Anthony's Film Review - Full Throttle (Video Game, 1995)

The game is shorter and easier than the average adventure game, but there's still plenty to like...

Full Throttle is an interactive CD-ROM adventure game from LucasArts. It's like any other adventure game where you control a character in various settings, have him or her talk to other characters, and do things to accomplish a series of goals, all while following a story. LucasArts has done this with a humorous world of pirates (the Monkey Island games), a cartoonish science-fiction story (Day of the Tentacle), and even the land of the dead (Grim Fandango). Full Throttle also has a unique setting as it takes place in a world of bikers that is futuristic but otherwise reminiscent of the movie Easy Rider.

You play the role of Ben, the leader of a biker gang called the Polecats. You and your gang are at a bar when a hovercraft limit arrives. Inside are the CEO and vice president of Corley Motors, Malcolm Corley and Adrian Ripburger (voiced by Mark Hamill of Star Wars fame). They are headed for a shareholders meeting and consider inviting the bikers, their customers, to the meeting. While this discussion ensues between Corley and the Polecats, Ripburger leads you outside. He knocks you unconscious, leaves you in a dumpster, and takes off. Your gang has also disappeared.

So that's the setup. The plot involves you locating your gang and going after the Corley Motors men. But then, in an unexpected development, Ripburger murders Corley and pins the blame on you and your gang. Now you have a mission. You must track down Ripburger, stop his takeover of Corley Motors, and free your gang from prison. To get there, you must cross several obstacles, including a police roadblock, other biker gangs, and a long bridge that's been blown apart.

Games like these are fun because you solve situational puzzles to advance an exciting story. This is where I had issues with Full Throttle. The story is good, but it's too short, maybe about a third of the average length of an adventure game. It's like watching a one-hour episode of a TV show without commercials instead of a two-hour movie. As for the puzzles, they're rather easy. There's only so many items to pick up, things to interact with, and people to talk to. If you find yourself stuck, just try every possible action with everything you see. You'll bound to stumble onto the solution.

So Full Throttle is an OK game. At least the story and characters are interesting. There is one other interesting thing to note: the music. The game includes an upbeat hard rock soundtrack by a local band in San Francisco, California, called the Gone Jackals. The band had only been around for about five years before breaking up. Still, fans of Full Throttle can remember their name. I myself love the game's music, particularly the songs "Legacy" in the game's intro and "Born Bad" in the middle of the game. It's the kind that gets you into the game and even dream of being a biker yourself.

Anthony's Rating:

For more information about Full Throttle, visit the Internet Movie Database and Moby Games.