"Get Tannen!" REVIEW thread

135

Comments

  • edited February 2011
    It was definitely an enjoyable experience but now that the wonderful nostalgic feeling I felt playing the first episode is beginning to dissipate, I really think the episodes have to start being more than merely enjoyable and need to further their ambitions and just go completely for broke. I don't want them to play it safe with the Back to the Future license and that's kinda what this episode felt to me, safe. I want more emotional moments, I want more character development, I want it to feel like an actual furthering of the Back to the Future universe and not just a side story. And there can also never, ever be another two month waiting period between episodes again.

    That being said, there's no denying that I had a lot of fun playing this episode. It was good, but that's also the problem, it should be great.
  • edited February 2011
    And Hill Valley is no longer a ghost town.
    Now you can see people in the background and cars passing through.

    Huh? Episode 1 had people walking around in the background too. Same amount like in ep 2.
    But I have this theory, I think the amount is decided by what level of graphic quality you choose.
  • edited February 2011
    Maybe I'm just not as good at puzzle games as some people here, but I needed actual hints in the sequence near the end with rescuing Edna, and I really liked the door puzzle once I figured out what was going on with it.

    As for story wise, I'm not sure I understand why some people are saying emotional moments are being ignored. On the contrary I think Young Emmett is acting exactly like I would expect him to after all of that. After all, it's been two months. Had Marty shown up, say, a week after the incident, Emmett might have been more upset, but two months is enough time for Emmett to calm down. I DID, however, think it weird they left Einstein there, but then again given they were in such a rush to fix things with Marty it just slipped their minds.

    Still, the puzzles could use a little more complexity, and there should be some fixing of animations as noted, particularly Marty walking around. Other than that I'm enjoying this stuff, and given the age of the franchise and the sheer, sudden unexpectedness of Telltale getting the license in the first place, I'm satisfied. I mean, Back to the Future matters to me prolly a lot more than a lot of people here, given how key it's been to a number of things in my life(no I'm not going into details) and just in general been a favorite of mine since I was two, but I'm not seeing a reason to get super upset if things aren't perfect. They're not going to be. And we're always going to have differing opinions of what perfect IS.

    Overall, I'm waiting till the whole thing is complete before finally deciding on the quality of the story. I'm not deciding part way in. There's enough good and only a little bit bad so far, enough that I can't decide either way.

    One last thing I'd like to mention: I really like Edna as a character. She's really quite interesting. Trixie was also great.
  • edited February 2011
    Hi,

    Just finished the second episode. I really liked the first episode and I'm very sorry about this : I am deeply desappointed with ep 2.

    As many others, the whole episode lasted a bit less than 3 hours for me. I actually started the game only twice. But well, 3 incredible hours of play would have been ok.

    The think is : I got terribly bored. To my opinion :
    - BTTF ep 2 is closer to an interactive movie than to a game. You never play !
    - Almost no puzzle, no challenge. (I played with no tips and didn't use help)
    - a bit desappointed about going back to the same place
    - I find the story getting a bit messy... making more timeline makes it harder to follow, but not more fun.
    - there was serious bugs or strange things : like Emmet who goes back down the roof in a click if you touch the machine in the park.
    I hope the third episode will be better...
  • edited February 2011
    Krohn wrote: »
    And episode 2 is a huge improvement over the first.

    :confused:
    Krohn wrote: »
    50% more entertaining value (3 hours instead of 2)

    I've heard people playing episodes of Tales of Monkey Island over a few days. My average time on a ToMI episode was 5-6 hours.
    Krohn wrote: »
    100% more puzzles (which was practically given as episode 1 was seriously lacking)

    While I respect your opinion (and I'm glad you think it's an improvement), I disagree. Vainamoinen pretty much summed up the whole "puzzle"-thing. Placing objects in front of you can be seen as slightly insulting.

    If it were me, I'd choose to make these games as hard as possible, since I'd still have a hint system. I mean, look at Secret of monkey Island and MI2: LeChuck's Revenge. They're very hard, especially for newcomers... but they have a hint system. Did anyone comlain about the difficulty? I don't think so.

    I don't get it why they're making these BTTF episodes so simple... the first one, ok, to gather fanbase... the second one too?! ...grrr, fine, let's gather MORE fanbase.

    But if the third one is as simple as the first two... I'd rather watch an animated movie. Same thing. Only you'd have to press some buttons to unpause it.

    To keep on subject. Story, awesome. Cutscenes, brilliant. Puzzles... what puzzles?!
  • edited February 2011
    See, the nice part about not being experienced in adventure games in that you find these puzzles harder than other people do. This doesn't mean certain things are just stupid, like that whole Einstein sniffing stuff... but some things actually require me to thing, use a hint or two. However, I would like more of a challenge in later episodes.
  • edited February 2011
    My impressions are;

    It was far too easy, probably the easiest TT game I've played so far.
    There were more glitches than ever, particularly when leaving a conversation.

    The story is still good.
    The cliffhanger was ace.
  • edited February 2011
    Much better than the first episode. I'm not a big fan of mafia stories, but this one seemed to fit in with the usual brand of second episodes in TT Games. It was still incredibly easy, but the improvement this time was that there were more puzzles, and at least 3-4 where I actually got to stop and think about the solution instead of just stumble onto obvious answers by accident. It's definitely still one of the easier TT games, but it's still a fun 2.5 hours of gameplay.

    I'm also surprised by the twist at the end. Judging by the episode descriptions, I assumed Chapter 3 might involve
    teen Doc getting his hands on his own notebook in the past and turning 1985 Hill Valley into "1984." So having Edna be the one responsible was a twist in itself. Although now I wonder how the notebook will ever come into play...
  • edited February 2011
    I really liked the way they tried to mix up the flow of exactly how the game was played. A few of the puzzles needed a bit more sorting out (those that result to old adventure style logic, rubbing everything on everything else), but overall I thought the clearer goals really made for a much more easy to follow experience. I personally smiled when I solved some of the puzzles that require you to backtrack within the same area. I definitely liked the smoothness of it, and am expecting some more changes in style as things go on.
  • edited February 2011
    Datadog wrote: »
    Much better than the first episode. I'm not a big fan of mafia stories, but this one seemed to fit in with the usual brand of second episodes in TT Games. It was still incredibly easy, but the improvement this time was that there were more puzzles, and at least 3-4 where I actually got to stop and think about the solution instead of just stumble onto obvious answers by accident. It's definitely still one of the easier TT games, but it's still a fun 2.5 hours of gameplay.

    I'm also surprised by the twist at the end. Judging by the episode descriptions, I assumed Chapter 3 might involve
    teen Doc getting his hands on his own notebook in the past and turning 1985 Hill Valley into "1984." So having Edna be the one responsible was a twist in itself. Although now I wonder how the notebook will ever come into play...

    I speculate that
    Marty will have to convince First Citizen Brown to utilize the notebook to repair and/or rebuild the DeLorean, since it seemed to be heavily damaged during the crash.
  • edited February 2011
    Major Paradox arriving:

    Since Doc is now in control, he never invented the time machine meaning Marty couldn't go back in time to save Doc and transform the future into what it is which will cause a chain reaction which will unravel the very fabric of the space-time continuum and DESTROY the entire universe :)
  • edited February 2011
    The space-time continuum has proven somewhat more resilient than Doc originally estimated.
  • edited February 2011
    Awesome stuff! It blows my mind every single time how much Telltale can develop these characters within the context of a game, and how well all of the dialogue trees flow. It's a complex type of game because you really have to anticipate people talking to people that they're not necessarily supposed to talk to at each point, so its interesting to see how they handle it. The story was great as usual, and the ending! Wow! Can't wait for episode 3! I'm just glad that it's less of a wait than between episodes 1 and 2!
  • edited February 2011
    Wonderful plot, acting, writing, all that jargon Telltale does well.

    Puzzles were a little light, which I would be fine with if, well- can we stop giving the dog things to sniff out? That's getting a bit old. Other than that I feel quite satisfied!
  • jmmjmm
    edited February 2011
    Quoting "The Cheat": "Meh!"

    I completely lost interest in the story. Puzzles and gameplay are almost non-existent and for the first time, I couldn't finish the game "as intended" due to severe graphical problems* and random sound bugs (I even missed out the ending, all I saw was lots of blobs moving and skipping dialogs)

    I'll play the next episodes, but I think this will be my last Telltale "adventure" game unless things radically improve.



    * I didn't have any graphical or sound issues with previous games, even episode 1 ran flawlessly.
  • edited February 2011
    I have to say I'm really disappointed. I don't care so much about the lack of difficulty or story elements which I think are fine, but this game is far from being a finished product. These bugs and lack of finish are completely unacceptable in a modern game. Which developers in their right mind would look at Marty's walking animation and decide it's acceptable ?! There are so many bugs like some scenes with no sound effects that make it impossible to be fully immersed in the game.

    Really the only thing that keeps me going here is the franchise. That and because I paid for the whole season.

    After playing Tales of Monkey Island, I thought Telltale Games is a reliable game company which is why I bought Back to the Future without hesitation. I will definitely not buy a game from them again without playing a demo first.
  • edited February 2011
    Major Paradox arriving:

    Since Doc is now in control, he never invented the time machine meaning Marty couldn't go back in time to save Doc and transform the future into what it is which will cause a chain reaction which will unravel the very fabric of the space-time continuum and DESTROY the entire universe :)

    You see, I always assumed that the DeLorean and its components exist outside of time itself. While the individual components may stop working or disappear (including the people within it), the flux capacitor will always remain functional.
  • edited February 2011
    I loved everything, and I think I liked this episode even better than the first one. It was a huge improvement.

    However, maybe I'm naive in expecting more in the challenging puzzles department. :P

    But guys, if this is the style of things you want, you're doing a great job!
  • edited February 2011
    Meant to post this earlier, but this was a improvement story-wise. The puzzles (if you can call them that) were ever so slightly trickier, and the lengh was a bit longer, by about 30 mins for me. I look forward to the next episode, if only for the story. It getting a bit harder now is doubtful, so let's hope the story stays good.
  • edited February 2011
    Anybody notice that when you ask Edna about breaking stories, she mentions that
    Mayor Thomas slinked out of the speakeasy and Frankie Needles crashed into a fire hydrant?
  • edited February 2011
    :confused:


    I've heard people playing episodes of Tales of Monkey Island over a few days. My average time on a ToMI episode was 5-6 hours.



    While I respect your opinion (and I'm glad you think it's an improvement), I disagree. Vainamoinen pretty much summed up the whole "puzzle"-thing. Placing objects in front of you can be seen as slightly insulting.

    If it were me, I'd choose to make these games as hard as possible, since I'd still have a hint system. I mean, look at Secret of monkey Island and MI2: LeChuck's Revenge. They're very hard, especially for newcomers... but they have a hint system. Did anyone comlain about the difficulty? I don't think so.

    I don't get it why they're making these BTTF episodes so simple... the first one, ok, to gather fanbase... the second one too?! ...grrr, fine, let's gather MORE fanbase.

    But if the third one is as simple as the first two... I'd rather watch an animated movie. Same thing. Only you'd have to press some buttons to unpause it.

    To keep on subject. Story, awesome. Cutscenes, brilliant. Puzzles... what puzzles?!

    What puzzles would you do instead for Episodes 1 and 2 to make it more difficult?
  • edited February 2011
    Story is fun and interesting enough to keep me going. I feel more like I'm playing through an interactive story though, since there challenge just isn't there in the slightest. I guess the problem with having so many games and especially doing an episodic series like this is that something has to suffer, and in this case it's the gameplay. They seem to spend much more time making "cool" camera angles to make a cinematic experience. I mean, the puzzles are getting extremely lazy. I mean, I get it, Einstein's nose is excellent at tracking down people. How many times are you gonna take that shortcut instead of making a proper puzzle out of it?

    Remember EMI, where there was a joke about being able to use an item more than once - there's a reason for it. Because it provides little to no challenge, unless used in a unique and different ways (BTTF doesn't).

    Verdict? Fun for the nostalgia facter, it's still Back To The Future. But if this wasn't BTTF, this game gives you very little. The controls are working, but I still don't like them. It shouldn't feel like work to play. Sacrificing intuivity and good controls for a cinematic experience is exactly what's wrong with adventure today - or at least used to be, since most of them doesn't seem to be stuck in the early 2000's anymore. Telltale seems to lag behind that adventure game developers mostly learnt from this mistake. You need to get on with the times.
  • edited February 2011
    I really enjoyed the game and loved how they used the deloren flying this time including Younger Emmetts version with the radio car as well as a little nod.
  • edited February 2011
    StarEye wrote: »
    Story is fun and interesting enough to keep me going. I feel more like I'm playing through an interactive story though, since there challenge just isn't there in the slightest. I guess the problem with having so many games and especially doing an episodic series like this is that something has to suffer, and in this case it's the gameplay. They seem to spend much more time making "cool" camera angles to make a cinematic experience. I mean, the puzzles are getting extremely lazy. I mean, I get it, Einstein's nose is excellent at tracking down people. How many times are you gonna take that shortcut instead of making a proper puzzle out of it?

    Remember EMI, where there was a joke about being able to use an item more than once - there's a reason for it. Because it provides little to no challenge, unless used in a unique and different ways (BTTF doesn't).

    Verdict? Fun for the nostalgia facter, it's still Back To The Future. But if this wasn't BTTF, this game gives you very little. The controls are working, but I still don't like them. It shouldn't feel like work to play. Sacrificing intuivity and good controls for a cinematic experience is exactly what's wrong with adventure today - or at least used to be, since most of them doesn't seem to be stuck in the early 2000's anymore. Telltale seems to lag behind that adventure game developers mostly learnt from this mistake. You need to get on with the times.

    I don't think it has anything to do with them currently working on so many other projects, I think it was a deliberate decision to make the game more accessible. I think they knew a BttF game would appeal to a much wider audience (and sales have proved that it has) and I do believe they mentioned in interviews before it was released that they were aiming for more of an interactive story approach.

    Personally, this doesn't bother me at all, I've loved every second of it. Especially realising in this episode, why certain things happened in the first. Definitely time to move on from the 30's time period though and I do think the later episodes will pick up in difficulty, at least a little bit. The next episode looks really interesting. :)

    It'll be a lot of fun at the end when we can finally piece everything together.
  • edited February 2011
    I found this episode very enjoyable and a considerable improvment over the first( which I also liked). I know a lot of people are complaining about how linear the game is, but I don't mind it that much. Besides, the episode gets much more diverse once marty returns to 1931 from 1986.
  • edited February 2011
    I just want to say that I've loved every minute of this game.

    I'm a big gamer (360), but gave this a go because I'm a huge BTTF fan. The last adventure game I played was Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis.

    So far, I've found the difficulty of this game to be just right if shading on a little to easy every once and a while. I'm very busy with school work and all and don't have a ton of time to play games lately, unfortunately. That being said, I feel like this game has enough length and challenge to get me immersed but not to much to make it inaccessible. I'm primarily here for the story.

    I've found the story to be really great so far. It's great to be back in the BTTF universe. I have experienced some sound glitching issues, especially in episode 2, but my computer also isn't the greatest. Man I wish this was on the 360.
    The only complaint I have, really, in terms of anything else is this face Doc ALWAYS makes that doesn't resemble any face Christopher Lloyd has ever made:

    docface.jpg

    Other than that, keep up the amazing work guys. I hate the waits though! haha. But it gives me something to look forward to!

    PS>>>What is the precedent with the DVD copy ie. what is usually included in it? Do they just slap the five episodes on a DVD? any bonus features? Do they make it a full length game? Do they edit the game together as a movie (that would be really cool in relation to this game)?
  • VainamoinenVainamoinen Moderator
    edited February 2011
    What is the precedent with the DVD copy ie. what is usually included in it?

    You can expect some "making of"-commentary and concept art, the episode trailers in video format, possibly animated "outtakes". Not much more.
    Do they make it a full length game? Do they edit the game together as a movie (that would be really cool in relation to this game)?

    No, never. The suggestion has been made many times for many TTG games, but...
  • edited February 2011
    No, never. The suggestion has been made many times for many TTG games, but...
    Never on the "one big game" thing, but the Sam and Max DVDs for seasons 1 and 2 did edit the cutscenes together as a "movie" that could be watched, with commentary, and I thought it was an AWESOME FEATURE but apparently they decided that having the game audio as a track rather than just the one commentary track was a bad idea for some arbitrary reason.
  • edited February 2011
    Just finished it then without any help of the hint system :) I only had to use it once during Episode 1 and that was for when Marty is on the roof in the park to get a recording of Tanen's voice.

    Absolutely love the cliffhanger of this one, I never saw something so drastic like that coming! As for the length, honestly, it felt just right. Keep them short, that way we get the most logical and essential puzzles that are the most relevant to the story without the filler of some of the longer adventure games. Plus, we're only about 2 or 3 weeks away from the next episode, so it's great.

    There hasn't been one dull moment so far. For those of you who have played Episode 1 either as buying it stand alone or downloading the free trial and wondering if it's worth to go onto the next episode, do it! More action, more fluidity in the story and even more twists!
  • edited February 2011
    Vwey good episode, I loved the part when Marty arrives back and the whole timeline changed :)

    Characters are great, and loved that Tannen got his share of manure again. (though I missed the actual manure on him after he got recovered... he was actually spotless...)

    Keep up the good work!
  • edited February 2011
    Hey Just giving my praise on Eppy 2! The Story is VERY gripping, ENJOYABLE. I ENJOYED the fact this time that some puzzles REQUIRED you to goto a diff area to solve. HOWEVER Wasnt as hard yet.. I still say need more problems and going around areas to solve 1 puzzle vs staying in the same room. Need more items to use.

    The audio.. This Eppy.. is worse then Eppy 1.. I got the hiss sound now. And I could notice the quality was sub-standard. =(

    But Gdi.. now I want Eppy 3! The Trailer at the end makes doc look like the RL Actors current look now. Very nice touch! =D
  • edited February 2011
    I loved it, especially the story and camera angles. Although it lacked in puzzles and more interactive gameplay. My biggest wish would be to actually control the delorean in some sort of race in time, or to drive away from bad guys, that would be so cool!
  • edited February 2011
    Dear lord, I've heard of Shorthand but this is ridiculous!
  • edited February 2011
    Right now at this point I have tried to download the second episode and install it on my PC, and it still does not load or work. Really disappointed at this point.:confused::(
  • edited February 2011
    Hey y'all, I just wanted to add a little perspective from a non-gamer, but hardcore bttf lover. I'm GLAD that the puzzles are relatively easy. There have been some points in both episodes I've actually had to consult the WALKTHROUGHS because I couldn't understand the hints. If the puzzles were more difficult, I'd just get frustrated that I couldn't continue the game. I really like that it's more like an interactive movie, being that I'm not that familiar with puzzle games. I'm probably the type of person that these games are meant to be marketed to. For those of you that are heavy gamers, I completely understand your frustration in that you want more of a challenge, but just because these games don't offer much of that doesn't mean they suck. Know what I mean? I'm sure they're deliberately "dumbed down" to reach more of an audience.
  • edited February 2011
    They should have just made a 'easy' or 'hard' version.

    Probably wouldn't have been that hard.

    I think it could be a little more difficult, but I just like that Back to the Future is back (in a way)!
  • edited February 2011
    Hey guys,

    My review of Back To The Future: The Game - Episode 2: Get Tannen! is now live!

    Back To The Future: The Game - Episode 2: Get Tannen! Review - Alternative Magazine Online

    "Ultimately, what lets Get Tannen! down is its easy difficulty combined with its short completion time and my final score must reflect this: Episode 1: It’s About Time undoubtedly offered a more well-rounded experience. The overall experience that Get Tannen! offers is still fantastic… there just needed to be more of it. I can only hope that next episode the puzzle design matches the high quality shown in every other area. Otherwise, Back To The Future: The Game could be in danger of becoming an interactive movie instead. Regardless, this is an enjoyable second episode that should hopefully pave the way for true greatness further down the line."

    I would love to hear other player's thoughts, especially regarding the bugs I mentioned in the review.

    I also recently interviewed Marty McFly voice actor AJ LoCascio about Episode 1 here:

    Mini Interview – Back To The Future: The Game – Episode 1: It’s About Time (What Does AJ LoCascio Think?)

    Episode 2 mini-interview coming soon! :D
  • edited February 2011
    PC Gameplay Benelux: David Cage from Quantic Dream (Indigo Prophecy) has stated that storytelling, characterisations and innovation will be the defining elements to broaden the market. In that respect, do you think this will herald the return of adventures, IF they embrace innovation?

    Dave Grossman: Those things are all important to adventure games and they certainly will improve the medium, but at the same time they don't address what I see as the fundamental problem with the average adventure: weak gameplay. Too often players are asked to do things that are too hard, too easy, too arbitrary, completely nonsensical, boring, or frustrating, and no amount of storytelling will turn that into an enjoyable experience. Adventures won't be viable unless their working parts are as well designed as those of other kinds of games.
    How times change.

    -Source
  • edited February 2011
    I just downloaded and played the 1st episode. I always want to play a demo of some sort to see if I want to buy the whole package. Glad they provided the 1st for free and I didn't mind to wait. It seems that they released the 2nd episode at the same time with the FREE version of the 1st. Marketingwise I guess, fine with me.

    I am a HUGE fan of Monkey Island (both old and new), Sam and Max (idem dito), Broken Sword (1 and 2), sierra classics (in 1987 I played LSL1 and later SQ1 and I was hooked), LucasArts, etc. There are some classics that will never return due to production-costs I guess, like Day of the Tentacle, and all those other hand-drawn adventures. I just love them. For newcomers: please find yourself copies of adventures made in the beginning of the nineties, you'll love them.

    As for BTTF... IMO, I think I wait until the whole serie is in discount. I am in no rush to 'absolutely want it here and now', its just not that good I guess. I think its too 'flat'.
  • edited February 2011
    Well, it's a bit on the late side, but here's my review of the game.

    http://pixelatedgeek.com/2011/02/review-back-to-the-future-the-game-episode-two-get-tannen/
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