episode from cinemassacre...

 

Skip ahead to 20 minutes and a few seconds for a short, sweet, and shitty ET review...

 

Surprised he didin't dedicate a full episode to ET alone. Maybe even the infallable James thought it wasn't worth it!

 

You must not follow him very well do you. That's what the whole AVGN movie being made is about.

[doctorclu]

The good news is that the Phone Home Zone is usually in a place where you're going to be walking/running anyway if you draw imaginary rectangles around the wells with E.T. like I do.

 

Have to admit, the "Call Ship" is the most convincing argument yet on a frustrating point that no amount of practice seems to overcome. However, this advice gives at least some way to narrow it down.

 

In truth, in the movie, did they have to hunt to find a good reception spot for the signal? I thought E.T. simply called from Elliott's home. If that were the case in the game, that would be VERY challenging as much as the scientist and the FBI emerge from their buildings and how they can't be on the screen when you call out. That would be something.

[+Random Terrain]

Have to admit, the "Call Ship" is the most convincing argument yet on a frustrating point that no amount of practice seems to overcome. However, this advice gives at least some way to narrow it down.

 

In truth, in the movie, did they have to hunt to find a good reception spot for the signal? I thought E.T. simply called from Elliott's home. If that were the case in the game, that would be VERY challenging as much as the scientist and the FBI emerge from their buildings and how they can't be on the screen when you call out. That would be something.

I bet somebody could hack the game so the Phone Home Zone is always in the middle of Elliott's house. Since Washington, D.C. is always busy with evil human activity, the game should probably be hacked so the bad guys can't leave their buildings if E.T. is in Washington, D.C.

 

If nobody does those hacks, I could see if I could make a version of E.T. using batari Basic one of these days. The DPC+ kernel gives us 10 multicolored sprites and a more detailed multicolored playfield than regular bB.

 

Update: I could make a similar game to the original with some of the changes people have wanted, but I'd also like to make a newer version where Washington, D.C. has its own screen, Elliott's house is on a different screen, and the phone pieces are hidden behind trees or something. Maybe there won't even be a Washington, D.C., just government goons chasing him.

[Andromeda Stardust]

 

You must not follow him very well do you. That's what the whole AVGN movie being made is about.

I've been hearing raves about the movie for years now. Where the hell is it?

[+atari2600land]

OK, my opinion on ET.

A video game, especially a 2600 game, should be simple enough to pick up and play without reading an instruction manual. And because of that, it should be fun. I shouldn't want to read a tome before, I want to jump in and actually play the game.

[karokoenig]

OK, my opinion on ET.

A video game, especially a 2600 game, should be simple enough to pick up and play without reading an instruction manual. And because of that, it should be fun. I shouldn't want to read a tome before, I want to jump in and actually play the game.

 

I'd be interested in your definition of "tome". It's not like one has to read through something like Moby Dick to play the game.

[Flojomojo]

False choice. It's neither amazing nor the cause of the industry to almost die. It's not great, and you need the manual to play, and it's thirty years old.

[karokoenig]

...and it's thirty years old.

 

Like your avatar a lot.

[Flojomojo]

 

Like your avatar a lot.

Wow, Monkey Island is almost 25 years old. One more year. God I'm old.

[bradhig]

ET has one problem Sometimes when trying to hover out of a well ET lowers his head as soon as you reach the green map screen and falls back down in. This is what caues soo many reviews to repeatly fall into the wells no having any time to maneuver away from them.

[+Random Terrain]

ET has one problem Sometimes when trying to hover out of a well ET lowers his head as soon as you reach the green map screen and falls back down in. This is what caues soo many reviews to repeatly fall into the wells no having any time to maneuver away from them.

 

Yep, but they can learn how to avoid the sharp edges. It's kind of like learning how to hold a knife. If someone keeps cutting himself over and over and over again by grabbing the blade, he'll eventually learn how to hold it by the handle if he has any amount of common sense. My I.Q. is probably under 100. If I can figure this stuff out, other people with a higher I.Q. should be able to.