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The definitive Flashback version

Lancelot

Lancelot

Member
My first topic here guys, let's be helpful and construtive.

I'm a great Flashback fan and grew up playing the Genesis version and at the time (early 90's) I had access to both Genesis and SNES versions but I always preffered Sega's conterpart. Recently I read that the Genesis version is preffered by it's creator too, so I can think of Sega's version as the root and SNES a later port of it.

Sometime later when I got my Sega CD 2 I loved the new version with CD quality soundtrack but the new FMV sequences kinda broke the experience for me, as the old ones were so more nostalgic (and better), in my opinion of course.

Now I have almost all "greater" versions of Flashback, except Jaguar and Amiga ones and I know these two are considered the best by many, so what is the definitive experience except these? I like the DOS version too but it has a very wierd aspect ratio and I'm not able to fix it to fit my Sony 21' CRT. I like the 3DO version too, maybe it's better than Sega CD one for it's colors but I dislike the aditional input lag in this particular version, in the end I find them quite similar but I really hate input lag more than anything else factor.

So what you GAF friends think as the definitive version of this great classic?

PS: The remake launched some years ago doesn't count, for god's sake. That's terrible.

Amiga_Flashback_03.gif
 
The Amiga version looked the best I think, but the Mega Drive version controlled so beautifully that I think I preferred it. It's difficult to separate nostalgia from the equation though :)
 
I was super hyped for this game when I came out but I was poor, years later they remade it but the remake mess bad, they included the original but you played it on an arcade screen with waaay too much glare... what a shame
 
Ashtar said:
I was super hyped for this game when I came out but I was poor, years later they remade it but the remake mess bad, they included the original but you played it on an arcade screen with waaay too much glare... what a shame
Click to expand...

never actually played the remake but I was so disappointed whent eh consensus was that it sucked balls.
 
Ashtar said:
I was super hyped for this game when I came out but I was poor, years later they remade it but the remake mess bad, they included the original but you played it on an arcade screen with waaay too much glare... what a shame
Click to expand...

Yea I played the classic inside the remake and it stinks, the input lag is horrendous. And I like playing these classics on my CRT with godly scanlines!
 
Genesis version for me as it's the only one we had. Played this as a kid and loved the dark gritty sci-fi theme, timed combat with the force field watch thing, and I must have holstered and unhostered that pistol a thousand times or more. Wasn't to good though could only play up to Earth, had to watch my brother beat it, Ahhh nostalgia it has a sweet air about it.
 
The Amiga version is the best version (and was the one Delphine did the developpement for). The canned ST version would have been interesting to see though
 
Hope I don't get in trouble for self-promotion here, but, we at Cane and Rinse just did a 2 hour podcast on the game over this past weekend. Think we all found that the Genesis version is definitive.

https://caneandrinse.com/flashback/

For god sake, do not play either the remake, or the emulated version in the remake.
 
Fularu said:
The Amiga version is the best version (and was the one Delphine did the developpement for).
Click to expand...

It's been a while since I played it on Amiga, but as far as I remember you have to use the keyboard for several functions (space, F1 or similar), making it quite cumbersome.

Most regular Amiga controllers have one button, but didn't it support up to two buttons on custom controllers - unlike most games - but three was required or something like that? I don't remember the specifics, just that you had to use the keyboard, which was annoying compared to many other versions.
 
bede-x said:
It's been a while since I played it on Amiga, but as far as I remember you have to use the keyboard for several functions (space, F1 or similar), making it quite cumbersome.

Most regular Amiga controllers have one button, but didn't it support up to two buttons on custom controllers - unlike most games - but three was required or something like that? I don't remember the specifics, just that you had to use the keyboard, which was annoying compared to many other versions.
Click to expand...

The game controlled just fine with the basic Amiga controller setup. Well I finished it back in 1992 without any trouble (remember, we were used to playing that way :p).

Nowadays controllers spoil us :P

Also the Megadrive version was agonyzingly slow compared to the Amiga version (especially if you had an Amiga 1200 at the time). The SNES version is even worse.
 
bede-x said:
It's been a while since I played it on Amiga, but as far as I remember you have to use the keyboard for several functions (space, F1 or similar), making it quite cumbersome.

Most regular Amiga controllers have one button, but didn't it support up to two buttons on custom controllers - unlike most games - but three was required or something like that? I don't remember the specifics, just that you had to use the keyboard, which was annoying compared to many other versions.
Click to expand...

I think the keyboard is fine for these kind of games, but I'm a native PC retro gamer at heart, a maniac DOS 6.22 user rockin until nowadays!
 
I liked the genesis version the most. What was wrong with the remake that made it horrible?

Can anybody tell me if the PS1 version of the sequel is better than the PC version. I really couldn't get into it.
 
Galactic Fork said:
I liked the genesis version the most. What was wrong with the remake that made it horrible?

Can anybody tell me if the PS1 version of the sequel is better than the PC version. I really couldn't get into it.
Click to expand...

You mean Fade to Black? It's great on PC, definitely better than the PS1 version. I had the big box dos version of this at the time, it's glorious. Now it's an abandonware, you can find it easily.

About Flashback's remake, it's fine graphic wise but the gameplay is where it stinks. The level design is poor too, all elements of the game are so different...
 
Jaguar version was pretty great for its time. Was the best version I had played thus far having only played SNES, Genesis and Sega CD versions. But of those, Jag all day.
 
I played the Genesis/Mega Drive version exclusively so that's the version I'm used to. Plays fairly well, but there were parts were frame drops and lag would make things difficult.

Also until last year I didn't even know there were extra scenes to the intro movie that were left out of most console ports (and I'm not talking about those ugly FMV vids) as seen in the PC MS-DOS version.
 
Fularu said:
Nowadays controllers spoil us :P
Click to expand...

Many versions did have controller support though and personally I'd prefer one of those. And then you wouldn't have to change disks :)

Fularu said:
Also the Megadrive version was agonyzingly slow compared to the Amiga version (especially if you had an Amiga 1200 at the time). The SNES version is even worse.
Click to expand...

SNES has a lot of slowdown. I think I have the Megadrive, SNES, CD-i, Amiga and Jaguar versions laying around if I start looking. Maybe even the 3DO. Haven't played all of them, but of those I did, I distinctly remember the Amiga version annoying me due to controls. You had to fire and use items on the keyboard, or something similar, with a regular joystick..

Lancelot said:
I think the keyboard is fine for these kind of games, but I'm a native PC retro gamer at heart, a maniac DOS 6.22 user rockin until nowadays!
Click to expand...

Fair enough. I'm a comfy couch gamer and prefer full controller support in most of my games (unless specifically taking advantage of mouse/keyboard).
 
Fularu said:
The Amiga version is the best version (and was the one Delphine did the developpement for). The canned ST version would have been interesting to see though
Click to expand...

I knew I had read otherwise, so I did some googling and found this on the wikipedia page for Flashback:

In issue #118 of Retro Gamer, Paul Cussiet told the magazine that "The best version for me is the Mega Drive version. The game was created for this platform", contrary to what many had believed before this article was published.
Click to expand...

The Amiga version was released first though...

It really does seem like the game was meant for the Mega Drive, it seems designed for that console's controller. It never felt right for me on other platforms.
 
pmj said:
I knew I had read otherwise, so I did some googling and found this on the wikipedia page for Flashback:



The Amiga version was released first though...

It really does seem like the game was meant for the Mega Drive, it seems designed for that console's controller. It never felt right for me on other platforms.
Click to expand...

I love the sound on the Mega Drive version, the bass is awesome on it but I think I like the Amiga sound better, it clearly has a more complex arrange. Overall I'm proud I grew up playing the Sega's version, it's a solid way to go.
 
Lancelot said:
I love the sound on the Mega Drive version, the bass is awesome on it but I think I like the Amiga sound better, it clearly has a more complex arrange. Overall I'm proud I grew up playing the Sega's version, it's a solid way to go.
Click to expand...

I actually think it sounds better on Mega Drive. It's clearer, punchier, and has more... range or something? The Amiga version sounds flat by comparison. But then, I am a fan of how the Mega Drive sounds and I'm sure a lot of people would disagree.
 
Love this game, and especially the Amiga version which I consider to have superior music. But it needs to be installed, the loading times from floppies is pretty poor.
 
IMHO the definitive version of Flashback can be had through the unofficial source port "REminiscence":
http://cyxdown.free.fr/reminiscence/

It can use the data files from either the PC version or the Amiga version (or even combine the PC graphics/animations with the Amiga music AND the SegaCD speech, it can even use the terrible PC CD prerendered movies if you REALLY want), can easily be ported to any device you want (PSP, PSVita, Open Pandora, Android, etc.) and runs on a toaster.

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Edit: The download link for the Windows version on the page seems to be broken.
Doesn't work: http://cyxdown.free.fr/reminiscence/REminiscence-0.3.2-sdl2-win32.zip
Should be instead: http://cyxdown.free.fr/reminiscence/REminiscence-0.3.2-sdl-win32.zip
 
The Amiga version was the only one I played.

Though I was really young at the time so I really had no clue what to do in it. I really enjoyed Another World later on so maybe I should dust my A600 to give this a shot.
 
Ahh Flashback, such a great game. Amazing visuals and those rotoscoped ultra smooth and lifelike animations!
I do think it sorta fell a part a bit as you got further in the game though, you lost the mystery and exploration aspects.

Flashback_07_%2528Amiga%2529.png

These animations are not in the AMIGA version

I had the AMIGA version back in the day and though it is a good version of the game it's missing the small pick up item animations that all the other versions have which makes it a bit inferior in my eyes.On the AMIGA it just pops up a black screen with the text you picked up "item name".
And you had to use both the joystick and the keyboard which made it a bit cumbersome to play.
 
I loved this game when I was a kid, played it on the Mega Drive. It would be incredible if an HD remaster was created. The remake from a few years ago was an insult.
 
I would say the playable one on the remake came out some years ago. (that should be the Amiga one, that was the one I originally played)

I found the remake ok after all, not so bad... <.<
 
I originally played it on the Sega Genesis version so I prefer that

but I'm sure the Sega CD or whatever version is most likely better visually


btw, did you guys know this game was originally supposed to be a licensed game based on the Godfather films?
 
One of favourite games of that era, way ahead of its time.
I play the Mega Drive version.
I'd say either the Sega CD or Jaguar was the best version.
 
Lafazar said:
IMHO the definitive version of Flashback can be had through the unofficial source port "REminiscence":
http://cyxdown.free.fr/reminiscence/

It can use the data files from either the PC version or the Amiga version (or even combine the PC graphics/animations with the Amiga music AND the SegaCD speech, it can even use the terrible PC CD prerendered movies if you REALLY want), can easily be ported to any device you want (PSP, PSVita, Open Pandora, Android, etc.) and runs on a toaster.

Edit: The download link for the Windows version on the page seems to be broken.
Doesn't work: http://cyxdown.free.fr/reminiscence/REminiscence-0.3.2-sdl2-win32.zip
Should be instead: http://cyxdown.free.fr/reminiscence/REminiscence-0.3.2-sdl-win32.zip
Click to expand...

Omg I could play my favourite game ever on my PSPgo? It would never leave my pocket. The site you mentioned isn't responding though...

I just bought the remake on Xbox yesterday because it occurred to me I had never paid for it before... So at least my conscience is somewhat clear now ;) Playing it on that in-game machine sucks though.
 
It's a shame that most people's modern exposure to this classic game is through a modernized remake that saps much of the atmosphere away for catchphrases and flash.
 
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