Way back in 1983, over four decades ago now, Atari was in a bind. They mistakenly bet on the future of the gaming market in the worst way possible. They produced too many games for their console; some estimate they produced MORE copies of Pac-Man than they had sold units of the console itself. Talk about a bad bet. The rumor was proven true in 2014 when crews dug up the long-buried games. Approximately 700,000 total cartridges were buried including E.T. Now you can bury them again in Burying E.T. for the Atari 2600, playable in a browser or if you have the means, on your Atari 2600 console.
Is This Peak Trolling?
I grew up hearing this rumor and having, or seeing, countless arguments on either side of it over the years. I was born in 1976 so by the time I was in grade school this was a fairly popular rumor on the playgrounds.
It is interesting to find out it was true, though I am sure all those promises of “it didn’t happen or I will eat my pencil box” are long beyond their expiration date.
What surprised me the most here is that it took so long for someone to troll Atari like this. The game was made about a year ago but recently the BIN file for fans to download was made available, at least according to the itch.io page.
No Need to Be Forklift Certified to Play
Play in your browser or download the BIN file and play in an emulator, or if you are elite, on actual Atari hardware. I am poor and without the necessary hardware so I will stick to browser play.
Move around the screen, looking VERY similar to that of the original Atari 2600 E.T. game and push carts into the holes.
Sounds simple, and most great Atari games are, but there is more to Burying E.T. than just that. There is a timer ticking down (I assume this is fuel for your bulldozer) and often you are given a choice – go after the E.T. cart or the fuel can that randomly pops up on the screen.
Right At Home Hiding Atari’s Failures On Your Atari
Burying E.T. is fun, it has the usual tropes that classic Atari games had. A tiny bit of overlap for your bulldozer and the pit and you are not moving. Remember that in Combat when playing the tanks? While no one is shooting you here, it is either a feature or a WTF moment as you watch the timer count down, but you are stuck trying to get around a pit.
Me personally, I really like Burying E.T. and think it is a great, poking fun at Atari release. Check it out, it is free on itch.io. Give the creator a comment letting them know what you think of it.