Flashback

 PlayStation 3
User Score
5.4

Mixed or average reviews- based on 15 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 6 out of 15
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 15
  3. Negative: 5 out of 15

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  1. F-Rott
    Oct 4, 2013
    8
    I'm not seeing what all the entitled Xbox 360 reviewers are saying. I played the original Flashback A LOT back when it was on Sega Genesis, completing it multiple times. Yeah, it's not "OMG! PERFECT!", but then again, I wasn't expecting it to be. As a hardcore fan of the original, I was immediately immersed and involved the minute I started it up.
    Kudos to the original Flashback team for    I'm not seeing what all the entitled Xbox 360 reviewers are saying. I played the original Flashback A LOT back when it was on Sega Genesis, completing it multiple times. Yeah, it's not "OMG! PERFECT!", but then again, I wasn't expecting it to be. As a hardcore fan of the original, I was immediately immersed and involved the minute I started it up.
    Kudos to the original Flashback team for bringing it back with some damn fine HD graphics. It's just as I would have imagined an HD version would look like.
    It plays pretty similar to the original. I had no problem diving right in, because I'm accustomed to Flashback's original control scheme, which was to be honest, kind of wonky to begin with. The added extras, like the hidden eyes and RPG upgrading system, are nice and don't impede on the original's uniqueness. The level designs are still mainly there, with little added surprises. I think of it as "Flashback Easy" because it's no longer 1 hit deaths. For example, if you walk on the electric flooring in the first level, you're no longer immediately dead. If you're a huge fan of the original like I am, you can't go wrong with this new Flashback. The price is right as well.    … Expand
  2. scorp18
    Nov 9, 2013
    9
    I am a fan of the original game and I was actually playing the original one at amigaforever. I found out by chance that it's out for PS3. I bought it immediately and started playing after I finished the original. This helped a lot the comparison.
    First of all, this is considered to be an expansion of the first game, not just a remake. Having this in mind, the game is simply fantastic.    I am a fan of the original game and I was actually playing the original one at amigaforever. I found out by chance that it's out for PS3. I bought it immediately and started playing after I finished the original. This helped a lot the comparison.
    First of all, this is considered to be an expansion of the first game, not just a remake. Having this in mind, the game is simply fantastic. It's not just a "copy" of the original with modern graphics. While this would have also been nice, it's not the case with this one.
    Now the graphics are, as anyone would expect, obviously improved to up-to-date 3D. They're good in general, but in some cases (like in New Washington for example) I'd prefer to have less people shown, in the background, in order to give a feeling of abandonment. Also the screen is scrolling as the character moves (you won't change screen as the hero moves out of it, as it happened at the original, which is neither a plus nor a minus) but I'd prefer the camera to be less zoomed on the hero and be able to see more of the level around him.
    The sounds/soundtrack was as good as the original for me. It adds the right atmosphere. I don't pay much attention to the voice-acting. It's good enough for me. That's it.
    The gameplay is more complicated. In some cases this is good cause you have more options about controlling Conrad. On the other hand it sometimes becomes frustrating. The difficulty level is lower than the original (comparing normal to normal) which is a plus for me. The addition of the point system to improve Conrad's abilities is an okay addition but nothing special in my opinion.
    All in all, I enjoyed this expansion a lot. It's not the same game with remade graphics. If you see it this way, you'll enjoy it as well. I judge this game for the game it is, not the game I'd want it to be.    … Expand
  3. UrdnotGrunt
    Nov 29, 2013
    8
    Being a big fan of the original game that I keep playing on my Megadrive, I was very excited when I heard about the HD version. The game keeps the atmosphere and pace of the original game, which will be appreciated by the fans, the story might be less appealing for the non-initiated though as the presentation has been a bit overlooked imo. Graphics and animations are more than good andBeing a big fan of the original game that I keep playing on my Megadrive, I was very excited when I heard about the HD version. The game keeps the atmosphere and pace of the original game, which will be appreciated by the fans, the story might be less appealing for the non-initiated though as the presentation has been a bit overlooked imo. Graphics and animations are more than good and the RPG-like elements (skill points etc) are refreshing. I found the soundtrack as not as immersive and "futuristic" as in the original but it's still ok and voice acting is decent enough. As a whole, a good HD version even if we could expect more considering the awesomeness of the original.
    PS: major letdown: the original is available displayed in an small arcade cabinet and with no music at all! O.o    … Expand
  4. Bozzo
    Oct 14, 2013
    5
    It's a remake, so, everything in the game was apparently thought for original Flashback fans. All possible scenarios references are there. Some jokes in the dialogs, too. And the puzzles are smart as the originals were.

    Nevertheless, I said "apparently", because the mood was lost although the plot story is the same. Those manga-like flashes are misplaced. Mostly of the audio logs, too.    It's a remake, so, everything in the game was apparently thought for original Flashback fans. All possible scenarios references are there. Some jokes in the dialogs, too. And the puzzles are smart as the originals were.

    Nevertheless, I said "apparently", because the mood was lost although the plot story is the same. Those manga-like flashes are misplaced. Mostly of the audio logs, too. And the new characters are pointless (e.g., why the girl is there?). Where is that noir/sci-fi environment?

    Also, it's a shame the producers didn't take advantage on the original game control (that was precise and totally adapted to a platform adventure). The absence of some option to configure the buttons layout makes it worse. R2 for shooting, is it really necessary?

    For last, I can't figure out the sense of that sort of beta version of the original game in the pack. There's no music, no full-screen option, the SFX are rough and the controllers are randomly configured (again).    … Expand
  5. ketchuptaco
    Apr 30, 2014
    6
    I was a huge fan of the first game (I still have two copies of it 21 years later). I was pretty excited and kind of nervous when I heard about this rebooted version. After playing it I had the following annoyances:

    The voice acting was particularly terrible, the dialogue was weak ("awesome-sauce"? are you kidding me?) and the cut scenes when Conrad receives memory flash drives were    I was a huge fan of the first game (I still have two copies of it 21 years later). I was pretty excited and kind of nervous when I heard about this rebooted version. After playing it I had the following annoyances:

    The voice acting was particularly terrible, the dialogue was weak ("awesome-sauce"? are you kidding me?) and the cut scenes when Conrad receives memory flash drives were literally story boards. Seriously, they had to be story boards. I felt like their CGI budget ran out so they just had crappy dialogue over story board still frames.

    The volume/sound engineering was all over the place. Narrations, dialogue and chatter were all over the place volume wise. I found myself adjusting the stereo fairly often. This is another thing that made the game feel rushed.

    Glitchy: A few times I had to reset the level or load a checkpoint because Conrad fell through some kind glitch and got stuck between a wall. Was the game tested?

    and now the positive stuff:
    It was very loyal to the original game. Very little had really changed. All of the missions were the same and it was very cool playing them in a rich environment. I remember being a kid and playing this game and it really brought out a lot in my imagination - so seeing those bustling worlds with all of its inhabitants and objects was really cool. Especially the death tower level. The first game felt very confined in a lot of ways, like the Titan city levels felt like that took place in a warehouse or something. This new game brought it to life. A lot of the issues that bothered me control wise in the first game were fixed (falling down two levels you instantly die, not being able to grab on to things, or just jumping to your death countless times doesn't happen anymore) making this game more playable and fluid in a lot of ways.

    Overall it was worth the $10? or whatever I paid for it on PSN. Hell, I just bought a copy of the original with the manual for $20 at a swap meet, so this to me was worth it to give it a whirl. It was nice seeing the expanded vision of the game but it was also sad that they didn't give the finer details the attention they deserve. The game feels really rushed.

    Also my final complaint is, why can't you play the original version full screen? My genesis goes full screen on my 50" and Flashback is one of the titles that actually doesn't look too bad. Not too pixelated. There should have been an option to play it full screen!    … Expand

Critic Reviews

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No score yet - based on 2 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 2
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 2
  3. Negative: 1 out of 2
  1. Metro GameCentral
    Oct 10, 2013
    30
    A hugely disappointing remake that misunderstands everything that made the original great and turns a state-of-the-art blockbuster into a low rent timewaster.
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  2. Playstation Official Magazine Australia
    Oct 7, 2013
    50
    The lead’s voice actor is completely miscast with all of the depth and nuance of an English dubbed 1980s Jackie Chan movie, the story doesn’t engage you at all and its telling is plodding and laboured. Let this experience slip from your mind and… Fade to Black. [November 2013, p82]