Like many of you, I was born in the past.
It was a wonderous time, actually. There was this almost tangible air of
mystery to everything we did during the day. This was mainly because it was before the internet, and we had no idea what was going on.
For example, we didn't have mobile telephones. Often, the only way we would know if a family member was dead was if they didn't turn up at your house unannounced in the middle of the afternoon in the vague hope of a cup of tea, and of course shelter from the hoodless youths who didn't have the constant, watchful eye of CCTV to keep them in check. Now, in our civilised hyper-advanced world of telecommunications, one can be almost anywhere and receive the horrifying knews of dead loved ones[footnote]mum ded lol, get mlk x[/footnote]. And thus, we make progress.
To be honest, it's all a bit of a blur of not-much-going-on and darts at six o'clock on a Sunday evening, but I do remember one thing: we just
bought stuff. Being young at the time, buying a magazine[footnote]Magazines were like one of your Youtubes, only with paper instead of televisions.[/footnote] for the princely sum of £1.50 was sometimes just too big an investment, even discounting the fact that said magazine might not even have the information you wanted. No, no, you read that right. Goddamn plastic wrappers.
Boring story short, I was at the market[footnote]Like one of your eBAYS, but with people instead of Amazons.[/footnote] and just happened to see a game called Flashback for the Megadrive, and immediately bought it for its shiny cover, photo-realistic graphics (shut up) and extremely enthusiastic blurb.
Now don't get romantic on me, this didn't happen very often, but it was a wise purchase. My young mind was transported to a dystopian future, full of violence and intrigue and aliens and violence. There was a button to take your
gun out of your
coat and an entirely seperate one to
fire it. You could also, at will, put your gun away again. This was surely something to be cherished and revered.
It soon entered a very special place in my heart, a childhood experience to be tucked away and remembered fondly on cold nights when the wind howled down the chimney. It was a little sacred place that will always- Oh, they've remade it? Well... goody.
Our amnesiac hero, Conrad B. Hart, didn't speak in the original game (mainly because this could only be achieved via witchcraft), and in the Playstation sequel (Fade to Black, which has not aged well) he only did as much talking as would fit onto a CD, so I imagine a lot of different people had a lot of different ideas about the way he would be portrayed. Wise-cracking maverick, down-to-earth professional or an average Joe in over his head? Well the developers tackled this problem head on: they made him all three. Yes, Conrad here is a smart-mouthed everyman who is, inexplicably, the only person alive who can even hope to manage against an alien invasion due to his amazing track record for being awesome. The kind of leather-jacket-wearing, cocksure ladies' man you could easily kick to death and feel
nothing but mild fatigue.
In fact, there's a general theme in the game of the performances not being very well nuanced. At all. But let's not get ahead of ourselves here; this is a download-only 2.5D game which probably didn't have much in the way of a budget. If they could have strangled a good performance out of whatever guy they found at the local bus stop who did the voice, and I'd be surprised if the vocal director wasn't even tempted to try, then that would have been gravy, but here the talking is just an inefficient way to seague to the next setpiece of the original game. Still though, if they managed it, it would have been... awesome-sauce.
Interestingly, the 1992 original has been used as a storyboard of sorts. Everything you remember from the original game is present in the remake, as well as a few extra bits to pad out the play time. You'll actually be taken aback by the level of detail included here, and some of the places you'll visit will manage to be both familiar yet completely fresh. I actually think there's a great market for lower-budgeted, two-and-a-half-dee games that is woefully ignored. The viewpoint allows for a small amount of detail to go a long way (see Deadlight, probably one of the most beautiful games ever made) and it's a great way of, if you'll excuse the turn of phrase,
leveling the playing field with AAA games. Considering the amount they had to play with, the game actually looks stunning, and I can almost recommend it on looks and 90's sci-fi atmosphere alone.
Okay, looking back, we've talked about the performances (awful) and the look of the thing (pretty darn snazzy), but what about the
meat? What about the thing that sets video games apart from every other medium? What about, to wit, the gameplay?
Well here's the weird thing: the shooting and platforming are serviceable. I found myself enjoying quite a bit of what was going on, but this strange thing happened: I died. With an embarassed laugh, even though I was all alone, I gave this particular section involving insta-kill mobile death lasers and flying taser-bots another go. I died again. Hm. Okay game, you got me, well done. But I'll get you this time... ah, no, I've been reduced to ash again.
This happened a few more times. What the hell game, are you...
giving me a challenge?!
The game has more than a few genuinely interesting and cleverly put-together puzzles to solve. It was like some kind of thought and care had been put into parts of the game that mattered, or something. I instantly forgave (most of) the laughable dialogue and awful cutscene pacing and all that other stuff I've been expecting from modern releases and found myself actually enjoying the novelty of
not winning constantly. I didn't slam the controller down in a huff (without picking it up again a few seconds later) and I didn't warn everyone I met away from it, lest their delicate egos be called into question by a setpiece that requires strategy, or the use of a newly-introduced gadget.
And that's another thing the game has to its credit,
stuff. You will, not infrequently, receive new gizmos that introduce a new element to the game you're playing. Grenades, for example, are not only used as an offensive weapon but also as a puzzle mechanic. Used correctly, they can be pitched through conviently-placed holes in walls to get the drop on your enemies - and seeing as they are entirely capable of ruining your day, you would be well advised to learn to do this without being told.
Another thing the more annually-challenged might not remember is Boss Fights. No, no, if you're under sixteen you've never had a Boss Fight, you've had a boss fight. Lower case. The difference is that a boss fight is just an enemy with slightly more health and/or a lot of friends; a Boss Fight is when you are introduced to an idea, learn to use it of your own accord, then it is put to the test with an enemy that
needs to have an amount of skill with that idea in order to die. In short, it's the difference between Deus Ex and Deus Ex: Human Revolution.
And minigames! Along with the introduction of new mechanics and some psychotically unforgiving puzzles, you get some slightly different things to do during the playtime. There's a (surprisingly competent) hoverbike segment, things to collect, things to shoot, platforming elements, specific challenges to complete throughout the entire game and a handy-dandy VR practice simulator. It all adds up to a game that has had obvious care and attention put into its production, rather than a cash-in of a nolstagic title.
All of this, it has to be said, is rather refreshing in a modern re-telling of an old game, but with the qualifier "modern" comes its ever-increasingly-present younger brother, "technical difficulties." Reports vary regarding the amount of buggery you'll experience while playing, and while I haven't experienced that much of it myself, the problems I have encountered mean that I have no problem believing that they are occuring. At best guess, some issues will be resolved around Christmas time (when the game finally makes its way across platforms), however at the moment you're probably going to be treated to Conrad smarming his way into solid walls and, occasionally, causing a full system crash.
It wouldn't be such a bitter pill to swallow, and usually one can seperate out the occasional glitch from the actual playing of the game, but some of the mechanics simply don't work as a result. The mild stealth sections, which inexplicably exist, will falter because Conrad is too busy thinking about vaginas or hair gel to connect a punch properly, and the bad guy who has now become fully aware of your presence is really going to
enjoy watching your useless flailing while he prepares to blast your face through your lower back with his space-shotgun.
But, honestly, that's it. If you can look past a few technical problems[footnote]I'll admit, I'm more willing to look past bugs for a cheaper game like this than a bigger release. Yes Fallout: New Vegas, I am absolutely looking at you.[/footnote] and a catastrophic douchenozzle of a main character, you'll be greeted with a richly challenging platformer which doesn't pander or assume you'll give up at the first hurdle - and when you've mastered one particular thing, it'll give you another to have fun with. Don't get me wrong, if that statement makes you feel a bit iffy then this game isn't for you, but if the idea of welcoming an old game like an old friend appeals to you, to see how much perhaps both of you have changed, then give it a go.
Actually, there is just
one more thing: the original is included in the price, playable from the start.
Sometimes, things just have to be bought. And cherished.
