E.T. the Board Game
20Mar2008 Filed under: Board Games, Commercials, Movies, Video Games Author: The Retroist
You gotta love that 1980s rainbow motif. We all know what a “huge” hit the ET video game was for Atari, but how many of you ever played the ET board game? In the game, you and your fellow E.T.s make their way around the board, trying to build the intergalactic phone. Which is represented by a circular jigsaw puzzle in the center of the board.
Check out this sweet commercial with gameplay action:
The game wasn’t a huge hit, but it was successful enough. From what I remember, when I played it with my E.T. geek cousin, the game was just OK. But the E.T. Pieces themselves were super awesome. We used them as an extra race in the Star Wars Cantina. Don’t mess with the Aliens from Brodo Asogi (yes, I am that kind of nerd), they got glowing fingers and wicked cool powers.
On a more serious note. Sure this wasn’t the greatest board game ever made, but at least it didn’t destroy Park Brothers and bring down an entire industry.
Look how lonely poor E.T. looks in the middle of the board. Help him build that phone so he can contact his family and go home.
- Tags: Board Game, E.T.
6 Responses to “E.T. the Board Game”
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Matt
March 27th, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I had the board game, but as I remember, assembling the spaceship was more fun that the actual gameplay. I think I only managed to convince others to play it with me a couple times until it was consigned to the dust bin of history.
The Retroist
March 28th, 2008 at 10:15 am
Yeah, if I remember it right. It was not the best game in the world, but the parts were much greater then the whole.
I would really like to talk to this designers who worked on some of these games and ask them what sort of pressure they were under to crank these out. I owned the Gremlins board game and after playing it once, I couldn’t convince anyone to join me for a second round. So to the back of the game closet it went.
Tommy
April 3rd, 2008 at 1:11 pm
My fiance and I totally bought that at goodwill a few months ago after we’d decided to start collecting old board games (we’re up to 3), and it didn’t have half of the pieces. :(
The Retroist
April 5th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
What are the other 3 games you have? I collects old ones myself - I especially like old RPG stuff. I have a bunch of 1st edition D&D stuff, but the gem of my collection is a complete original box of the Empire of the Petal Throne.
With you ET game did you at least have the little ETs? They make great desk shelf items.
Tommy
April 8th, 2008 at 2:03 pm
We’ve got a sweet 60’s era Risk, a Winnie the Pooh game, and the ET. I’ll have to dig it out to see what we don’t have. I can’t wait to start getting more.
Some I can remember off the top of my head:
Grape Escape
Bonkers
13 Dead End Drive
TMNT board game
The Retroist
April 8th, 2008 at 3:11 pm
I love 13 Dead End Drive. I have it in the game closet. Recently I dug up video Clue - which I hope to break up and post on youtube - and the board for Electronic Dungeons and Dragons from 1980.
I really wish the “E D&D” was a complete set, but I am missing almost everything. Including its awesome box =(