The Video Game Critic

How could Karate be worse? The lousy collision detection (among other things) renders it unplayable and the graphics look ridiculous. Do a google search and you will find people defending ET. Nobody defends Karate.

ET has respectable graphics and is playable despite some annoying holes. Not the worst game ever.

Karate aside (which I have yet to play), there's plenty of games worse than E.T.

Swordquest Earthworld/Fireworld/Waterworld (2600)
The Rocketeer (SNES)
Offroad Extreme (Wii) - by far my vote for the worst game EVER
Cyberdillo (3DO)
among a bunch of others in which I cannot think of at the moment. and I still have way more to play.

I think this is officially the worst commercial game ever, despite having a lot of humor value: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Big_Rigs

Honestly, I played ET when it came out, and I absolutely enjoyed the game.  It was hard, but I became a master at it once I figured out what to do and played it constantly.

What's more, I am sure the game had its detractors, but I don't remember anyone I grew up with complaining about it being the worst game ever when I was a kid.  Lots of my friends at school had it and liked it.  We played it at each others' houses.  It just wasn't that bad.

It was being blamed for the "video game crash" by industry watchers, but how many of us read those things when we were kids.  We were oblivious to what industry watchers were saying or thinking -- we just knew it was a difficult game that you could master over time -- just like so many other games we were playing.  It had a distinction in my mind because it was different than so many arcade-like titles coming out on the 2600.  It was an adventure game, and there weren't a whole lot of adventure games on the 2600 that were quite like it.

I really do think that the reason it has become so infamous is because of the "worst games of all time" lists that these journalists started coming up with in the' 90s and on.  Group think is so common among the younger set when they perceive the group they target to emulate as "cool" or "connected".

The situation reminds me of Zelda II: Adventure of Link -- everyone I knew LOVED the game at the time it was released.  It was on our lips at every moment and we were constantly trying to beat it and rebeat it.  But lately I keep hearing these people on various forums hating on it, and even some reviewers acting like it was a terrible game.  Nine times out of ten, I don't think those guys ever put more than five minutes into it.

I am not saying that ET is the perfect game -- it isn't.  There are clearly things that could have been done better.  But it is far far FAR from the worst game of all time, and despite what the critic says, it doesn't deserve anything like an F (or F-, to the N64-era baby boomer in the thread).

I really do think that the reason it has become so infamous is because of the "worst games of all time" lists that these journalists started coming up with in the' 90s and on.  Group think is so common among the younger set when they perceive the group they target to emulate as "cool" or "connected". - Mozart
 
This is for sure, and it is the bane of the internet...

Another thing about 'those lists' is Super Mario Sunshine will often get on as well as a 'flop', cause your list is oh- so delicious with mega-Mario game on it!

The other notable thing about your post is you have the most effective defense of ET, it is funny some of the others went with the 'I can name you worse...' arguments, which are counterproductive...

On topic, I have no idea, I could not name a worst. I semi-recently regret Cocoto Fishing Master Wiiware though, cause that $7 is gone forever(!!) - to make matter worse I saw it in the PS2 section for $10 in Wal-Mart a week later - showing just how truly stupid I was for buying it blind....

Dont believe 'em whent they say - 'only available on Wiiware!' It s a lie!!!

[QUOTE=steer]

The other notable thing about your post is you have the most effective defense of ET, it is funny some of the others went with the 'I can name you worse...' arguments, which are counterproductive...



[/QUOTE]
Steer buddy, I've been through this exact argument enough to know what works and what doesn't.  Here's the logic you eventually develop:

Person A has read too many times how E.T. is bad.  Person A will make the same statements they have read over and over, about it being hard to avoid a hole, or the map not making sense.  Despite it NOT being hard to avoid holes and the map making A TON of sense, nothing you say will change this opinion, as it is based on nothing at all.  An argument based on nothing, defended by nothing, but believed anyway cannot be defeated.

The only recourse is to fight fire with fire.  The people saying E.T. sucks due to a million top 10 lists can only be wowed by another top10 list.  Or top 100 list.  Or some kind of list.  To the internet generation,sadly, lists of things ranked in order are about the highest ranked "source" conceivable.  Thus, you are left with only one choice: demonstrate clearly that E.T. cannot be the worst game ever, as it is clearly not even the worst game on the VCS. 

I mean look at this very post.  The guy I was debating with made claims that are not at all true.  Like that you can fall in a hole that does not exist, when you cannot.  What was I supposed to argue?  His argument based on nothing was defended with an impossibility.

Maybe I need to give ET another look, although I think my review is so funny I'd hate to revise it.

One really annoying thing is how you can unknowingly stumble into a pit when moving from the edge of on screen to the next.  I mean, when you can't even see them coming, it seems a bit unfair.  And why pits to begin with?  It's one thing to introduce a concept not in the movie, but the programmer didn't need to beat it to death!

Still, it is playable, and there's far worse stuff on the 2600.

I see what you are saying Atari, sorry, I just thought it was funny. From another angle it proves my point about people being selective on what software they choose to judge a console by.

I played E.T. a long time ago, never knew it was a legend, like Mozart is saying, and it was OK. I just remember not knowing what in the heck to DO! You raise ET's neck to have him fly out of pits right? And if I remember some of the parts are hidden in the pits? Trying to make the phone I guess? It's been so long ago I have years old dreams that are more vivid than that game, I guess this will make me dig it out and play it again. The 'landfill ancedote' is where this game gets it infamy, everyone takes a shot about the landfill, even the Critic, lol!

Remember Indiana Jones for 2600? Kind of the same way. We played that and played that but never really got anywhere....that game even had a gun, but we would always die before we made too much progress.

I liked the 2600 though, never played the other Atari consoles....no system beats the 2600 on sound effects, it is the champ, and kinda sad those origional sounds are more or less a lost art.

[QUOTE=The Video Game Critic]Maybe I need to give ET another look, although I think my review is so funny I'd hate to revise it.

One really annoying thing is how you can unknowingly stumble into a pit when moving from the edge of on screen to the next.  I mean, when you can't even see them coming, it seems a bit unfair.  And why pits to begin with?  It's one thing to introduce a concept not in the movie, but the programmer didn't need to beat it to death!

Still, it is playable, and there's far worse stuff on the 2600.

[/QUOTE]
Yeah, for me this is an A game.  But I love Atari to a fault, and like my games challenging.  I also tend to give Atari games a lot of time.  But I think on your scale it's actually about a C- effort (which is a pretty fair ranking overall).