The worst game : E.T. (Atari 2600)

You knew this one was coming.  E.T. was only the second game based on a movie and boy, did it ever set the tone for the rest of this list.

E.T. is arguably not just one of the worst licensed games, but one of the worst games of all time, period.  It was rushed out in six weeks to make money off of the movie’s success and Atari’s brand loyalty. This strategy seemed to work at first, with a high volume of sales for Christmas.

Until people started returning it. In the end, the game managed to sell so badly it helped trigger Atari’s crash and burn, losing them over $500 million. Even though the cartridges were crushed, buried, and covered with cement, in an area devoid of all life, this hasn’t stopped the game from spreading like a virus and eradicating all signs of quality from nearby towns.

 The developer, meanwhile, remains at large.