Back to the Future Part II

Back to the Future Part II was criticized as a poor conversion of the film. Mark Patterson of CU Amiga wrote: "There's so many crossover plots in the film it seems almost impossible for a game to do it justice. [...] Obviously it was always going to be a difficult license to translate; I just wonder if anybody could have handled it in a more exciting manner". The introduction sequence was praised by some reviewers, although Robert Swan of Computer and Video Games (CVG), reviewing the Atari ST version, stated that the sequence was a nice idea that was poorly executed, writing that the DeLorean "jerks along like a slug with bunions". Chris Jenkins of Sinclair User reviewed the ZX Spectrum version and considered the sequence to be "astonishingly badly-drawn". The game's music and sound were mostly praised; Patterson considered the rendition of the film's theme music to be among the game's two outstanding features along with the introduction sequence. The character sprites were criticized, especially the design of Marty McFly. Some critics felt that the hoverboarding levels went on too long. Patterson believed that the beat 'em up level was poorly executed and the worst of the five levels. He also wondered why the fourth level would take the form of a tile puzzle game, questioning its relevance to the scene it depicts. In addition, Patterson believed that the second level was too easy and quick, and was critical of the final level is similar to the first: "It's a bit of a cheap gimmick to rehash an earlier game section so blatantly. I was very disappointed to get this far and discover I really had gone back to the future". Gerard Ryle of The Age wrote about the game's various levels: "Pretty weird stuff I admit, but this game's real strength lies in its reliance on a combination of quick reflexes and quick mind". Amiga Action criticized the music and the "weak" background details. Zzap!64 considered the levels to be slightly better on the Amiga version over the Commodore 64 version. Commodore Format criticized the "unoriginal" levels, but praised the sound, calling it the most pleasing aspect of the game. The magazine stated that the game's lasting appeal, beyond a few days, "is extremely questionable", and wrote that the game's "dozens of nice touches" only serve to "remind you that the game as a whole is full of unfulfilled promise". Mark Caswell of The Games Machine reviewed the Atari ST version and considered it a disappointing game, criticizing its slow pace. However, Caswell believed that most of the graphics were fairly good. CVGs Swan believed that the puzzle levels did not fit in well with the rest of the game, and stated that the game "isn't a total disaster" but "you do get the feeling that a lot more could have been made from it". Atari ST User opined that the game closely follows the film but considered it as average movie tie-in. The magazine praised the colorful graphics, but criticized the poor scrolling and monotonous gameplay, and concluded that the game did not have lasting appeal as its different gameplay styles provide only initial excitement. Neil Jackson of ST Format called it a "colourful and somewhat schizophrenic game" with an "interesting" combination of gameplay styles and "superb" graphics. However, Jackson criticized the first level as being "incredibly tough" due to poor collision detection and joystick control. However, he praised the puzzle levels for providing "well-needed breathing space" between the action levels. Jackson concluded that while the game "is not what it could have been, there should be something in it for everybody - if you can just get far enough to reach it!" Rich Pelley of Your Sinclair reviewed the ZX Spectrum version and was critical of the game's long loading times, but praised the variety and the puzzle levels, and considered the game to be addictive and very faithful to the film. Reviewers for Crash were disappointed with the gameplay. Mean Machines reviewed the Master System version and was critical of the graphics, poor controls, and poor collision detection, while stating that the levels were either too easy or too difficult. Sega Force called it frustrating and considered its graphics mediocre, both especially during the first level, although praise was given for the visual appearance of the puzzle levels.