E.T.'s Video Game Geneology

Despite coming from a well loved and respected movie, E.T. did not appear in a lot of video games, at least not until it was time to celebrate the movie's 20th anniversary.

1982 - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - This is maybe the most famous Atari 2600 game, but for all the wrong reasons. Rushed through development for a Christmas release the same year as the movie, this game taught the industry that just because people liked the movie, it doesn't mean they will automatically like any game based on that movie. Developers have been relearning that lesson ever since.

1983 - E.T. Phone Home! - Atari's E.T. offering for their line of home computers met with a better but quieter response than their Atari 2600 game. The plots of both games are similar: E.T. must find the parts he needs to build his phone, and then get to the landing site for his spaceship before the government finds him.

2001 - E.T.: Digital Companion - This cartridge for the Game Boy Color is less a game and more a digital assistant meant for children. The title provides an address book, clock and notepad, along with five mini-games.

2001 - E.T.: Escape from Panet Earth - Another 2001 release for the Game Boy Color, this game revives the plot where E.T. must find the right parts to phone home. Both E.T. and Elliot are playable characters in this game.

2001 - E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial - Both the name and the basic plot of the Atari 2600 game have been dusted off for this Game Boy Advance title, where E.T. seeks to build his transmitter while avoiding the agents and scientists trying to find him. This title also shares the 2600 game's negative reviews and complaints of needless complexity, though at least this one wasn't accused of bringing down the entire video game industry.

2002 - E.T.: Interplanetary Mission - This time E.T. isn't trying to escape Earth, but instead is working to save the universe, specifically the universe's plants. Travel from planet to planet, finding and healing their native greenery while holding back any alien enemies that try to get in your way.

2002 - E.T.: Cosmic Garden - This Game Boy Color release focuses even more on E.T.'s quest to catalog the flora of the galaxy. Visit different planets and gather their plants into the Cosmic Garden, then work to keep those plants alive and well.

2002 - E.T. Away from Home - Here the movie has been turned into a board game, and then that board game has been turned into a computer game. Roll the dice and travel the board as E.T. tries to reach his spaceship before it's too late.

2002 - E.T. Phone Home Adventure - Published simultaneously with E.T. Away from Home, this PC release aimed at children offers players the chance to rescue E.T. through twelve mini-games and a variety of puzzles.