This article originally appeared in Pyramid #18

Pyramid Pick

Full Throttle

Published by LucasArts
CD-ROM for PC and MAC
Designed by Tim Schaefer
Price: $45.00

When I think of Maureen, I think of two things — asphalt . . . and trouble.
— Ben Whatsisname

You know you're in for a ride when the opening sequence for a home computer game runs almost eight minutes. At first your eyes are twinkling with appreciation for the slick graphic look, that cartoon-on-steroids brashness, both whimsical and cool at the same time. Then you start to smirk as the clever dialogue sets the baseline for a story that draws you in immediately. Then you're slack-jawed and grinning like an idiot when the hard-rock soundtrack and thick, stereo rumble of motorcycle engines fills the speaker, and the action starts. You can almost smell the oil dripping onto the hot asphalt.

Full Throttle is a game that sets out from moment one to impress the hell out of the player. Each scene is painstakingly constructed, with an astonishing depth of detail and smart layout. More than that, the attitude that permeates the story, from the opening line, "Ripburger, you're dumber than dirt!" to the last unspoken farewell, brims with consistent biker panache. And it's not so much that you feel like you're there (often, you're glad that you're not). It's that you feel glad that you've been allowed to watch, and in many ways, direct the action.

As the lengthy opening implies, the game is designed to run like a movie. The interface is simple and elegant. You move a set of . . .

This article originally appeared in the second volume of Pyramid. See the current Pyramid website for more information.




Article publication date: March 1, 1996


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