RAD episode 212-Back to the future:The Game Episode 5
Birdman and the Infamous Kelly are out of time as they finish up the “Back to the future” game from Telltale Games. Was it worth the price of admission or not?
Back to the Future
Players: 1 player
Publisher: Telltale Games
Genres: Adventure
Publisher: Telltale Games
Genres: Adventure
Release Date: December 22, 2010
Developer: Telltale Games
MSRP: $24.95 for 5
Developer: Telltale Games
MSRP: $24.95 for 5
Picking up shortly after the events of the third Back to the Future film, Marty and Doc embark on a completely new cinematic time-travel adventure. The story unfolds across five exciting episodes, with a new installment releasing each month.
Back to the Future: The Game Review (Telltale)
Posted By AngryJoe about 2 years, 5 months ago
Back to the Future: The Game Review (Telltale), 
Angry Joe travel back in time to correct a mistake he once made about the prospect of Back to the Future: The Game! Check out if this is one movie-based franchise game that is able to break the curse!
Back to the Future: The Game Review (Telltale)
Angry Joe travel back in time to correct a mistake he once made about the prospect of Back to the Future: The Game! Check out if this is one movie based franchise game that is able to break the curse!
RAD ep 145:Back to the Future:The Game Episode 1
Birdman returns for a special episode to celebrate the new year with RAD contributor,the Infamous Kelly and take a trip back in time to visit Hill Valley in 1986! The RAD duo examine one of the most anticipated licensed game from the beloved Back to the Future franchise...lets see what happens when we get this baby up to 142 kilometers per hour! (I'm Canadian!)
RAD Episode 166-Back to the Future: The Game Episode 2
Birdman and the Infamous Kelly team up with Doc Brown and Marty to set things right in 1930's Hill Valley...again? We check out the latest episode "Get Tannen" from Back to the Future: The Game!
RAD Episode 196-BTTF-The Game-Episode 4
Birdman and special guest host the Infamous Kelly are together again to analyze the latest episode of Telltale's Back to the future:The Game. This time we travel back to 1931 and try to prevent a disastrous union from ever forming....
RAD episode 212-Back to the future:The Game Episode 5
Birdman and the Infamous Kelly are out of time as they finish up the "Back to the future" game from Telltale Games. Was it worth the price of admission or not? 
Back to the Future: The Game – Episode 5 Review
And so it all comes down to this, the final episode of Telltale Game’s video game follow up to the much beloved Back to the Future trilogy. Does this episode bring the series to a satisfying conclusion or is simply time to hit the DeLorean with a train and be done with it?
RAD Episode 196-BTTF-The Game-Episode 4
Birdman and special guest host the Infamous Kelly are together again to analyze the latest episode of Telltale’s Back to the future:The Game. This time we travel back to 1931 and try to prevent a disastrous union from ever forming….
Back to the Future: The Game - Episode 3 Review
Another month has passed, which means it is time for another episode of Telltale’s Back to the Future: The Game. Does this latest chapter continue to do the franchise proud or has paradox finally caught up to the whole affair?
RAD Episode 186-Back to the Future Episode 3-Citizen Brown
Birdman and the Infamous Kelly find themselves in the suburban utopia of Hill Valley 1986. What dark secrets lie behind Citizen Brown in this latest Back to the Future episode?
Back to the Future: Ep. 1 Now Free
Telltale wants you to play the first episode of their latest Back to the Future adventure game series? How badly do they want you to play it? They’re just GIVING it away!
Back to the Future: The Game - Episode 2 Review
Does Back to the Future the Game- Episode 2: Get Tannen! continue the momentum established by the series’ first episode or is it beginning to show signs of fading out of existence?
RAD Episode 166-Back to the Future: The Game Episode 2
Birdman and the Infamous Kelly team up with Doc Brown and Marty to set things right in 1930′s Hill Valley…again? We check out the latest episode “Get Tannen” from Back to the Future: The Game!
Back to the Future Episode 2 Out Now!
The second episode of Back to the Future is available. Download it now!
RAD ep 145:Back to the Future:The Game Episode 1
Birdman returns for a special episode to celebrate the new year with RAD contributor,the Infamous Kelly and take a trip back in time to visit Hill Valley in 1986! The RAD duo examine one of the most anticipated licensed game from the beloved Back to the Future franchise…lets see what happens when we get this baby up to 142 kilometers per hour! (I’m Canadian!)
Back to the Future: The Game – Episode 5 Review
And so it all comes down to this, the final episode of Telltale Game’s video game follow up to the much beloved Back to the Future trilogy. Does this episode bring the series to a satisfying conclusion or is simply time to hit the DeLorean with a train and be done with it?
Back to the Future: The Game - Episode 3 Review
Another month has passed, which means it is time for another episode of Telltale’s Back to the Future: The Game. Does this latest chapter continue to do the franchise proud or has paradox finally caught up to the whole affair?
RAD Episode 186-Back to the Future Episode 3-Citizen Brown
Birdman and the Infamous Kelly find themselves in the suburban utopia of Hill Valley 1986. What dark secrets lie behind Citizen Brown in this latest Back to the Future episode?
Back to the Future: Ep. 1 Now Free
Telltale wants you to play the first episode of their latest Back to the Future adventure game series? How badly do they want you to play it? They’re just GIVING it away!
Back to the Future: The Game - Episode 2 Review
Does Back to the Future the Game- Episode 2: Get Tannen! continue the momentum established by the series’ first episode or is it beginning to show signs of fading out of existence?
Back to the Future Episode 2 Out Now!
The second episode of Back to the Future is available. Download it now!
Back to the Future: The Game Review (Telltale)
Angry Joe travel back in time to correct a mistake he once made about the prospect of Back to the Future: The Game! Check out if this is one movie based franchise game that is able to break the curse!
Back to the Future: The Game - Episode 1 Review
On May 25, 1990 one of the most beloved films series of the ’80s was
Back to the Future Next Week on PC & Mac
PC and Mac users finally have a release date for the Back to the Future adventure game. Stranger still, is Telltale has more to give customers of their online store.
Back to the Future Trailer
With only a couple weeks ago, Tell Tale Games has started dropping crazy amounts of media for it. See their first trailer here.
Back to the Future: The Game – Episode 5 Review
Posted By Shaun K. about 1 year, 10 months ago
Back to the Future: The Game – Episode 5 Review
Back to the Future: The Game Review (Telltale), 
And so it all comes down to this. Back to the Future: the Game – Episode 5: OUTATIME, the final episode of Telltale Game’s video game follow up to the much beloved Back to the Future trilogy, has hit the digital shelves and with it comes some important questions that need to be answered. Chief among these has to be this: does this episode bring the series to a satisfying conclusion or is simply time to hit the DeLorean with a train and be done with it?
| PROS | Great story, well integrated puzzles, strong voice work, perfect ending for the series as a whole |
| CONS | Poor lip syncing, some may find low challenge level unappealing |
| WTF?! | The final, unlikely fate of one Edna Strickland |
When last we left our stalwart time traveling twosome, things looked grim. Marty, determined as ever to restore the timeline (and his version of Doc Brown), found himself at odds with Doc’s alternate incarnation, the so-called Citizen Brown. Determined not to let his one-time love Edna Strickland end up a lonely and bitter spinster, Citizen Brown has broken ways with Marty. He is now determined to do everything in his power to prevent young Emmet Brown from ever discovering the true joys of science, believing that it is science, and not Edna’s inherent nuttiness, that lay at the roots of the couple’s rather intense marital problems (not to mention Edna’s tendency of desiring world domination by way of mass brainwashing). Now Marty, more alone than he has ever been at any other point in his adventures through time and space, must do the unthinkable: he must directly oppose one Emmet Brown with the fate of his world as he knows it up for grabs…
Telltale has a lot they needed to accomplish with this final episode of Back to the Future: the Game. They had the bring the series a whole to a satisfying conclusion, including wrapping up all the various loose ends and plot threads created over the previous four chapters, while also still producing a gaming experience that would be satisfying in its own right. Thankfully, I can happily report that they not only managed this, but they did so with real aplomb and style to spare. Episode 5 of BttF: the Game is easily the single most satisfying and well put together episode of the series. The various major set pieces and puzzles are highly entertaining while still moving the game along at a great pace, all while building to the kind of crazy finale that has become a signature for the franchise in general.
Another day, another man in a diving suit.
Of all the things Telltale gets right in this episode, it is the story and character beats that especially shines through. All the major character still in play get appropriate denouements that manage to be both satisfy and stay true to the tone of the franchise as whole (with the final fate of Edna Strickland ending up especially inspired). Meanwhile, all the various questions that have been raised over the course of the series, from the true identity of the Speakeasy Arsonist to what Doc was doing back in the 1930s to begin with, get answered, and in a manner that really helps the series to achieve a cohesive and well thought-out whole. Best of all, this episode manages to wring some genuine moments of pathos out of the story, which is important since Back to the Future has always been a franchise with a lot of heart buried beneath its zany and crazy exterior, a fact that lesser takes on the series (*cough* the cartoon series *cough*) have in the past failed to understand.
This episode also brings the series arguably two most important plotlines, namely Doc and Marty’s respective character arcs, to a successful conclusion. From the outset, I have loved the way the game has used the exploration of Doc’s past as a way to not just simply show us who he was but why he is the way he is. This episode takes that idea to its logical conclusion, a conclusion that, incidentally, could only really work in a fantastical setting like the universe of the BttF franchise. Meanwhile, the series manages to also tie this conclusion into what has been Marty’s (far more subtle) central character arc brilliantly. From the moment Doc as we know him faded out of existence, Marty has had to stand on his own in a way he never really had to during the original movie trilogy, where some version of Doc was always present to guide and help him out. In short, Marty’s arc has been all about growing up and learning how to become an independent and self-sufficient adult (and if you need proof for this, pay close attention to the reveal for why Doc traveled back to the 1930s in the first place). It is a good character arc, and Telltale does a lot with it, without ever straying into too maudlin territory or abandoning the kind of wacky hi-jinks that we have all come to love from the BttF franchise.
I would tell you the signifcance of this location to Ep 5′s plot but in the words of another beloved time travel franchise, spoilers!
Speaking of wacky hi-jinks, this episode also manages to match previous episodes for sheer audacity in late unexpected plot developments. As always seems to be the case is in the world of Back to the Future, just when the characters think everything is all wrapped up nicely and going to be ok, the whole situation goes to hell in a hand basket, and this time said basket is a doozey. The plot developments of the game’s final fourth left me smiling from beginning to end, and managed the impressive trick of feeling new and fresh while also directly referencing and calling back various moments from the franchise as a whole. Events built nicely to a final sequence that, while lacking in the sheer challenge that some hard core adventure hounds might crave, nonetheless felt perfectly in line with the Back to the Future finales that have come before. The game also ends on a perfect note, one that definitively and satisfyingly concludes the current game’s story arc, while also leaving the door open for Telltale produce another season down the line if they should so chose. Incidentally the ending would also seem to perfectly setup any said future season perfectly to deal with the one area of the franchise the current season ended up never really touching upon…
9/10
Back to the Future: The Game Review (Telltale)
Angry Joe travel back in time to correct a mistake he once made about the prospect of Back to the Future: The Game! Check out if this is one movie based franchise game that is able to break the curse! RAD ep 145:Back to the Future:The Game Episode 1
Birdman returns for a special episode to celebrate the new year with RAD contributor,the Infamous Kelly and take a trip back in time to visit Hill Valley in 1986! The RAD duo examine one of the most anticipated licensed game from the beloved Back to the Future franchise...lets see what happens when we get this baby up to 142 kilometers per hour! (I'm Canadian!) RAD Episode 166-Back to the Future: The Game Episode 2
Birdman and the Infamous Kelly team up with Doc Brown and Marty to set things right in 1930's Hill Valley...again? We check out the latest episode "Get Tannen" from Back to the Future: The Game! RAD Episode 196-BTTF-The Game-Episode 4
Birdman and special guest host the Infamous Kelly are together again to analyze the latest episode of Telltale's Back to the future:The Game. This time we travel back to 1931 and try to prevent a disastrous union from ever forming.... RAD episode 212-Back to the future:The Game Episode 5
Birdman and the Infamous Kelly are out of time as they finish up the "Back to the future" game from Telltale Games. Was it worth the price of admission or not?-
July 03, 2011 at 02:46am
As a huge fan of the movies, I really need to get around to checking these out. To be honest I was a bit put off since the point and click adventure genre really isn’t my thing (more of an arcade gamer at heart). Though the gameplay looks solid and the story telling seems fantastic. I would hate to miss out on more BttF goodness. Thanks for the review.
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July 01, 2011 at 11:03pm
i have to wonder…what ever happened to clara? she and doc were married with 2 kids, yet in the first episode of this game she’s nowhere to be found, and is never mentioned in any of the episodes, and this game is supposed to take place after BTTF 3.
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July 02, 2011 at 01:06am
Have you actually played the game? Clara and the kids are mentioned as early as the first episode, albeit by way of an optional dialogue between Marty and Doc while the latter is still in the prison, and then mentioned again, in non-optional conversations, multiple times in Ep 3, 4, and 5, including during the ending cutscene of the game. She and the kids are not physically present in the game, true, but their existence is absolutely and unequivocally addressed.
RAD episode 212-Back to the future:The Game Episode 5
Birdman and the Infamous Kelly are out of time as they finish up the “Back to the future” game from Telltale Games. Was it worth the price of admission or not?
Back to the Future: The Game Review (Telltale)
Angry Joe travel back in time to correct a mistake he once made about the prospect of Back to the Future: The Game! Check out if this is one movie based franchise game that is able to break the curse!
RAD episode 212-Back to the future:The Game Episode 5
Birdman and the Infamous Kelly are out of time as they finish up the “Back to the future” game from Telltale Games. Was it worth the price of admission or not?
RAD Episode 196-BTTF-The Game-Episode 4
Birdman and special guest host the Infamous Kelly are together again to analyze the latest episode of Telltale’s Back to the future:The Game. This time we travel back to 1931 and try to prevent a disastrous union from ever forming….
RAD Episode 186-Back to the Future Episode 3-Citizen Brown
Birdman and the Infamous Kelly find themselves in the suburban utopia of Hill Valley 1986. What dark secrets lie behind Citizen Brown in this latest Back to the Future episode?
RAD Episode 166-Back to the Future: The Game Episode 2
Birdman and the Infamous Kelly team up with Doc Brown and Marty to set things right in 1930′s Hill Valley…again? We check out the latest episode “Get Tannen” from Back to the Future: The Game!
RAD ep 145:Back to the Future:The Game Episode 1
Birdman returns for a special episode to celebrate the new year with RAD contributor,the Infamous Kelly and take a trip back in time to visit Hill Valley in 1986! The RAD duo examine one of the most anticipated licensed game from the beloved Back to the Future franchise…lets see what happens when we get this baby up to 142 kilometers per hour! (I’m Canadian!)
Get the first episode now for a total of nothing. It’s free. All you need to do is make an account.
See for yourself: http://www.telltalegames.com/bttf
Unfortunately, the easy puzzles are somewhat of a trademark of Telltale Games.
I agree, but also disagree. The series Sam and Max was not a walk in the park, trying to figure out all of the puzzles and problems. Now this dosen’t make it bad, but as this game shows its the story that is worth playing the game, not the problematic conundrums they give you. So yeah, you’re right that most of Tell Tale games are known for their puzzels but I wouldn’t go as to say that they are rediculously easy.
Just to let you know, Joe. Tell tale continually write, animate and code the games between the gaps of the episodes release. They listen to the feedback on the forums and sometimes make changes if the fan feedback is asking for particular things. For example, during the monkey island release, the fans were very vocal about asking for when Murray would be returning to the game. They had originally planned his role to be smaller but because of fan demand, they increased his role. So, yes the episodes are released separately in order to get them out sooner and this means that they can listen to the fan feedback and make changes to the game if the fans are asking for aspects to be expanded or included.
I’m sorry Joe but this review is for lack of a better term stupid. You rave up and down that you love it, you love it, you love it. You go a little into how you can’t believe an episodic game can be done and still not released all at once, then you cite only a few mistakes and say you’d never REALLY cite them because you make mistakes like that all the time in your videos…. Then give the episode only a 6….
Nothing in your review warranted a 6. Nothing you said pointed towards “give this a 6″. Then you cover your tracks with “Well maybe I’ll review them all and give the overall review on an average..”.. Great so you just gave this episode a shoddy review before deciding “Well this isn’t even the full game..” The episode deserves more then this at least a point or two more, specially after all your stupid raving over it.
You must be new to Angry Joe, because I remember him stating in various reviews that his scores are a bit different from most professional ones. To him, 6 out of 10 is a great game, just not amazing. Reviewers tend to give a 6 to a game that’s no good. I remember him reviewing… What was it, Alpha Protocol? He gave it a 4/10, but he said that the game was only slightly worse than an average game. For most people, a 4/10 means the game is an abomination.
But even then 6/10 is only slightly above average. He was going crazy about how great the game was. If I hadn’t known he gave this a 6/10 already, I’d've been surprised, too. He definitely did not explain why the game is barely better than the usual game.
excellent review, I bought the game because of your review and I really enjoyed it.
Movie licensed games seem to be more favorable among older less recent movie franchises, since it’s less likely for them to be rushed to be released on same day as the flim in a cheap attempt to cash in on the name alone.
TellTale is also doing Jurrasic Park. As a fan of paleontology, I hope they correct all the horrendous mistakes from the that franchise.
It is sad when one has the need to explain what is an adventure game to other gamers. I do believe that this community in-holds a great diversity of gamers and even so, a regular gamer does know what a point-and-click game is. At least this is what I hope as an adventure gamer. These kind of games might not be as popular as your regular Halo and whatnot FPS but the fan base is still strong!
I just picked up my free order on http://www.telltalegames.com/bttfoffer. Based on your feedback, Joe, I’m more than happy to give Back to the Future a try! I loved this series and I am so ready to get back in time!!!
Please don’t die, Joe! If you do, then I’ll have to get my reviews from Game Trailers. I don’t want that!
batman and batman begins was fun.. what about them?
watchmen game was not bad, just repetitive, the tron wii game looks fun, golden eye, all of them were fun.
hmm should have a top good movie games list somewhere.
also tell tale games are the gods of puzzle adventure games.
wallace and gromit was superb. is that kinda a movie game too?
The spisode releases are the only thing really bugging me about it. Otherwise im eager to check it out.
Just so you know, there are 2 movie-based games that are actually good: Riddick: Escape From Butcher Bay, and Riddick: Escape From Dark Athena. Except for that, i agree
I have been a huge advocate of Telltale Games since their masterful handlings of both the Sam & Max and Monkey Island franchises. All of the developers are passionate about their profession, and I sincerely doubt they will EVER lead you wrong with their games.
I’ve not played BttF yet, but based on previous performances, I would not be surprised and rather pleased to see a Final Verdict of at least 8/10.
I like episodic games, when their done proper. Final Fantasy IV The After Years got horrible reviews based on its initial episode, but when I bough the full version I enjoyed it more then the original FF IV and FF VI. Hell it’s better then Final Fantasy XIII, no need for uber graphics or flashy anime melodrama bull shit. Currently Final Fantasy VII is my favorite, but when they package The After Years with IV, on the PSP complete collection… well we’ll see.
Another great episodic game in a sense is Dead Rising 2.
Now think about this for a minute, before DR2 you had Case Zero as a Demo.
Then you had the actual game Dead Rising 2.
Soon Case West will conclude the story.
I love Dead Rising and its sequel, so this is a great way to get my money.
Lastly how is Mass Effect 2 connecting to ME3?
Episodic 1-3 hour Dlc
Zaed
Kasumi Stolen memories
Operation Overlord.
Lair of The Shadow Broker
The reason I see these as episodic, as opposed to Fallout 3′s Dlc for example, is that these Dlc connect directly between the two main games, while Fallout’s Dlc (exception of Brotherhood of Steel) has no impact on the main story. Case and point Operation Anchorage: an awesome Dlc but story wise does not fix relations with these distant brotherhood outcasts.
Major difference between this game and most other movie lisence games is that this one was not made within thight deadline.
Great vid, Joe.
And yeah, Telltale are a safe pair of hands for this franchise. One need only look at the Sam & Max, and more recently, Monkey Island games, for proof of this.
Sadly Joe Michael J. Fox most likely couldn’t work in the time line they needed. As we all know the guys is very sick and doesn’t get too many good days. I would of loved to have him back as well.
Well to be fair Joe, key difference between this game and most movie licensed games is that this one doesn’t have the strict development schedule of other movie games to be released in tandem with the movie itself. That’s usually the biggest problem with movie based games in the first place. The other is that the movies have been out for so long that almost everybody working on the game is most likely a fan, so extra care is taken. For other games you can tell there’s no love and that its just to get a paycheck because, let’s face it, how can they be a fan of a movie that hasn’t been released yet?
dont worry joe, just get tips from Pheolous on how to come back to life regardless of how many times you die or get into a time loop
Are you sure that there is a future PSN release?
Nevermind, found it in a press release: http://www.telltalegames.com/company/pressreleases/id-117
Sort of odd how there isn’t a psn logo on the main site.
Hey Joe the music towards the end (around 8:30) was almost as loud as your voice. It almost overshadowed it completely.
I’ve already added this to my list of kickass movie games. Here be a few:
The Warriors
Spiderman 2
X-Men Origins
wouldn’t call the X-men origins game that kick ass, it was repetitive as hell,
the only thing I did like about it was the one one fight challenge thing to win new costumes, I wish they would make a Marvel fighting game like that
What? No Ghostbusters love? The 360/PS3 game was really solid.
From my understanding, some gamers can get Episode 1 for free maybe in two months time. I signed up for Telltale just to give this game a shot. If I am satisfied, I might actually consider buying the rest
Hello, Joe! As I’m sure you’ve no doubt already been made aware, Telltale works on their episodes through the entire season, often working up until the very day of release. While I definitely wouldn’t want this release schedule for every game, it does have some strong advantages. Telltale’s able to release their content at a much more steady pace than most small game developers, and for what you get the price is a good deal. They are able to respond to the feedback from fans and critics, often resulting in better and better episodes as the season progresses. With Telltale games, I would always recommend getting the PC version from the Telltale store. Not only does Telltale love to give discounts and free episode giveaways, but at the end of the season, you get a DVD containing all five episodes, behind the scenes video content, and some PC-DVD bonus content, including artwork and wallpapers for just the cost of shipping. If control is an issue, you can always connect a 360 controller to your PC, or find a 3rd party one if the mouse/keyboard setup doesn’t work for you.
As a huge Telltale fan, it’s really tearing me apart not being able to afford this season. Hopefully that will change soon…
PS. If you really enjoy the quality of writing and voice acting, I strongly suggest you check out Telltale’s earlier series, particularly the Sam & Max games.
I beat it tonight and about to play through it again! TellTale normally does a great job with their games. But sadly they are on the easier side of point and click adventure games.
why did no one mention some of the star wars games kotor, kotor 2, battlefront 1/2, etc
I didn’t actually hear about this game till I saw the video Spoony made from PAX, and when I got a better look at who was involved, I ended up pre-ordering right away. I personally loved the game, but I was a little disappointed with its short length and lack of time-traveling puzzles, which I thought would be more played up than they actually were. Granted, more of that could come in the next episodes, and I really hope that they are. I did especially like all the refferences to the movies that were thrown in, and how much attention was payed to the finer details. The game even tells of Doc’s kids and what they’ve been up to, as well as answered the origins of the copy Delorian. I just truly hope that the next episodes continue down this excellent path they’ve taken so far and only expand upon it. Who knows? We may even see more series of these games if this one goes well.
You know Joe, The Neeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeerd!(sorry couldn’t resist) did actually find one GOOD Back To The Future Game before this called Super Back To The Future(I think its based on 2) only for the Super Famicom, I am glad WE Finnally GET a GOOD Movie Based game, and cannon too!
But when I heard the PC Version was Point and Click I did almost yell NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO like Marty that did almost say Fuck Getting This Game, I was VERY WORRIED but still a.j is fantastic as Marty though modern day Voice actors for both Movies/Dub Movies,anime and games should be proud with this guy, though I woulda loved to hear Christopher Lloyed’s first reaction hearing this guy lol
Thanks for the advice on the controls. I’ll definitely pick this up on the PS3 instead of PC…for now.
I also wished they would have released all the story’s together. Think of it this way Joe, it’s like your favorite TV show it plays episodes on a monthly basis, (instead of weekly) to keep you coming back for more. Maybe they didn’t want to reveal everything just yet. Keep people guessing at what’s to come. I hope they release a way for other players to write episodes for it that would be really neat. I’m looking forward to playing it. I’m sad that it only got a 6 out of 10 rating but that’s how you felt about it. Also good to know it’s a must have for any fan of the movies.
Aye, TTG episodic adventures always start easy.
Their reason is so newcommers to the genre won’t be overwhelmed.
Which is why the difficulty scales per episode.
Can’t wait for episodes 2-5 and eventually the episodic Jurassic Park game.
Also Joe, it isn’t entirely finished. The reason why TTG does episodes is because they aren’t a big company like LucasArts (where most of them started), which is why they do episodic.
Heck the full episodic games thus far been longer than the old LucasArts adventure games.
old school LucasArts Monkey Island games: 2-3 hours
Episodic TTG games like Tales of Monkey Island etc = 5 x 3 hours = 15 hours gameplay
Taking into consideration the “not scaring away newcommers with too difficult puzzles” policy with the first episode of each of their adventure, I would give this game a 7/10
Never ever be a good movie license game?
The LOTR games on the PS2?
The Chronicles of Riddick games?
Spider-man 2?
I don’t think anyone should review games when they’re obviously ignorant of the subject they want to review.
There has yet to be a “quality” LOTR game….
Quote: “Never ever be a good movie license game?
The LOTR games on the PS2?
The Chronicles of Riddick games?
Spider-man 2?
I don’t think anyone should review games when they’re obviously ignorant of the subject they want to review.”
Which i respond… DUDE IT WAS JUST A JOKE! haven’t heard something called PARODY?
Ask Santa to give ya some humor sense on you presents this year…
Oh and Merry Xmas…
Finished it yesterday and loved it. The next episode can’t come soon enough!
Joe, if you thought the puzzles were a little too easy, don’t worry; Telltale’s past record shows that they’ll only get more and more challenging with each following episode.
I think they released the free one early now so everyone can play it.
The second ones already finished and ready for downloads.
I pre-ordered the game and 1 dollar went to the Michael J. Fox Foundation and got Puzzle Agent free, but so far… I could have just gotten the game for 25 dollars and have been happy. I loved the movies, and now the game can be added to the story line and still make sense. When the third movie finished, everyone was displeased, but after playing the first episode and re watching the movies… a bit more is understood.
Like Joe said, I suggest every Back to the Future lover to buy the game. I did not really think this one episode deserved the 6/10. But I guess he was basing it off of the title just being alone and not with the other 4 titles. Thats when I may agree.
And Joe, you might just not even know you are gone when the game is actually good. Or it just means that you will stay alive to review the bad Movie Adaption games….
I love Back to the Future. But…I don’t play a lot of adventure games like this…so I’ll at least wait for the free version of the first episode so see if it is my cup of tea.
Oh and Joe, if the whole game is good you won’t die…you would have never existed at all. Big difference. Well maybe not to you…but then again you won’t be caring about it for too long.
25 $ for all episodes combined? Did I get that right?
In germany it came out today and the first episode is 18,99 €. (On steam sale 17 €)
Thats like 25$ already. Wtf? In total it will be ~ 125$ or ~ 95 €…..
That the pricing for the full series, you buy the first one and get the rights to the other four as they get released.
Ah, ok, I get it. That’s kinda neat. It’s like buying a book and getting the sequels as they are released.
In that case the price is really good.
Goldeneye 007 N64/Wii and Ghostbusters PS3/360 didn’t suck.
I didn’t played Back to the future yet, so I don’t know how easy the puzzles are. But don’t expect insanely hard puzzles Joe, its just not Telltale style. From what I saw from Sam & Max, they make easy/medium puzzles to avoid breaking the flow of the game. A wise decision, since most of the ‘hard’ puzzles in adventure games are just based on complet insane logic or in clicking on every single pixel on the screen, this kinda of puzzle don’t add anything to the game, just make it almost impossible to beat, and in a chapter based game, this is a very stupid design choice.
Hey, don’t forget about the new Ghostbusters game. That was good and you know it! But hey, I’m not one for Point and Click games, but I am going to buy this eventually!!
Sounds interesting too bad I probably won’t be playing this game for a while since I doubt my PC can handle the graphics so I’ll wait for the PSN release. Also I intend to wait till the whole thing comes out. That way if the game does end up sucking, I won’t have missed anything.
My netbook can handle the graphics. If your PC has 3D at all, it ought to be able to handle this, although the cinematics may be a bit jerky and take longer to load.
My 5 year old PC with integrated Nvidia 6100 handled the game perfectly.
I’ve really enjoyed Telltale’s games thus far, so I think I’ll be on board for this one as well. I’m a bit disappointed that the first episode is a bit basic, but both SBCG4AP and Tales of Monkey Island hit their peak at Episode 4, so here’s hoping that pattern is continued.
Good review Joe – but I gotta say, when I saw Doc Brown’s face I almost gagged at those graphics. But ultimately, I guess it doesn’t matter as much as the gameplay.
Nice Kindle you got there
reading anything interesting?
Wait a minute. Why would a good lincensed game in the present rewrite Joe’s past? Unless the Joe from the beginning was from even further in the future, who came back to the past. But then does that mean that Science Joe came from even FURTHER? Man, Time Travel sucks.
Oh, and first person to say “Timey Wimey” in response gets smacked <.<
Because Joe (or whoever the nerdy guy is) is going back in time to prevent him from being wrong.
This looks very promising, I love the back to the future movies, and this game seems to capture the spirit of those moves. (Warning: To all film producers or directors, if you try to make a remake of Back to the Future I will have to explode your souls.)
As far as future episodes go I hope the step it up a notch on difficulty. I’ll definitely look to buy this when all the episodes are release.
“there has never been, or ever will be, a good movie licensed game”
Spider-Man 2, Back To The Future 2 on the SuFami, Kingdom Hearts, Goldeneye, Scott Pilgrim Vs. The World: The Game, and of course, Newgrounds’ The Room: The Game.
How is Kingdom Hearts a movie licensed game? because it involves disney characters? I don’t ever remember a Kingdom Hearts movie.
Watch the rest of the review. That was an intro bit.
Also, GoldenEye & Riddick to add to your list.
Little Nemo in Dreamworld
Ghostbusters [the recent one]
Tron the Arcade game
Willow
Little Nemo in dream world was badass, just saying.
I don’t get why everyone is gripping about joes opening statment and making lists of movies based games that are good. If you watch the video, at the end he says that back to the future is one of those exceptions that should be added to the short list of movie franchise based games that are well done. We don’t need 17 peoples different lists listing them off.
But its fun to do XD
Does Indy 4 (Fate of Atlantis) also count?
Good review Joe, im hoping that these game come to xbox
But I really want to know what you thought of the VGAS!
Great video, Joe. I couldn’t agree more with a good deal of your thoughts about the game. The puzzles were rather easy, possibly the easiest Telltale’s ever done, though I suspect that might have been done to make the game a bit more accessible to BttF fans that have probably never played a point-and-click adventure game. Hopefully Telltale will slowly ramp up the difficulty as the series goes on.
As for the Episodic Release model, it’s a business model that Telltale does well and they are very good about releasing each episode on time, unlike other companies. Episodic release has served them well in the past and I doubt they’ll abandon it anytime soon.
Also, in response to Dan P., I doubt they’ll do the chicken joke. That was pretty much resolved at the end of BttF III
Joe, you came up with the same score I did, with the same exception that fans of BttF should consider this a must buy…and even came up with the same reasons I did. Spooky.
LOL, I like the concept of a more optimistic Joe going back in time to give a more positive outlook on movie licensed games.
Wow, Christopher returned to voice the doc? My god that is awesome! And that Marty impression is…amazing. Sounds just like him.
I agree that making these things episodic can get annoying. Why not just put them in one game?
Hm, I don’t mind the game being easy, but it would be suitable to have more complex puzzles, since that’s what the whole franchise has been about the entire time. -_-
True to the film? Well I’m definitely getting this. I’m a fan of Back To The Future, and I am craving some more. Another great review Joe!
You still get Puzzle Agent when you buy BTTF so a free game sweetens the deal. I’m holding off for PS3 but hope it comes to xbox
In response to Joe’s complaints about Telltale and episodic content:
Telltale’s technique is to get the basics of the game series out in the first episode, take comments and feedback on what could be fixed/improved, and then try to apply those to the future episodes. Maybe not all at once, but they tend to have everything perfect by the final episode.
Glad to see Science Joe come back.
Not really into point and click games, but i’m a back to the future fan so it will definitely be on my list to check out soon.
And the new Marty sounds great, you really can’t tell its not him just by listening.
I prefer playing tell tale games on the PC myself. I love the sam & max series on PC. *Drools* Point and click adventures are my crack as a gamer. I MUST HAVE MORE! Even if I have to pay for each, or even better yet, just buy them as a pack!
I know for a fact that when they did th monthly episodic games with Sam & Max the Devils Toy Box the games WEREN’T done all at once so they are currently still working on episode 2 because their most likely working on this game in the same way.
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Joe Vargas. Joe Vargas said: Angry Joe Goes Back to the Future: The Review! http://bit.ly/fEBuvQ [...]
As expected; a friend of mine felt it was good, but not great, and that future episodes hopefully will be better.
A couple things, though. For one, was it just me, or was the sound really bad in this video? The music got louder than you, the voice clarity was terrible, the music was tinny…I dunno, maybe it was just me.
Second, the notion of “there has never been, or ever will be, a good movie licensed game” really gets on my nerves, considering how massively popular Goldeneye 007 is, to the point where it overshadows the movie it was based on for some people. Yes, the average movie game is bad, but never say never.
Lastly, the episodes AREN’T all done, and when it comes to episodic games, they will apparently be pretty darn speedy.
The sound was compromised. This episode was actually almost completely lost, it took me more an entire day to salvage it – thats the best audio i could get for it for now – i’ll likely go in an try to upgrade it tomorrow. Good ear!
Nerdy Joe was funny!
The first episode was really good, albeit a little bit short.
It is, however, a good start.
I’ve got a good feeling about the remaining episodes.
The puzzles were good, but not difficult and the voice acting was way above my expectations.
I think it was really cool that we got to see a version of Doc, Tannen and McFly in a timeline we hadn’t seen them in before.
I’m REALLY hoping they managed to get the “chicken” joke in at least one of the episodes.
It won’t be a real use of the license if they don’t.
Looking forward to February and seeing your review of episode 2.
Btw: The control scheme in the game is the same control scheme they used in Tales of Monkey Island. The reason they made it like that was for it to work both on PC/MAC and consoles.
nvm im not first, but good show Joe! I cant wait till the next one!
First
Every time I hear the BTTF main theme I can’t help but smile.
Thanks for the review Joe. Though I should mention that the Scott Pilgrim game is another excellent licensed game.