Back to the Future Part II (Master System) Playthrough - NintendoComplete
641A playthough of Image Works' 1991 license-based action game for the Sega Master System, Back to the Future Part II.
This Back to the Future title was in no way related to LJN's NES titles, and with the exception of a Konami-published MS-DOS port, it was never released in the United States. It appeared on the Amiga and standard range of 8-bit microcomputers in Europe though, and the Sega Master System port received a PAL-only release for the European, Australian, and Brazilian markets.
The game reviewed terribly on every platform it was sold for, and it was blasted for its subpar graphics and sound, frustrating controls, and poor game design. And while those reviewers weren't wrong, I still find this to be far better than Back to the Future Part II & III on the NES.
There are five stages that haphazardly attempt to retell the movie:
Stage 1 is a scrolling action stage. Riding his hoverboard, Marty has to avoid cars, pedestrians, and Griff's gang, eventually crossing the pond ("Hey McFly! You bojo!") to reach the steps of the Hill Valley Court House.
Stage 2 is a puzzle stage. Jennifer is trapped and you have to guide her out of the house while avoiding contact with any of the McFlys of the future.
Stage 3 is a scrolling action segment. Marty, now in alternate 1985, has to punch his way through endless waves of respawning gang members and flying hazardous objects.
Stage 4 is a slider puzzle showing Marty playing the guitar at the Enchantment Under the Sea Dance in 1955... God, how I hate slider puzzles.
Finally, stage 5 is essentially the same thing as stage 1 was, except this time Marty is supposed to grab the almanac before old Biff can hand it off to his younger self.
The first and final stages are clearly where the majority effort went, and they're not great. They feel like they've been modeled after the gameplay in the first BttF game on NES, but with a few tweaks to the perspective to make it better resemble Skate or Die and Paperboy. The rest of the game feels like it was put together in a scramble when someone realized that the game needed content.
The graphics are super-simplistic but servicable (though I do love that hilarious picture of Doc Brown in the radiation suit!), and the movie's theme song is here which is neat... but the controls are mushy and hard to handle, the level of challenge is drawn mostly from cheap hits, and these levels are painful to play. Those two puzzle levels in particular should just go Sylvia Plath themselves, hopefully taking the rest of the game down with them in flame.
If you're wondering, "Should I play this?" here's my thinking:
It's less fun and more frustrating than BttF1 NES, but it's far shorter and less absurdly obtuse than BttF2&3 NES was. So, it's a step down from the original LJN game (which I actually liked!), but it's a huge step up from the vile cesspit that was its sequel.
But dammit, I hate manure! That's about all I have to say about that.
Links to related videos:
Back to the Future (NES): https://youtu.be/qY2UUDIFLco
Back to the Future Part II & III (NES): https://youtu.be/Q3LtrThw8Y8
Master System playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL3gSj_kh1fHs29jFWuxVI30FjoMMdiJVs
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No cheats were used during the recording of this video.
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