You know how it goes with some game developments. You can have all the best intentions in the world, but if you don’t follow through with them with true ambition, you won’t quite see it brought to its best fruition.
Somehow, I think that was the case with Flashback 2. Even with the original series creator, Paul Cuisset, on board, the team at Microids Studio Paris just couldn’t make the game gel as smoothly as the Genesis original, nor its PlayStation follow-up Fade to Black. It’s too disjointed, too broken up, and, worst of all, mundane.
And when it comes to being a game in an innovative future, the last thing you want to be is mundane.
Back Into the Fray With Conrad
The game once again gives you control of Conrad B. Hart, a young agent that works alongside the Galactic Bureau of Investigation. He’s thrust into a mystery as he finds himself seeking his buddy, Ian, who’s gone conspicuously missing. With the help of his AI-powered assistant A.I.S.H.A., he seeks the truth within a number of high-tech cities.
We played through the ten-plus hours that it takes to get through Flashback 2, and, sadly, we can’t think of that many moments that stood out to us. That’s because, even with Cuisset’s input, the sequel simply doesn’t live up to its potential.
One big problem with Flashback 2 is the gameplay. The combat is a chore at best, as you shoot at enemies while attempting to foolishly roll out of the way and restoring health before that last fatal hit gets you. Not to mention that sometimes it’s a pain getting around without a helpful UI – even walking through doorways is more difficult than it should be.
Not to mention that some missions are absolute slogs. There’s one in particular where you have to rescue a little girl from an alien-infested office. But, for some inane reason, she’s incredibly stubborn and won’t leave without her teddy bear. We reiterate here – it’s a mission where her life is at stake, but suddenly a teddy bear is worth risking your neck over.
Not to mention that there’s mech fighting, but it’s the most troublesome mech fighting we’ve seen in a game. When you do get into a conflict, it’s…disjointed. It takes a full second or two to line up your hits, and you’re lucky to land them half the time.
Finally, you do get to ride around a jet bike from city to city, and when you first start the missions, it’s very cool. But then you realize there’s little to no structure with these sequences. They’re just…there. Had a better budget been implemented, we could’ve seen much more ambitious done here. Instead, it just feels like filler. It’s like getting the car of your dreams but then being stuck on the same track, over and over. Bleah.
A Troubled Engine
Another problem with Flashback 2 is that it simply isn’t polished enough. While there is potential with the fantastic landscape put together by Cuisset and his team, it’s all framed around a poor engine that stutters more than it should.
Characters skip around without any fluidity to their movements. Frame rate issues pop up, even when there aren’t enemies on-screen. And the collision detection can be horrid at times, with you straight-up missing enemies you’re aiming at – even if they’re right on front of you.
The whole 2D/3D engine doesn’t do the game any favors either. It’s easy to get confused as to where your character is supposed to go in or activate something, and then have to adjust. And in the heat of battle, that makes all the difference between life or death. It’s just poorly done, and has me wishing that Cuisset and company had simply stuck with one or the other, like Flashback and Fade to Black clearly did.
At least the sound is pretty good. The music that plays in the game is quite well done, with that right level of Blade Runner-esque music. The dialogue isn’t bad either, though occasionally Conrad and A.I.S.H.A. have cornball lines that will have you scratching your head. Ah, that’s sci-fi for you.
Stuck In the Past In a Bad Way
Honestly, Flashback 2 is a disappointment. With a little more thought and a lot more budget, we could’ve had a sequel on the level of both the original and Fade to Black. Instead, it feels like a broken mess, with glitches everywhere, gameplay that never gels and a story that never truly intrigues the player. It feels more like a cheap spin-off than a worthwhile sequel.
I do hope this gets patched at some point and at least gives us a hint of the vision that Cuissel and his team had in mind. Because, at this state, Flashback 2 is a journey that simply isn’t worth taking.
GAMERHUB RATING: 2 (out of 5) JOYSTICKS
(Thanks to Microids for the review code!)
