Why I think E.T. is great

[+Random Terrain]

When I first got E.T. when it was new, I wondered why have wells when there weren't any in the movie? After you get over that and just accept the wells, E.T. is pretty good because the stuff is always in different places just like Adventure. It was a great change from other games that always had stuff in the same places.

 

I played E.T. more than almost any game I owned. It was great. I think most people who don't like it just aren't coordinated enough to stay out of the wells.

 

I soon learned to zip around the wells at high speed with no trouble. On the rare occasions that you do fall into a well, you can catch yourself before you barely start to fall and get back out quickly. Anyone who falls into a well all the way to the bottom, just doesn't know how to play and needs more practice.

 

For people who like something new every time they play a game, E.T. is one of the best for the Atari 2600.

[Joel D. Park]

I agree... ET = Good Game.

 

It was one of the first games I ever played as a kid and I enjoyed it too.. The Random locations of everything makes it replable. And the Flower is a cool addition as well.

 

I also liked to wait until the Scientist picked you up when enter Turbo mode when they carry you over a run area.. you can get away from those guys when they cross between screens.

 

All in all, it's a very complete game.

[Jeffy Arensmeyer]

A very fun game. They just over produced it and it got a bad name.

 

Hopefully NewKidCo can reverse the stigma.

 

ò¿ó

[+Cafeman]

I had the Atari 8bit version. What were the differences, if you know?

 

I only remember falling into those holes and trying to get out; in fact, on my 1200XL, I think the game crashed a lot, if my memory serves me.

[Tempest]

The 8-bit version? Do you mean E.T. phone Home? That game is totally different than the 2600 version. It's not even close to the same game.

 

Tempest

[+Cafeman]

I don't think so, I think it was E.T. the Extra-terrestrial -- like the 2600 game with better graphics.

[Tempest]

Hmm.. Was a cart or a disk (or tape)? Because the only ET I know of for the Atari 8-bit was ET Phone Home. You had this big map that had trees, houses, a river, cars, and other things (kind of blocky looking though) and you had to collect the 5 telephone pieces. There was a guy that would chase you, and there were safe zones that you could hide in. At the end you callled the ship and it took you away.

 

I guess the concept was similar but the graphics and gameplay mechanics were totally different (and there were no pits). It also spoke in this really freaky raspy voice that said "ET Phone Home, ET Phone Home". It still scares the shit out of me (the Atari 400/800 just didn't do voice synthesis).

 

Tempest

 

[ 06-08-2001: Message edited by: Tempest ]

[+Cafeman]

I just spent 15 minutes searching for info on this game. Here is my conclusions -- I played both the 2600 ET and the 8bit ET phones home and my memory 'mixed them' into one game.

 

I remember falling in those holes, that must have been the 2600 version. I also remember the computer version, picking up pieces of the communicator or whatever. Nevermind!

[Blackjax]

Actually, the whole point of 2600 ET was to collect the three pieces of the communicator

 

Heh, and here I thought I was one of the only ones who enjoyed that game as a kid

[Inky]

Once I heard how to unlock the programmers initials, ET took on awhole new dimension of play.

 

ET wasn't my favorite game, but I thought it was OK.

 

I found info on how to change 2600 graphix, and I'm thinking of turnin ET into The X-Files...

[+Random Terrain]

Inky:

 

That would be cool if you use real images from the show. Please let me know if you do it. I'd like to play your version.

[Inky]

Actually, I don't think I'd be able to get that real..

 

Hopwever, I turned ET into a cool-looking Grey.....

[liquid_sky]

e.t was alot better of a game than people made it out to be..... i mean come on dont call e.t. the worst game on the 2600.......(remember pac man?)

[+Random Terrain]

Yep, E.T. is a masterpiece compared to Pac-Man.

 

Before Pac-Man came out for the 2600, I saw the Atari 400 version and I thought it would look a lot like that. I couldn't wait! Then a little later, we bought Pac-Man at full price as soon as it came out. It was disappointing, but we still played it non-stop for a couple of months.

 

I read that the programmer didn't like Pac-Man and it shows.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

all of you compare ET and Pac-Man..as banes of VCS 2600 programming. Let us not forget the other dogs out there.

 

Like...:

 

Sneak n Peek.

Cruise Missle (any Froggo game).

Space Jockey (Looks cool...but WTF?)

Journey Escape (Most Date age games)

 

There are others...and because of these others...is why the crash occured in the first place.

 

We are all so quick to blame Pac-Man and ET as the beginning of the end of Atari. However, Pac-Man while being a rush job for sure...is still better than what Atari had done previously to that. Ms. Pac-Man showed us what could have been...but was done several years later. And ET really isn't that bad from an adventure game point of view. At least the phone pieced scatter about randomly.

 

My point is that although Atari made a few semi Dud games...they didn't make nearly as many of them...as some of the third party vendors did. Except Activision...who could do no wrong really.

[Joel D. Park]

Hey!

 

Sneak and Peek rules!! It just takes two players and you have to be younger than 10 years old. My brother and I used to play the heck out of it. We were big fans of Space Jockey too, and didn't really realize how repeditive it was.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

Okay...Okay..

 

Sneak n Peek is okay...provided you have a second person to play. I never did but on the few occasions that I did...my number 1 one hiding places were the behind the window bit in the living room...and also under the sidewalk in the yard...That was my favorite...hehe.

 

I forgot to mention another dud of a game that I really regretting spending my hard earned allowance on back then. That was none other than:

 

Frogs n Flies...

 

Ugh...

[videotwit]

Frogs 'N Flies is another "2-player only" game. It actually can be quite fun, and quite competetive!

 

I still play it, but never on my own.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

I still don't like Frogs N Flies...I find it just too stupid for words. I know there are those that like it...but it simply doesn't make much sense from a gameplay perspective. Even in two player mode...the game isn't that much fun. And the computer AI..hehe...is non existent.

 

Oh well,

 

At least nobody disagrees with the Froggo releases..and that most of the Data Age carts were a waste..Except Frankenstein of course.

[Joel D. Park]

Yea, I'll 100% agree with the froggo releases, though Sea Hawk was a fairly decent game.

 

Don't forget to mention the Mythicon games if your talking about some Hated games.

 

I'm just posting to get stars put by my name, hehe.

[+-^CrossBow^-]

haha...your right.

 

Still the point goes to illustrate that the VCS could do better. But basically at the time Pac-Man didn't get the attention it needed. But it is still a lot more fun to play than say...most of the others we mentioned above.

 

The basic idea I was trying to point out is that Atari really didn't have all that many duds they produced. Considering all the games that Atari did produce...the few duds they have are really not even worth mention.

 

The fact is that there were too many other games of basically the same ideas and poor concepts which ultimately created the Crash of 84.

 

Oh well, I shall stop my ramblings for now...

[utamav91]

someone earlier said: Ms. Pac-Man showed us what could have been...but was done several years later."

 

Keep in mind, they had to remove 2-player scoring to free up enough memory to get the graphics to that high of a level. I'm sure the marketing department had to stress out and worry long and hard over that decision--because "bringing the family together with video games" was a big theme back in the day.

 

Ms Pac Man is boring to watch if you're waiting your turn. I'm sure some research was done to see how games were actually being played: 1 player or 2 player. And if enough research showed that games were mostly bought for/actually played by 1 player, I'm sure the programmer had a field day with all the graphic memory he could free up with single player scoring.

 

A lot of games, if given 20% more memory (I think that was the figure I've heard), would have looked spectacular--Vanguard, Dig Dug, etc.

 

[ 06-11-2001: Message edited by: utamav91 ]

[liquid_sky]

seek and peek was at least in my cirlce of friends, the game you made fun of but secretly played.. id like to add that panda along with froggo and data age, in my humble opninon, caused the crash of 84. too many clones too many bad games... not e.t...... i was hooked on e.t., then when i heard about the concreate dump story i thought...."this game is suppost to be bad?"

 

oh well you cant win em all can ya?

[davidbrit2]

Sneek 'n' Peek is a hilarious game. I remember when my cousin and I played it for the first time a couple of years ago. We were laughing our heads off when we discovered you could hide underneath the sofa, the beds, the house, and even the carpet. I think there were some other weird places as well, but I haven't played it in a while, so I can't remember them all.

[+Random Terrain]

-^Cro§Bow^- :

 

I just wanted to politely correct something you said.

 

You said, "...Pac-Man while being a rush job for sure...is still better than what Atari had done previously to that. Ms. Pac-Man showed us what could have been...but was done several years later."

 

In the United States, Pac-Man was released in April of 1982, and Ms. Pac-Man was released in February of 1983. That's less than a year apart, not "several years later."

 

I thought you might like to know.