BTTF "Share your disappointment" Thread

[ChrisLaughlin]

Originally Posted by Vainamoinen

Same here, no need to state this actually.

Although a LOT of new people came here when this license was announced, TTGs core fan base is still made up of avid adventure gamers. It's those that might feel very disappointed because BTTF turned out to be not a good adventure game.

My question is this. Who would be satisfied with these games? Who is the target audience? Gamers have come to expect a very high level of polish, challenge and overall quality from their games. BTTF is buggy, boring, bad storytelling, bad adventure-gaming, bad puzzle-gaming, bad action-gaming, etc, etc, etc. Who, exactly, is this supposed to appeal to? Adventure gamers? No. Puzzle-gamers? No. Action-gamers? No. The only category left are "casual gamers," and I doubt that even they would really enjoy this. So who is Telltale aiming for and why do they think they need to dumb down the BTTF games so much?

Remember Telltale, many of the most successful games have been the most sophisticated and complex for their time - the early Sierra and Lucasarts games, Myst, the Civilization series, all the amazing games put out by Bioware, the Modern Combat games, Bioshock, etc. Gamers want rich, complex, challenging experiences. Where do you get the idea that they want dumbed down, insipid, boring, diluted rubbish like the first two BTTF games? Who do you think your customers are?

[Jennifer]

I don't think it's a bad game, per se. I enjoyed both episodes. I like the art direction, the story, the music, and the voice acting.

Unfortunately, it's much like Doctor Who: The Adventure Games. They got the atmosphere right, but the puzzles lack originality and they are overused (like the Einstein sniffing puzzles). The bugs take you out of the game (in particular for me, the lip-synch problems in the first episode, and the problem with characters calling you multiple names in both episodes).

On the good side puzzle-wise, I did enjoy the doorman puzzle in the second episode. It required thinking outside the box, yet still within the realm of real-world logic, and it was a nice shout-out to a puzzle in Monkey Island 2 without being a direct copy.

Telltale always seems to get their act together by the third episode after listening to fan criticisms, so I still remain hopeful for this one. I'd like to be able to play a great Back to the Future game instead of just a decent one.

[Triloge]

Originally Posted by ChrisLaughlin

My question is this. Who would be satisfied with these games? Who is the target audience? Gamers have come to expect a very high level of polish, challenge and overall quality from their games. BTTF is buggy, boring, bad storytelling, bad adventure-gaming, bad puzzle-gaming, bad action-gaming, etc, etc, etc.

wut

Yeah, it has ATROCIOUS action gaming! It's so bad, it has......none of that at all.

Bad storytelling? What game are you playing?

Lastly, I think it's pretty clear at this point that Back to the Future: The Game is NOT FOR ADVENTURE GAMERS! It's for fans of the movies, and many of those are not too great at games. Therefore, the game is toned down in difficulty and complexity.

It's not for gamers, adventure or otherwise. It's for those who liked the Back to the Future story and wanted to see more.

[Vainamoinen]

Originally Posted by ChrisLaughlin

Who is the target audience?

Fans of the movies who really, really want a fourth movie.
It is as simple as that, I think.

[ChrisLaughlin]

Originally Posted by Triloge

wut

It's not for gamers, adventure or otherwise. It's for those who liked the Back to the Future story and wanted to see more.

Which is why they made it a game?

[guitarsareboring]

Originally Posted by Triloge

Lastly, I think it's pretty clear at this point that Back to the Future: The Game is NOT FOR ADVENTURE GAMERS! It's for fans of the movies, and many of those are not too great at games. Therefore, the game is toned down in difficulty and complexity.

It's not for gamers, adventure or otherwise. It's for those who liked the Back to the Future story and wanted to see more.

I think this is a fair point actually. I'm enjoying the story so I don't mind that I'm not that thrilled with the gameplay. It'd just be nice if it didn't have so many glitches.

[ChrisLaughlin]

Originally Posted by guitarsareboring

I think this is a fair point actually. I'm enjoying the story so I don't mind that I'm not that thrilled with the gameplay. It'd just be nice if it didn't have so many glitches.

You're right. It is a fair point, and it's a hilarious point. The game is not for adventure gamers, nor even for gamers. A game not for gamers. Brilliant. I really don't know why it hadn't dawned on me before. It all makes perfect sense.

[McSuperfly101]

All the people who keep saying they wish it was a Grand Theft Auto style game where you can get in the DeLorean and drive around, I'm interested... how exactly do you envision that game being? I mean, there would have to be more to it than just driving around Hill Valley.

[JuntMonkey]

Originally Posted by McSuperfly101

All the people who keep saying they wish it was a Grand Theft Auto style game where you can get in the DeLorean and drive around, I'm interested... how exactly do you envision that game being? I mean, there would have to be more to it than just driving around Hill Valley.

Here is a post from another forum from a couple of years ago that sums it up nicely. Since it was a general video game forum and not just people who think adventure games are the only valid storytelling genre (like here), it was very well received:


Yea, it's incredibly obvious to make a licensed Back to the Future game GTA-style. Somebody has to get moving on that.

At least 4 different time periods in approximately the same area of land - 1885, 1955, 1985, 2015. Maybe throw another time period in for game plot purposes. I actually envision it taking place in 1986, so possibly move each era up a year. BttF is tied so much to "1985", that starting a new game or movie with that slow music and the subtitle "Saturday, October 25th [pause]... 1986" rather than '85 would induce a goosebumps feeling I cannot describe.

You can travel through time whenever and wind up in the same spot in whatever period you travel to, obviously, piece of cake. If the hardware is advanced enough they could possibly record some of the player's actions so that you could risk running into your "other self" if you dick around too much.

Much of the gameplay is so glaringly obvious, it's just sitting right there ripe for the picking. It starts off with you getting hold of a new DeLorean time machine (shouldn't be terribly difficult to figure out a story here - Doc writes a letter from the past saying that his family is in trouble and he had previously hidden a new time machine for Marty in case something like this ever arose, whatever). In the beginning, you're limited by the vehicle's capabilities. You need plutonium for travel so you have to find it and use it sparingly (this is obv the basis for some missions). You also need to find long enough stretches of road to get up to 88 MPH, sometimes while being chased or under time constraints, etc.

Eventually you are able to get some upgrades, Mr. Fusion (use garbage instead of plutonium) and flight added to the car.

All this, and I haven't even MENTIONED the word "hoverboard" yet.

Michael J. Fox can reprise his role since it's just voice. Obviously Christopher Lloyd would do it.

Jesus Christ get the **** on this.

[paulmccain]

Originally Posted by JuntMonkey

Here is a post from another forum from a couple of years ago that sums it up nicely. Since it was a general video game forum and not just people who think adventure games are the only valid storytelling genre (like here), it was very well received:


Yea, it's incredibly obvious to make a licensed Back to the Future game GTA-style. Somebody has to get moving on that.

At least 4 different time periods in approximately the same area of land - 1885, 1955, 1985, 2015. Maybe throw another time period in for game plot purposes. I actually envision it taking place in 1986, so possibly move each era up a year. BttF is tied so much to "1985", that starting a new game or movie with that slow music and the subtitle "Saturday, October 25th [pause]... 1986" rather than '85 would induce a goosebumps feeling I cannot describe.

You can travel through time whenever and wind up in the same spot in whatever period you travel to, obviously, piece of cake. If the hardware is advanced enough they could possibly record some of the player's actions so that you could risk running into your "other self" if you dick around too much.

Much of the gameplay is so glaringly obvious, it's just sitting right there ripe for the picking. It starts off with you getting hold of a new DeLorean time machine (shouldn't be terribly difficult to figure out a story here - Doc writes a letter from the past saying that his family is in trouble and he had previously hidden a new time machine for Marty in case something like this ever arose, whatever). In the beginning, you're limited by the vehicle's capabilities. You need plutonium for travel so you have to find it and use it sparingly (this is obv the basis for some missions). You also need to find long enough stretches of road to get up to 88 MPH, sometimes while being chased or under time constraints, etc.

Eventually you are able to get some upgrades, Mr. Fusion (use garbage instead of plutonium) and flight added to the car.

All this, and I haven't even MENTIONED the word "hoverboard" yet.

Michael J. Fox can reprise his role since it's just voice. Obviously Christopher Lloyd would do it.

Jesus Christ get the **** on this.

Where's the money to make this game coming from? Grand Theft Auto IV cost $100 million to make. I can't imagine how much they're spending on L.A. Noire.

If I had a choice between:
a) a far-off chance of playing a game based on a licensed property that I love that takes five to ten years to make and costs millions of dollars to produce, potentially flopping due to its niche audience and bankrupting the game studio

and

b) getting quick, episodic games based on that property that are mildly buggy with sluggish movement, but capture the atmosphere of the property pretty damn well

I'll go with b) just about every time.

[JuntMonkey]

Originally Posted by paulmccain

Where's the money to make this game coming from? Grand Theft Auto IV cost $100 million to make. I can't imagine how much they're spending on L.A. Noire.

What does that matter? AAA games cost money. The game "recording some of your actions" is the only aspect of that description that would be unreasonable compared to other A+ games of today, and that part is acknowledged in the post as unlikely with current hardware.

Older movie licenses such as The Godfather 1 & 2, Scarface, and The Warriors have recently been made into open world games, and Ghostbusters as a regular action game. All were well received except for GF2. To say that BTTF is not worthy of an A+ budget and development cycle doesn't really fly.

[PariahKing]

Originally Posted by Giant Tope

you're adoreable

Well, we're "radical" in the sense our opinions don't match 96% of video game players.

That said we're still very much entitled to our opinions.

[Timmeh2006]

I've started playing through the second episode and have my enthusiasm for this series is pretty much dead.

Clunky and frustrating controls
Awkward looking animations (Marty's run, for example)
Sparse, uninteresting environments
Dull puzzles that play themselves
Distractingly poor audio quality
Crap, ugly UI

It seems these episodes have been a thrown together and then booted out the door with little concern for quality. I have concern for Telltale's upcoming projects since they seem to be taking on a whole lot more work when they can't cope with what they've got on their plate now.

[ADAMATION]

Originally Posted by Shadowknight1

Then it wouldn't fit at all. Unless you time travel to the future, you'd be on foot because you'd have to hide the DeLorean. Make for rather boring gameplay if you ask me. .

Your on foot for this game too....

[Ribs]

My disappointment is nonexistant.

[McSuperfly101]

Older movie licenses such as The Godfather 1 & 2, Scarface, and The Warriors have recently been made into open world games, and Ghostbusters as a regular action game.

The difference is that with all of those games there's an element of combat. The moment you give Marty a gun it stops being a Back to the Future game.

Much of the gameplay is so glaringly obvious, it's just sitting right there ripe for the picking. It starts off with you getting hold of a new DeLorean time machine (shouldn't be terribly difficult to figure out a story here - Doc writes a letter from the past saying that his family is in trouble and he had previously hidden a new time machine for Marty in case something like this ever arose, whatever). In the beginning, you're limited by the vehicle's capabilities. You need plutonium for travel so you have to find it and use it sparingly (this is obv the basis for some missions). You also need to find long enough stretches of road to get up to 88 MPH, sometimes while being chased or under time constraints, etc.

You say that the gameplay is glaringly obvious but aside from driving around and collecting plutonium what exactly is the game? A driving simulator? You mention hoverboards too so now it's Tony Hawks or SKATE?

Look, I love GTA as much as anybody (Red Dead Redemption was my favorite game of 2010) but nobody has yet come up with a good enough reason for Back to the Future to be made in that style other than "being able to drive the DeLorean around".

[joek86]

I've actually enjoyed the game so far. My only disappointment has been the trim down in conversations. You don't seem to get the same amount of extra fun dialog as with the sam and max games. I know the reason is probably stream lining or something to that nature, but for me it effects how immersed I can get in the game.

[ADAMATION]

Originally Posted by ICDNTTHNKOFGDUSRNME

Fine then. What would YOU suggest for BTTF?

Objective: Save Doc or whatever- like in this game


Setting: Hill Valley, Free Roam
Problem: Do we expect them to create a billion Hill Valleys from different times?
Answer: No, butt head. Have the game center around 3 or so main time periods. Yes it would take a little longer to design 3 hill valleys but it would be worth it.

Problem 2: It would take them a long time to design the one Hill Valley. How do they know how big it is?
Answer2: They can use their imagination. And it is a VALLEY, so the borders of the town could be steep slopes that the player cannot climb up.


Character: Play as Marty able to explore Hill Valley (Yes, like GTA). Marty is able to walk, run, ride skateboard, possibly drive his truck, etc.
Problem: How can you give the player absolute freedom without Marty being like CJ or Nikko- running people over and such.
Answer: While driving, for example, If you hit another car there is a consequence. Maybe you have to "start over" from a predetermined spot.
And when walking or running, If Marty bumps into people he says "Oh, sorry mam. Oh, excuse me sir."

Delorean: The player can have free control over the Delorean at certain points or all during the game. They can drive it in 1985 because it exists there.

Problem: They can't drive the Delorean in past times. How are they supposed to get around? By walking?

Answer: Yes and no. The player could walk, or use a means of transportation from that time (bike, car, horse?) after they hide the Delorean. And If they do drive the Delorean in a time where it doesn't exist, there could be a meter that goes up every time a towns person sees the car. If one person sees it their just one eye witness, but If too many people see it the meter would raise. If the meter got too high, the player would have to "start over" from a predetermined spot.

Problem: If they can drive the Delorean, maybe they can't hit other cars, but what about people or trees/buildings. Will Marty hit and run or will the Delorean get smashed up?

Answer: Yes and No. If Marty hits a person, again, you would have to start over. If you hit a tree/building the car would sustain only a certain amount of damage before it would be inoperable and the player would have to start over.


Time Travel: There would be open spaces (farmland) where the player could potentially travel through time without towns people seeing.

Problem: What is the explanation for only being able to travel to certain time periods?

Answer: It could be something wrong with the time circuits that you can only travel to certain points or the last 3 times you had traveled to (DEPARTED, PRESENT, DESTINATION).

Problem: How would Marty fuel the Delorean?
Answer: Depending on WHICH Delorean was, most likely the 2015 upgrade one, he could gather trash for Mr. Fusion in order to time travel.

Problem: What about paradoxes? What if Marty changes something in the past?

Answer: Its already been said that Marty can't kill people, but If he were to run over, oh lets say, a pine tree. Or maybe something as small as a garbage can or street sign or something else..that would be a problem right? No. As Marty neared a seemingly unimportant object, it could turn red or have a red marker hover above it that would signal that it is important to history. If the player destroyed it, they would have to start over from a predetermined spot.

Look/Style: If the game was good enough- I personally wouldn't care if it were photo-realistic or slightly cartoony.

Music: During general game play it would be BTTF style background music and epic during action scenes. When Marty drives he could also listen to the radio and it would play of course, Johnny B Goode, Huey Lewis, and maybe other hit 80s tunes.

So this is my idea of how a good BTTF game should operate. It can still have heart and story while still having a good amount of action and free roaming fun.

Thanks for reading

[corruptbiggins]

I don't have any disappointment to share.

[McSuperfly101]

ADAMATION, you still haven't suggested what the player will actually DO. Simply wandering around a virtual environment isn't a game, whether you're driving the DeLorean or skateboarding. Imagine how boring GTA would be if they took out the combat.