Full Throttle

FT is a P&C adventure by LucasArts, released in 1995 and, let's be fair, has one of the most bad ass intros ever....

SWEET

The game is set in a distopian future and in it, you play as gruff voiced, barrel chested Marcus Fenix from the now popular Gears of War franchise, and set out to expose a murder in order to prevent the start of the Locust War.

Wait a second? Your telling me that this isn't Marcus Fenix? You've heard his voice, right?

So as it turns out, despite the barrel chest, gruff voice, and chin you could build a patio on, you are not actually playing as Marcus Fenix, and this isn't a Gears of War prequel. Instead you are playing as Ben, the leader of a local biker gang, and are actually out to expose the aforementioned murder in order to prevent something equally, or more terrifying , than the Locust War- replacing planet killing, fossil fuel guzzling motor bikes with environmentally friendly electric motor vehicles.

(shiver)

The game plays out much like any other P&C adventure game, and by that I mean playing the role of a thief in order to steal or relinqueshing other characters possessions in order to selfishly complete puzzles that hinder your own progress.

However FT did attempt to break the mould a little, and it did try a few innovative ideas.

First up, gone are the "open", "pick up" or"look at" etc command verbs that we were so used to seeing bordering the bottom of our screens in games like Monkey Island and Day of the Tentacle.

Instead, FT adopts a command wheel, where clicking on an item allows us the choice of family friendly body parts, like eyes for "look at" or hand, which then equates to "pick up" or "open" as the situation requires.

This therefore reduces the number of different options to interact with items, and naturally simplifies the gameplay.

A bonus to the removal of all the command verbs from the bottom of the screen allowed FT to completely fill the players screen, adding an extra level of visual appeal to the already great looking graphics for the time.

Another new idea LucasArts introduced was the inclusion of skill based, action pieces, something in stark contrast to the logic puzzles the genre is known for.

LucasArts clearly looked at other bike related franchises when producing FT thought "I'll have some of that", and decided to include a mandatory Road Rash-style mini game - something which was received at the time about as well as a fart in a spacesuit.

Later on there's also a Micro Machines looking wreck em up, which is also mandatory, and also smells of brussel sprouts.

The inclusion of these action elements was not necessarily a bad move, bring variety to the game in a time when innovation was needed to keep the genre alive, but the honest truth is that they were just poorly executed, a nightmare to control, and therefore no fun to play. With more time and polished controls, I'm sure these sections wouldn't have had the negative attention that they received.

Another critisism reared at the game was it's length. The game is quite short. Now, whilst this is true, I think this is more a consequence of the more simplified interface. It allows for fewer solutions to the puzzles presented, and therefore makes the game easier in many eyes. This then adds to the perception of the game being short, as many people found that they were able to breeze through the main plot of the game without struggling, which would normally extend the game's length.

However, FT is a good game. It was one of the first games to utilise SAG registered actors for their voice talents, such as Kath Soucie best know for playing Phil and Lil from Rugrats, Luke Skywalker who is best known for playing Luke Skywalker in Star Wars and Tress MacNeill who is best known for playing Tress MacNeill in everything she does. It was also one of the first LucasArts games to feature licensed music. I mentioned that sweet sweet intro right?

Right.

The plot is interesting and set in a world that looks great, and feels fully fleshed out. In keeping with previous LucasArts games, FT is funny, though in a more dry sense of humour, rather than the wakiness of previous games, but this is in keeping with the game's grubby aesthetics.

Despite the critisisms I have mentioned, FT is still considered a cult classic. It landed during a period when LucasArts were producing some of their best and most memorable work, and at what is considered to be the peak time of the P&C adventure genre.

I personally don't consider it as good as the Monkey Island series, DOTT, or Broken Swords, but they are some of the best in the genre, so that's hardly suprising, and I do feel the critisisms are justified. However they are only a small section of an overall great experience, and if you can bunny hop over these speed bumps, your in for a good ride.

when i first played this game i was about 10 years old, my dad had always kept this game for some reason and said i could play it if i wanted to. i know i was young to play it but when i finally reached the end i didn't find it to old for me in anyways except when you-know-who dies. since i was young when i played this i had a terrible time with many parts especially the airplane. i'm 14 now and i can easily go quickly through this game and sometimes wish it was a little longer. one of the best parts i found with the game is the main character you get to play, Ben. i always thought he was quite funny especially with the "i'm not putting my tongue on that!" or something. i'm not sure how exactly he said it and the part with the energizer bunny's, oh and the one part were your racing against other bikers and the girl biker comes riding up beside you and says "are you a pullcat?, cause i don't like pullc..." then I would easily push her of the road. great game and it's more fun when you're a little younger because you get to think harder. the graphics for it's time are great by the way.

This game's a great time waster, fun from the first frame till the credits and the funny little bit after them.

Sure, the story's pretty thin, but the images are great, the music's great and the game's so much fun.

So, on a rainy day, why not head out on the ol' mine road for a while?

Full Throttle tells the story of a bikie gang. It's hard to get too caught up in the plot without giving too much away. The game plays like a tense but darkly humorous bikie gang film. It had bike chases, turf wars and great voice actors (including the great Mark Hamill!)

A lesser-known country rock band named The Gone Jackals play some absolutely banger numbers in the background. It was a cinematic masterpiece for its time and I really wish someone out there would turn this into a real time cinematic crime drama. It would have a cult following but with the right cast, this would be widely popular.

Great game, but it's way too easy. The characters and the story are really cool, the music is perfect, and it has some excellent cutscenes. It's genuinely fun to play, except that the puzzles are way to simple. They don't require the usual amount of thinking that you'd expect from a LucasArts adventure game. But all in all, it's well worth playing.