Citizen Brown Review - Talesofmi Style!
I don't usually post link to our reviews...but then again, I thought, what the hell? We wrote it so YOU would read it and comment on it.
I'd really like to hear your opinions. You can click on this link and it will take you to our review (might have to scroll down a bit, you can't miss it, it has a big image with "Review" written on it). Share your thoughts, please!
I'd really like to hear your opinions. You can click on this link and it will take you to our review (might have to scroll down a bit, you can't miss it, it has a big image with "Review" written on it). Share your thoughts, please!
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Comments
I got some criticism for my review score in the Telltale forums (half a point higher than this one), but I was reviewing it for what it is, not what I want it to be. Are easy games such a bad thing if you are still having fun? Apparently so, but I still disagree.
It is perhaps a bit too easy but as you said, the final scenes were breathtaking this month and the overall experience more than makes up for any minor misgivings.
Stop pretending we are not fans or that we don't like games, or don't know how to appreciate what we got.
It's not just easy. I actually love a lot of "easy" games. But what we complain about is the total lack of interactivity, weither it is on the story or on the puzzles.
Clicking the first thing you see while nothing else does something, isn't "easy", it's blank and dull.
Also, It's not as if it was the best looking game ever, with the most brillant story ever.
Let's not act like Star Wars fan boys "lol lol it's a SW game so I'm gonna like it even if it's completely flawed".
They're not doing a cartoon, they're doing a game. Did they take the potential of the series to its heights ? Can you really, honestly, say they did ?
I also think it's kinda funny you talk about "what we want it to be" being a bad thing, while you said yourself you weren't objective.
I find it difficult that you say my opinion (that BTTF has a good story, good graphics, easy game gameplay but with enough interactivity to remain fun etc) is basically wrong, then tell me all of your opinions as if they are the truth. You say it isn't just easy, but that it's also blank and dull. So every player who doesn't find it blank and dull is wrong? I didn't find it blank and dull!
I think for an episodic game based on this licence, Telltale are doing a very good job. I can honestly say that. If you disagree with me then fine, but at least respect that it's my opinion.
"What I want it to be" means a lot of things. Would I love a PS3 exclusive utilising all the space of a Blu-ray disk with a free roaming Hill Valley where you can mix point-n-click puzzle solving with driving sections in the DeLorean and freely roam between time lines? Well yeah, who wouldn't... does that mean I should mark Telltale down for making the game the only way they currently know how?! The puzzles are easy but to keep saying they have outright failed when many people are enjoying the games is narrowminded. This is a casual episodic adventure game based on the BTTF licence and I am enjoying it for what it is.
That right there is the issue.
It could have, and SHOULD have, been much more than what it is. You admit yourself that in order to appreciate it you have to go into it with low expectations.
Perhaps they'd prefer an alternate version, where things happened differently in the past stages of the development?
Brownie points to the people who realizes what I'm getting at. (Pun intended)
I wouldn't.
That would kinda defeat the purpose of BttF. They don't time travel that often. The movies usually stay in one timeline the majority of the time. BttF2 is the only one that they jump around between timelines more than once or twice, and even that one is mostly in 1955.
Doesn't mean you couldn't travel through given time periods.
Future : go there to notice new elements that help you to avoid a disaster
Past and Present : Go there to change said elements
You'd have to actually look for those. Not wait for the game to ask you to click on a button.
Free roaming also doesn't mean having a huge city like GTA. It's just free roaming. A thing a lot of games are capable of, when they're in 3D ...
Don't tell me those invisible walls on BTTF aren't irritating.
But... what would you consider adequate expectations for a game made in a month? (To be fair and completely honest: 6 weeks and some change.)
MartyMcFly has admitted to lowering his expectations from that equivalent to a triple-A PS3 1st party free-roaming/driving adventure game that would probably have a 2 year production cycle to a game that can be made in a month.
Universal came to us for a story and character driven game, and that's what we're doing.
And to be honest-- if Universal had gone to a bigger company for that triple-A game, you would have gotten a half-assed attempt to cram an Arkham Asylum clone into an 8 month production cycle and we'd all be way worse off.
Yeah, I'm sure you're the only fans of BTTF that are dedicated to their jobs in the whole industry... You should really try to open up a little.
Though, it's true you don't have much time to work on those.
But then again, all your (hard) work is being wasted by the budget and time constraint.
Every choice you made is fully understanble, but it doesn't change the actual result, unfortunately.
Maybe you could have tried an episodic game, but not a monthly one ? We already know you guys have talent, it's not really what's at stake here.
But, I have to say, comapred to ToMI, that also had many similar problems, those BTTF games have been really going in the wrong direction. Maybe it's the fact that you are forced to get every storyline checked by Bob Gale, the fact that you really don't have time to work with a complex storyline involving time travel, and thus have absolutely no time to make the game a little more complex (in term of difficulty AND content/path).
I think we all expected too much out of it.
But on the other hand, it kinda proves how great your other games were, with the same time constraints.
You got us used to great quality, even for "low" budget games, with little time to work on. BTTF isn't quite there.
I also think many of us didn't just expect a good "adventure game" or a good "telltale game", but something that would have made us feel like we're IN the movie. It does work indeed for some people, but outside of here, the reception isn't that great (I'm not counting the "beuh looks way too ugly I ain't playing" people) in this exact matter. That's directly linked to the design of the game. By having almost no interactivity( or consequences) on the story nor the puzzles.
I'm not blaming Telltale for the game, even if some actual things you chosen didn't really appeal to me (but that's on a personnal level). But I can't forgive everything neither ... It's too bad, really. I was so psyched about the game before episode 1...
So far the only interest of the game is : Adding more story to the BTTF Franchise. Good story or not, let's say that we hoped for more.
And if you had more time, the fact that the game is simple wouln't be a problem, as you would have added much more content, in exploring (there's virtually none), talking with the characters etc...
I'm not judging BttF against triple-A titles either...just Telltale's past work, which--correct me if I'm wrong--was made in pretty much the same amount of time and under similar development constraints, aside from Universal's request that Telltale try to draw in more non-gamer BttF movie fans. Games like ToMI or pretty much any S&M game felt MUCH deeper overall--they had longer play times and a lot more to do. My expectations are based on what Telltale has delivered in past series, nothing more. Those games were also story and character driven, but they managed to strike a much better balance than this one.
And I don't mind you continually challenging me. In fact, I appreciate it!
Do you associate your company to a fast food chain?
It's good to go to McDonald's. Fast, tasty and cheap.
But that's not what you eat on Thanksgiving Day.
But - even on Thanksgiving Day - I can wait a while between the dishes, as long as the food is perfect.
And - even with Telltale games - I can wait a while between the series, as long as the game is perfect.
(And I like your games, but the food seems always served too early, before real good cooking, even though the ingredients you have are top-notch quality).
Bon Appetit
Picking on this part, because I'm actually comparing it to previous TellTale Games, I mean, I know the team have shuffled around a bit, some have left, some new people have joined, etc, but previous seasons were made under the same method and in turn just overall were more difficult, felt like they had more content, etc. Which is what I'm not really getting with Back to the Future's episodes so far.
Or perhaps it's just having a difficult time coming after Sam & Max Season 3, which had the perfect balance IMO (though others would disagree and say Season 3 felt easier than Season 1 and 2) but also had lots and lots of content within the game. I guess Sam & Max Season 3 also benefited from Chuck revealing a huge story arc that's been building from Season 2 which made a lot of us have one of those "oh yeah, wow" moments.
That's not what Telltale advertised it as, though. If it was announced as that from the beginning I would have been fine with it.