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IGN Review of Back to the Future - The Game
After first being released as a series of downloadable PC titles, developer Telltale Games' episodic Back to the Future adventures found a new home on the PlayStation Network. Now all five games have been bundled together into a single retail release for Nintendo's Wii, making for an incredible value for fans of the classic '80s film series. Unfortunately, it's not all sunshine and roses in Hill Valley.
The graphical issues that plagued the PS3 version have seriously worsened in their transition to the Wii's less powerful hardware. Given the nature of the game, which relies heavily on cutscenes, this is a real shame. Telltale's point-and-click adventures are more about watching than they are playing, something many gamers will immediately find distressing. Fortunately for BttF Wii, the attention to detail, puzzling challenges and obvious love for the source material still make for an incredibly enjoyable click-around.
There's so much to look at in each environment and nearly every bit of it positively oozes that unique charm the film series is known for. Nods to the original trilogy are abundant and small references - like the occasional, "Great Scott!" - should be enough to seal the deal for any die-hard fan.
From the moment you start playing, you'll be scanning the environment with the Wii remote's IR pointer, searching for clues that will push the story along. It's a brilliant use of the Wii remote and makes for the ultimate casual gaming experience. Everything you click on will trigger some sort of cutscene that usually involves a heavy amount of voice acting and detailed animations. But as nice as these little touches are, this is also where the game's biggest flaw rears its ugly head.
In porting the game to PS3, many fans of the PC version noticed the occasional frame-rate dip and botched lip-syncing. It was distracting and, worse still, made it hard to immerse yourself in the characters and world. On the Wii, this problem is ten-fold what it once was. Nearly every cutscene suffers from a frame rate issue of some kind, clumsily stuttering along throughout the entirety of the story. Even while walking around and engaging with NPCs, the animations will randomly become so choppy it's hard to take it seriously.
The graphics are also worse than ever. The games were always simple looking on the PS3, and one look at Skyward Sword or Mario Galaxy proves there's no reason a comparable look couldn't have been achieved in the Wii version. However, rather than optimizing the graphics engine for the Wii, Telltale seems to have taken the easy way out and just downgraded the settings until the hardware could handle it. The once bright, colorful look comes off much duller this time around, but at least it's still pleasant-looking enough to get the job done.
The graphical issues are also less annoying thanks to the outstanding sound design. The sound effects while you're entering the date in the Delorean or booting up the flux capacitor are spot-on, as are the character's voices. If I could, I'd pay A.J. LoCascio to give me random phone calls while impersonating Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly. Seriously, it's sort of amazing how scarily similar he sounds. As for the other pillar of the franchise, Doc, Christopher Lloyd returns to voice the role and he's as perfect for it as he ever was. Even new characters like Mr. Strickland's sister are played vibrantly and thoughtfully, consistent in characterization throughout.
Each game in the compilation weaves its own intricate and compelling mystery, though some have more satisfying pay-offs than others. Thankfully, each of them deal with subject matter that could easily have made their way into a fourth, fifth or even sixth film. The stories told may not entirely stack up to the films, but the effort was there and the end result is incredibly satisfying for anyone who wants to go a few more rounds with Doc and Marty.
©2011-11-02, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved
The graphical issues that plagued the PS3 version have seriously worsened in their transition to the Wii's less powerful hardware. Given the nature of the game, which relies heavily on cutscenes, this is a real shame. Telltale's point-and-click adventures are more about watching than they are playing, something many gamers will immediately find distressing. Fortunately for BttF Wii, the attention to detail, puzzling challenges and obvious love for the source material still make for an incredibly enjoyable click-around.
There's so much to look at in each environment and nearly every bit of it positively oozes that unique charm the film series is known for. Nods to the original trilogy are abundant and small references - like the occasional, "Great Scott!" - should be enough to seal the deal for any die-hard fan.
From the moment you start playing, you'll be scanning the environment with the Wii remote's IR pointer, searching for clues that will push the story along. It's a brilliant use of the Wii remote and makes for the ultimate casual gaming experience. Everything you click on will trigger some sort of cutscene that usually involves a heavy amount of voice acting and detailed animations. But as nice as these little touches are, this is also where the game's biggest flaw rears its ugly head.
In porting the game to PS3, many fans of the PC version noticed the occasional frame-rate dip and botched lip-syncing. It was distracting and, worse still, made it hard to immerse yourself in the characters and world. On the Wii, this problem is ten-fold what it once was. Nearly every cutscene suffers from a frame rate issue of some kind, clumsily stuttering along throughout the entirety of the story. Even while walking around and engaging with NPCs, the animations will randomly become so choppy it's hard to take it seriously.
The graphics are also worse than ever. The games were always simple looking on the PS3, and one look at Skyward Sword or Mario Galaxy proves there's no reason a comparable look couldn't have been achieved in the Wii version. However, rather than optimizing the graphics engine for the Wii, Telltale seems to have taken the easy way out and just downgraded the settings until the hardware could handle it. The once bright, colorful look comes off much duller this time around, but at least it's still pleasant-looking enough to get the job done.
The graphical issues are also less annoying thanks to the outstanding sound design. The sound effects while you're entering the date in the Delorean or booting up the flux capacitor are spot-on, as are the character's voices. If I could, I'd pay A.J. LoCascio to give me random phone calls while impersonating Michael J. Fox's Marty McFly. Seriously, it's sort of amazing how scarily similar he sounds. As for the other pillar of the franchise, Doc, Christopher Lloyd returns to voice the role and he's as perfect for it as he ever was. Even new characters like Mr. Strickland's sister are played vibrantly and thoughtfully, consistent in characterization throughout.
Each game in the compilation weaves its own intricate and compelling mystery, though some have more satisfying pay-offs than others. Thankfully, each of them deal with subject matter that could easily have made their way into a fourth, fifth or even sixth film. The stories told may not entirely stack up to the films, but the effort was there and the end result is incredibly satisfying for anyone who wants to go a few more rounds with Doc and Marty.
©2011-11-02, IGN Entertainment, Inc. All Rights Reserved