ET cartridges found in New Mexico desert

[long gone 8,929]

I'm certain that most of you are familiar with the urban legend surrounding the ET video game for the Atari 2600, but in case you aren't I'll go over it.

 

In 1982, a video game based on the critically acclaimed movie ET the Extra-Terrestrial was released for the Atari 2600, after an extremely rushed, six-week development cycle. The game quickly became notorious for how low-quality it is, and is commonly said to be a contributing factor in the North American video game crash of 1983. The urban legend says that Atari was so ashamed of unsure of what to do with unsold copies this game and the similarly-panned Pac-Man for the same platform that they buried millions of copies of both games in a New Mexican landfill.

 

Look what Larry Hryb, whom you Xbox boys and girls might better know as Major Nelson, posted on Twitter today:

In the worker's hand, he is holding the first exhumed copy of ET from this much-rumored video game burial. The legends are true.

 

What do you guys think? Do you think the cartridges should stay buried, or should they be dug up and kept as historical records of a time long gone? I'm just surprised the legends are true, after all these years.

 

Fixed the legend, thanks Rocky.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Daring

[M'aiq the Liar 5,804]

But the Dwarves delved too deep. And in the dark, they woke something up.

 

But this means that we can force a new AVGN episode, and the fact that the legend is true is just amazing.

[Scootalove 10,689]

After all these years, they finally found the long lost buried copies of that terrible game. Anyway, they should probably keep it as historical evidence of a legend that is now true.

[Tholos 145]

An ancient evil, uncovered at last. It would be a good time to invest in an end-times shelter for you and your loved ones, as this is clearly the beginning of the end to the trained-eye.

[Khaoios 1,970]

So......ET cartridge excavated in a New Mexico desert.........now that's a laugh, XD.  Imagine one person says, "Oh i can may a lot of money" and when they walk it, watch the clerk rofl b/c of how poor that game was. 

[ghostfacekiller39 23,860]

I saw Cr1TiKaL's playthrough of this game, and I must say, it looked like quite the spectacle.

 

I believe that they hid it in a landfill for the good of mankind, because we'd be ripping each other apart trying to get this game off the shelves

But, now that we've found it...oh no

[long gone 8,929]

So......ET cartridge excavated in a New Mexico desert.........now that's a laugh, XD.  Imagine one person says, "Oh i can may a lot of money" and when they walk it, watch the clerk rofl b/c of how poor that game was. 

They might actually be worth a lot. These cartridges are part of one of the biggest urban legends in North America, they might be worth millions! Okay, maybe not millions, but still. This is pretty huge.

 

Oh yeah, ET wasn't alone... Hryb also posted evidence that other Atari games were buried in the landfill as well. Here is Centipede next to an ET box, with Centipede still in the shrink wrap.

[Digit 321]

Haha this is amazing. But if any one remembers that game it was just you trying to get out of holes and it usually took forever. So they will get half way done and then give up.

[Mr F 1,522]

We should let it stay there and put up cameras!

Only aliens would enjoy that game.

[Khaoios 1,970]

They might actually be worth a lot. These cartridges are part of one of the biggest urban legends in North America, they might be worth millions! Okay, maybe not millions, but still. This is pretty huge.

 

Oh yeah, ET wasn't alone... Hryb also posted evidence that other Atari games were buried in the landfill as well. Here is Centipede next to an ET box, with Centipede still in the shrink wrap.

 

Well.....that could be possible, like you said "the cartridge was part of one of the biggest legends in NA",.  It'll probably be in the thousands, im guessing.

 

BTW, Centipede...........oh god XD

[Rockymoo 2,137]

They might actually be worth a lot. These cartridges are part of one of the biggest urban legends in North America, they might be worth millions! Okay, maybe not millions, but still. This is pretty huge.

It's not an urban legend and never was. It's been recognized as a fact for quite a while now.

 

Also, they weren't buried out of shame or pride or whatever, they were buried because they simply didn't know what the fuck to do with them. They weren't selling; all they did for game stores and the like was take up space. There just wasn't any reason to keep them around. It's that simple.

Edited April 26, 2014 by Rockymoo

[silvadel 1,393]

But my ET games -- they will become worth LESS than 25 cents now...

[long gone 8,929]

It's not an urban legend and never was. It's been recognized as a fact for quite a while now.

 

Also, they weren't buried out of shame or pride or whatever, they were buried because they simply didn't know what the fuck to do with them. They weren't selling; all they did for game stores and the like was take up space. There just wasn't any reason to keep them around. It's that simple.

You are right about them not knowing what to do with the excess merchandise, yes. However, reports of the burial at the time were never confirmed.

[FoxyCryptid 4,330]

Honestly, if they authenticate these somehow and "grade" them as finds from the dumpsite that may be able to get some money from them as collector's items. 

[Megas 27,742]

That's actually pretty hilarious. They'll probably keep them as evidence that the rumors were real

[Dr. Vojislav Seselj 691]

I CALLED IT FUCK YEAH

 

Daring the ultimate purveyor of good news

 

Now all they need to do is find the DuMont footage dumped in the New York Bay and I can die happy.

[Tetrakemy 221]

https://games.yahoo.com/news/diggers-ataris-e-t-games-landfill-193256509.html

 

 

.........This is the most horrible news to ever happen in the history of video games EVER...They need to Re-bury those fucking games right now and make sure no one else finds them again. 

 

Every copy int he world those people could get a hold of was burried for a reason. the E.T game is something that should remained silented forever. Those games never should had been unearthed. 

Edited April 27, 2014 by Chigens and Kay
Topic title.

[Dattebayo 2,850]

Who put them there? Where did it come from? Why are they there?

It's terrifying.

[Skullbuster 1,906]

the game really isnt that bad, theres far far worse out there... its just kinda dumb

[Scootalove 10,689]

I don't why they dug them up, but even though E.T. flopped big time as a game, unearthing the games were to prove that the legend was true when they were buried.

[irondefender 57]

This sounds interesting

I'll be surprised if they still work. 

[Nine 707]

It always amused me how the worst nuclear accident in history was covered over with concrete, as was the worst gaming accident in history.

[Rocky Doo 39]

I wonder what the people who un-buried them are going to do with them..

[hawkflame 3,310]

I wonder what the AVGN thinks.  Especially since this is the plot to his upcoming movie.

[Acoustic Cloud 2,202]

Everybody already knew they were buried, so this isn't really news. I happen to have the rarest release date of a copy which was after people sent them to the junkyard with the 1986 release.

 

Seriously though, it was never a legend. People actually sent out info to get these things sent there. Just like there are sites dedicated to destroying every copy of shaqfu (which I have)

 

http://www.shaqfu.com/ourmission.php

Edited April 27, 2014 by Rainbow Dashey