Developed by Telltale Games
Released for Xbox 360/Xbox One (10/2015)
Also on Mac/PC/PS3/PS4/Wii
Back to the Future: The Game is likely about the closest we're ever going to get to having a fourth entry in the movie series (until Hollywood inevitably decides to 'reboot' the franchise at least). The game was created by Telltale Games so those who've played any of the companies other entries have a good idea of what to expect: a little bit of exploration, some minor puzzles with a whole lot of narration and dialogue selections.
Back to the Future: The Game was originally released on the Macintosh, PC, PlayStation 3 & Wii back in 2011. With the game's re-release in 2015 for the 360, One and PlayStation 4 the game received new voice-work from original cast member Tom Wilson (Biff Tannen) while the previous version featured an impersonator. Christopher Lloyd is also on board as Doc Brown. Due to obvious complications, Marty McFly is voiced by an actor other than Michael J. but he does a tremendous job with the impersonation and it didn't take long before I forgot it wasn't Fox himself! While the voice acting is solid, there were many scenes that felt a bit too quiet and could have used some improvement in the sound design department. The minor sound issue is easy to overlook with such great voice acting and that incredible Back to the Future music score.
The game is a bit less linear than The Walking Dead titles and may present a few parts that cause players to get stuck but overall the game is pretty easy to see through to the end, especially with the easy mode that provides hints. These point and click style games always play best with a mouse, so if you have a PC or Mac you may want to make that your first option for playing the game. That being said, the controls are mapped out well enough and the game is still very playable on consoles. You guide Marty around with the left stick and the right stick will cycle through your available interactions around you. The X button brings up your inventory and that's really about all there is to the controls, they are simple yet effective enough and gameplay never felt limited by the control scheme. The in-game graphics aren't bad, but you have to keep in mind this game was released on the Wii in 2011, so the visuals are going to reflect that. They've been touched up a bit and though they are a bit cartoon-ish the characters bear a good resemblance to the real counterparts.
The story mostly takes place in 1931 Hill Valley, which was a bit disappointing as I've always been a big fan of the second movie where they went into the future and would love to see that in video game form. What's presented is still interesting though and the game brings back a lot of classic characters from the series, even if they are in the form of relatives in the past. I'm not going to go in depth with the story as that is the meat and bones of the game and will be the main thing to keep you playing. I will say if you've ever had an interest in the Back to the Future series or time-travelling in general, then this game is worth a look. The story does a great job of showing you how messing with the past can alter the timeline and then shows the futility of trying to go back and fix the mistakes that altered time, only to mess something else up in the process. Definitely a bit of a paradox but that's how a time-travel scenario should be!
On the Xbox One, there's a pretty cool feature regarding achievements that will show the percentage of players that have unlocked each achievement. I found it strange that out of all the people that have played Back to the Future: the Game on the One, under 10% played beyond the first episode! I urge anybody reading this who hasn't to go back and play through the game as the ending is absolutely awesome and should be witnessed before judging the title. At the very least watch a video of the ending, it's definitely one of the best things about this game.
The version released on the 360 and the One in 2015 are the same game, though the graphics are a bit cleaner on the One and the loading times are a bit quicker, but the game is still a fun experience regardless of which platform you choose to play it on. Fans of the old movies definitely need to go back and check this game out at some point! Anybody who enjoyed any of Telltales previous efforts or point 'n click titles in general should give this one a go as well. In the wake of the shutdown of Telltale Games, the game has been de-listed from the digital storefronts, but since Back to the Future also received a physical release for both platforms it is still possible to play using a disc.
Final Verdict: Back to the Future: The Game is another enjoyable entry from Telltale Games. The game does some awesome stuff regarding time travel and is worth a look for fans of the movies and/or point 'n click titles.
Purchase Links:
Buy Back to the Future (Xbox One) - eBay
Buy Back to the Future (Xbox 360) - eBay
Related Links:
Back to the Future on Xbox One - GameFAQs
Back to the Future on Xbox 360 - GameFAQs
Back to the Future for Xbox 360 - Xbox Marketplace
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