"The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" For The Atari 2600

So if you thought yesterday's post about the "Halloween" video game for the Atari 2600 was crazy, just wait!

While I was researching Wizard Video Games, the short-lived company that produced "Halloween," I quickly discovered that they released one other interesting game in 1983 before calling it a day:

The Texas Chainsaw Massacre!!

Photo courtesy of Wikipedia.

Who is the guy with the gun on the cover!?!?

Now you may be saying to yourself, "I have never heard of either of this games." I hadn't either. And for good reason! Both Halloween and The Texas Chainsaw Massacre were not really games that could be marketed to the young Atari 2600 crowd, and apparently many stores refused to carry them, leading to poor sales of both titles. It was claimed that The Texas Chainsaw Massacre only reached around 900 units in total sales.

Another reason for this one tanking may have been the gameplay. Check out the video below, where you play as Leatherface wielding your 8-bit chainsaw, dodging fences, cow skulls and wheelchairs, all while trying to saw up your victims! It gets pretty stale quickly, but how was this ever approved for sale!?

And of course low initial sales can really only lead to one thing: Collectability!! "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre," along with "Halloween" and the infamous "E.T." have absolutely skyrocketed in aftermarket value.

Proof positive is this incredibly rare sealed copy that has also been signed by 7 of the actors from the film over on eBay. Yes, you are reading that right.

An impossibly rare sealed game, authenticated and graded, plus autographed by 7 of the film's actors, for an absolutely, positively ridiculous FOUR HUNDRED AND FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLARS!!!!!!!

It looks like I won't be buying that one anytime soon, but the game's dubious history and it's tie-in to the legendary film make it an obvious collector's gem. For now, I'll just reminisce about my youthful days playing non-chainsaw classics like River Raid, Pitfall! and Yars' Revenge!

"Halloween" For The Atari 2600

Here's one for the older folks following along! Do you remember how amazing the Atari 2600 was when it came out? The dawn of the video game home console era ushered in so many classics! Pac Man, Space Invaders, Frogger, Asteroids, Halloween.

Wait, what?

Back in 1983 when I was playing River Raid, Pitfall! and Yars' Revenge, Wizard Video Games released Halloween, based on the original 1978 John Carpenter classic.

At that time, I had never even heard of the game, partially due to the haphazard way the game was released, and then Wizard's eventual bankruptcy soon after.

But in seeing the gameplay, I wish I had picked up a copy along the way! The unnamed babysitter evades the unnamed killer as she tries to rescue random children in the house's two floors. And Carpenter's iconic film theme translates wonderfully into 8-bit mode, even if the blocky graphics are a laugh compared to today's games.

If this has piqued your interest, be prepared for sticker shock, as the game's collectability has gone through the roof! A quick check over at eBay reveals absolutely RIDICULOUS resale prices!

And if you're not ready to shell out that kind of money, simply enjoy the wonderful 8-bit music and blocky characters in the game-play video below.

You can read a bit more about Halloween here. Enjoy!