E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial

E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial for the Atari 2600 is infamous for being considered one of the worst games ever. I say this is pure and absolute nonsense. ET is a well-designed adventure game that can be frustrating initially, but is solid, fun and technologically impressive once you know how to play it.

The basic object of the game is to find three pieces of ET's phone so that he can phone home and board his spaceship. He is aided by Elliott, and pursued by an FBI agent who will steal a piece of his phone, and a Scientist who will drag him off for observation. There are numerous wells dotted around the map and three of them will contain a piece of the phone.

This part of the game is rather fun, especially if you play on the higher skill levels with the two enemies. ET has numerous powers he can use to help him find the phone, restore his health and evade/repel enemies. These are accessible through action zones. When a symbol appears at the top of the screen, ET can execute a power corresponding to the symbol. The most useful of these highlights a well in the current scene that contains a piece of the phone. Since there is one of these zones in each scene, you can find the pieces rather easily.

Doing this while evading the two enemies is part of the challenge that makes this game fun. Planning a strategy to escape them, or even to use them to your advantage can make the game more interesting. The game is not an easy one, but can be enjoyable once you know how to play it.

Many reviewers complain about the wells and how you are always falling into them. They can be a nuisance at first, but are easy to avoid and easy to escape after a few tries. You will only need to enter a maximum of three wells per game (assuming you avoid the FBI agent). I find that I rarely have to take more than 2 attempts in getting out of a well, and even then I can usually escape first time.

Another thing I like about this game is that it's a good technological achievement compared to the standard of the time. Visually, the game is rather decent. ET and the backdrops are all various shades of green, but the NPC sprites are all well coloured. Most Atari sprites only had one colour and NES sprites tended to not use more than 3/4. Some sprites in ET have up to 6 different colours. The sound effects are also great and unique compared to those of other games. There are neat little details such as how footsteps get louder as humans approach you. And all this from a game that was produced in only five weeks. ET is a very solid game and I can think of no serious bugs.

ET was also one of the first games to have a "multi-panel display", meaning you could walk off one game screen and onto the next. Most games only had one screen, whether it was static or scrolling. Atari said this concept was impossible, but lo and behold, ET was one of the first games to pull it off. Another unique thing about ET is how it actually has an ending. Most games of the time ended when you died, with the object being to get a high score. ET has something of a plot and a proper ending.

Once you've figured out the game and can enjoy it, this game starts to have replay value. You may get bored of it eventually, but finding out all the various tricks ET can perform and other secrets will keep you busy for a while.

I honestly cannot see why this is the "worst game ever". ET is far from it. It may not be as polished as it could be, but it is by no means the worst. However, it is damn near impossible to play if you don't read the manual (and there is plenty of help on the internet). Most people shun it because they simply do not know how to play it.

You may not enjoy ET even if you play it properly, but saying it's the worst game ever is a completely misinformed statement. It outshone many other games of the time, be it in technical details or gameplay. Once you know how to play it, it can be very fun. It's a solid adventure game and is very similar to later classics such as Zelda. Anyone who says this is a terrible game simply has not played it or has not bothered to figure it out.