ET game excavation

[Neil]

A Canadian studio has confirmed to the BBC it will search a former landfill site in New Mexico where Atari's much-criticised ET game may be buried. Fuel Entertainment has permission from the city of Alamogordo to excavate and is finalising funding for the project. The video game was among the first to be licensed from a film franchise and was based on the Spielberg film ET. Despite the success of the film the game was very badly received and Atari suffered huge financial losses. It was released at Christmas 1982 for the Atari 2600 console but many copies were returned and the game was given terrible reviews. Shortly afterwards the entire video games industry crashed, as PCs started to become more widespread. Urban legend In September 1983 the firm is said to have dumped millions of cartridges at the landfill site and buried them under concrete. I have to ask... Why? Why dig up thousands/millions of game cartridges for a poor 30yr old game?

[Rancid Carcass]

It's gonna be day one pre-order DLC for Aliens: Colonial Marines GOTY edition!

[MinionZombie]

Surely it's a case of finding out if the urban legend is true, right? It's commonly been said that the cartridges were dumped in the desert, but I'd heard that that was just an urban legend ... but other's claim otherwise ... perhaps this is to find out once and for all? It's a huge part of videogame culture and lore ... it's kind of like videogaming's Big Foot or Loch Ness Monster.

[LouCipherr]

Well, we do know one thing: they didn't sell all those games... I can remember playing that POS as a kid and being SO disappointed. If they're not buried in a landfill, they should be!

[Neil]

^^ But again... What do they want them for? They dig up X thousands of cartridges and...? It's like the South Park under pant gnomes! Cartridges + ? = profit

[AcesandEights]

I played this game when it originally came out...I assure you all, these cartridges should not see the light of day

[MinionZombie]

Well, like I said - probably mostly to see if they can confirm if it's true or just an urban legend ... and if any are surviving, they'd no doubt auction them off like the videogame equivalent of sunken treasure ... "treasure" being a decidedly relative term.

[LouCipherr]

^^ But again... What do they want them for? They dig up X thousands of cartridges and...? Well, like I said - probably mostly to see if they can confirm if it's true or just an urban legend ... and if any are surviving, they'd no doubt auction them off like the videogame equivalent of sunken treasure ... "treasure" being a decidedly relative term. ^^ This. Even though we've all heard the legend of what happened to all these leftover ET cartridges, is there any proof? I guess that's what these people are going to find out. Although, that being said, I think some people just have WAY too much time on their hands. ***Edited to add: apparently, snopes believes this 'urban legend' to be true: http://www.snopes.com/business/market/atari.asp But here's what I find most curious about the article: "...Atari, stuck with millions of games and consoles that were largely unsellable at any price, sent fourteen truckloads of merchanside from their plan in El Paso, Texas, to be dumped in a city landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico in late September 1983. In order to keep the site from being looted, steamrollers crushed and flattened the games, and a concrete slab was poured over the remains." So even if they dig this stuff up, it's not like anything "useable" will come from it. If snopes got the story right, that is.. Hmmm.....

[rongravy]

But here's what I find most curious about the article: "...Atari, stuck with millions of games and consoles that were largely unsellable at any price, sent fourteen truckloads of merchanside from their plan in El Paso, Texas, to be dumped in a city landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico in late September 1983. In order to keep the site from being looted, steamrollers crushed and flattened the games, and a concrete slab was poured over the remains." So even if they dig this stuff up, it's not like anything "useable" will come from it. If snopes got the story right, that is.. Hmmm..... Even if they hadn't crushed them and all, surely they would be unplayable after all this time anyway. Right?

[LouCipherr]

Even if they hadn't crushed them and all, surely they would be unplayable after all this time anyway. Right? I would think so. Actually Ron, now that I think about it, it was unplayable begin with! wakka wakka I'm here all week..

[AcesandEights]

"steamrollers crushed and flattened the games, and a concrete slab was poured over the remains." And they say a child's prayers are never answered. My 8 year old self would be jumping up & down like it was raining Star Wars action figures if he heard this news.

[Rancid Carcass]

and a concrete slab was poured over the remains. Damn, that's some heavy duty DRM...

[AcesandEights]

Damn, that's some heavy duty DRM... Well played, sir!