Flashback + CD-i pad = ...

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Trev
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Flashback + CD-i pad = ...

Post by Trev » Wed Dec 15, 2010 3:55 am

Such a great game, but man does the CD-i port pale when compared to others. I'm not even talking about the bars that border the sides of the screen (I found them easy to ignore before long) the lack of cd quality sound effects, or even the slowdown that oddly occurs, but its the control.

Besides being oddly mapped to work on a standard CD-i pad, its the jumping that irks me. Mainly jumping straight up to grab a ledge ... it only works about 1/2 the time! (if that) I've played multiple ports and I've never seen anything like it (its almost like a broken collision detection thing) In at least one section (the timed part towards the end of New Washington) it makes completion near impossible!

Stepping off my soapbox ... just had to get that off my chest. Don't confuse my words though, Flashback is still very much a masterpiece ... but the CD-i port knocks it down a few pegs. :(

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Post by Gazza » Wed Dec 15, 2010 8:46 am

Yeah most definitely that is a great game!
I have the Sega CD port of the game. I don't know how favorably it compares to the other versions out there but I loved it.

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Post by Trev » Wed Dec 15, 2010 1:49 pm

W/ a full cd soundtrack, I'd rate the Sega cd version quite highly. :) The one edge the CD-i version does have over it though is cleaner cinemas.

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Re: Flashback + CD-i pad = ...

Post by Gazza » Wed Dec 15, 2010 2:53 pm

Trev wrote:Such a great game, but man does the CD-i port pale when compared to others. I'm not even talking about the bars that border the sides of the screen (I found them easy to ignore before long) the lack of cd quality sound effects, or even the slowdown that oddly occurs, but its the control.

Besides being oddly mapped to work on a standard CD-i pad, its the jumping that irks me. Mainly jumping straight up to grab a ledge ... it only works about 1/2 the time! (if that) I've played multiple ports and I've never seen anything like it (its almost like a broken collision detection thing) In at least one section (the timed part towards the end of New Washington) it makes completion near impossible!

Stepping off my soapbox ... just had to get that off my chest. Don't confuse my words though, Flashback is still very much a masterpiece ... but the CD-i port knocks it down a few pegs. :(
Trev, I found it interesting reading your comments, and the one's below:
Devin wrote:For starters the game has those horrible green tiled borders on each side of the screen. I presume to save CPU power for the animations, also the lack of sound depth is really quite obvious compared to the other versions and was really a great feature of Flashback. It is the worst conversion out of the bunch but to Tiertex's SPAM SUSPECTED the animations run smoothly on CD-i and the timing which was so vital in combining moves together work as well as any other version of the game.

Since I'm new here I decided to browse some of the older posts and happened upon the thread with that post in it.
Not too sure what "SPAM SUSPECTED" is supposed to mean, but having now read a few of the older posts, I believe that whenever the word "c-r-e-d-i-t" is meant to be used, it's replaced with that 'spam suspected' wording. Very odd. :lol:

Anyway, I see you specifically mention the jumping part as being a problem issue in the CD-i version. But would just like to ask,
The other users post (the part I highlighted) would seem to indicate that the controls in the game work fine. So it's just the jumping that plaques the CD-i version? Or am I misunderstanding what is being said?

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Post by Trev » Sat Dec 18, 2010 12:49 am

Trying to map a game like Flashback (which for its time had so many moves etc...) to a cdi pad that was clearly not meant for it was a problem. It overly complicated even simple tasks, like accessing your inventory for example (have to press down first and than a button) Double tapping to draw your gun is another example that springs to mind.

As far as the jumping, I probably can't articulate very well exactly what I mean. Having played multiple ports though, I'd say it is very hit and miss, being overly sensitive, w/pixel perfect lineups being a must. The rest of the controls, though somewhat counterintuitive, are fine in comparrison to the jumping ... again I should stress that I only notice it for jumps straight up, not leaps across, etc...

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Post by Seb » Mon Dec 27, 2010 10:37 am

The CD-i version was the first I played, so at the time I didn't know better. I remember having a very hard time getting along with the controls, but eventually got used to it. I even played it fairly well with the standard touchpad thing, as I didn't have a controller when I first got the game. Man was that a pain (seriously, after some playtime your thumb will hate you).

I did eventually give up when I got to Earth though, it just got to hard. I couldn't react soon enough with the stiff controls. Still amazed I made it that far though. I notice that today I have far less patience with such stiff controls. The game is amazing, but I much rather play another version nowadays! I remember one part where you had to do this mission to disarm a bomb and you had to be really quick, took me AGES to get that done!!!
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Post by Jimmy » Mon Dec 27, 2010 8:35 pm

I prefer the versions that have the black bars on the edge (FM Towns, CDi) since the other ones are just stretched to appear full screen. My biggest complaint with the CDi version is the washed out colors and the awkwardly redone cutscenes. Haven't really played this version enough to run into any control issues, will have to dig out my CDi before break is up :D

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Post by Trev » Wed Dec 29, 2010 3:52 am

Seb wrote: I remember one part where you had to do this mission to disarm a bomb and you had to be really quick, took me AGES to get that done!!!
Ha ha, that sounds like the part that inspired me to post this topic! :P

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Post by Austin » Sat Jan 01, 2011 9:12 am

I remember it being more difficult than in other versions to perform menu and action commands due to the limited buttons on a CD-i pad, but I don't recall having troubles with the movements though. I do tend to use the auto-jump/hang feature to its fullest, so maybe that helped my situation (run towards a raised platform for a moment, let go of the d-pad and the character will jump and hang automatically). It's been five or six years since I tried it though, so my memory could be slightly foggy.

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Post by Trev » Fri Jul 22, 2011 11:29 pm

Yet another post I'm bumping to comment on what a big difference the 3 button controller makes when compared to the pad ...

Before the controls were awkward, stiff, and I couldn't get them to work consistently. But now, the game controls like the other versions I've played, which is great! :) I couldn't believe how much easier it seemed by comparison.

The CD-i port is still the weakest I've played thanks to the border bars, some slowdown, and sub par sfx ... but the core game is simply so great that it hardly matters. In spite of its flaws, this may be the best game to grace the CD-i platform! :D
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Post by Austin » Sat Jul 23, 2011 11:47 pm

Yeah, Flashback is a winner IMO on just about any platform. :)
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Post by Shroo-man » Wed Jul 27, 2011 4:16 am

I never got into Flashback, seems like a good game but Out of This World is so much better IMO

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Post by Trev » Wed Jul 27, 2011 4:37 am

Shroo-man wrote:I never got into Flashback, seems like a good game but Out of This World is so much better IMO
I've fond memories of Out of this World but, imho, it doesn't even come close to Flashback. Ignoring the trial & error gameplay, OOTW is simply too short. Flashback has more packed into 1 level than OOTW does in it's entire game!

Besides that, I prefer the graphics in Flashback. Smoother animation, better character models, etc ... FB also has a lot more variety in terms of control. And the game is far less linear. But again, the big thing for me is amount of game. I prefer FB's longer levels (especially since they're so good and well designed) to the tiny ones found in OOTW.

OOTW is still a good game, don't get me wrong. But it simply hasn't held up as a classic like Flashback has.
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Post by Shroo-man » Thu Jul 28, 2011 3:03 am

you must be a gaming guru if you think OOTW is too short.

I've been playing it since I was very young maybe 8. never been able to get to the end. I've gotten quite far though and have finished by using password to access the last level.

sit down and play it from beginning to end it will definitely take a full day. unless youre so good you can finish each level in the first go. I recall spending lots of time just trying to finish level 5, maybe an hour or more.

i think youre exaggerating a fair bit when you say flashback has more in 1 level than in all the levels of out of this world. i think although similair in style these are quite different games. as OOTW is more like an action movie, where you're constantly escaping danger. very real and gritty. no health, get shot you're dead kinda makes it more like real life. you could imagine this all happening as it's somewhat of a real life scenario. thats probably what I really like about it the atmosphere and everything makes it so real and immersive. which to me is what games all about to get immersed in a different world. after all thats why we play games because real life is generally boring

whereas flashback a bit more like a mystery. you have amnesia have to work out where you are, what you have to do, etc. much more thinking and figuring stuff out. less realistic but it definitely seems to have a much more involved storyline. it actually seems like it could be quite immersive and atmospheric too, it's just that I've never actually played it long enough to get into it. might have to make a point of it now to sit down and play through it. not the CD-i version though, maybe the SNES or 3DO one.

anyway thats my ramble if anyone actually reads through it. I could ramble on for ages...

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Post by Trev » Thu Jul 28, 2011 4:45 am

I love a good ramble. :wink:

The atmosphere in OOTW is very strong, and is easily my favorite feature of the game! :)

I am no gaming guru though, so to clarify what I meant about length ...

Assuming you know both OOTW & Flashback by heart (say you've beaten them many times over the years) you could buzz through OOTW quite quickly. By comparison, FB would still take you a good long time even knowing what to do (content wise, I honestly believe FB has as much in 1 level as the full OOTW game)

Both are great games for different reasons, but Flashback offers more of everything that made OOTW good, (and improves on it) and eliminates the more annoying aspects.

I have multiple versions of both games believe it or not ... I have OOTW & it's sequel 'Heart of the Alien" for my Sega cd. I also have the 3DO version which has enhanced visuals. It is an awesome version of OOTW and if you don't already have it its well worth picking up, especially if you are already a fan. :D

FB is well worth playing through. I'd actually suggest both the versions you mentioned. The 3DO version has the cd perks ... fancier cinemas, voices, etc... But I have a soft spot for the original cinemas that use the in game graphics. In any event, like Austin said, Flashback is a winner on any platform. 8)
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