LJN’s AWFUL Back to the Future (NES) game is actually kinda decent! | A Positive Spin - Retro Review
40Originally released in September 1989, just two months before its namesake’s sequel hit theaters, Back to the Future is an NES adaptation of the popular science fiction romance comedy of the same name. Developed by Beam Software and published by LJN, the game follows Marty on his, now iconic, journey to the 1950s and subsequent mission to ensure his own existence by making sure his parents fall in love.
Over the years, Back to the Future for the NES has garnered a reputation online for being one of the worst video games of all time, especially for Nintendo’s Entertainment System, in part due to a review published for the game way back in 2006 by the AVGN (AKA the Angry Nintendo Nerd/JamesNintendoNerd/Cinemassacre). It would go on to be reviewed by other channels from the time, like the Irate Gamer or Classic Game Room and, in a lot of ways, probably helped cement retro game reviews as being something worth watching on the then burgeoning YouTube.
However, we’re not here to retread the past. Instead, we’re here to look at this game and the nostalgia surrounding it in an attempt to better understand BTTF NES and to try and appreciate the things it may have managed to do right. Because, when all’s said and done, it’s not *that* bad of a game! If it qualifies as being one of the worst games ever made, it’s probably amongst the best of those games! After all, it’s gameplay is actually kinda fun in small bursts, it’s an interesting piece of merchandising from the 80s and it even works as a bit of a nostalgic look back at the Atari age/early days of gaming!
On top of that, we’ll also be taking a look at the nature of nostalgia and meditating over what it means to be nostalgic in 2022/what we can do to improve that experience.
Welcome to A Positive Spin, a show dedicated to looking on the bright side of some of gamings so-called “worst” blunders!
Chapters:
00:00 - Cold Open
01:31 - Intro
07:43 - Question of the Day
08:30 - BTTF NES Game Review
26:15 - A look at merchandising culture
32:31 - On Nostalgia
51:36 - Why this video exists/what brought me here
1:00:37 - Closing
#backtothefuture #retrogaming #nes #nintendoentertainmentsystem #80svideogames #retrogames
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About:
NichePlays is a retro gaming review, discussion, appreciation channel by Nicholas Caesar, a writer and video editor from New Jersey. In each of his videos, Nicholas tries to mix his love of comedy and pop culture with the video essay/game review format in a way that is part Girlfriend Reviews, Scott the Woz and Cinemassacre, and part Game Sack, SomeCallMeJohnny, and StopSkeletonsFromFighting. His favorite consoles include the Nintendo Switch, Sega Genesis and Super Nintendo Entertainment System. Oh and he (I, let's not kid ourselves) tries to do it in a fun, approachable and level headed way. Because like, they're games. It probably isn't that deep.
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