I truly appreciate remasters that allow you to switch between the original and more modernised versions, as well as ones that take the time to provide insightful and often amusing developer commentaries.
I love the world of Full Throttle - the music is still great, and the characters are given so much life by a fantastic voice cast (it's great to hear Roy Conrad sound so crisp). The humour mostly manages to stick the landing 25+ years later as well. Full Throttle diverges from other Lucasarts (and even Schafer) titles in that it's less 'obviously' funny, with more instances of dry wit and deadpan responses but it works well in this setting thanks to the imposing presence but gentle gruff voice of Ben in a world seemingly out to get him
However, the new art style really doesn't work for me. It's way too clean and seems to remove some of the grimeyness that was present in the original pixel art, while there are a few scenes that are noticeably brighter and less atmospheric as a result.
It's also a shame then that quite a few parts don't hold up too well, and for once it's for the opposite reason that point and click adventure games usually get dinged. There just isn't any challenge, and there's way too few characters that you get to interact with that are able show off the game's writing and humour.
The action sequences on bike are also pretty bland requiring long waits between destinations and rivals, and the battles you do have with other hog riders are simultaneously frustrating and too easy. You need to wait for the right rider, something that can take multiple loops of the road you're on, and then also make sure you have the right weapon which works for the specific foe (which doesn't make a load of sense half the time), but then the battle is over almost instantaneously.
I still enjoyed my playtime, drawn in by the writing, interesting characters and subtle worldbuilding but I can't help but feel a bit disappointed by how it actually plays these days, even if the remastered package is pretty good (as long as the more bold cartoon look works for you)
I love the world of Full Throttle - the music is still great, and the characters are given so much life by a fantastic voice cast (it's great to hear Roy Conrad sound so crisp). The humour mostly manages to stick the landing 25+ years later as well. Full Throttle diverges from other Lucasarts (and even Schafer) titles in that it's less 'obviously' funny, with more instances of dry wit and deadpan responses but it works well in this setting thanks to the imposing presence but gentle gruff voice of Ben in a world seemingly out to get him
However, the new art style really doesn't work for me. It's way too clean and seems to remove some of the grimeyness that was present in the original pixel art, while there are a few scenes that are noticeably brighter and less atmospheric as a result.
It's also a shame then that quite a few parts don't hold up too well, and for once it's for the opposite reason that point and click adventure games usually get dinged. There just isn't any challenge, and there's way too few characters that you get to interact with that are able show off the game's writing and humour.
The action sequences on bike are also pretty bland requiring long waits between destinations and rivals, and the battles you do have with other hog riders are simultaneously frustrating and too easy. You need to wait for the right rider, something that can take multiple loops of the road you're on, and then also make sure you have the right weapon which works for the specific foe (which doesn't make a load of sense half the time), but then the battle is over almost instantaneously.
I still enjoyed my playtime, drawn in by the writing, interesting characters and subtle worldbuilding but I can't help but feel a bit disappointed by how it actually plays these days, even if the remastered package is pretty good (as long as the more bold cartoon look works for you)