Most gamers have heard the stories of Atari’s burial of it’s stock of ET The Extra-Terrestrial cartridges in the desert landfill of Alamogordo. What no-one knew is exactly what they would find there. This 66 minute documentary, produced by Xbox Entertainment Studios and directed by Zak Penn, charts the excavation of the site and what they unearthed. With narratives by Howard Scott Warshaw and Nolan Bushnell, ET game creator and Atari founder respectively, along with representatives from the town of Alamogordo and senior figures from Warner Communications and Atari, the documentary takes you on a whirlwind (or should that be sandstorm?) ride of emotions as they follow the unearthing of whatever was buried back in September 1983.
Screenshots from Atari: Game Over
I won’t give too much away here, but let’s just say that the dig does somewhat debunk the myth that Atari buried a million ET carts just to save face. Figures were not only exaggerated but the reasons for doing so were also much more complicated than the ‘myths’ had implied. The documentary also pours scorn on those who repeat, like so many sheep, that ET was the worst game of all time. So to all those who have never played ET, I say this; watch this doumentary. Ignore what the media have used as a scapegoat all these years and actually try playing the game. It’s brutally unforgiving yes, but for a game that had to be written in 5 weeks from scratch it is an amazing feat. And far from the worst game on the 2600, let alone of all time.
I really enjoyed this documentary, not only because it sets the record straight but also because it is entertaining from the off. Any gamer who has any interest in the history of his or her pastime needs to watch this right now.
Available now on Xbox Video.
1 Comment