5. E.T. The Extra-Terrestrial
E.T the Extra-Terrestrial was a game based upon the same enchanting film that warmed the organs of cold hearted dudes the world over. Released for the Atari 2600 console in 1982, while the film dragged home truckloads of awards, the game dragged home monster truck loads of criticism, abuse and easily spotted rage. This was mainly due to the ridiculous fact that game designer; Howard Scott Warshaw had a measly five weeks to develop the game in time to cash in for the Christmas period. Estimated to have cost Atari around $125million in total from acquiring the rights from Spielberg and Warner, to development and advertising costs, an extraordinary sum of money to surround a single game back in the 1980s. Anticipation was high due to the success of the film but once it landed onto store shelves, the critics got their hands on it and ripped off the elongated index finger and pulled the glowing heart out from E.Ts chest. Despite managing to sell over a million copies, experts and media personnel regularly attribute the disaster of the E.T game as the main cause for the video game industry crisis in 1983, and for the downfall of Atari as a console powerhouse. The unsold copies totaled in the millions and it is said that they were buried under concrete in Alamogordo, New Mexico. Warshaw is relaxed about the whole affair and insists he delivered a decent game for the short development period allowed and his quote pretty much sums up his nonchalant feelings. People worry I might be sensitive about the ET debacle, but the fact is Im always happy to discuss it. After all, it was the fastest game ever done, it was a million-seller, and of the thousands of (Atari) 2600 games, how many others are still a topic? Another thing I like to think about is having done ET (consistently rated among the worst games of all time) and Yars' Revenge (consistently rated as one of the best) I figure I have the unique distinction of having the greatest range of any game designer in history