Flashback Series Review and Retrospective - Sega Mega Drive, Amiga, PS1, PC - Kim Justice
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 22 พ.ค. 2016
- #amiga #sega #review #retrogaming
As one of the best platformers of the 90's, Flashback deserves to be revisited...especially because we're now looking at the whole series - Fade to Black on the PS1, the cancelled Flashback Legends on GBA, and Flashback HD. It all makes up for another European software story, surrounding Delphine Software and Paul Cuisset's marvellous creation. Enjoy!
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I write/draw Batman for DC Comics, and just wanted to say how much I love your channel. I even drew Mad Hatter using an Amiga in one comic, after hearing you talk about it while I was working.
Flashback is my favorite game, and I'm glad someone else appreciates it like I do. I was thinking about getting the rights to create a comic book sequel one day--fingers crossed. Or maybe use crowdfunding to create a book, then hire a team to create a spiritual sequel. Who knows. :)
Keep it up!
As if Sean Murphy is in the comments section :)
What an unexpected surprise.
Awesome!!
Super neat!
It's sad to see that shitty YouYube channels where people play games and just scream a bunch of nonsense have millions of views and subscribers whilst channels that make really interessting and educational and actualy entertaining videos like this one and Red Pill Game Reviews only have less than 20k subscribers and get almost no views at all... The only big channel that resemble this one and RPGR is Superbunnyhop, and I really hope that George Weidman don't fuck that up! This was a fantasic video Kim, keep up the good work so that more people may become smarter.
Your comment was excellent. We are in agreement. Kim still needs an editor.
kim is just a league above the common garbage
Agreed. haven't heard of red pill game reviews. will remedy that soon. I'm a big fan of George's over at super bunny hop.. and I'm not even a big metal gear solid fan.
There's not much there. There's only five reviews and it looks like he's stopped making videos the last one is from a year ago :(
rooneye The last one he made was about a week ago. and a few weeks ago he made another one. and he made several just a about 2 months ago and others just a few months before all of these.
I played this on the Macintosh for years, such a strong part of my childhood this game and it's music and cinematics just absolutely grabbed me. i remember growing older over years but still playing this occasionally and actually finally being old enough to actually understand what was going on LOL. the movement and flow was so good too. Years later when I watched The Running Man with Arnold, it seemed VERY familiar lol. Blade Runner too. Perhaps this was my first taste of Cyberpunk themes and worlds, of which I am obsessed now.
Another triumph!! Heh, I always loved that the mission to repair the reactor that's about the destroy the city was posted at the job centre.
Thank you for this astonishingly well-made video. How can I have completely missed this channel? TH-cam should start recommending this kind of stuff to me instead of all the dumpster fires it keeps trying to push my nose in.
It's annoying isn't it? I have very rarely subscribed to TH-cam videos as I find most so called popular channels to be full of buzzworded cliched ranting, but Kimble's work is superbly presented and I finds that one video turns into 5 and 6 hours later I have browsed most of library.
always thought youtube should have a proper curator system where you could follow recommendations from specific people, limited to desired topics and those curators could score the videos and provide a brief commentary on why they think the video is good. also there should be categorization like history/tutorial/music/comedy/etc. I know there's a reason why they shy away from adding too many features, that's a big reason google was successful over other search engines, people want simple. but it doesn't mean those extra features couldn't be under there for people who want them
After watching this, I played Flashback from beginning to end, what a game!! Thank you!
Probably one of my favourite games, quite a surprise that it wasn't a bigger hit in the US given it's popularity here in Europe with most publications giving it stellar reviews.
Mind you, if I had originally played it on the SNES then I may have been put off a little bit, those frame rate hits can be really irritating and the sound is terrible.
It's funny because I grew up renting the Genesis/Mega Drive version as a kid, but I owned the Snes version because I found it cheap at a store, and always had an Snes in those days since the Genesis eventually died off, while the Snes lived on for a long time. Flashback on Snes was basically the same, just the sounds and music was different with the cutscenes being lower framerate. Otherwise it felt like controlling the same minus a few sections.
I remember playing this on the Sega Gensis for literally hours or even days to get it right.
Great video, Kim! I have such fond memories of Flashback. It was really one of my favourite games at the time. I vaguely remember getting it for my birthday, or Christmas from my mum. Good present for sure!
IIRC this game is best on MegaDrive because it was developed for it. Amiga version was a port of the MD one.
I had such a blast playing through flashback on a computer back in the 90's. I've played a few of the console ports, and they all just felt slightly worse to me back then. But, that's probably all just a matter of preference. Regardless, Flashback was, and still is, awesome.
Another fantastically researched video. I have a hard time imagining how long the scripts for each of these must take. May I say BRAVO, again! Now, I'm off to yet another one of your videos.
I played the video because I love Flashback but I'm commenting to commend you for the surprise inclusion of Scott Steiner. I haven't stopped laughing yet!
Shame we didn't get a Steiner math promo
this is truly one of the best videos about a game I've ever seen in my life. 34 year old geek.
I first saw Flashback on an episode of Bad Influence, and thought it looked amazing. But more than that, even though the controls were grid based, it just flowed so well and it had a learning curve that was a pleasure to follow. Unlike a lot of over hard games of this era, you could see yourself improve with every mistake and every bit of progress. This is what all games should be like IMO. Great video Kim, as always!
Yet another great video! These make my Mondays bearable. Thanks for that and keep it up!
I really enjoyed watching your retrospective on Flashback and learning abit about the history of the cinematic platformer. There re-releasing the original Flashback on Modern systems on October 25th of this year. As someone who really enjoyed Another World, the cinematic platformer genre, and retro sci fi, I really can't wait to play Flashback myself.
Flashback on megadrive was awesome.
Sega 4 Life 👍👍👍👍👍
I WANT THIS GAME AGAIN
TH-cam gaming documentaries don't get much better then this. Fantastic video Kim, well done.
I loved this game. And Another World. One of the best memories of my childhood was playing this for the first time. You're right about that jump though, literally took me days to work that out.
that title screen music on the Sega MD gets me everytime
Man, Future Wars and Operation Stealth were my 2 favourite games on my ST. I loved the look and style. Funnily enough I'm not that much of a Flashback or Another World fan, but I can appreciate them for what they are. Great video as always!
I tried the Sega, Snes and Amiga version.
Best version is Sega: smoother animation, less loading times and it looks better.
Though the amiga had better music (sounds more real)
I've been binge watching your videos for the last few days. I love the depth you go in to; the footage you compile, it's all really well done. I'm learning a lot, which feels great as I often find myself watching videos more for their retelling of what I already know, rather than discovering something new.
Keep up the great work.
That Scott Steiner part was amazing and completely out of left field, LOVED IT!
He's FAT!!! (I come back to watch this regularly for a laugh.) Kim did some great GOLDBERG wrestling audio over Trevor in GTA 5. I love it
Jesus Christ, you should do a full feature documentary on videogames. I mean it. These are still some of the beautiful games, it's a shock they haven't made as big splash in the gaming memory. Adventure point-and-click games have made a comeback, I hope cinematic platformers do as well. They're so interesting and seeing how many of them have a 70s-80s vibe because duh, I have to wonder what a 2010s one would even be like.
I think it should be broadcasted on TV because the production quality is extremely high and it is very informative
Great retrospective I am shocked your videos don't have more views. So much research and effort thumbs up
You are a god on this stuff, the primary go-to for reference on micro nostalgia. The knowledge, the editorial style are fantastic but what sets you apart- your voice is uniquely perfect for the genre. Thank you so much.
This is in my top 3 favorite Genesis games. I played the shit out of this one in the 90s.
Another fantastic video! Flashback was one of my favourite games growing up and that jump at the start of the second level flummoxed me for months, so much so that I used level codes to skip that level and go onto the next one. I never thought to read the manual at the time. x)
Wonderful work. This was such a great dive into the story behind one of my favorite games.
Fade to Black was amazing. Very difficult to get into but after a few hours it turned out to be an absolute gem.
heart of darkness doesn't get enough love. out if this world is more well known
Heart of the Alien?
Hiya Kim! Just wanted to say love all your videos but your recent retrospectives and docu style vids have been something else, absolutely brilliant. Please keep up the great work!
@ 12:50 The Total Recall opening score is one of the very best imo. Your selections are great Kim 👍
+Kim Justice Glad to see this game being covered - I was never any good at it but loved it all the same... I would love to see you cover Future Wars and Operation: Stealth too!
I actually never played this game when I was younger, only fairly recently. The nostalgia, instead, belongs to my dad. When I asked him what games he used to play, he talked about the games in his old computer, like Sonic 3 & Knuckles (the first Sonic game I ever played), Jazz Jackrabbit 2, Raiden 2, Virtua Cop 2, a Mortal Kombat game, and 2 other games not present in that computer anymore, which were also the 2 games he played the most: Doom, and Flashback. I remember him describing the game from his perspective (it was in French) and he talked about the Gravity Belt, the drones, the aliens, the amnesia and the Holocube... He said that, because he played this game, which puts so much emphasis in detailed, fluid movement and a varied moveset, that he never found Mario or Sonic as appealing as Flashback.
19:05- Kim you are a genius. This clip of Scott Steiner is priceless. Well played..... Everyone, look up the Scott Steiner compilation that this clip comes from. It's hilarious.
Amazing mate and very complete, great work as always.
Flashback was super ambitious game for it's time. It was an example of art in the gaming world. They could always make another uninspiring platformer, but they wanted a game with a serious plot and movie-like experience.
So glad I found your channel. Love your videos. Teach me loads of things I never knew about my favourite classic games. Keep it up!
As a kid I thought Fade to Black was so difficult on PS1. It had great potential but I found it to be so hard.
Another great video Kim. I've never finished Flashback, but I loved it all the same. I've managed to get a hold of the MD version a few years ago, it's still a great game today.
This is what TH-cam is about, passionate people who love the topic that they are talking about!! You are credit to the old school U.K. gamer ! Thank you for hours of entertainment!! Much better than love island!
well done Kim . outstandingly researched and documented . true passion at play
The original is one of the best games ever!!!
I love it!
Thank you :)
Great video, look forward to seeing the next one.
I love your documentaries! Great stuff - just wanted to say that! As you were guys :-)
This game really got me into the Cyberpunk genre.
My favorite 16-bit game!
Same here bro!
Me too 👍👍👍👍👍
Absolutely excellent review of one of my favourite games! Thank you!
Oh MY!! I got stuck for SO LONG in Sonic 3, on the momentum-based platform we see at 16:26! Unlike in Flashback, Sonic 3's manual did NOT mention what to do there- stand on the revolving platform and push up and down on the D-pad to gain momentum until it drops low enough for you to jump off and proceed. I felt such a fool for not working that out and instead hopping up and down like a mad kid!
A nice trip down memory lane. Thanks a lot and keep being awesome.
Months! Months wasted on that bloody ledge jump during the mid-90s on the 32-bit Acorn release. When I finally figured it out it was a combination of pure joy of getting past this and absolutely total self loathing for being so thick.
Great film, thanks for this. One of my favourite games.
Great review man, you nail those points that other people wouldn't even think of mentioning.
I simply ADORE Fade To Black. A very first game where I felt like being on an adventure. The music, atmosphere, brilliant.
Conrad has a very chunky butt in that game. Quite bulbous.
They had to model it right, because we're staring at it all the time throughout the game ;)
Another awesome long documentary video from Kim Justice perfectly timed for my Monday morning breakfast. =D
Just discovered your videos a few months ago and already went through twice your most videos.
Having just found this channel and this video, the Amiga version of Flashback was my childhood. I actually remember a version that I think was not officially translated, as I remember a line in the scene where Conrad falls out of the vent and gets cause "Take this little sh.t to the dungeon, we'll deal with him later." Which always made me laugh. My personal favorite way to play Flashback now is REminice with the original dos version's files (with the extended 2d intro) and the amiga music files. As for the remake, I will beat it someday as I want to review it myself, but the feeling I get is that it was released about six months sooner than it should have. Another six months in development with a few test groups to hammer out the odd platforming and tightened up the gun mechanics. And maybe a couple more look overs on the script and some more voice over takes. I feel like it's a game who's heart was in the right place overall, but didn't quite figure itself out in time before getting put out for purchase.
Welp, two years later, and now I have the Switch version. Overall it's a nice way to play this classic game in my mind. Some eyebrow lifting design choices with the new sounds, however this version was handled by the original dude, and lacks the censorship. The graphics are right from the PC Floppy DOS edition (with the extended cutscenes). I even thing some of the OPTIONAL filters look pretty decent. The rewind feature is also a nice one. I like it.
Yes! Yes! Did I ever love Flashback for SNES. It haunted my dreams for years since, and sometimes still does/
Beautiful review. A compehensively crafted history lesson. Ty.
I "Flashback" game both on Mega Drive and PC. It had some great animated cutscenes and some of the most smooth sprite animation ever... A great video as usual, Kim. Sorry for not being active on the channel for a while - quite a busy spring. Hopefully I will fully catch up in the summer.
I remember seeing the adverts for this game. Never played it. Its a cool looking game.
You really know your shit man! Thanks for educating me, find it fascinating, great work as ever mate!
Thank you for doing this. I love this game so much!!!
Kimble: Silent Hill was one of your best. Resident Evil video would be appreciated or maybe RE vs SH.
Oh man, I wonder how many takes it took to get that final reading of "awesome sauce". That poor sound engineer.
Very well made video as always. I spent a big chunk of my childhood playing this on the mighty Amiga. Great times! I would love to know what are your thoughts on the Switch exclusive released recently.
Great video!! Surprised there was no mention of Jean Girau influence on the design. It was quite obvious when it realeased.
I always loved the movements of the cyborgs
The art style of Flashback Legends is absolutely incredible.
You think so? I think it completely misses the mark. It looks like levels from Rayman.
I agree, it's far too bright & colourful - it removes a lot of the original's atmosphere.
Ah man this brings back so much memories... Flashback, I had this game as a kid, I liked it a lot.
Found this video after the announcement of Flashback 2! 😁
Found out about Flashback 2 from this comment! 😂 Thank you, let's hope mistakes were learnt from the past and we go forward into excellence with this! 🙏
Awesome review too, I've watched it a few times over the years! High praise and excellent in depth research!
Awesome! I played both Flashback and Another World when I was a kid, proper little kid back then too, 10 or 11.
I#ll face up, the Gameshow level of Another World, I got to there years ago and thught "I must be near the end now damnit!"
I wasn't anywhere near the end whatsoever!
Agree that Fade To Black would have been a lot better to remake. The day people start looking at old game graphics as a legitimate art style instead of a primitive limitation is the day we start seeing good, legit classic-style games. There should be dozens of legit Flashback style games but where are they?
Also those limitations are what helped most designers to produce their best work. Which is why Fade To Black and the remake were horrible.
Great video!
With indie games being super hip you'd think there would be more of these games indeed. Limbo from six years ago was vaguely reminiscent but still had a totally different feel with an (annoying) early 00s Tim Burton like atmosphere IMO. I personally think it's a bit overrated but not bad. Maybe in the near future though there will be a real continue in spirit though!
What a great video Kim!
Justice if i ever saw one, well done sir. all of it!
Great video, very detailed and informative :)
I comment very rarely on youtube BUT this is one of the best videos on all of TH-cam that ive ever watched. Thank you
18:08 - Ha! Nice touch
Best video history about this game! Thank you!
Your videos are great. Very informative : )
Now as of today. Coming up in November 2023. Flashback 2. Can't wait to see your view when it hits lol
Same! I hope Kim does a review! 🤞
The graphics are similar to stop motion animation at the time this style was amazing
wonderful work as usual Kim. 👍
Great work man!
Agreed pretty much with everything. Thanks, Great bloody critique.
Thanks for the great video, I'm now hunting for a Genesis copy
Very good video, Flashback my favourite game from the mega drive and I have more than 40 games.
amazing work, ive already shared this video on twitter and facebook....just amazing work
also, the scott steiner "HE'S FAT" line was just a nice touch
You made this game justice, sir. Amazing video.
I think 20-minute video shows is your sweet spot.
Fantastic Retrospective.
Thanks for the in depth history of Flashback. Until Chrono Trigger and Super Metroid came out this was my favorite game.
A genuine Flashback sequel would be superb. Flashback HD has me teased, but we need something new.
Every time I see footage of that Flashback remake I think it looks great and it makes me want to play it. Most people seem to hate it but evidently Game Sack think it's pretty good so I live in hope. I do own it and it's in my backlog but I aim to play the original first.
I thought it was pretty good. In several ways its better then the original.
Good stuff. I actually stopped this at about the twenty minute mark. I'm gonna have to check that out on the emulator and don't wanna know anymore!
An amazing research and video. Take a bow Sir.
Fuckin 100% top quality retrospective! This is an excellent piece of work Kim, thanks!