Atari Dune?

I saw Dune part 2 this weekend and it made me wonder about whether there were ever any Dune video games for our beloved Atari systems.

The answer is mostly, “not really”. However it turns out there was a Dune game for the Atari 2600 that was in development in 1984. It was to be based on the 1984 Dune movie by David Lynch.

Before I get into that, allow me a brief aside about Dune movies (and miniseries). I’ve never watched the entire David Lynch version of Dune. I’ve seen bits and pieces, but overall I’ve found it to be far too strange and also too grotesque. Someday I may try to power through it, but that day has not yet arrived.

I greatly enjoyed the Dune miniseries that were on the SciFi channel in the early 2000s.

Dune part 1 by Denis Villeneuve was amazing. I first saw it at home on HBO in October 2021 as it had a simultaneous release there alongside its thatrical release. I later saw it in IMAX in December of 2021. I’ve since seen it several other times.

That movie even inspired me to read the book for the first time. I’m not sure why, but I had never actually gotten around to reading it. I think having the movie fresh in my mind allowed me to get through the start of the. book, which can be a bit daunting.

Anyway, Dune part 2 was utterly amazing. I saw it in IMAX and it was one of the most visually stunning movies I’ve seen in a theatre. The sound was also phenomenal. The story was great, but changed noticeably from the book. The changes were not bad, but definitely different and could upset some purists, although I think they work well for the movie. It will be interesting to see how the changes affect the sequel that intends to cover the second book of the series.

OK, now back to Atari-related Dune.