Atari 2600 ( E.T )

[Trunks]

Okay, I'm going to start reviewing the older consoles into more detail. I'll also put common game(s) for each console into the review.

http://img135.imageshack.us/img135/5163/sysatarivcsbyx5.jpg (http://imageshack.us)The Atari 2600 was the first of its kind. When it came out in 1978, it was far ahead of the other consoles. That's why many think that the Atari was the first console.


http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/7485/shopspaceinvadersarcademl4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The Atari 2600 is the first Atari model and is probably the most favorite. No one could resist playing the 8-bit games that were available. Asteroids, Combat, Pong and Space Invaders are all common arcade games. Who wanted to put a nickle in a machine every time they wanted to play though? This is the reason why the Atari 2600 did well in the markets. It brought the arcade games to your home.

There is no need to explain the common games that everyone knows about, so I'll describe a few you may never of heard of.... Well You probably heard of this one.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/1759/etvideogamecovernn6.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

E.T is known as the worst and most confusing game ever made for any console. I honestly couldn't tell you what was going on, unless I read the handbook. Apparently you crash land on earth and you need some kind of telephone to get back into space. So you go around searching in these cliffs until you find the 3 pieces. While you are doing this there are enemies walking around trying to take your telephone parts. I've collected all 3 parts before, but after you get them all nothing happens. Apparently you go back to where you start and go in the space ship. I never found the space ship..... You have to go there at a certain time. I just gave up on it.

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/6514/set5le6.png (http://imageshack.us)


http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/2965/set3qy2.png (http://imageshack.us)
The graphics are not that good, those are from a emulator.

The Atari 2600 did have some good games that are still fun to play. Is it anything like games today? No, of course not, but the Atari is a nice piece of history that's great to have.

As the controllers for the Atari go, there not to bad. They have Joysticks and Paddles. The cords are really short in them and plug in the back of the Atari. Which makes it very annoying to use, because I have the AV cords going behind my stand. So I have to be right up against the T.V when I play. That's the only flaw that I have with the Atari System. Well, that and having to stand up and restart the system every 5 seconds when you die. Anyway....

http://img74.imageshack.us/img74/9296/9264041161650351wh7.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

The joy sticks are pretty stiff and weird to use. It makes it seem like you have to force it when you really don't. It's something you have to get use to. As you can see, it only has one button, so there isn't much you can do.

http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/2908/conataripaddlesnv8.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

When I first heard of the paddle, I thought it was just a button that you had to keep hitting. As it turned out, I was completely wrong. You just spin the "button" around to move things up and down the screen. I think it was made for games like Pong, but was expanded to other games. There is a button on the side just like the Atari.

Just a note. I'm rating the system based on it's time period and technology. If it was compared to today's consoles it would be like a 1/10 for everything.

Atari

Graphics - 7/10
It does have the best graphics of it's time, but the way they did things was terrible. They made things such weird colors that were just ugly. This isn't really Atari's fault, but we are blaming them anyway.

Usability - 8/10
I'm not sure if they had the technology to restart the game when you die or not, but it gets old flipping the switch all the time. As for the controller ports on the back of the system... there is no excuse for that. It just makes it a hassle to play. I should mark off like 5 points for that.


Life Span - 7/10
Almost all of the hardcore games/gaming collectors have an Atari. It's just nice to have a system that made the gaming industry take off.

Overall - 7.5/10
The Atari brought great arcade games to our own homes. Though now days, it's almost impossible to look at, it's still fun to play with friends

E.T

Wow, what a bad game.... Should I even rate it.

Graphics - 2/10
I couldn't even tell what anything was supposed to be. Everything is the same color, it looks like they spent a total of 3 hours making the game.

Life Span - 1/10
I got bored after about 5 minutes. I only lasted that long, because I was trying to figure out was was going on.



Story Line -1/10
You crash land on earth and you need to get back by getting a telephone. I just told you the story line in one sentence.

Overall - -1/10
Was I too harsh on the rating for this game? Probably, but if you played it before, you would know that it's terrible. It's not just hype, it's just that bad.

[jakncoke]

Was I too harsh on the rating for this game? Probably, but if you played it before, you would know that it's terrible. It's not just hype, it's just that bad.


Nope, in giving it a negative rating would be justified as it has bad karma, not only did it really **** up Atari financial being..lol at them having to bury like 2 million copies but it also was a cornerstone to the gaming collapse of 1983 and that's not even mentioning how bad it is.

[Djdoubt03]

ET lol I had this game, you should have also mentioned that ET helped casue The North American video game crash of 1983, which almost ended home consoles.

The North American video game crash of 1983 (sometimes known as the video game crash of 1984 because it was in that year that the full effects of the crash became apparent to consumers) was the crash of the US video game market in the early 1980s. It almost destroyed the then-fledgling industry and led to the bankruptcy of several companies producing home computers and video game consoles in North America. The crash brought an abrupt end to what is considered the second generation of console video gaming in the English-speaking world. It lasted for about two years and during that interval, many business analysts of the time expressed doubts about the long-term viability of video game consoles. The video game industry was revitalized a few years later, mostly due to the widespread success of the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES), which was released in North America in 1985 and became extremely popular by 1987.

Source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Video_game_crash)

Should have also included this about the ET Game:

In September 1983, the Alamogordo Daily News of Alamogordo, New Mexico, reported in a series of articles that between ten and twenty[18] semi-trailer truckloads of Atari boxes, cartridges, and systems from an Atari storehouse in El Paso, Texas were crushed and buried at the landfill within the city. It was Atari's first dealings with the landfill, which was chosen because no scavenging was allowed and its garbage was crushed and buried nightly. Atari officials and others gave differing reports of what was buried,[19][20][21][22] but it is widely speculated that most of Atari's millions of unsold copies of E.T. ultimately ended up in this landfill, crushed and encased in cement.[23]

The story of the buried cartridges has become a popular urban legend, which in turn has led some people to believe that the story is not true. As recently as October 2004, Warshaw himself expressed doubts that the destruction of millions of copies of E.T. ever took place, citing his belief that Atari would have recycled the parts instead in order to save money.

Source (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E.T._the_Extra-Terrestrial_(video_game))

[LiNuX]

lol negative...nice work atari :D i remember this one too, was so hi-tech back in the day lol

[jakncoke]

I wouldn't say that, even for early game standards it was a huge pile of dog****

[LiNuX]

I wouldn't say that, even for early game standards it was a huge pile of dog****

my memory isn't that great about this atari so i can't argue nor agree with you on that one lol..

[jakncoke]

my memory isn't that great about this atari so i can't argue nor agree with you on that one lol..

No need to have a good memory when there is countless videos of E.T and then countless videos of other games to compare it too.

[LiNuX]

No need to have a good memory when there is countless videos of E.T and then countless videos of other games to compare it too.

i never played an ET game any where and i haven't watched any videos of anyone playing the atari 2600 recently, not to my recollection at least

but i can tell from the screenshots trunks posted it was bad but compared to the stuff made at that time, it had at least what i call "decent" hardware - but again, i barely remember my first hand exp with it, i know my cousins had atari, he'll probably be able to say more (haven't spoken to him in years)

[DM613]

thanks for sharing it with us,we appreciate it very much ,you are so kindly,we will go on look your post ,welcome more new information from you ,thanks again.

I have the same opinion as you ,I think your words is reasonable and meaningful.