Back to the...Series We Know and Love
Well, I have to say, when I first found out about this game nearly a week after it came out, I was quick to purchase it on Steam and play through its first episode. Being a big Back to the Future fan, having a game that both respects it's predecessors while adding to a story that hasn't had a true installment in about two decades is really something that excited me. Having Telltale Games, a great storytelling and comedic gaming company known for it's Sam and Max series, made it especially intriguing. So what could go wrong?
The Story:
Without adding a huge amount of spoilers, I'll just lay down the basic premise: the game is based in 1986, six months or so after the events of the third movie. Marty has a dream about the event at the beginning of the first Back to the Future movie, except things in this dream go differently. He wakes up, and soon goes to Doc's old house where his stuff is getting auctioned off because he hasn't been seen in so long. After retrieving Doc's diary from Biff, the DeLorean returns with only Einstein the dog in it. Things go from there.
The story of this game is where it truly shines. The writing is excellent, the comedy is exactly what you expect, both from a Back to the Future piece of media and from a Telltale game, and its overall a fun experience. The new characters made for the game are just fine, although a little forgettable. Still, as far as the story aspect of things go, it's an awesome experience.
The Graphics:
But for the good of the story, something a little offsetting is the graphic presentation of it. Obviously, this being a Telltale game, they weren't going to go for anything cutting edge. It's not their style; they want most people with decent computers to be able to play. So I wasn't going in expecting photo-realistic images of Christopher Lloyd and Michael J. Fox. And yet, and can't help but feel a little put off by the artistic direction of this game. The characters just aren't very nice to look at, but not distractingly so, I suppose.
Basically, it's not the path I would have taken, but it works for what it is, and admittedly, it got easier and nicer to look at as the game progressed and I got used to it. The animation and lip-syncing are smooth, as well. Not super great or anything in my opinion, but overall, I'm neutral.
The Voice-Acting:
This being a game full of characters many people have come to know and love, having the right voice with these characters is a big deal, thus warranting its own section.
Christopher Lloyd returns as Emmett Brown and, obviously, does a fantastic job. AJ Locascio does an almost masterful imitation of Michael J. Fox as Marty McFly, sounding so close to the real thing that it might as well be just that. Also, the smaller roles, along with new character Edna Strickland and young Doc, are done just fine.
That said, not everyone's voice is quite right. Aimee Miles, doing the brief cameo work on Lorraine McFly, sounds a little too grandmotherly. Biff/Kid Tannen aren't bad, but don't quite hit the correct notes. But the most glaring problem area in the VA work is Michael Sommers as George/Arthur McFly. He reads the lines just fine and expresses emotion no problem, but the way he reads doesn't fit the character. Him as George is much too condescending (Like he's talking down to Marty in a conceited, upper-crust sort of way), and him as Arthur is too winy for my taste. True, Arthur is a new character, and so might be different, but the whole point of the characters inclusion is to have an analogous to young George in the first one.
To sum it up, the voice-acting is great for the main characters, and middling to good for the rest. I wasn't expecting to-the-dot imitations in the beginning, but I suppose Mr. Locascio raised those expectations a lot from the word go.
The Gameplay:
Last but not least, the gameplay itself. Although, really, there's not a whole lot to say. It's your standard Telltale point-and-click game, except with Back to the Future. The hint system is good, allowing you to progressively give yourself better hints if you're having problems. The walking is a little awkward, but again, that's standard. I only managed to get stuck once, and that was for about 5 minutes. So no real problems.
At this review's first submission, I mentioned how I wish I could have gotten a little more bang for my buck. Now, upon further review, it seems that the $25 game price covers the entire five part series, which makes the price tag not only worth it, but an absolute bargain!
Overall:
When it gets right down to it, this game is a fun piece of what is almost certain to be a great overall experience for a great price. Obviously, if you've never watched the series before, that's something you'll want to do first. If you're a buff like me, however, or even just a casual fan, this game is sure to give you a nice, if brief taste of what's to come. I recommend it wholeheartedly.
