Page 28 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #2

Raiders of the Lost Ark

I recall experiencing a feverous anticipation when it
was first announced that Atari would release a game
based on the famous whip-toting hero.
I think what I expected to get, and what I finally got
were two different things. I always appreciated that
Atari took some time with this license in order to make
it something unique, rather than rushing it for a quick
buck. What I had expected it to be involved Indy run-
ning away from giant boulders and gathering treasures
to get a high score. Little did I expect that programmer
Howard Scott Warshaw would create a fairly complex
game in which you guided a funny moving Indiana
through a huge quest to locate the Ark of the Cove-
nant. A lot of territory gets covered for a 2600 game!
Although it could be rather frustrating at times
(falling off cliffs, using two joysticks), I think a new
benchmark was set for future adventure games.

Overall Rating: A-

E.T.

You either love or hate E.T. for the Atari 2600. In
1982, Howard Scott Warshaw accepted the task to
complete E.T. in just six weeks, in order for it to be on
shelves for Christmas. This was a monumental task
even by 1982’s standards. So, if the game looks a
little rushed, now you know the reason.
The object of the game is to see how many times
you can make your little green alien fall into the pits
scattered around various screens. Ok, not really. Ac-
tually, you’re supposed to locate the parts of a phone,
which have been scattered about several screens.
Once you find them, E.T. will “phone home,” which
sends a message to his homeworld asking them to
send a medical transport because he’s broken his legs
falling into the pits so many times.
This game sold over one million copies, but unfortu-
nately over five million copies were created. Ironically,
most of the other copies reportedly ended up in a con-
crete landfill in a New Mexican desert.

Overall Rating: C
Fantastic Voyage

You and your submarine have been injected into
the bloodstream of a dying man. Your mission is to
destroy the bacteria and make your way to your evil
nemesis “The Blood Clot” (>boo< >hiss<) before your
patient flatlines
This 20th Century Fox game is largely forgettable
and quite boring, which is too bad because the title
alone makes you think you’re going to get something
really great. “Strap in, kids! This is not going to be a
‘Mediocre Voyage’ by any means!” ‘Fantastic,’ it ain’t.

Overall Rating: D

Classic Gamer Magazine Winter 2000 28