Full Throttle

The Good
One has to ask oneself what's the key to the sheer success of the LucasArts adventure games, they are virtually identical gameplay-wise, they aren't extreme quantum leaps technology-wise, and heck! They are adventure games! A genre chastizised by many as games where the concept of gameplay is "guess what the designer wanted you to do"...! So what gives?? What could possibly turn those things into succesful games?? Let me tell you what: Creative content.

LucasArts crammed each and every one of their games with inventive plots, fantastic characters and some of the most original moments in pc gaming history... case in point?: Full Throttle, truly the most badassed adventure game ever made, a rock&roller adventure with a story that flows like a good action movie in which renegade biker Ben (total badass) gets framed for snuffing out the benevolent president of the country's leading motorcycle company and has to run from the law. Since he is such a baddass, Ben sets out to set the record straight, get the bad guy and kick some shit around. Doesn't sound like much on paper, but when you transport that to the stylistically crafted gameworld and twist it in the already familiar cartoony ways of LucasArts, you have a fantastic experience in your hands. All the elements are there: baddass anti-hero, baddass babe, baddass bikes, baddass soundtrack, biker gangs, corporate pigs, dumbass rednecks, barbrawls, you name it... Full Throttle has the "zing" and by zeroing on all the right "kickass" elements manages to stylistically blend them and turn a rather simple storyline in one of the most exciting experiences ever to grace a computer screen.

Furthermore, the game has LucasArts already famous production values, which translate into stellar voice acting (which deserves special recognition as perhaps the best one ever for a computer game), killer graphics which merged cartoony (yet-realistically proportioned and animated) characters with pre-rendered bikes and lush scenery and backgrounds, as well as an absolutely bitching soundtrack by The Gone Jackals, a legitimate down-and-dirty rock&roll band from whom Lucas licensed their entire album Bone to Pick, and which only needed Steppenwolf's "Born To be Wild" and AC/DC's "Highway to Hell" in order to become the ultimate biker soundtrack

The interface moved a step up from Sam&Max, by re-working the old mechanics and introducing a floating menu from which you selected your action AFTER you selected the location, the result is even less clutter, and easier adventuring and puzzle management. And the whole thing is layed out as Ben's gang logo! How cool can this thing get??

The Bad
It's really easy, and it's really short. You can try dressing that one up all you want, but the reality of it all is that Full Throttle is REALLY short and is REALLY easy. Proof positive of what kickass content it has is that despite being an introductory-level adventure with the length of a demo it still rocked,...but...

The Bottom Line
It's the most kickass thing in the history of kickassed-ness!!(?). Full Throttle is like Walter Hill's "The Warriors", a simple straightforward story that due to it's sheer style in execution and understanding of source material becomes a stylistical masterpiece. Get it. Get it now, "Caaaaan Yoooooouuu Diiiiig Eeeeeet???".

Besides, the game has a "kick" command!!!.... WHAT THE HELL MORE DO YOU WANT????

The Good
Full Throttle was created by Tim Schafer during an uneasy period in the history of adventure games. Comedy adventures were beginning to feel stale in the age of multimedia, and demands for more mature content eventually resulted in such works as Sierra's horror- and occult-themed Gabriel Knight and Phantasmagoria series. LucasArts never really responded to that tendency; indeed, until the very end of their creative output they haven't made a single adventure game without comedy elements. That said, Full Throttle at least attempts to shift the attention away from time-traveling hippies and mentally unstable rabbits to present a gritty - if somewhat cheesy and B-movie-like - tale of biker gangs, rough romance, and corporate injustice.

Full Throttle is very cinematic, more so that any previous LucasArts adventure. Cutscenes are more numerous than ever, and they are very well-done in the same cartoony, yet serious style that later also distinguished Outlaws. All the ingredients of teenage-oriented "coolness" typical of the 1980's are there: you have the impossibly cool, low-key unshaven protagonist with an attitude; the backdrop of constant cheerfully presented violence manifested in "manly" biker brawls; the caricature of a villain with an evil square face and sinister plans hinting at the general evil of capitalism; and so on. This stylish presentation is complemented by cartoony, edgy visual design and a metallic soundtrack.

I liked two things about the gameplay: the "Kick" command and the biker fights. Those are pretty much the only things in gameplay that adequately reflect the stylistic traits of the narrative (though the fights could have been better executed). The rest, sadly, is a row of singularly unimpressive "puzzles" devoid of wit and challenge. The part where you cross a minefield with the help of pink electric bunnies was certainly funny and quite original, but it was an isolated spark of brilliance rather than an indicator of the game's puzzle design. It also revealed a deeper weakness of Full Throttle: it tried to deal with more mature content in its story, but utterly forgot to do anything with the familiar light-hearted inventory puzzle system besides toning it down.

The Bad
Sometimes it's enough to play a game for a couple of hours, without even finishing it, in order to know it's going to stay with you for life. And sometimes one full playthrough can be deceptive: you return to the game after several years and suddenly discover it isn't as great as you thought it was.

The problem is that, with all its coolness, its cinematic flair, and its dramatic narrative, Full Throttle is a stunningly ordinary adventure game. I don't want to sound like a pompous ass, but I do prefer games that focus on gameplay above everything else - and, sadly, Full Throttle is not such a game. It gives you a cool protagonist, it gives you stylish visuals, it gives you cutscenes - but it doesn't give you what has always been the foundation of LucasArts' design philosophy: lively dialogues and challenging inventory-based puzzles. It's like a meal consisting only of a great sauce and spices, but without the actual main course.

Most reviewers state that Full Throttle is too easy and too short. I fully agree with this evaluation - it's just that I probably feel more bothered by that than the others. It's true that Loom was also too easy and too short - but it had such unique gameplay that it almost didn't matter. Full Throttle, however, is just a vanilla adventure game. It mainly consists of harmless object-manipulating activities that feel like pale shadows of the brain-twisting, wacky and witty schemes of Day of the Tentacle. With the exception of the bunny-hopping puzzle, I don't recall a single task in Full Throttle that was truly interesting. Simplified interface, reduced interaction, and narrow, confined spaces complement the bleak picture.

Ever since Monkey Island, abundant branching dialogue has become a trademark of LucasArts' adventures. Those humorous, well-written interchanges are almost completely absent from Full Throttle. There are only a few instances where you can talk to people and actually choose your answers - most of the conversation in the game is handled by cutscenes. The game has about as much player-controlled dialogue as Zak McKracken, if not less. But that game had a vast world, non-linear progression, multiple puzzle solutions, optional content, four different protagonists, and what not. Full Throttle has you completing linear tasks in small areas, without an actual world you can explore. That structure would be much more appropriate in a Sierra adventure, where gameplay was tight and dramatic, ripe with hazards and sudden deaths. It doesn't fit a game that follows a certain "hands off" philosophy, where rough edges have been removed and where the player begins to feel too safe, artificially guided to the happy end.

The Bottom Line
I know this is not a popular opinion, but I'll have to state it, and I'm doing it as a big admirer of LucasArts' work: Full Throttle is a nice game, but it's a far cry from the company's acknowledged masterpieces. It's refreshing to play through once, but lack of any gameplay depth essentially makes it a typical "rental". To me, Full Throttle is a symptom of crisis in adventure game design in general and in LucasArts' oeuvre in particular - one they would hardly recover from, despite the magnificence of Grim Fandango.

The Good
Gamers come in many varieties, and every gamer who has ever said "I want a game that will puzzle my brain" has likely played and enjoyed a good ol' point and click adventure game, and there was no better era for point and click adventure titles than the golden era of Lucas Arts. Everything their brilliant team came out with was a golden, seemingly flawless gem. From Maniac Mansion to Indiana Jones and the Fate of Atlantis (Arguably the best and only good Indiana Jones game) this truly was the greatest era for adventure games. Although I pretty much love 'em all, there are two that standout and rank on my top 5 games of all time list: Sam & Max Hit The Road (Review coming soon, along with reviews of the new 1s) and Full Throttle. If you haven't already guessed, we are talking about the latter game today.

Full Throttle comes from the mind of Tim Schafer, one of the most brilliant game designers ever. It tells the story of Ben, the leader of a motorcycle gang known as The Polecats, in a time when motorbikes are being outdated due to the revolution of the hover car and the fact that wheels are no longer needed. Only one corporation still makes motorbikes: Corley motors, owned by the old and dying Malcolm Corley, who loves the thrills and danger of the wild life, and wants to pass the torch to someone young and exciting and it just so happens that Ben catches his eye. However, Malcolm's partner, Adrian Ripburger isn't too pleased with Malcolm's decision as he desperately wants the throne.

The story is very well written, a trademark of adventure games and especially Lucas Arts adventure games. The cast in the game is top notch, every voice actor gives a convincing performance and brings their characters to life. Mark Hamill appears in the game, and provides a standout performance as the villain, Adrian Ripburger, really making him a creepy and genuinely intimidating villain. The only fault I have with the voice acting is that sometimes Roy Conrad (Ben) is a little deadpan at times, but he still does a good job overall. The music is also great, coming from a kickass metal band known as The Gone Jackals; specifically their album "Bone to Pick." Its sad they didn't really go anywhere, they were quite good.

The graphics are great, while they do suffer from pixelization at times, the animation is top notch and stylish, and the CG used also looks very good for the time and looks great. I would love to see this digitally enhanced, with no more pixelation. The animation is great, almost movie quality.

The puzzles are all well thought out, but at the same time they aren't too complex and they can make the game easy to play for newcomers to the genre, while still providing a challenge.

The game also has a good sense of humour, the game isn't meant to be a comedy, but there's a fair amount of humour and charm put into the game coming straight from Tim Schafer's twisted brilliance. One can't help but laugh when sending an army of robotic pink bunnies to their doom in a minefield, as "Ride of the Valkyries" plays in the background.

The Bad
As good as the sound design is when regarding the music and voice acting, the sample quality is low, and it can sound tinny and sometimes muffled playing on modern speakers. This is another part that I would love to see remastered, as the sample quality just hasn't aged well, although the overall effort and quality of the actual sounds themselves are great.

There's also a section later in the game that relies on combat, and the combat isn't really that good. It plays out something like Road Rash, but the controls seem delayed and its often frustrating how if you tilt the mouse just one inch towards the end of the screen, Ben burns out and crashes, even if he didn't touch the wall. It also seems that you can hit someone forever and they won't die, yet you can be downed in one or two hits, unless you have the chainsaw.

Sadly, the game is also somewhat short, but that doesn't really end up being too big a problem since either way, the game is very satisfying.

The Bottom Line
When it comes to adventure games, "Full Throttle" is as good as they come. It's accessible to newbies and features a great interface, but it will still provide a challenge for veterans of the genre. Full Throttle is full of wit and charm, while telling a great story in every respect. You don't even have to like motorbikes or heavy metal to enjoy the story because of its overall quality, although if you do have a fondness for motorbikes, the open road, and metal as I do, then it will only make it more entertaining.

Full Throttle may not be a game that is immediately replayable, but it does have a great replay value, its much like your favourite movie, every so often you get the urge to watch it again and you will always cherish it.

If you have not played Full Throttle and enjoy point and click games, then what are you waiting for? Go out and find a copy of this wonderful, timeless classic. You will thank me for it. Rock on, Tim.