Rating of
2.5/4
The Rise and Fall of Atari
Chris Kavan - wrote on 08/04/15
For the longest time, it was one of the most famous gaming urban legends. Atari, the gaming giant in the early 80s, rushed to released the game version of E.T. to capitalize on the monster success of the film (and the Christmas holiday). What followed was what is considered one of the worst video games of all time and, soon after, the collapse of Atari. The game was so bad that thousands of the games were said to be buried in a landfill in Alamogordo, New Mexico. I say urban legend because up until very recently, it was unproven. But a historian (and waste disposal expert) Joe Lewandowski set out to prove the legend true. it actually took quite a bit of planning and resources but the landfill was dug up and, though the numbers might have been exaggerated, lo and behold, several copies of the infamous game were found (to the relief of quite a crowd of onlookers and game enthusiasts).
But more than looking for a game in a landfill, Atari: Game Over explores what really happened to the company. Yes, E.T. might have been a massive misstep, but it wasn't the game the caused the downfall of the company - but like most of history, it's much easier to place the blame on one thing rather than look at the bigger picture. Granted, the documentary could have gone deeper, but it is great to see the likes of Nolan Bushnell and Howard Scott Warshaw (along with other Atari names) look back on the history.
This was originally going to be Microsoft's big foray into Xbox Entertainment Studios - until the project got shuttered. It's too bad, because there aren't a lot of good documentaries focusing on the history and impact of the video game industry. It's a good first step, let's hope someday we'll get some more.
