This game was a real disappointment. The story is extremely cliched and predictable, the gameplay is rather slow and directionless, akin to Phantasmagoria, and the setting is stock and the sort of thing you've likely seen dozens of times before in several different kinds of media. Most of the graphics are passable, but a few are just amazingly bad for a game made in the late 2000s. The game did have a few decent moments, but is spoiled by the boring, unimaginative story, primitive graphics and interface, and slow-as-molasses gameplay.
BTTF: The Game isn't really a game- the puzzles are so easy that a 7 year old could solve them without pausing to think, and on top of that they give you an insultingly over-done hint system that is switched on by default. The "gameplay" is just a vehicle for getting to the next cutscene, and robs the player of any chance to feel clever. The graphics seem a bit cheap and I personally didn't like the cartoony style. I encountered some graphical bugs, about one per episode, as well as a game-breaking bug in the first chapter that forced me to start over. However, the writers have definitely done their homework- you'll find numerous, well-integrated references and continuity nods to the original movies, making it really feel like a direct continuation of the films. The voice acting is excellent, especially Marty, who is about as close to Michael J. Fox as you can get without it being the real thing. The game is a bit low on humor, but has some decent heartwarming and dramatic moments, though the action scenes all seem very tame compared to anything in the movies, likely due to the small, confined spaces of the game world. It's enjoyable, but feels more like a slightly ugly, watered-down interactive movie than a game. Telltale has done better than this with games like Sam and Max and Tales of Monkey Island, which are both richer in humor and gameplay, and I was disappointed with BTTF, despite the obvious respect and admiration its creators had for the source material.
I'd played this once on a friend's computer back when it was new, so I don't have more than a smidge of nostalgia influencing my opinion. This game is great- aside from the over-the-top humor it's famous for, the level design is varied and interesting with lots of secrets and easter eggs to find, and exploration is well-rewarded with extra items, in-jokes, and even entire secret levels. The weapons have lots of variety and are a blast to use, with ammo distributed so that you can use even the most powerful guns fairly often- the rocket launcher can practically be your main gun in some of the later stages, instead of only coming out for boss battles, which is rare among the other FPS's I've played, but perfectly in tune with the game's macho badass premise. At the same time, there are so many enemies that you WILL run out of ammo from time to time, and the game encourages frequent, strategic switching of weapons to take advantage of their various weaknesses, so the challenge is kept intact. Definitely get this game, you WILL have fun! The only problem is the controls- it's virtually unplayable as-is, so you should download EDuke32 or some other program to modernize the controls to a standard WASD format. Once that's done, you're ready to enjoy a true classic in FPS history!
I first discovered Thief over a decade after it was released. I'd never heard of it but the series has become one of my all-time favorites- if you haven't had the pleasure of experiencing this game, you owe it to yourself to pick it up! The gameplay is fantastic: stealth-based exploration in large, immersive, non-linear environments that reward exploration and ooze with atmosphere. Strike from the shadows and dispose of your foes one by one, carefully hiding the bodies so as not to leave a trace, or hide in dark corners and dart from room to room between patrols, never letting them catch a glimpse of you. Use the tools of your trade to extinguish torches, muffle your footsteps or create a climbable rope up to hard-to-reach places. The strategy and freedom of choice are endless and the rewards are immensely satisfying. All of this, combined with the engaging, well-crafted world of The City and its different factions, makes for a fantastic and memorable game. There are very few drawbacks to this first entry in the series- it's arguably weaker than its sequel, thanks to some combat-heavy levels and an abundance of undead, as well as one lackluster sewer-based level added for the Gold edition, but that's largely a matter of taste. The textures are rather grainy, so I'd recommend doing what I did and installing the TFix mod (check the forums) to give them a nice boost- but even if you don't, it doesn't look bad for the time and isn't likely to impact your enjoyment. Admittedly, it's not for everyone- if you're not patient enough to move slowly and carefully to avoid guards and strike when they're alone, if you get lost easily with only a rudimentary, hand-drawn map based on rumors to guide you, if you're not observant enough to seek out hidden treasures, clues and secret switches, this might not be your cup of tea. But for those who love an atmospheric, tense, stealth-based challenge, it doesn't get any better than the Thief series.
I'm a little surprised to see how many reviews mention problems with Windows 7. I ran it on Windows 7 64-bit and it worked flawlessly, saving and loading included. Anyway, I played this game back when it first came out, so I may be somewhat biased, but I think it's still fun. The graphics aren't as impressive anymore- they used to have a sort of haunting beauty back when this sort of computer-generated landscape was brand new and nobody had ever seen it before, but by today's standards they look a bit plain. However, some areas, particularly Sirrus and Achenar's rooms in the various Ages, are still very atmospheric and highly-detailed, and the graphics are still far superior to many other games on GoG. The acting is a bit cheesier than I remembered, but not outright bad, and the sound and music are still excellent, though the music seems to change rather abruptly and often. Most importantly, the puzzles are excellent. They seem much easier now- I only remembered the tiniest fragments of their solutions as it's been well over a decade since I played Myst, but it still only took two or three hours to beat the game. However, the solutions always make sense without being too obvious and spoiling the feeling of being rather clever when you do discover the answer. I'm not sure modern gamers can appreciate Myst as well as those who played it in its original context, but I think there's still enough good design and atmosphere there for a fun experience, if a rather short one. Definitely a highly-recommended classic- at the very least, pick it up if it's on sale sometime.
