ET is usually regarded as the worst game of all time by basically any individual in the gaming industry. It's often blamed for the crash of the video game industry and the death of Atari. The documentry of Atari: Game Over shows this tale from different perspectives and shines some more light on what was actually going on with the industry at time. The main focus is the event of the dump dig for these games of mythic legend, but we get a much more rounded experience with this as well. We get a number of interviews and different perspectives from certain individuals that have had an impact directly with this situation around ET, the developer and some intense enthusiasts. The whole portion of them driving with ET in a Delorian was pretty awesome to see. What was really neat about this documentry aside from them actually digging out the games which we knew happened months back, but was seeing the developer of this rushed game and how it had affected his life. The whole situation of this genious that created Yar's Revenge heading into this really pressured game release of making this cartridge. The rush of this was the pressure to get it out by Christmas with a five week development cycle which is whack. Games in that day took at least six months so this was ridiculous. Even more surpising was that it was backed by Spielberg after and just bombed with even returns happening in stores.
This was the start of the end as the film continued to chronicle the downfall of Atari. After getting through the priming for the big moment we were treated with anticipation seeing the dig site. We got to see the site get dug up and the course of action they were using to make this possible. It was even looking rough at certain points with crazy wind storms flowing in as personalities were gusted by wind. Everything was worth it when that moment of the initial ET had arrived.
Yet again with these Xbox Original shows, I was more than pleasantly surprised by how great these videos are. Particularly these documentaries are capturing and provide great educational insights into the histories of video games. It doesn't seem anyone else is doing this sort of thing in the industry aside from small projects and more film projects like this should be undertaken. Not everything here is about just the dig, and provides a great perspective on what else was going during the fall of Atari. There are also many emotional moments from some of the interviews go in-depth into many of the actions and fallout that Atari would have on the industry. A great documentary that I definitely suggest checking out that's free on Xbox for you to watch.
