Back to the Future, not perfect, but amazing nonetheless
Back to the Future has become one of my favorite graphic adventure games out of many. I think the game is brilliant. That said, it's not perfect. But I don't feel it deserves the hate that is currently gets. Before I talk about what makes the Back to the Future game a wonderful piece of work, I'll get the bad news out of the way first, or, in other words, some of it's problems.
Cons:
Low exploration: Let's be brutally honest, people talk about how BTTF has lack of exploration, but most adventure games are low on that level anyway. If you truly want exploration, play RPGs, (not counting FF10, which sucks and is low on exploration) such as most of the pre-FF10 game, but 12, and the Dragon Warrior/Quest series, WoW, Ultima series, and so forth. Yet, I will agree, that BTTF has even lower exploration than most other graphic adventure games. It was a bit disappointing to be walking around the town square of Hilly Valley in 1931, only to be able to go into a couple of buildings. I so wanted to explore a lot more. That's what problem.
Awkward controls: Maybe it's just me, but sometimes I found the controls slightly awkward.
Now that we have the cons out of the way, now for the pros which help make this game one of my favorite graphic adventure and video games.
Wonderful storyline: I love the story in this game so much. The 1930s is also one of my favorite time periods, so I was eager to play this game for that alone. The fact that it is a Back to the Future game made it all the better, as I love the movies. How did it do compared to the movies? It did justice to the movies. It really worked as a BTTF4. The game really captured the feeling and heart of the films that I love and cherish. It certainly did better at capturing the feeling than the animated series, which, for the life of me, I can't fathom why people enjoy. This game touched on some deep issues, particularly how time travel could help you, but mess things up for other people, which brings up some great philosophical questions.
Suberb characters, old and new: Marty, Doc Brown, George McFly, even Biff for a couple of times. It was great to see the old gang. I was particularly pleased that they got Christopher Lloyd to reprise his role as Doc Brown. It was also great that they kept Marty awkward, while having him still a little more mature from his last adventures. And I love the new Tannen, Kid Tannen. I thought Kid Tannen was a great addition; not quite as rough as Bufford Tannen but not as tame as Biff Tannen. Edna Strickland was also a great character, adding some good extra conflict. I loved Arthur McFly, and the nod he gave to George by his personality.
Wonderful puzzles: I know many people will disagree with me, and that's fine. But I don't care. I found the puzzles a breath of fresh air. They were tricky in areas, but they were always logical. Some people complain that they were easy, but I didn't think they were all easy. Some of the super hard puzzles in previous adventures games were so hard because they were so illogical, like some of the puzzles you get in Monkey Island games. I don't find those types of puzzles fun at all. I like puzzles with logic to them, which BTTF the game provided.
With all that said, BTTF, despite a few flaws, has more that I love about it. I even go so far as to give the game five out of five stars. It's one of my favorites and it brings me joy.
Cons:
Low exploration: Let's be brutally honest, people talk about how BTTF has lack of exploration, but most adventure games are low on that level anyway. If you truly want exploration, play RPGs, (not counting FF10, which sucks and is low on exploration) such as most of the pre-FF10 game, but 12, and the Dragon Warrior/Quest series, WoW, Ultima series, and so forth. Yet, I will agree, that BTTF has even lower exploration than most other graphic adventure games. It was a bit disappointing to be walking around the town square of Hilly Valley in 1931, only to be able to go into a couple of buildings. I so wanted to explore a lot more. That's what problem.
Awkward controls: Maybe it's just me, but sometimes I found the controls slightly awkward.
Now that we have the cons out of the way, now for the pros which help make this game one of my favorite graphic adventure and video games.
Wonderful storyline: I love the story in this game so much. The 1930s is also one of my favorite time periods, so I was eager to play this game for that alone. The fact that it is a Back to the Future game made it all the better, as I love the movies. How did it do compared to the movies? It did justice to the movies. It really worked as a BTTF4. The game really captured the feeling and heart of the films that I love and cherish. It certainly did better at capturing the feeling than the animated series, which, for the life of me, I can't fathom why people enjoy. This game touched on some deep issues, particularly how time travel could help you, but mess things up for other people, which brings up some great philosophical questions.
Suberb characters, old and new: Marty, Doc Brown, George McFly, even Biff for a couple of times. It was great to see the old gang. I was particularly pleased that they got Christopher Lloyd to reprise his role as Doc Brown. It was also great that they kept Marty awkward, while having him still a little more mature from his last adventures. And I love the new Tannen, Kid Tannen. I thought Kid Tannen was a great addition; not quite as rough as Bufford Tannen but not as tame as Biff Tannen. Edna Strickland was also a great character, adding some good extra conflict. I loved Arthur McFly, and the nod he gave to George by his personality.
Wonderful puzzles: I know many people will disagree with me, and that's fine. But I don't care. I found the puzzles a breath of fresh air. They were tricky in areas, but they were always logical. Some people complain that they were easy, but I didn't think they were all easy. Some of the super hard puzzles in previous adventures games were so hard because they were so illogical, like some of the puzzles you get in Monkey Island games. I don't find those types of puzzles fun at all. I like puzzles with logic to them, which BTTF the game provided.
With all that said, BTTF, despite a few flaws, has more that I love about it. I even go so far as to give the game five out of five stars. It's one of my favorites and it brings me joy.
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Comments
I think that's a big factor in why I liked Telltale's pre-BttF adventure games so much. They hit a near-perfect balance, making the puzzles challenging yet still logical.
I'll admit, there were a few puzzles in BttF I liked (playing the right song for Officer Parker's mood in Episode 2, for example), but it still felt really...watered down as a whole.