Historically, video games based on popular franchises have tended to be disappointing. In fact, it’s a rare game like N64’s GoldenEye 007 and the more recent cross-platform smash Batman: Arkham Asylum, which gives studio tentpoles the proper treatment. Telltale Games’ Back to the Future: The Game ($24.95 direct, available now as a Mac and PC game, and headed to iPad and PlayStation 3 shortly) joins those rare, illustrious titles by delivering a story that not only respects the movies on which it is based, but also is so endearing and engaging that it can serve as an unofficial fourth tale to the Bob Gale and Robert Zemeckis classics.

Stellar Movie Recreation
Telltale Games, the wonderkinds of the point-and-click adventure genre, has given ‘Back to the Future’ fans the video game that they deserve. “It’s About Time”, which is the first episode in a five-episode series that will be released over coming months, is packed with full of the wit, charm, and callbacks that made the movie trilogy so popular. For example, the opening sequence is a near-perfect recreation of Delorean’s test run in the original Back to the Future. The scene features Christopher Lloyd effortlessly sliding back into character as the eccentric Doc Brown, and newcomer A.J. LoCascio gives a dead-on Michael J. Fox impersonation as Marty McFly.

“It’s About Time” begins six months after the end of Back to the Future III, and it sees Marty McFly beginning a time-spanning hunt for his missing buddy Doc Brown after a driver-less Delorean mysteriously appears in 1985 Hill Valley. As Back to the Future the Game falls into the story-driven adventure category; it’s impossible to delve into the story details without ruining parts of the plot.

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Gameplay
What can be said, however, is that the game excels in capturing the look and feel of our favorite Hill Valley residents, even if the scope of the town itself has been greatly reduced. The gameplay revolves around interpersonal relationships and puzzle-solving. The game requires more sly thinking than skateboarding, guitar-grinding, and gunfights. Here you’ll click items to examine or use them, and use dialog selections to interact with characters. Telltale Games puts these elements to work early on, when you’re tasked with retrieving a model of Hill Valley from the oafish Biff, which requires enticing the former bully to fulfill his rockstar dreams, and winning a small verbal confrontation with George McFly. Although you’re presented with several dialog options when conversing with a character, sometimes multiple options lead to the same result, which is disappointing.

Graphics and Sound
A huge portion of Back to the Future: The Game’s charm lies in its presentation. Telltale Games uses stylized, cartoon versions of Marty, Doc, Einstein, Biff, and other familiar faces, which maintains their mid-’80s appearance and lighthearted spirit of adventure. Accompanying them is Alan Silvestri’s playful score, which nicely completes the package.

Should You Buy Back to the Future: The Game?
Gamers reared on a steady diet of Halo: Reach, ($59.99, 4.5 stars) and Medal of Honor ($59.99, 3 stars) may scoff at Back to the Future: The Game’s slower pace. But the license, and the love poured into it, is enough to entice both fans of the film trilogy and the overall adventure genre. The best recommendation that you can give a game is that you want more—I eagerly await the chance to explore more of the game world in the next chapter, February’s “Get Tannen.”

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