Flashback Series Review and Retrospective - Sega Mega Drive, Amiga, PS1, PC - Kim Justice

[@Kim_Justice]

If you liked this then think about having a gander through my social media, and get yourself on my Patreon: www.patreon.com/KimbleJustice

[@seangordonmurphy6912]

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!

[@crouchingotter]

As if Sean Murphy is in the comments section :) What an unexpected surprise.

[@mildgrooveon]

Awesome!!

[@trufreedom]

Super neat!

[@Ebeeto]

Thank you for this astonishingly well-made video. How can I have completely missed this channel? KZbin should start recommending this kind of stuff to me instead of all the dumpster fires it keeps trying to push my nose in.

[@faff1423]

It's annoying isn't it? I have very rarely subscribed to KZbin 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.

[@SamuliTuomola_stt]

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

[@CSM100MK2]

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.

[@eddiepurple]

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.

[@Monkey_SK]

KZbin gaming documentaries don't get much better then this. Fantastic video Kim, well done.

[@eddiepurple]

After watching this, I played Flashback from beginning to end, what a game!! Thank you!

[@461Masterchief]

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.

[@scottchampyan9349]

Your comment was excellent. We are in agreement. Kim still needs an editor.

[@theycallmejpj]

kim is just a league above the common garbage

[@mickael486]

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.

[@rooneye]

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 :(

[@mickael486]

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.

[@adamfrazer5150]

@ 12:50 The Total Recall opening score is one of the very best imo. Your selections are great Kim 👍

[@roskelld]

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.

[@mrclaytron]

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!

[@Menleah]

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.

[@TheKermit2110]

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.

[@johno1544]

Great retrospective I am shocked your videos don't have more views. So much research and effort thumbs up

[@RoqueFortStu]

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!

[@MidlifeCrisisMedia]

Yet another great video! These make my Mondays bearable. Thanks for that and keep it up!

[@Kharnivore2099]

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.

[@casedistorted]

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.

[@dpw81]

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!

[@FiauraTheTankGirlGamer]

I remember playing this on the Sega Gensis for literally hours or even days to get it right.

[@Mike14264]

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.

[@KingDaveth]

I always loved the movements of the cyborgs

[@MarJay1980]

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!

[@CaptainGameEngine]

Great video!! Surprised there was no mention of Jean Girau influence on the design. It was quite obvious when it realeased.

[@SuperHns]

that title screen music on the Sega MD gets me everytime

[@renbymon]

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)

[@PaoloLery]

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.

[@willmottwillnotwait9005]

This is what KZbin 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!

[@snowmystique2308]

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.

[@MrSlashStudios]

I think it should be broadcasted on TV because the production quality is extremely high and it is very informative

[@whiskeyjoe06]

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!

[@gapechorin2112]

Shame we didn't get a Steiner math promo

[@MikelWisler]

Wonderful work. This was such a great dive into the story behind one of my favorite games.

[@pdeaky]

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!

[@LucatheDingo88]

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.

[@darkness988]

This video just unlocked a memory for me. I used to watch my dad play this game, and previously, whenever I played it, I most certainly WOULD get stuck at the part with the ledge jump. It may've even been the first time I sort of hard locked myself in a game and couldn't progress due to lack of knowledge rather than skill. And so when I watched my dad play it, presumably this is the first time.. he also got stuck in that area. He was confused for a moment, then he got the game case and took out the manual and read it for a little while, then picked up the controller and managed to actually grab onto the ledge and progress. And little 4 or 5 year old me was astonished like "How did you figure that out?!" And he told me that it was in the manual. It was the first time I remember distinctly thinking "Oh, so there's actually good stuff in those?" And began to read them ever since. And if you grew up with physical copies of games, you know that it's a whole, integral part of the experience when you get a new game, and you're sitting in the back of your parents car or whatever on your way home or having to do more errands first, so you entertain yourself by re-reading the back of the game case 20 times and analyzing every pixel of every picture on there. And opening the little booklet and reading it front to back, sometimes multiple times before even playing the game yet. Or even if you didn't have a long drive home until you could play, it was just something you did for entertainment at some point. It's not like we had Netflix and KZbin or social media and infinite choices and forms of entertainment to pass the time. So reading the manual that came with the game was this crucial part of the experience of sort of immersing yourself in it. I remember even wringing out every last drop of entertainment and amusement you could get out of a single game. On the PS2 for example, you got to be surprised by whatever the little save icon would be on your memory card. It was almost like a free, cheap knockoff version of a gacha or quarter toy machine and not knowing what you were going to get. Furthermore, if you went to delete said save data from your memory card, the little icon or mascot or whatever would usually change or do something. That's what I mean by "wringing out" all the entertainment possible. I was fucking bored to tears so often before having the Internet readily accessible at all times. I literally haven't experienced boredom a single time since I was a teenager, so it's a trip to think about, and how I associate a feeling I used to have, often, with a particular age. When that shouldn't be the case. It's just when I happened to be born and what was around or developed yet. Anyway.. I'm getting away from my original point. Had I not experienced/learned that those little booklets are actually valuable, I never would've started reading them, I don't think, anyway. Especially since I struggled with and hated reading at that age. Actually, I learned to read a little late and it was a concern for my teachers/school, so I remember them often talking to my grandparents about it.. I literally learned to read through video games, a little Pokemon Red and even Planescapes Torment wayyy earlier than I was understood it. And it was mostly other RPGs, since they were so text heavy. Not to mention you HAD to talk to NPCs for knowledge or you'd often get stuck and the likelihood of brute forcing progression blindly was incredibly low sometimes, I still distinctly remember trying to do that. Not knowing what NPCs were saying but wondering if I just needed to talk to one of them enough times to trigger something to happen in Shining Force, and Final Fantasy games.

[@somemadcaaant]

Amazing mate and very complete, great work as always.

[@SegaCDUniverse]

That Scott Steiner part was amazing and completely out of left field, LOVED IT!

[@MrWolfTickets]

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

[@CeroneGamesGo]

This game really got me into the Cyberpunk genre.

[@MrWolfTickets]

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.

[@turokrambo5617]

Now as of today. Coming up in November 2023. Flashback 2. Can't wait to see your view when it hits lol

[@mjanmarino]

Same! I hope Kim does a review! 🤞

[@TurboLazer007]

this is truly one of the best videos about a game I've ever seen in my life. 34 year old geek.

[@dah72007]

Absolutely excellent review of one of my favourite games! Thank you!

[@mattx5499]

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.

[@elguitarTom]

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)

[@roy2177]

Best video history about this game! Thank you!

[@Phoenix2312]

+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!

[@STR82DVD]

Agreed pretty much with everything. Thanks, Great bloody critique.

[@thetreblerebel]

I remember seeing the adverts for this game. Never played it. Its a cool looking game.

[@Roach22]

Found this video after the announcement of Flashback 2! 😁

[@edm8777]

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!

[@GeneralMcNuggs]

Great review man, you nail those points that other people wouldn't even think of mentioning.

[@michaelfisher6032]

Beautiful review. A compehensively crafted history lesson. Ty.

[@jmatt781]

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.

[@Gollumfili]

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!

[@PictureProductStudio]

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.

[@williamoverton7414]

heart of darkness doesn't get enough love. out if this world is more well known

[@micke7]

Heart of the Alien?

[@nicks.409]

well done Kim . outstandingly researched and documented . true passion at play

[@majmunx9703]

The original is one of the best games ever!!! I love it! Thank you :)

[@TheVanillatech]

Fade to Black was amazing. Very difficult to get into but after a few hours it turned out to be an absolute gem.

[@Siarawaszympanemjest]

I simply ADORE Fade To Black. A very first game where I felt like being on an adventure. The music, atmosphere, brilliant.

[@Jason-fv4rg]

Conrad has a very chunky butt in that game. Quite bulbous.

[@Siarawaszympanemjest]

They had to model it right, because we're staring at it all the time throughout the game ;)

[@doudoune8035]

Ah man this brings back so much memories... Flashback, I had this game as a kid, I liked it a lot.

[@Zontar82]

if i remember correctly,on the pc version at least,in fade to black you could do a side strafe roll

[@GLACIERARTERY]

I comment very rarely on youtube BUT this is one of the best videos on all of KZbin that ive ever watched. Thank you

[@NeoGunloc]

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.

[@Edgereader]

Great video, look forward to seeing the next one.

[@scottchampyan9349]

I think 20-minute video shows is your sweet spot.

[@retroarchives8379]

Flashback was not created on the Amiga, actually. It had been designed for the megadrive from the beginning.

[@ufotofu9]

Yes! Yes! Did I ever love Flashback for SNES. It haunted my dreams for years since, and sometimes still does/

[@Loggins1969]

I love your documentaries! Great stuff - just wanted to say that! As you were guys :-)

[@KingOhmni]

Ahhhh. Fade To Black. I was way too young to attempt such a game without cheating when it came out, and even then I could not figure out what to do most of the time, but I always vividly remember my oldest brother all but screaming in frustration when he accidentally fired a homing bullet when escorting some scientist dude with no enemies in the level way into the game. He was frustrated because in his WTF did I just do panic he oversaved his save slot and he had not saved for some time and in such a way he may as well restart the game. He spent a solid hour trying to find a way to stop that homing bullet but nope. Old skool games were harsh.

[@RoboBoddicker]

My favorite 16-bit game!

[@TheJamieRamone]

Same here bro!

[@thehumbleone1983]

Me too 👍👍👍👍👍

[@taxalot]

A nice trip down memory lane. Thanks a lot and keep being awesome.

[@letsgoBrandon204]

18:08 - Ha! Nice touch

[@scottchampyan9349]

The graphics are similar to stop motion animation at the time this style was amazing

[@TheRoberino2001]

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!

[@antjarvis]

Great film, thanks for this. One of my favourite games.

[@revenile]

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.

[@revenile]

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.

[@gildan]

How did I miss this video ? one of my favourite games

[@adamfrazer5150]

I only got a MD/Genesis late into its lifespan but with intent : I wanted an uncensored Flashback and I also wanted a different Shadowrun experience.

[@PlayStationPaul]

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.

[@sperrin]

I thought it was pretty good. In several ways its better then the original.

[@moejuggler6033]

Fuckin 100% top quality retrospective! This is an excellent piece of work Kim, thanks!

[@amigabang6157]

Leaps of faith on the final level? Use your teleporting equipment!

[@scottchampyan9349]

Kimble: Silent Hill was one of your best. Resident Evil video would be appreciated or maybe RE vs SH.

[@directive-4]

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.

[@AstralTales]

You made this game justice, sir. Amazing video.

[@SlavomirG]

IIRC this game is best on MegaDrive because it was developed for it. Amiga version was a port of the MD one.

[@xterminated]

Kim , I just found you a few days ago on KZbin and I spent hours in watching your videos. They are great and your presenting them really great. Please keep on! One questions: Since I am no native speaker, you are using the word „fin“ or „fins“ a lot. What does this mean? Thanks for your explanation

[@GreatBallsOfAcid]

Thing(s)

[@Bounty2223]

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.

[@ikarbishop4184]

Very good video, Flashback my favourite game from the mega drive and I have more than 40 games.

[@Jason-fv4rg]

This is in my top 3 favorite Genesis games. I played the shit out of this one in the 90s.

[@adamfrazer5150]

You have to understand the predicament and problem solving process for a pre-internet gaming community. When I first rented Out of this World (from 11 on I lived in 🇨🇦)the rental case had one SNES cart and sweet eff all else - same with Flashback - so not only did I have trouble getting into and through it, I also didn't know what the f@ck was meant to be happening (which is almost cool if you consider Flashback's plot 🤔). In a game that demands no mistakes right off the bat, I was stumped in a few spots - my point I guess, is that the solution either came from someone you knew who'd played it IF you could reach them or most likely that solution would have to come from your own brain or you'd go steadily mad from the same screens, bars of music or cutscene 😜

[@RWSCOTT]

Just finished your Molyneux series, loved it. On this I would say Flashback referenced comic books possibly more than cinema? It's much in the vein of Moebius, Heavy Metal magazine, Indie comics (Nexus, Ranxerox) of that era. Flashback for me was like playing a living comic book. The remake I thought did control really nicely, and with the voices turned off and skipping the cutscenes an acceptable waste of time, but I wish the whole thing had been done in cel-shading, with minimal detail.

[@adroharv9213]

I'd very much argue that Flashback isn't quite a great game. Exceptionally polished of course and with very solid gmeplay. It remains one of my very faves and despite how I can't fault pretty much anything about it, it's shy of being incredible

[@Yu1awAngerWolf82]

Fantastic Retrospective.

[@SegaCDUniverse]

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.

[@stonecoldpes6]

you have the best channel on retro games !! word!

[@leegsy]

Apparently the guy who created this game said he preferred the Mega Drive version as that's the system the game was designed for and he thought the best version of Flashback was on that console.

[@MicahBuzanANIMATION]

The art style of Flashback Legends is absolutely incredible.

[@hingeslevers]

You think so? I think it completely misses the mark. It looks like levels from Rayman.

[@guidadiehl9176]

I agree, it's far too bright & colourful - it removes a lot of the original's atmosphere.

[@rickvlielander3786]

love the steiner reference

[@Mikey-zj8bn]

I remember looking for a resident evil clone and fade to black said it was a flashback sequal beat it in like a day....well I don't know if I beat it I remember not having any ammo for the last boss

[@BanditTheCatRIP]

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!

[@falksi3182]

A genuine Flashback sequel would be superb. Flashback HD has me teased, but we need something new.

[@faff1423]

You knock it out of the park again Kimble. I tip my hat to you good sir (err.. If I had a hat that is). Probably my favourite game on the Mega Drive and as evocative a title as you could care to imagine. I am a die hard Amiga cultist but I have to concede the Mega Drive version is the best, due in part to the tight natural controls. I was hoping you'd mention that damn platform in New Washington. That remains to this day the most irritating part of any game ever (hmm maybe besides Teioh from the chocobo races in FFVII). The greatest irony is, I never finished this game as a kid and could only ever get as far as just finishing Death Tower. But even though my childhood memories of this game are mostly that jungle at the start, it left an indelible mark on me that few games ever have.