There hasn’t been much to report in the field of time-killing lately.
My time is valuable, especially the past couple of months. I don’t even watch television as often.
Consequently, I can’t talk to friends anymore for fear of spoiling all of the shows I’m behind on watching.
But there’s one thing–just one activity–that has eaten away at my free time. I should stay away from it. Hell, I should stay away from Facebook altogether, if nothing else to keep from using it. But dammit, I can’t do it!
I am addicted to Back to the Future: Blitz Through Time.
I don’t even know why.
Okay, I can hazard a guess. It’s basically Bejeweled Blitz with a Back to the Future skin. I’ve not really played much Bejeweled Blitz, but as a puzzle game veteran otherwise, I get the appeal. I cut my teeth on Tetris for the old monochrome Game Boy. Dr. Mario, Columns, I could spend hours on both.
Facebook games need to be avoided at all costs. I can’t count all the hours I used to burn through playing Mafia Wars, and let’s not even get into people I see playing Farmville. Every few entries in my news feed seem to be Castle Age announcements from friends who need help fighting some boss or Family Feud posts entreating help in Fast Money.
So why the heck am I so hooked on Back to the Future: Blitz Through Time?
On the surface, the answer seems simple enough: see above. I love puzzle games, and Bejeweled Blitz reminds me of a faster-paced Columns. If you haven’t played either of those games, the object is basically to clear colored stones from the screen by matching them in horizontal or vertical groups of three. You have a minute to score as many points as you can by doing so. It is a lot of fun, don’t get me wrong.
But that’s not the only reason I can’t stop playing. (In fact, I took a break a moment ago to play again.) No, there’s something else to it. It might be the fact that Back to the Future is my favorite movie of all time.
Seriously, I could watch that movie any day. I was there for the limited theatrical re-release (and it was amazing, believe me). I might even watch it after I post this piece. The game has Back to the Future sound effects and Christopher Lloyd’s voice, plus the unforgettable Alan Silvestri theme music. It’s not an immersive trip to Hill Valley, but as a cheaply made tie-in to an upcoming game based on the property, it’s not bad at all.
I’ll probably end up trying the new game. The teaser trailer has seen to that. Michael J. Fox was unable to provide Marty’s voice (though he did offer his likeness), but Christopher Lloyd has returned at least, and co-creator Bob Gale has given the game his seal of approval. Granted, these days, that means very little, as creators have endorsed shoddy revivals of their work here and there. (Larry Hama comes to mind.) But it’s Back to the Future, so I have to give it the benefit of the doubt.
That same reasoning led to me trying Blitz Through Time. I wouldn’t have given Bejeweled Blitz much thought, given my fear of losing all my time to Facebook games. It’s well justified, as I’ve spent more time than I should on this one. But as soon as I hear that opening fanfare, it’s like I’m doing 88 miles per hour all over again.
