Back to the Future Part III (GEN)

Back to the Future Part III

Platform: Genesis Year: 1991 Developer: Probe Software Buy: Amazon

Back to the Future Part III is an action game developed by Probe Entertainment and published by Arena. It is an adaptation of the computer game of the same name, which in turn is based on the film of the same name.

The game is broken up into four levels. In the first level, Doc Brown must save Claire from falling into the ravine. In the second level, Marty tries his hand at the shooting range. In the third level, Marty dispatches of Tannen's outlaws by throwing pies at them. In the final level, Marty must grab pieces of colored wood on a train and get to the front of the train.

The game was negatively received by critics for its poor gameplay mechanics. Most people criticize the game for the developers taking the approach of making a short game, but making it brutally difficult so it would take longer to complete. This is especially true for the first level, where razor-sharp and lightning-quick reflexes are required to beat it. Also, losing all your lives sends you back to the beginning of the game. Some parts of the computer version were cut from the Genesis version, like the vertical-shooting segment in the first level. Whether this is a blessing or a curse is debatable. To further add to the frustration, the Genesis version suffers from a bug where the colors are a lot darker, making the game harder to see.

Screenshots

The game's title screen. The first stage. The second stage. The third stage. The fourth stage. The ending screen.

Music

The game's soundtrack contains Barry Leitch's musical scores from the computer versions, but was brought over to the Genesis by programmer John Phillips. It sounds like Phillips converted Leitch's MOD files but he could have programmed the music himself. The game uses Phillips' own custom sound driver, written in 68000.

The computer versions also had sub-songs for each level but they don't seem to be used in this version.

The title screen is a (terrible) remix of the Back to the Future theme composed by Alan Silvestri. The first stage is a mashup of the Back to the Future theme and Stan Jones's Ghost Riders in the Sky.

Recording

#	Title	Composer	Arranger	Programmer	Length	Listen	Download
01	Title Screen	Alan Silvestri, Barry Leitch	John Phillips	John Phillips	0:44		Download
02	Stage 1	Stan Jones, Barry Leitch	John Phillips	John Phillips	2:36		Download
03	Stage 2	Barry Leitch	John Phillips	John Phillips	2:59		Download
04	Stage 3 & 4	Barry Leitch	John Phillips	John Phillips	2:59		Download

Credits

• Ripper: Doommaster1994
• Recorder: Doommaster1994
• Game Credits:
  • Music By: John Phillips
  • Uncredited Composer: Alan Silvestri
  • Uncredited Composer: Stan Jones
  • Uncredited Composer: Barry Leitch
• ROM Credits:
  • FM Voice Bank by: John Phillips credited as JMP

(Source)

While Phillips is not credited for programming the sound driver in the actual game, the following text can be found in the game's ROM:

FM Voice Bank by JMP 1991  v 0.1

Game Rip

Formats	Download	Size
	Download	59 KB

The music was logged in Fusion 3.64.

Audio Devices

The content of this section should be improved.

Releases

USA Title: Back to the Future Part III Platform: Genesis Released: 1991-??-?? Publisher: Arena     EU Title: Back to the Future Part III Platform: Mega Drive Released: 1992-02-?? Publisher: Image Works     South America Title: Back to the Future Part III Platform: Mega Drive Released: 1992-??-?? Publisher: Tec Toy Indústria de Brinquedos Ltda.

Links

• mobygames.com/game/genesis/back-to-the-future-part-iii - MobyGames.
• gamefaqs.gamespot.com/genesis/586039-back-to-the-future-part-iii - GameFAQs.