VIDEOGAMES FEATURE: FRIDAY FLASHBACK

It's a double dose of Friday Flashback this past week after Nick's brief hiatus. This week he's taking a look at one of the seminal entries in the Final Fantasy series as he continues his three-part look at the hugely popular JRPG franchise...

FINAL FANTASY VI 

Released: 1991

Developer: SquareSoft

Original Platform: SNES

Other Platforms: Playstation, Game Boy Advance, Virtual Console, Playstation Network

By Nick Murray, Videogames Contributor.

Welcome to part two of my trio of Final Fantasy Flashbacks. Last week we had a look at the undeniable game changer that was FFIV, and we continue this week with one of the games in the series that is often heralded as the best, Final Fantasy VI. 

Released in 1994, FFVI was the last outing the series had on the SNES, and was also the last Final Fantasy that had an exclusive release on Nintendo (at the time at least, being later ported to the PSOne as it was). Like FFIV, which was released as FFII in the west, FFVI was retitled as FFIII, meaning again that us westerners missed out on another stellar entry in the series (though thankfully, as mentioned, all available now on the trusty Playstation). In all honesty though, I could happily sacrifice those missing Final Fantasy games in exchange for FFVI, as missing out on that one would have been a real tragedy. 

VIDEOGAMES FEATURE: FRIDAY FLASHBACK

After an absence last week, our games contributor Nick returns with the kickstart of a new 'trilogy' of flashback articles looking at the most inaccurately named fantasy franchise of them all...

FINAL FANTASY IV 

Released: 1991

Developer: Square

Original Platform: SNES

Other Platforms: Playstation, WonderSwan Color, Game Boy Advance, Nintendo DS, Virtual Console, FOMA 903i/703i, PSP

By Nick Murray, Videogames Contributor.

Before I get into the main focus of today's Friday Flashback, I wish to address a problem facing many retro gamers the world over, particularly those of you who favour Nintendo consoles. Game saves on old consoles like the NES, SNES and even Gameboy meant saving directly onto the game cartridges themselves, and not the console. Inside each cartridge is a lithium battery which holds this save content, and while back in the day these little things did the trick, they only have a 15 year lifespan (give or take), so what a lot of gamers are experiencing now are their saves being lost, or not being able to make any new saves. It's more than a little annoying, and at times can be downright devastating!

The reason I mention this is because recently my copy of Final Fantasy VI rather selfishly decided to delete my saves, thus rendering the game essentially unplayable, which was made all the more frustrating because my intention was to write about it for this week's feature. Now that it's fixed though, it will be the game of focus next week. Taking its place this week is Final Fantasy IV, so that'll be a Super Nintendo Final Fantasy Double Bill for you, and since I like doing things in a trilogy fashion, the Friday Flashback following next week's outing will be another instalment in this epic series. With all that housekeeping out of the way, let's get this feature underway. 

VIDEOGAMES FEATURE: FRIDAY FLASHBACK

Following on from last weeks major Star Wars announcements, Nick returns to the Sci-Fi genre to take a look at one of the franchises own attempts at continuing the sagas storyline...

STAR WARS JEDI KNIGHT: DARK FORCES II 

Released: 1997

Developer: Lucasarts

Original Platform: PC

By Nick Murray, Videogames Contributor. 

Okay, okay... I know. A couple of features ago I said I was taking a break from sci-fi games for a while, and here I am writing an article about a Star Wars game. I think it’s justified though, with all the talk of a new trilogy now that Lucasfilm has been consumed by Disney, how could I not write about a Star Wars game? Let's just take a second to consider how exciting this really is. 

VIDEOGAMES FEATURE: FRIDAY FLASHBACK

This fortnight Nick takes a look at Dreamcast classic Shenmue, it's celebrated sequel, and the pain of that elusive third instalment that never arrived...

SHENMUE 1 + 2

Release Year: 1999 (Shenmue), 2001 (Shenmue 2)

Original Console Release: Dreamcast, Xbox (Shenmue 2)

Developer: Sega AM2

By Nick Murray, Videogames Contributor.

In the world of entertainment there are some amazing trilogies. Just consider The Lord of the Rings, the original Star Wars movies, or the recent Dark Knight series. All fantastic, and all follow your basic trilogy rules; the first movie introduces the characters and world, the second ups the stakes and implies loss of hope, and finally the third part is the final plunge for resolution. Not all trilogies follow this format, but this is the tried and true method for most three-part sagas. Now try and remember how you felt after you saw Empire Strikes Back - after the famous Darth Vader revelation, after the worrying fate of Han Solo – remember how excited you were, how you shook with anticipation, with complete wonder as to how it was all going to end, how the events would play out. Remember that? Well imagine there was no Return of the Jedi. No answers to your questions. A few years pass and you start to think to yourself 'Hmmm, they sure are taking their time with this sequel.' Then one day you read an article saying that they couldn't justify spending the money it would take to make Return of the Jedi. Then ponder the notion of Lucasfilm going into financial turmoil, with which the likelihood of Return ever getting made slowly diminishes. Occasionally a rumour might spark some hope, but then some guy in a suit will kill that spark. If any of this is sounding familiar then you were probably the owner of a Sega Dreamcast, and on that Dreamcast you probably owned Shenmue and it's sequel, Shenmue 2. This short lived series, and it's untimely death, are the focus of this fortnight's Friday Flashback. 

VIDEOGAMES FEATURE: FRIDAY FLASHBACK

This fortnight Nick continues his retro Sci-Fi tour by taking a look at PC point-and-click classic, Blade Runner.

BLADE RUNNER

Release Year: 1997

Original Console Release: PC (Microsoft Windows)

Developer: Westwood Studios

By Nick Murray, Videogames Contributor.

This year marks the 30^th anniversary of Blade Runner, arguably one of the greatest and most influential Sci-Fi films of all time. So with that in mind, this fortnight’s Friday Flashback will focus on the cult PC classic of the same name. 

Developed by Westwood Studios in 1997, Blade Runner is a fairly standard point-and-click adventure. Thrust into the role of Ray McCoy, you are charged with hunting down a volatile pack of replicants, using all the puzzle solving prowess you have. Occasional gun fights are thrown into the mix, but the general essence of this game is its adventuring, collecting items and talking to inhabitants to gather clues, very much like the Monkey Island games of old. Fans of the genre will feel right at home here, with puzzles ranging from mildly challenging to head scratchingly frustrating, but the same can be said of most games of this ilk and it’s nice to be reminded of a time when developers weren’t afraid to throw continual mental challenges at a player.  There's really not a great deal different here in terms of core gameplay that makes it stand fundamentally stand out from the crowd when looking at the title in retrospect, with the notable exception of it's fantastic use and application of the source material.

VIDEOGAMES FEATURE: FRIDAY FLASHBACK

Today begins the start of a new series of Videogame features by avid gamer Nick Murray: Friday Flashbacks - taking a look at the best, worst and unjustly forgotten in the retro gaming back catalogue. For this first instalment, Nick has chosen to take a look back at the aptly titled side-scroller Flashback.

FLASHBACK
(released as Flashback: The Quest for Identity in US)
Release Year: 1992
Original Console Release: Amiga
Ports: MS-DOS, Acorn Archimedes, Sega Mega Drive/Genesis, Super Nintendo, Mega-CD, 3DO, CD-i, MS-DOS, Apple Macintosh, FM Towns, Atari Jaguar

By Nick Murray, Videogames Contributor.

Flashback. What could be a more appropriate game to start with than the one which gave this very feature it's title. It’s one of those games that I loved but until recently hadn't played since I was a kid, so it was interesting to revisit it and see how well it had stood the test of time...

Flashback puts you in the shoes of Conrad B. Hart, an agent of the Galaxia Bureau of Investigation who is suffering from a bad case of amnesia (When aren’t they? - Kyle). As you make your way through the game's dystopian levels, you learn of a dastardly plot involving shape shifting aliens and the end of mankind! It's typical sci-fi fare, but the characters and sense of impending danger really struck a chord with me many years ago, and that tension still rings true today. If you're a fan of Blade Runner and the like, you'll know what to expect but appreciate the run down, polluted world in which you traverse through over the course of the game.   

The game was first released in 1992 for the Amiga, and came from French developers Delphine Software, who have since closed down. It was then ported to other platforms in 1993, including the Super Nintendo and Sega Mega Drive. The differences between the different versions is minimal, although the Mega Drive version has slightly better graphics as was standard in the SNES-Mega Drive/Genesis era. Nothing that changes the core gameplay experience though. At least hopefully not, as it's the SNES version I own.