Even Star Wars: ROTJ Couldn't Stop The Crash of '83

[blainelocklair]

Browsing eBay for a boxed copy of The Empire Strikes Back for the Inty and saw this picture. From the average $39 price of games just a year or two prior, that is quite a bargain bin price. I guess nothing was exempt from the crash of '83. Even with ROTJ in the theaters the same year, poor Inty ESB was closed out from TRU. Who would have guessed that 35 years later TRU would be gone too? At least they are all making a comeback. Star Wars is putting out new movies, TRU is out of bankruptcy auction, and even Intellivision is staging a return (through Kickstarter or Indiegogo, IIRC). Always great when our retro joys live on in the modern era!

[Flojomojo]

I always liked that game. You're right, nothing was spared from the big crash. I don't think I spent full price on any of my Intellivision stuff. I never saw TESB for intellivision in stores, but I would have snapped it up and that price. I loved the Atari version.

[blainelocklair]

I played the heck out of the 2600 version back in the day. I loved it. I ended up buying an Inty copy instead because of a couple of factors. The gameplay is a bit easier, requiring less hits on the walkers. The graphics on the walkers are bigger, so that aspect looks a bit nicer. The Inty will have A/V mod, so it'll look nicer than my RF 2600 or 7800 will. There are differences of opinion as to whether the 2600 or Inty version is better. Some find the somewhat pastel backgrounds and less smooth background movement inferior. Some find the larger sprites and easier gameplay beneficial. I will be a casual player of it, so the easier version appeals to me a bit more. Either way, both are fun and nostalgic. Just not $2.97 new in the box anymore.

[GameGirl420]

Wow. This makes me think of the radio interview I did with Pitfall creator David Crane back in 2015. Heard it again on my station the other night and David mentioned about the Crash.

 

Told me at least on a positive note it did make a whole lot of games alot more cheaper.

[spacecadet]

Yeah, I have several games with price tags like that as well; big ones too, with 1983 release dates.

 

A little while back I got a bunch of Atari stuff from a guy who was an executive at Warner Communications when Atari owned them (I'm actually planning to sell his 800 and 2600 pretty soon myself), and *he* had games with $2.99 price tags on them. Which suggests to me that the retailers did their best but eventually sent them back to Atari and if this guy and other employees didn't take them, they were going to meet an Alamagordo-like fate, or worse.