A playthrough of LJN's 1989 license-based action game for the NES, Back to the Future.
Believe it or not, there was once a time where you could mention the Back to the Future NES game to someone and the conversation wouldn't instantly turn to the topic dead animals' rectums.
When it came out in late 1989, gamers didn't march in streets nor burn effegies in protest, and the gaming press didn't tear it limb from limb. It actually didn't get much coverage at all in magazines.
The general consensus seemed to be that it was bog standard action fare that did little to stand out - a perfectly average game that would entertain for a rental or two.
Nintendo Power's exceedingly brief capsule review in the Nov/Dec '89 issue sums it up nicely:
"Young Marty has gone into his own past and must complete a four-stage task to set time properly back on track. He will have to negotiate the menacing streets of Hill Valley and avoid the many hazards to get to the unique stage endings."
They rated it 3 out of 5 for its graphics and sound, theme and fun, and play control, and 2.5 out of 5 for its challenge. In other words, mediocre but serviceable.
The players seemed to agree with that appraisal, too. The game made a brief appearance on the magazine's Top 30 list in the May/June '90 issue, and it seemed to be a popular pick at my local video store. More than once I tried to rent it, only to find that all of the copies had already been checked out for the weekend.
It doesn’t bear much resemblance to the movie - I don't remember Marty ever throwing bowling balls at giant bees - but the street scenes, which feel like a bizarre cross of Paperboy and Gun.Smoke, make for some simple arcade-style fun.
But that stupid malt shop minigame! I always had a hard time lining up my shots in that it thanks to the lack of any detail in the floor. The other two minigames work much better, thankfully.
The game's graphics are plain and repetitive, but the strange enemy designs and the super chunky pixel art give it a bit of charm. The music, on the other hand, is awful. I can only imagine how hard a crestfallen Huey Lewis might've wept when he heard this chiptune rendition of The Power of Love.
Gross soundtrack aside, I've always had a soft spot for Back to the Future. Meme or not, I still find it to be an easy and fairly fun way to turn my brain off for twenty minutes.
(Just stay far, FAR away from the sequel. It's easily one of the worst games on the NES, but if you'd like to share in my pain, you can find my playthrough of it at • Back to the Future Par... )
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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