Back to the Future (NES) Playthrough
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ก.ย. 2024
- 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.
NintendoComplete (www.nintendocom...) punches you in the face with in-depth reviews, screenshot archives, and music from classic 8-bit NES games!
They captured the plot of BttF so perfectly. My favorite scene in the movie was when Marty ran down the street throwing bowling balls at giant bees and guys in pink shirts.
😆😆😆
True, my favorite scene that I remembered was the DeLorean was dodging lighting while hitting 88 mph!
I like that one scene where Marty dressed like Mark Knopfler as he whipped milkshakes full-force into peoples' faces for some reason.
LJN and THQ. Early versions of scammers. Ruiners of big movie titles that should of had great games.
@@RichieCavsRetrocadeI dunno man WALL•E and Toy Story 3 game for the PSP by THQ was really good.
" *Leave me alone! Im tryin' to collect clocks.* "
I understood that reference.
@@alienboy1322was it from Bee Movie?
@@christianbell8347
No, from Avgn.
0:41
I think people's biggest problem with this game is that they (me included) love the BTTF franchise so much, then you get a turd like this. I always thought BTTF would've been more interesting and fun as a point and click game like Maniac Mansion. Tell Tale sure got it right on PS3.
No DeLorean + Sh¡tty game = Still a sh¡tty game
We had a rule: games based from films sucked. Films based from games sucked. That was the truth, minus maybe a small handful of each. I was never upset with this game because I just expected it to suck. lol
I would rent the games first, and try them out, after playing it for a couple days, if it sucked badly, I just returned it and moved on to the next game. If it was good, I bought it. Sometimes I would end up beating the game in the couple days I rented it, and it was just one of those one & done games. But, many times, they were replayable.
The most famous game (for all the wrong reasons) from Beam Software.
Their SNES port of Smash TV was pretty good though.
Ah yes, I remember that part in the movie where Marty McFly spends the entire movie running down the road collecting clocks while avoiding bullies (that are NOT Biff Tannen), construction workers with a glass sheet, a hula hoop dancer and a bird while A Power of Love plays at full speed.
The dude made this look easy. This game is tough!
Featuring Eric Stoltz as Marty McFly
0:25
So this game is from the alternate timeline Barry Allen created in The Flash (2023)?
A game remembered best by the internet thanks to the reviews made by AVGN and Irate Gamer back then.
It’s remembered by us people in their early forties as we all rented this monstrosity as kids
@@Johnlindsey289Um, no its not you punk.
@@Johnlindsey289Not even, I'm 37 and remember this game like yesterday. Could never get passed Bif.
Having rented this many times back in the day, I know how hard it is. The most impressive part of this play through for me starts at 10:45. NintendoComplete goes beast mode breaking Lorraine’s heart in style.
Thanks :) it's lucky that Calvin's a spry guy.
@@NintendoComplete “Calvin Klein”breaking hearts and playing riffs on the guitar. Biff never stood a chance.
@@rjcupid In that scene, what do you think that is in the tank by the board? An embalmed poodle is all I can see when I look at it.
Hate to be a negative nancy, but it's not as hard as it looks. You just gotta follow a pattern there, The only issue though is that you will sometimes get carpel tunnel because of the view perspective of where the hearts are going towards Marty mccfly
@@NintendoComplete I always thought it was a terribly drawn aquarium!
If only the music was slowed down.
AVGN brought me here. Loved the movies.
Whenever I'm running late somewhere, this music is playing in my head. Fortunately I don't, usually, have to contend with lethal hula hoop girls and bowling pins.
I’m glad you finally played this trendsetting classic. You must have had the time of your life.
Once I remembered that nobody puts baby in a corner, I did. I swear, it's the truth 🤣
AVGN hating this game will always be timeless.
James longs for a timeless world.
We all hated it before Avgn came along
I remember playing this when I was in 7th grade! It was the hardest game. I never made it past the school. Only made it past the diner a handful of times and then I got frustrated and just gave up! At least I got to watch this video and see what I missed! Lol
It was a difficult game because it sucked
Those poor workers. I can’t tell you how many times I see guys carrying a big pane of glass to a construction site and some Jack hole started throwing bowling balls at them.
This game made the early 2000 flash games look good by comparison. Not an easy feat.
The one memory I have about this game is the one time I had the perfect run going, and managed to make it all the way to the school dance section, then blowing it during the hyper-sped up version of Johnny B. Goode where you're collecting the musical notes. In all the years I played it on NES, I'd never seen the Delorean section.
The toughest part of this game is getting past the monotonous audio😬
What are you talking about? It’s one of the best renditions of Power of Love ever made!
What is WEIRDER Is That Marty Is Dressed As A Guantanamo Prisioner Instead Of A Fancy Tux. xD
@@capofthink Don't forget the boiler suit he wears while he plays Johnny B. Goode
when you jump up on the skateboard at the end of a stage it makes the same sound as the Great Behemoth rising out of the depths of darkness at the end of Shadowgate
It's also the sound of the freeze power in Startropics.
@@NintendoComplete i have to give that game a rewatch
This game ruined a weekend in my childhood. Oh I tried to like this game, but the more I played, the more I realized I was conned.
Wait, the music is supposed to be The Power of Love?
Yes on crack.
We could never get past the diner. We didn't know what we were doing wrong.
That was the part I always struggled with too. It was so hard to line yourself up properly
I know you had to hit 50 dudes
Pretty stinky game but not the worst from Beam Software, sad to say.
At least they made up for it on the SNES with Shadowrun and Super Smash TV, though.
The NES Smash TV was pretty sick too
@@NintendoComplete what im gonna do with 30 microwaves lol
Even at 0.5x speed, I still can't hear The Power of Love
Man, fuck this game. I could never get past the boss stages. They are ridiculously hard.
I'm surprised that Seth Green didn't add the after effects of Marty's rampage from this game in Robot Chicken. Knocking out girls and hitting bruisers in the groin with a shitload of bowling balls... Saving his own existence at the cost of everyone's existence.
99 bullies not 1 cop
I never past the Cafe stage! This game used to have me so upset. All I ever wanted to do is drive the car 😭
Starting the weekend with this title, you are a brave man
👏🏾👏🏾👏🏾😆😆😆
Licensed video games are almost always tough. It's tough enough to make a good game as is. It's all the tougher when big-time money people like Hollywood are behind the gravy train. Game developers have a hard enough time understanding interactivity and what makes a good game, let alone a bunch of big money suits that don't understand why their product hasn't shipped yet.
I must say, Beam Software did an alright job with this one. My only real complaint is that it's just a quickie arcade game. At least it has the arcade difficulty. Definitely worth a rental, if not the $30 or $40 it cost at retail back in the day. I rented it when it was current, then got a second-hand cartridge years later.
I like how Marty's photo of him and his siblings fading away like the movie was a fundamental part of the game. It was funny how Beam made you stay "on the clock" so you wouldn't fade away yourself. As a kid in the theater, it was really creepy seeing Marty's siblings fading away during "Earth Angel" at the dance. Nice touch by Beam.
Whenever I see the bowling balls and pins, I laugh and think of Marty saying in the movie, "What do kids do in the '50s?" Certainly not play video games, but they might play Battleship! In the school mini-game, I was expecting Lorraine/Marty's mom to throw his purple Calvin Klein underwear at him! The dance mini-game where Marty's jamming on the guitar was pretty clever and I wished more was done with it. I don't remember if I ever actually beat the final stage.
Well, I guess it's better to make a short, albeit decent (and hard) arcade game like this one... rather than a longer, deeper, albeit disaster of a game like BTTF II & III which is exactly what Beam Software produced the following year. That goes back to my original wish for this game, and to be careful what you wish for. The sequel is a broken game, but I have a soft spot for it. Anyway, this BTTF game is overall good for what it was... a short but good arcade game with plenty of challenge.
This is heavy
why are things so heavy? is there a problem with the earths gravitational pull?
You can say the difficulty... It is heavy!
I can never get past the soda shop
Another one of my favorites
Back to the Future is way better than people give it credit for. Just do yourself a favor and stay far away from the sequel.
You're really on an LJN kick, aren't you?
@@Dorian_Scott I am lol. They weren't all bad.
I agree. It’s Skate Or Die meets Paperboy. I also really like the one looping song. Impressive run NC!
nah the sequel was better
@@NintendoDude888 no u. Just because you can't play doesn't mean the game sucked
Some of the levels reminded me of the game Paperboy...
This game is SO HARD! I can't beat this...
bro tried to defend ljn💀
Been trying for 30 years, and never made it past Lou's cafe.
Those bullies are freaking hard.
The gameplay on these stages in Back to the Future for the NES is often compared to that of the arcade and NES game Paperboy.
That was a really bad game! Wow!
Thx for the gaming hook-up!
Ouch… That music… Had to watch this one without sound.
Alot of people complain about the music intro but if you slow it down its huey lewis song power of love.
Whoever did the music for this game should be banned from ever working on a video game or music in general for life, LJN truly was an atrocious company and this game sucked the big one.
Wow did that game suck
What a wretched, miserable game!
I can't believe I made it to the Lorraine section as a kid.
That song still haunts my dreams....
I remember thinking when I first played this game what am I playing. Bowling balls, killer bees and music that just looped. Made it to the Cafe and was like OK how do I do this. Took me years to get through but couldn't get the DeLorean up to 88. The 2nd game was even worse
Blimey, how many run throughs did you do before you were able to do such a flawless run of the game?
You also have to admit that the commercial for this game was sooooooooo wrong.
I feel like this and the Goonies game made by Konami are kind of similar as both barely are close to their source materials, with repetitive arcade-like gameplay that fits better for something like the early NES days (1985 to 1986)
If it weren't for AVGN, I wouldn't have guess that even a large number of games on the NES were bad.
Is it true you only get one chance with the DeLorean, and if you miss the game is over?
Yes it's true, you only get one try, no matter how many lives you have left. I know, it's a stupid idea.
Not a good game, but the 8-Bit Gems episode on this game brings a new side to it.
I enjoyed it especially as my group of gamers I was the only one who could finish it lol
A timeless trilogy of movies. But this game... is just a waste of time.
>timeless trilogy
I see what you did there...😉🤣
@@scottkamps1270 As much as I am not a fan of puns, I couldn't resist that one.
@@Dorian_Scott I have two friends that bombard me(and others) with puns, so I've had to get used to them.
@@scottkamps1270 Great Scott
@@ZoeMuller80 now don't YOU start! 😝🤣
BTTF is certainly better than its sequel on NES. Though Beam Software's best has to be that NES Star Wars game.
This one may be bad but it's tolerable to play.
You played the LJN Game
Despite the bad reviews, I enjoy this game and the catchy tune. Many thanks for sharing
To everyone who's whining and nitpicking this title to death about how this isn't *exactly* like the movies -- dudes, *IT'S A FREAKING MOVIE TIE-IN VIDEO GAME FROM THE 80's.* The devs did a fine enough job.
You call this crap a fine job?
Pro corner jump at 13:12 8^)
Anyone think of AVGN when watching this?
If I were to make a Back to the Future NES game trilogy:
I would have Konami do it, and give it stealth Metal Gear mechanics, open-world Zelda mechanics, and driver mechanics like Micro Machines.
I remember a family member buying me a used Nintendo set with 30 games from eBay one year and this gem was included. Not only did I have no idea this game existed but this was the in the days before playthroughs or online reviews like we have now. If not for the title card, this would just be another dull Nintendo game (not that it isn't already) but honestly it's not bad. I've played much worse.
Why did they have to speed up the Power of Love theme? ANY WHY IS IT LOOPED FOR THE WHOLE GAME!!!!
When I was younger playing this. I thought it was paperboy
Are we too harsh over crappy games, right, because blaming the company from how the game was so bad doesn't mean we criticized it in rough way, and I can now understand about AVGN that destroying games are not real in his video it's just an acting and review, and so I might say that LJN wasn't that bad company at all since LJN sold toys that they use than the video game.
many people hate the game
but i may be one of the few who actually liked the game
If you turn the music off and not even think of BttF, it's a nice way to kill 45 minutes.
This game was okay, street levels were fun
This is such a terrible game its so sad that this is what we got a piece of video game history that tarnishes the name of one of the best franchises ever. We deserved so much better but as like so many big franchises back then if LJNs logo was on the box you knew you were getting shit.
Psychedelic game just like BTTF 2 & 3.
Good playing,, though!
I think this game made me paranoid as a kid. All the normal-looking people attacking you for no reason. It also explains why I carried bowling balls with me
This game was so hard.
True fans watch this at 0.4 speed to hear the main song at the right tempo.
*_What were they thinking????!!!_*
Never got past the diner. I hate you LJN.
LJN...
Look how ya massacred my boy...
Good job! It's a horrible game! It kinda makes me think of Paper Boy, in a way, but with a few mini games.
I don’t remember any of this from the movie
Is this game difficult?
I wish I could go back in time to prevent this game from being made.
A friend let be borrow this for the summer..the whole summer trying to beat it..never happened
I used to this game. I still do hate it but I used to hate it too.
Oh good
Great scott
A hard game
May not be a fan favorite but still a pretty cool game
The scrolling is smooth. What can I say, the perspective on this looks hard as all get out. The classroom stage alone looks ridiculous. But as bad as this is, it's the entertaining kind of bad, and I would actually much rather play this than a certain... other game... that has been featured on here before and is another title related to this franchise. In fact, I think I would rather follow AVGN's famous directives than ever play _that_ game.
In that cafe defense level you have to hit 50 dudes before you can proceed
This game is hot trash. I owned it, still mad.
Back to the Future 2 & 3 for NES was better than this garbage.
@@Dorian_Scott I... wha.. words fail me right now.
I was never able to make it past the cafe 😩 so I'm glad I came across this video to see all the things I never got the chance to see beyond the cafe.
I hated this game but I wanted to beat it so bad that I stuck it through. The ending made me so angry I took the game out of the console and threw it on the floor.
I know the feeling. You bust your balls to beat a game, and you get a lackluster ending. It makes you want to pull your hair out.
Yuck, the closest thing to child abuse I had to endure was pretending to enjoy this game because my parents bought it for me. 😋
You clearly haven't played the 2nd game or the original TMNT!
@@xxxYouTunesxxx I absolutely loved TMNT that game was super popular growing up. Everyone and their dog could beat the water level, it's barely a challenge if you pick the weakest turtle and sacrifice them partway through. I feel like a lot of the shade gets thrown by people who weren't there when it was current. The difficulty of that games wasn't any different than Castlevania 1 or 3.
I'd take BTTF part 2 and 3 over the first game, but you are right it is a piece of crap.
and the only decent Back to the Future game was released exclusive for for Japan, what a joke
Why collect watches?
Because you need more time 🕑
The music, the walking, my god so repetitive. I honestly never made it past the diner stage.
Just wanted to check if it was still as bad as I remember it being. Yep.
LJN should have been burned to the ground when we were kids during the NES years. Their formula was simple. Hire inexperienced developers to just start working on a game for any idea they had. Spend money to acquire rights of the hottest movie, tv show or product that year. Go around to developers to see what they have. Pick a game that they can make a few quick changes to by adding a few branding elements that match the big license they acquired. Slap name of license they acquired onto box and ship game with it, even if the majority of the game had nothing to do with the license. They knew it would sell on the name alone and this game is a prime example. Go down their list of games for NES. They did it over and over and over again. LJN and even THQ should die of gonorrhea and rot in hell :)
Is this hill valley or is this hell
It's definitely Hill Valley but I can't imagine Hell being much worse
What an ugly ugly...ugly game this was/is. How...why? Did the developers even watch the movie, or know that one even existed?!?! For the love of god almighty, make it go away!
This game is hard
I was 7 35 years ago when I rented it and it sucked badly
Holy crap the music is terrible lmao
Yup arin it was clocks