A look at gaming in October 2001

A single month can change how we play. October 2001 did exactly that—Grand Theft Auto III landed like a thunderclap, turning a city into a playground and convincing even diehard Dreamcast fans to eye the PS2 differently. We break down that first jaw-drop moment—when the streets felt alive, choice felt real, and every “what if” had an answer. But the story of the month isn’t just GTA III; it’s a constellation of breakthroughs, experiments, and turning points that still echo today.

We dig into Rockstar’s bench with Smuggler’s Run, a rough-and-ready sand-and-checkpoint rush that now reads like a physics lab for later open worlds. On the sports side, NFL 2K2 and Virtua Tennis show how great feel never ages—broadcast flair on the gridiron, arcade precision on the court, both still dangerously replayable. Nintendo’s quiet revolution arrives with Pikmin: resource management, time pressure, and that perfect loop of planning and panic, all wrapped in charm. Then there’s Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 3, tightening lines and expanding combos while quietly nudging the PS2 online—an understated milestone that pointed to a networked future.

The news cycle hits hard: SNK closes its doors, a bittersweet farewell to an arcade-first legacy that couldn’t bridge to a changing market. Meanwhile, The Getaway faces hype and heat as a cinematic London crime story with no HUD, pushing toward playable movie ambitions that would become a modern design language. And just as the industry’s identity shifts, new hardware arrives—Xbox crashes the party with Project Gotham Racing, Halo, and a taste for online, while GameCube flexes with Rogue Leader’s pristine dogfights. We round it out with a love letter to under-sung gems like Golden Sun on GBA and a surprisingly sharp turn-based Harry Potter on Game Boy Color.

If you love the moments when games level up—when a soundtrack, a skyline, or a perfect control scheme lodges in your memory—this journey through October 2001 is pure oxygen. Come for the headlines, stay for the deep cuts, and leave with a new list to replay.

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Transcript

Setting The Scene: October 2001

SPEAKER_02 0:29

Hello and welcome to Flashback, the games you love, the stories you forgot. This is episode 13, and this week we are in October 2001. I'm RGT, and as always, I am joined by the PlayStation Perfectionist, the enemy of emulation, the man who always finishes games. That's UCP George. How are you doing, George?

SPEAKER_01 0:59

Yeah, I'm good, mate. I forgot my own catchphrase because I thought you were going to say the man who always finishes first or last. And I was like, hmm, I don't know how that's but either which way is a an as always a stunningly arranged series of compliments directed in my general direction, which has deserved them. I was gonna say I don't deserve any of it.

SPEAKER_02 1:17

You do deserve all of it.

SPEAKER_01 1:18

Um but I'm here greased up and ready to get my teeth into this chosen month and era. Um I mean it's the week before some really great things going on. I do believe we're kind of just on the edge of the Xbox release uh based on some of the things that I'm hoping Ray's gonna bring. So I know where I'm at in terms of what I'm wanting to do. In terms of the build-up though, I'm ready to uh I think I might be ready to get stuck in.

SPEAKER_02 1:50

Yeah, this was um I know I say this all the time on certain months in certain years, we were spoilt. But the list of games that we would have hopefully been playing and the list of games that we would have uh liked to have been playing at the end air of Stingrays boot was unbelievable. That is probably the most I've had to put into a script. There were so many, and I remember when I messaged you with the script over that said, look, there's a lot of good games on it. October 2001 going into November was uh was a very good year. Oh, and I'll also just do a bit of uh housekeeping. We had a comment last week. We did um yes, we had a comment last week um saying that we didn't mention the we as that was getting into full swing then. No, we didn't. Um reason being more than anything, we probably should have mentioned the Wii more, so sorry about that. But because we take a certain month from a certain year, we can only sort of really discuss what them games were, and there wasn't really much for the Wii on that month, but we should have really mentioned it because it was then getting into a full swing, so we do apologise about that.

SPEAKER_01 2:57

Well, that's two written warnings and a verbal. I mean, you're out of here for accumulation. Is this the last episode of flashback?

SPEAKER_02 3:04

Yeah, well, in the last episode of flashback, the last one I'm on, so I'm gone after this.

SPEAKER_01 3:09

So Well, if you're not you know, I can't imagine what my era of flashback looks like. Solo flashbacks.

GTA III Blows Minds And Sells Consoles

SPEAKER_02 3:16

Well, you if you're doing a solo, well, you're you're gonna have to rope someone in who's actually decent at doing a podcast, so uh Mumsy She's free. Fantastic. Right. Let's get on to the games. Is there any that takes your eye straight away, George? I bet there is. I bet there's quite a few on there that you're thinking, hmm.

SPEAKER_01 3:37

Well, on the list provided to me, uh, it goes without saying that GTA 3 is certainly the be-all and end all of games in terms of its effect on the overall barometer of the gaming industry. I remember the first time I saw that game. I'd been away, so maybe some of the previews and hype was lost on me a little bit, but I walked past an old friend of mine playing this and stopped, reversed, and said, What what what is that that you're playing? It's Grand Theft Auto. I was like, it's not like that. It's a new one, Grand Theft Auto 3. At that moment, I just sat down. I never say a lot more, I just watched and was blown away by what I was seeing. My console at the time was a Dreamcast, so I sold it. I didn't sell that, I kept it. All right, I didn't sell it in that moment, but uh yeah, it certainly got my attention, that's a fact, and um it kind of opened my eyes to you know maybe where consoles will go in. I do think that GTA 3 was way ahead of its time because it would be a long time until the PS2 sort of put out anything like this outside of Rockstar's ecosystem in terms of graphical fidelity and freedom of playstyle and choice. Uh and as we say, it was the one that started them all, it's the one that started the 3D era, um, and every game that span off that just I think really just got better each time. People who listen to our PS2 special um will know that I think you pulled what San Andreas out of the bag, and I agree I would agree. I mean, that's the the one to play on PlayStation 2, but this at the time was it was a hot ticket for every console manufacturer, I think. October and went we got caught slipping there. Um we all scrabbled for it afterwards, if you remember.

SPEAKER_02 5:45

You know, at the time we didn't realise 23rd of October 2001 that this game would change everything as far as open world games would go. We just didn't realise at the time. And I mean that iconic art cover with that sort of hand-drawn art on. And I remember my my mate had Grand Fair 3 and literally bought it. It had been out for a couple of months. He went down to the local computer shop, saw that there, just wanted something different, and thought, oh, they're the guys that made the ones on the PS1 we used to buy. Oh, I'll just give it a go. And I popped in, saw him after work, and he was like, Are you seeing this? And I was like, Whoa, what he's like, yeah. This is how it is now. And he's like, I was like, Can you do anything? Yeah, get in a car, I can do this, you can do that. And that was it. We were sold, and we were still playing because that must have been actually about sort of four months after it came out. We were still playing when Vice City was being released.

SPEAKER_04 6:43

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 6:44

And I've I know I've said this story before. I went at midnight, went to the local Tesco's, picked up um Vice City, come back. We turned it on, but we swore to ourselves, we said, right, we'll just do the first little bit, but we're not playing it until we finish three. So we just done the first little bit of the sound and the music, and you drive through your lawyers on Vice City, and we're like, oh no way. So we're like, right, take it out, take it out, let's finish get three done, and then we're getting straight onto Vice City, and it was just completely different game. And I mean, what Rockstar done, it was just they're not necessarily probably the first to do it, but to do it really well um was just unbelievable. And like you say, each one progressed, you know, you got the Vice City and your characters spoke. Obviously, you had Ray Lyota and your characters spoke, and you know, there was more more not so much small story, but more character interaction in Vice City. Then obviously San Andreas made the world bigger and got that right analogue stick for your camera and refined it even more to about what you could do on a PS2. But this is where it started, Grand Theft Auto 3, and um, yeah, what a game. And uh yeah, 2001, 25 years ago, unbelievable. Um what are you gonna pick out, handsome man? Well, I was looking at another Rockstar game at uh Smuggler's Run 2.

SPEAKER_01 8:02

I was just seeing that. Um it did come out, yeah. Yeah, it did. Yeah, um they they they urinated on their own bonfire with their own franchise.

SPEAKER_02 8:12

And I um I remember playing the first one, didn't realize I didn't even pay attention it was Rockstar.

SPEAKER_01 8:20

Now you know you go back, it feels like a GTA prototype test bed though, doesn't it?

SPEAKER_02 8:24

As does the whale of cars in my opinion, yeah, and the whale of cars drive and that you can see that there were certain games that one would be driving, one would be on foot, and they'd sort of then put that all into one into a into a GTA game. Um, but yeah, I enjoyed the first game and the second game I didn't play till a lot lot later, um, when I was sort of collecting really, but very different from Rockstar in a way, but just that good sort of fun, you know, trying to get from A to B.

SPEAKER_01 8:53

Yeah, it wasn't that long ago I popped in Smuggler's Run one, and I tell you what, I like the series and I did at the time, but coming back with the modern eyes, it feels kind of not only the menus, but the levels themselves feel very, very they're big and they're open, but they are bare bones.

SPEAKER_02 9:11

Yes, yeah, they are. They when you look into the you know, as far as you can see in the distance, there's not a lot there, a few mounds and a few jumps to go over, but um, yeah, it was they always see at the time Rockstar seemed to have obviously you didn't have the online then. So they'd have their main franchise and they'd always have these spin-off games that would be you know your Max Payne's or your smuggler's runs or you know, um what is your state of emergencies? They'd always do a couple of games in a different genre that just keep ticking away in the background. And yeah, smuggler's run always had really uh good fun with, you know. Never bought at full price, always waited to sell, or it was in the bargain bin and picked up, but yeah, good fun game. Um anything else on there for you, George?

SPEAKER_01 9:55

Uh couple of um what I would call notable exceptions. It's nice to see the NTSC release of Kinetica there, which is uh from Sony Santa Monica if memory serves. I think it's from the God of War team. It was uh um we talked of uh Rockstar doing engine development. I do believe Kinetica was engine development for God of War if memory serves. Um Devil May Cry. I feel like we've talked to Death recently. I think it was only a week ago we talked about that, so it seems a bit odd that it's here again. But we'll we'll I tossed it around in my mouth for one of a better word. Um Evil Twin Cyprian's Chronicles. That was uh must have been coming out in 2001 on the Dreamcast. I remember that being a late Dreamcast release, quite the good-looking game. Um reviewed well as well at the time. I think it got a release on maybe PlayStation 2, if memory serves.

SPEAKER_02 10:53

Um I think I remember it for Dreamcast, I believe.

SPEAKER_01 10:57

Yeah, I always remember that white box art sort of compressed down onto the case. I want to give a shout out to the um I want to give a shout out to the 2K series. This one in particular, NFL 2K2, it's part of the Sega Sports range when it was what it was at the time. I really love the NFL 2K series.

SPEAKER_02 11:19

Um we spoke highly of those when we spoke.

SPEAKER_01 11:22

2K5 was like the pinnacle for me. The NFL 2K5 game. I was away from home for a long time, and maybe it's just one of those moments where you get sort of Stockholm syndrome with that one game, but uh it was doing things others weren't, and then I've looked around the internet you know, post that moment and seen that that game does have a collection of people that kind of gravitate towards it even to this day. I popped it in not that long ago and was kind of blown away by it's not straight into the game, it's got footage of the arena before you go in, and I remember back in the day, you know, when the different quarters happened, it would cut to the parking lot, and there'll be a guy on the sort of fold-down bed of his truck watching it on a big screen in the parking lot because he couldn't get inside, and he had like a little chiller and some I might I'm I might be over nostalgia in it here, but there was like a grill on the go.

Rockstar’s Other Experiments: Smuggler’s Run

SPEAKER_02 12:17

And well, no, I think you're right because uh yesterday I literally watched a video. Um we were away for the weekend, got back. We watched a video video, I think it might have been Retro Rick on YouTube, and he had a 2K NFL game playing on his Dreamcast on the TV in the shop, I believe. And I remember even then, just yesterday, thinking that looks really, really good. The colours and the animations of the players running and how the stadium looked. It was and I was actually surprised when he said it was a Dreamcast. I thought, God, that looks good. That looks really good.

SPEAKER_01 12:50

It got its big push in the States on Dreamcast, but I didn't really get to get my grips into the 2K series, it changed its name slightly by then to ESPN NFL 2K 5. Um, but to me it was like, yeah, I see why everyone was getting excited. If I had this on Dreamcast and gone nuts for it, I'd have been walking around in NFL jerseys in 2001. You know how susceptible I am to programming RGT. You show me a baseball game and I'll buy every baseball jersey ever made. And I'd have gone nuts for that, big time. Um I've always had a penchant for the American sports.

SPEAKER_02 13:27

And the good thing is as well with them sports games, is I know a lot of people say, Oh, they're sports games, you know, they're not the hidden gems or the hardcore, but you get hours and hours and hours out of them, you know, and even the Pro Evos still play well now, and you get hours out of those games. You find the right one, and it'll last you a gen.

SPEAKER_01 13:45

Yeah. Um, couple more. Is there any more on there while I'm doing my shout-outs to games? Or does anyone want a deep dive?

SPEAKER_02 13:53

Obviously, October 26, 2001, we had the first Pikmin. Um that's one of the ones I was gonna shout out. Yeah, which has been a successful franchise for Nintendo and actually much loved, and actually, you know, quite high in value now when you try and pick these out on the GameCube.

SPEAKER_01 14:08

Value be damned, it's a great game. It is gameplay wise.

SPEAKER_02 14:11

I've only briefly played, I keep meaning to go back to them, but it's very unique what you did.

SPEAKER_01 14:15

At the time on a CRT it looked photo realistic. Now it doesn't, but thank God it still looks nice, and underneath that is a gameplay loop that will just keep you coming back.

SPEAKER_02 14:28

Yeah, yeah, without a doubt. I was also gonna mention Tony Hawke's Pro Skater 3, which I saw that on there and thought you might give it some legs. Yeah, um, which is also um in a lot of people's mind, the last decent Tony Hawks game. Um four was still, I thought was pretty good. Um but I mean we've got a bit of news about this as well as we go on with the show. Um, but I thought that was brilliant. That they'd sort of one was really good, two got the manual added in, and then we got this Tony Hawks Pro Scatter 3, which was a bit of a crossover gen one. Um, but again with good soundtracks and great, great controls. Um, after four, I think they realised they'd tilted over the edge and then started going on these random wastelands and undergrads.

SPEAKER_01 15:19

Is the last one I really really enjoyed, I have to admit. Even I would have to admit, it was already past the verge of like ridiculousness by three. But what I really like about three is it starts with A C D C's TNT from memory.

SPEAKER_02 15:36

Oh, I think you're right, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 15:43

Oh, big enemy, number one, or whatever it is, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 15:48

Under mate, from TNT, and the clips, it was one of those really great videos where the clips changed to the beat of the tune, like yeah, and it was like, yeah, this is I would sometimes just retreat to my only safe space that I had at the time, pop that on, and I'll be honest with you, that was worth it alone. But the game was, let's face it, an evolution, as you said, of the first two, throw away fun. I think three had firmly stuck its tongue in its cheek, though, for me. And I like one because it feels still quite grounded, two is that middle ground, three is like, yeah, let's just face it. This is the game where you grind telegraph wires now. Electric cables, it's it's what you do, it's part of it, you know. We're not gonna hide behind it because look, up there, most of the letters were skater up there, aren't they? Like, uh yeah, it's not just a glitch, it's something you want me to do.

SPEAKER_02 16:52

Yeah. I mean, I was watching uh last year, something I was watching a YouTube clip, and um I think it was a podcast that Tony Hawks was on, and I think they were talking about after Tony Hawke's four, I believe. I don't think it was three, I think it was four, but anyway, and um it was Neversoft and sort of Activision weren't it who were doing it, and they come to him and said, 'Look, you know, we need to sign you up again. Do you and he's like, Well, to be honest, I think we're sort of over the peak now. I don't think, you know, I don't know if even four's done that well. Do we start? I don't know what to do. And he said, he just handed me a check for four million. And he was like, 'All right, yeah, all right, then yeah, we'll do some more games.' Signed up because off it went. But they were obviously still mate, you know, just to have his Tony Hawke's name on it, I suppose they were worried he was gonna go off with another company, but yeah, four million.

SPEAKER_01 17:40

The two had become synonymous with each other, the two had become synonymous with games. Tony Hawk is a very famous skateboarder, but is he famous to the current generations because his name's on a skateboarding game, or they remember like very few people, in all honesty, him doing his 980 flip or whatever. And unless you've done it inverted, Tony. Sir Tony, you're not even listening.

SPEAKER_02 18:03

Um, one more I was gonna say was Virtue of Tennis 2.

SPEAKER_01 18:07

That's exactly the one I was gonna pick. So nice work.

Sports Peak: NFL 2K2 And Virtua Tennis

SPEAKER_02 18:10

What even now? I mean, I've said the story before, ex-girlfriend's brother, he just bought a dreamcast of Virtue of Tennis. That's all he had on it, and that's all he played, and he played every day. And on the same, I mean, that's one of the only arcade games I've completed. Absolutely what a tennis game. Still one of the best tennis games there is. Um, yes, the characters look a bit blocky and a bit chunky now, but the way the tennis plays is so good.

SPEAKER_01 18:36

It's still the best tennis game.

SPEAKER_02 18:38

Yeah, I think yeah, I think you're right.

SPEAKER_01 18:40

Um I think it's in a tie between one and two. Like, I don't necessarily like the direction of two so much. Like, I do think one is a real pure product. Um in terms of two for the home console offering as well, it started to get a little bit busy, whereas one was a straight arcade port, you're playing tennis, pal. Yeah. There was I think there's a little bit of skill building from memory, yeah. But that really started to really push home in two, and it started to become became a more of a home port rather than a console port.

SPEAKER_02 19:12

Yeah, very true, very true. But the the the the gameplay was that brilliant mix of arcade, but also you had to have skill. You know, you knew how to if if you see your player, the your opponent running in, you knew how to then lob the ball to the back of the court, or if he's coming one side to cut across court with a power shot. You had to know how to play it, but that had that arcade feel that was quick, fast, brilliant action, and you knew if you lost a point. That's one good thing about his game. It wasn't through bad gameplay, it was your fault if you lost a point. It was all down to skill, so clever and so well made.

SPEAKER_01 19:47

We'd had other tennis games historically, obviously. The could argue in his ear as well.

SPEAKER_02 19:53

You could argue the first tennis hitter and loads.

SPEAKER_01 19:56

Yeah, you could argue the first tennis game ever was Pong. I mean, there are people you know that would argue that the older there is older games than that, and I think we've covered that. Um me and OG covered that on uh one of the early shows. But I think for argument's sake, let's say it's Pong. There's always been tennis games, and I think maybe in the 16-bit you had a coup couple of belters, but we're always kind of left hoping for something, and then Virtua Tennis appears in the arcade and just seemingly overnight solves every gameplay function we ever issue I ever had, and actually then ends up turning up on the Dreamcast, making you feel like an absolute player. Um it looked good on that console, the subsequent PS2 ports also look good, don't get me wrong, but uh yeah, weren't the same for me, weren't the same.

SPEAKER_02 20:46

No, that's that's virtual tennis is is Dreamcast for me.

SPEAKER_01 20:50

Um I just don't think there's really any more iconic image than I think uh Sega ran an ad of like the maybe the Dreamcast controller on a freshly cut tennis lawn with some like you know bright green tennis balls, just that sort of iconic grey, all of it mixing together and then presenting like that. It's like yeah.

SPEAKER_02 21:12

And the balls had Sega Sports written on and something like that, but that whole sort of aesthetic they had going on.

SPEAKER_01 21:18

I've talked time more about the Dreamcast era aesthetic, but there was nothing like it. And they never there hasn't been anything as curated or as executed as that. It really nailed everything on.

SPEAKER_02 21:32

I always thought their advertising was very, very similar to when they used to advertise arcade machines in your magazines, they had that real arcade feel to them where you really thought you had a a really high gen arcade machine at home, you know, with your crazy taxis and your virtua tennis, and they and they advertised at the same. It was so unique but so special at the same time, you know, so many good adverts. I'll be honest, mate.

SPEAKER_01 21:57

The Dreamcast era was a particular high. Light for me, it just came at the right time. Sadly, but positively, the Dreamcast didn't sell very well, so it always felt, and I think probably Rose Space Monk feels a bit like this, I don't know, but it kind of felt like it was your personal experience. Not many other people had one, so then it made even more personal experiences like Metropolis Street Racer or Shenmue because you were having them happen to you and they weren't really happening to anybody, they were obviously happening to lots of people, right? But you didn't really ever bump into a Dreamcast user in the wild, so you you barely even saw one in a game shop, even so. When you brought this game home, it did feel like you were unpacking something a little bit unique in a way. I think if the Dreamcast had actually took off in the UK, specifically gangbusters, I don't think you'd have had that feeling. So I don't know. We all want consoles to succeed, but sometimes like these private gaming moments are the best ones, even though it means death for the company that's uh supplying the console.

SPEAKER_02 22:59

Yeah, very true. Um just one more. I was gonna more speak about for you, really. So I don't I've I would imagine you've played it, Legacy Kane Soul Reaver 2. I have not played the sequel. Oh, haven't you?

SPEAKER_01 23:11

No.

SPEAKER_02 23:11

Oh, so that must have been we were talking about the first one, but um yeah, that was the one.

SPEAKER_01 23:15

I played the first one a lot. I really like it. It was on Dreamcast Soul Reaver 2 came to PS2, so I don't know if this is a PS1 uh a PC release that you've um dragged in here because there are some PC games in this list. I presume maybe that's what's happened here, but either way, you know, it it continues the story, it's it's well received. We've obviously talked to her about uh her quite a lot recently. Is Amy Hennick as well, obviously involved. Um yeah, I can't really speak for it to be honest with you, but it's a game I always keep meaning. I've got it on PlayStation 2, and I'm just waiting for that cold. I know you've got it on um if you've got the Evercade one of them both.

SPEAKER_04 23:57

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 23:58

So you know, you've got that sack glistening in your back pocket, and I keep meaning to put two on on um PS2 you know, on official hardware. I've just just not quite had that rainy enough afternoon.

SPEAKER_02 24:10

Yeah. I also noticed um Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney that was the start of that series, which was successful.

SPEAKER_01 24:17

Again, I've never played that, so I keep meaning to, I think it's something that I'd quite enjoy. My daughters get well likes Leighton, so I think maybe the next they even done a crossover, didn't they?

SPEAKER_02 24:28

Phoenix Wright and Leighton crossover. Where they fight each other in court and yeah.

SPEAKER_01 24:34

Perfect, okay. Well, guess what she's getting?

SPEAKER_02 24:38

Well the funny funny thing is, my um my wife has played, apart from the last Leighton game on the Switch, she's played and completed them all. Um she hasn't got round to the last one yet, although we have got it, but I then did get a Well, you're not Leighton in the latest one, are you?

SPEAKER_01 24:53

You you're his sister or sister. Yeah, daughter, I think.

SPEAKER_02 24:57

Yeah. Um but I got well I say that, uh a friend of mine at work found Phoenix Wright in the charity shop, boxed and complete, for a pound. And come in and oh, you know, is this any good to you? I just found it in charity shop for a quid, I'll just get it for you. And I was like, uh, yep, I'll take that for a quid. And she tried it and she couldn't get on with it. Well, she loved the latents but couldn't get on with those. So yeah, whether they're that's a little bit different, yeah, it is a little bit different, more sort of court-based and and evidence-based in it rather than sort of um you know Leighton to me feels like an evolution of say a point-and-click adventure. Yeah, that's a fair point.

SPEAKER_01 25:41

Whereas Phoenix Right Attorney is more like um a choose your own adventure book.

SPEAKER_02 25:49

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 25:50

Like this or that, it's this, right, okay, then that. And then it's more that way, this than that. Whereas Layton is scour around the screen till you find something, click, what can I do with it? Click, click, click, click, click. Can I click click click click? Yeah, move forward.

SPEAKER_02 26:03

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, that's very true.

SPEAKER_01 26:05

That's really simplified both of their gameplay techniques, but just uh for explanation's sake.

SPEAKER_02 26:11

Yeah, yeah, definitely. Um yeah, so there was there was there was a hell of a selection there for us to have been playing at the time, depending on what console you had, but it seemed to be a bit out for everything. Um from sort of GameCube to PS2 to Dreamcast, there was uh there was plenty there to pick from, and obviously we had we were round about the launch of the Xbox as well. Um, so yeah, a great selection there, one of the best we've had. Um but I suppose we better uh head on over to the news. We've scoured the very darkest regions of the back pages and the gaming mags, and even delved deep into the interweb uh to bring you what was the latest stories in October 2001. Uh first up, this is from Eurogamer. Did you want me to go first there, George?

SPEAKER_01 26:58

As you please, my good friend, as you please.

Nintendo’s Fresh Ideas: Pikmin Arrives

SPEAKER_02 27:01

Well, this is in uh this is titled uh Rest in Peace SNK, much love software developer goes bust. This is by Tom Bramwell, um the former editor in chief of Eurogamer. SNK has closed its doors for good. The company whose obscure 100 pound beat-em-up sold a ridiculous arcade-oriented console called the Neo Geo for years and who most recently won the hearts of gaming fans everywhere with the Neo Geo Pocket colour handheld is no more. Effectively, SNK are the victim of Nintendo's portable monopoly. The Game Boy colour crushed the Neo Geo Pocket colour despite arguably superior software lines on the smaller console. Games like Metal Slug, SNK vs Capcom and Evolution sold the console to thousands of hardcore gamers, but evidently not enough. It was bad enough when European and American NGPC operations were canned, but now the whole company, it's just too much to bear. This means the end of a number of great SNK series, including Metal Slug, King of Fighters, Samurai Showdown, Fatal Fury, and countless others. And what of the Capcom deal? We don't know yet. Capcom vs SNK2 has just been released on the PS2 in America and is due out on the 30th of November here. But what's next? Capcom vs Receivers? Oh, that's harsh. We'll leave you with the roughly translated parting message from SNK and all of its fans for all of its fans and customers. It's with the deepest grief that in autumn of 2001, SNK will close the company's history in its business. It was all of your favour uh favour and encouragement which made our passion up running to make better games for SNK fans. We'd like to take this opportunity to thank every one of you for your continuous help and assistance rendered to SNK census incorporation in Japan in July 1978. Without your support, SNK Corporation would not have been possible throughout 23 years of operation. With all our heartfelt gratitude, thank you once again. Yeah, I found this interesting. This is when SNK, I mean they've sort of sort of back now in different guises. Um they came back when they done that SNK Neo Geo Gold edition they done a few years ago, which wasn't that well received, sort of a handheld that plugs into a console that looks like an AES that weren't quite there, and they're into you still get SNK games published now. Whether that's the same people in charge of that or someone who's bought the licenses, I'm not quite sure. But yeah, how sad it was, because I mean us in the UK is you know, late 90s or early to late early to mid 90s, sorry, excuse me. Everyone's dream was to have a Neo Geo. You watched them on Games Master, you'd see them on shows and just thought, oh look at the graphics, how good they are. But you know, the five-six hundred pound price tag and£200 a game was enough to put anyone off at the time. But sad to see that people, you know, they were a company that really tried to push to get the best in the home console market, but priced a lot of people out. Is that how you remember it? Yes, yeah, definitely. That was a dream of mine having Eodria as a kid.

SPEAKER_01 30:29

It was a dream of mine. I don't see a company that was pushing, I just see a company that just thought it was easier to slap an arcade cabinet into a plastic shell and charge it for the privilege. Well that was cool and all.

SPEAKER_02 30:40

I think well, they they aimed at the hardcore market, that you know, people wanted arcade machines at home, and they need just about delivered an arcade system in your home, but they absolutely you had to be a connoisseur and you paid for it, you know.

SPEAKER_01 30:53

So as you had to be a connoisseur and you paid for it, and out of all those great and unwashed down at the arcade, pumping money into the SNK machines 20p a time, how many of those little herberts do you think had 600 quid?

SPEAKER_02 31:05

Yeah, I know.

SPEAKER_01 31:05

Yes, so it was a bit flawed. I do take exception, like yeah, I guess you could argue that the Neo Geo Pocket colour is is very capable. Um I've got one. It's not better than the Game Boy colour, I'm afraid. Uh Thomas. It's uh it's not. I also think that the games that were on there, he argues Metal Slug's alright, looks a bit washed out. Obviously, it's not like any of its bigger brothers, and a lot of the other games, mate. I don't know. Maybe anytime they want to give a give it a go, give it a try. Um, I got one out of curiosity, really, just because it had some um ability to tie up with the maybe Sonic Adventure one or two, um, but I think when you actually look into what that looks like, it ain't worth it. Um SNK are a great company, and they've brought us some really awesome franchises Metal Slug, King of Artist, Samurai Showdown, Fatal Fury, and as it says in the article, countless others. But in terms of hardware, when the arcade started to die, because they hadn't really established themselves a route to the home market other than through these quite expensive items, and the Neo Geo Pocket Colour, yeah, was priced a little bit more favourably, but then sat on completely the other end of the spectrum, like you're a hardcore gamer. Yeah, I can't quite afford well. I can't afford anything close to a Neo Geo, but the Neo Geo Pocket Colour that's not arcade in a pocket. So I don't quite know what they're hoping to achieve as a brand. I think, like you say, they're hoping to be the Rolls Royce, the connoisseur, but obviously the way the market's developed, there was never going to be a place for them to do that, to be that brand. I think the right was probably on the wall by 2001. I would say most of their franchise is starting to look a little bit creaky in the arcades by 2001. Everybody loves Metal Slug, everybody does. But when that's set next to Metal Tax uh Crazy Taxi or 18 Wheeler or Podracer, you know, that's the era arcade cabinet we're talking about. It looks a little bit old hat.

SPEAKER_02 33:19

Yeah, there's only so many times you can play it. I mean, there's like the four or three or four entrants into apart from you've got the tactics nowadays, but I mean, and then that started spilling out into SNK collections on PS2, blah blah blah, which is probably what they've done after this move, licensing themselves out. Yeah, I see your point. I mean, this very similar sort of thing happened later on down the line with or sorry, similar era time with Panasonic 3DO, you know.

SPEAKER_01 33:45

Yeah, I just want to underline by saying that I am a fan of the product, like I would give my right arm to own a Neo Geo. I'm lucky enough to have a Neo Geo pocket colour. I'm owning that now, picking these picking these things out the remnants of what's left. I wasn't there day and day because I couldn't afford to be.

SPEAKER_02 34:01

Yeah, exactly. I never I never knew anyone that had one. Um definitely not. Um the only time I got to see it was like say on Games Master or someone playing it on a TV show.

SPEAKER_01 34:13

Um and it was always hailed as like the big bad, but I'll be honest with you, when you go back and look now, like the difference really between it and a SNES game, the the lines are a bit depends what game you pick.

SPEAKER_02 34:28

Some of the games were doing some like Samurai Showdown, they would zoom in on a character on certain things with the pixels coming in and out, and you think, yeah, you aren't doing that on a SNES.

SPEAKER_01 34:38

It was looking really good, and it was Look, I'm not I'm not denying that, but really for the layman.

SPEAKER_02 34:44

Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 34:46

Right? For the layman, and you're not playing Street Fighter 2 on your Neo Geo.

SPEAKER_02 34:51

Exactly. Yeah, that's another thing I was gonna say.

SPEAKER_01 34:53

So then you need a SNES or a mega drive.

SPEAKER_02 34:54

Yeah. That's what I was gonna say. That was so popular, Street Fighter 2.

SPEAKER_01 34:59

Mortal Kombat.

SPEAKER_02 35:00

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_01 35:01

Yeah. And then you get into the plethora of other games that exist around it, because if you've got one then you might as well. What are you gonna do your Neo Geo? Go into town and buy that last game of the six you didn't have.

SPEAKER_02 35:10

Yeah, and I think their last sort of tryout, it was with the Neo Geo C D, which had absolutely agonizing load times on it.

SPEAKER_01 35:19

Um by just again, I've looked at those and been tempted. Of course I have. You know, it's just because doesn't that CD one come with a little handheld built into it?

SPEAKER_02 35:31

No, no, you're thinking of the Neo Geo uh Neo Geo Gold, which they released in like 2010, 15, something like that, and they made a handheld Neo Geo, which you popped into an AES, and then that would play as a home console, but uh the emulation and stuff on it wasn't great. They're quite expensive now, they didn't sell very well. Yeah, it was a weird sort of hybrid, but the original Neo Geo C D was literally the I think they tried to make it cheaper by literally getting the AES ROMs and some of the MVS putting them on CD so that was more affordable for people to buy rather than matting these toaster-shaped cartridges. Uh but like I say, I have played on the Neo Geo C D a few times, and yeah, the load times are agonizingly slow on that system. I think they had a really basic CD drive in there. Um yeah, I think that might have been the final nail in the coffin for them. And they sort of never.

SPEAKER_01 36:30

By that time though, they're just dialing out on their name. I don't really feel like our two units that you mentioned are actually something that they were thinking was gonna bring the brand back. It was like, oh, if you never could afford one the first time round, we'll bankrupt yourself as a grown-up now. And it's like, well, what for these six games?

SPEAKER_02 36:47

Yeah, and also I mean, early 90s SNK was that was the mark to hit, you know. They were the company that done the arcade ports, uh, like you say, early 2000s. Mate, we're playing on a PS2. You what's your hardware? Do you know what I mean? It's gone, but then it's gone, but they haven't, you know, left.

SPEAKER_01 37:04

The industry had already bifurcated by that point, and the consoles the the arcade scene had kind of maxed out and it was dying or dead. Home console, they had left themselves nowhere to go because they'd prone themselves so far down that arcade route, there was no reversing out at that point. It's a shame, it is a shame. It's a shame. Um, but let them be, you know, uh a hat tip to an era long gone, friend.

SPEAKER_02 37:31

Yeah, exactly. Yeah, you know.

News: SNK Shuts Its Doors

SPEAKER_01 37:33

Um next RGT, also from um Eurogamer, also by the uh youthful looking Tom Bramwell, former editor-in-chief of the aforementioned publication. Um PS2 gets on gets first online game. Um I think the internet might have glitched the second part of the headline, so I'm not gonna read that out. Uh, this is how far back we're going for you guys. So just bear in mind that we are I got this on dial up. And uh uh As you said that bizarrely, I read the only word on that piece of literature I've got to read, and it was the word dial up. It's like this is some sort of Darren Brain stuff going on in it. Yeah, I've been you've been Darren Brown and me since the uh pastor era, but uh anyway, let's get to the news because the flashback listener's not one to be kept waiting. Tony Hawke's ProSkater 3 will be the PlayStation 2's first online game publisher Activision has revealed. Larry Goldberg, executive VP of Activision Worldwide Studios, said in a statement that by introducing an online component to the Tony Hawke's ProSkater franchise, we're not only upping the ante in the action sports category, but in console gaming on the whole. For once we agree that the game will use GameSpy as its matchmaking service, and we use the Sony, will support the Sony Ethernet Stroke Modem adapter when it launches. As well as a number of third-party peripherals, including USB Ethernet adapters and USB modems. The game will use peer-to-peer networking rather than popular client stroke dedicated server style of PC games like Quake. It's interesting to note that scant few details are included in this announcement of which ISP will be handling the modem dial-up or how much it will cost. We can only assume that it will be a non-subscription 0845 dial-up service. The Ethernet situation is even less obvious, with no news whatsoever on when that adapter will launch in this country. Tony Hawk's ProSKater 3 is due out in November 23rd in the UK and Europe.

SPEAKER_02 39:38

Mmm. Uh yeah, I thought this was interesting. I never realised that the PS2's first online game was Tony Hawk's ProScater 3.

SPEAKER_01 39:45

I don't think it was. Oh, really?

SPEAKER_02 39:49

What do you think it was? Probably SOCOM. Mmm, that'd be interesting to do a little bit of digging in. I imagine if maybe this was the first game to have online capabilities.

SPEAKER_01 39:59

Maybe this was the first game that they thought about putting it in, but because the aforementioned Modem had not made it to market by that point in time, they clicked it, stripped it clean out. I've not played Tony Hawks on PS2, so I'm not sure as I would even know, but uh Yeah, I've I didn't even know it had an online element to be honest.

SPEAKER_02 40:20

Um but very interesting that they were.

SPEAKER_01 40:24

No, Tony Hawks Pro Skater 3 was the first one to feature a multiplayer game.

SPEAKER_02 40:28

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 40:30

There you go. Yeah, which is surprising, but I never even I would have put money on it being SOCOM, but apparently, no, this does get the title for being the first online game. Look, mate, quite what, who, or how you were playing with on PS2 in 2001, I'll leave that up to you.

SPEAKER_02 40:50

Um imagine it ran well.

SPEAKER_01 40:54

Do you know what? It probably did. I never had a problem with online in the Dreamcast era. It was flawless, and that was dial-up. It was. Um, this would have been the same unless you had um what's it called? Because you used to be able to get two modems for the Dreamcast, one was for dial up and the other one was for like broadband setting as it is now the modern day way of doing it. Um so I don't know out of the box what the PS2 supported.

SPEAKER_02 41:24

Um no, because there's a lot of people now who are still keeping servers alive for PS2 and PS3. Be interesting to see if there's still anything on for this. I'd be honest, mate.

SPEAKER_01 41:37

It's crossed my mind because that little adapter isn't worth that much. You could stick a, it wouldn't even matter what hard drive you put in it, because let's face it, anything's quicker than 2001. So you could stick your old PS3, PS4 hard drive in that bad boy, format it to FAT32, stick it in, stick an Ethernet cable in the back of it, and cross your fingers and eight for the best. I think there are some sort of probably Reddit pages and whatnot about the if you go to your internet settings, your DNS and your proxy and all that sort of garbage about what you need to put in. Yeah, I think the PS2 is technically still online. Dreamcast has a similar hobbyist support, I think, to keep it there. I think I've seen a few one or two videos about similar activities for the original Xbox. So yeah, I mean here we are in 2026 critically analysing what's left of that era, and here we are in 2001 at the other end of it, looking for looking for what the future might look like. Little did little Timmy know when he put Tony Hawke's Pro Skater 3 in with that thing he argued for him his mum for all Christmas and didn't really even know what it was, that he was right at the white hot edge of online console gaming, well, kind of, or at least Sony's push of it. And uh, yeah, he was there. Now, where he is now, God only knows, he's probably playing Fortnite with his kids, or probably a bit of a war zone player, but yeah, they've been online gaming since as soon as they could, I guess. I mean, obviously, the people were playing around with PC and Dreamcast, and obviously, as we'll talk about the back end of the show, the launch of the original Xbox, obviously, you know, it made it even easier to get online, and some would argue obviously Xbox paved the way, but here's PS2 popping its periscope up and uh sticking a hard drive in its back passage. You've got to admire them for that.

SPEAKER_02 43:29

Yeah, definitely. I mean, I didn't think I realised for the first two or three years of ownership for PS2 that online was even capable. And then I knew a friend of mine bought a original Xbox and said, Oh, you've got to come around and see this new console from Microsoft, blah blah blah. I went around and playing. I thought, well, that's nice. It's big. That's a that's a big boy, that console, but it was good. And he's like, Yeah, you can play online. I was like, What? He's yeah, you can play online, you know, you can just plug in and go, and there's games you can play, and Halo, and bits and pieces. I thought. No way. He said, Yeah, you can link them up and play. And I thought, God, I wish PS2 did that. He said, What does do that? You got to buy the adapter. And I thought, I didn't even know there was a few years.

SPEAKER_01 44:07

Every week RGT, you kind of regale these moments where someone said, Uh, oh yeah, you just plug that in the front of the contract in the console, man. That's how you play the games. And you're like, bloody hell, like the jewelry.

SPEAKER_02 44:19

So I learned. So I learned from everyone else.

SPEAKER_01 44:22

It's got it on the attract reels. Like, yeah, I've nearly finished this one, love. I'll be in for my tea in a minute. Like, boom, yeah, I've done it. It's finished.

SPEAKER_02 44:31

Yeah, it's just things like that. I just I was just so into just playing the games. A lot of the stuff I never researched. I didn't buy many magazines at that period, so I didn't really know a lot about it. No, I didn't no, I didn't buy many magazines at all in that period, hence why I'm buying them now. For this show.

SPEAKER_01 44:46

God, mate, I'd bought anything with a bloody video game logo on it in the news agents.

SPEAKER_02 44:51

Well, the problem is we're a bit rural here, and the news agents didn't really stock them, so unless I was going on the monthly shop.

SPEAKER_01 44:59

Oh, I got I subbed in the end.

SPEAKER_02 45:01

Oh, did you?

SPEAKER_01 45:02

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 45:03

You were hardcore, you see. I wasn't. I was.

SPEAKER_01 45:07

I had a subscription to Official Dreamcast magazine.

SPEAKER_03 45:10

Oh.

SPEAKER_01 45:11

Which I then rolled into a subscription for official Xbox magazine. And for the longest time, obviously my life's got tipped up a bit side down at uh a few points along the way, and um I had a full run from like issue maybe one or two of the origin official Xbox magazine all the way up until like 2013 of 360.

SPEAKER_02 45:35

Wow.

SPEAKER_01 45:35

Did you keep them all or I tried to I the demo discs for every single one of them as well? They all went in the bin, I think.

SPEAKER_02 45:47

Oh, shame. Yeah, shame.

News: PS2’s First Online Step With THPS3

SPEAKER_01 45:50

You say a shame, I agree. Um, but considering the probably two tonny bags I could fill with those magazines that I've collected up retrospectively, although it's you know probably great for this show, I shouldn't think my roof is very grateful.

SPEAKER_02 46:07

No, magazines are a bat killer. I do have a quite a substantial collection of magazines, and many a times I've thought, do I just bin these? Because storing them, keeping them, displaying them, everything is a pain with magazines.

SPEAKER_01 46:23

Keeping them readable, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 46:25

You know, so yeah, the only reason I haven't is because this show started, so I've actually collected more, but they're so handy for it. But yeah, that was interesting seeing uh Tony Hawke's Pro Scatter 3 and quite surprising. Good quiz question that Digital Monkry for your uh let's get quizzical on the UCP Discord. That'll be an absolute yeah, be a brilliant.

SPEAKER_01 46:44

As long as I don't listen to this show, so should be sorted. They don't.

SPEAKER_02 46:47

Um our final bit of news, and for the hat trick this week, Tom Bramwell back in the net, header left foot, right foot, he's got a hat trick. Also from Eurogamer. This one's titled The One That Got Away. Sony comments on release date of elusive street racer. He obviously didn't know what the game was about when he wrote this. Um Sony has popped his head up to condemn this is London.com over its the getaway release date speculation. The London Web Journal uh claimed the getaway was on course for an autumn 2002 release, but Sony says otherwise. As far as anyone knows, it's still penciled in for May. Sony is trying its hardest to avoid yet more getaway scandal. Last year, developers of the game were caught out trying to pass impressive renders off as screenshots. The London-based crime. Come on, Mike. Yeah, come on, Mike. No need for that. The London-based crime paper still looks stunning.

SPEAKER_00 47:49

It was like 15.

SPEAKER_02 47:50

Yeah. But word is it's over budget, overstaffed, and way behind schedule. Landmarks are apparently a moot point, but Sony aims to keep throwing money at it until a fire goes out. With Bizarre Creations, Xbox Extravaganza, Project Gotham Racing looking like the better game by a mile. Sony may wish to forget the getaway even exists. Um I'm not quite sure why he's comparing them two games because no point was the getaway a racer.

SPEAKER_01 48:20

Um city-based driving games, I think that's the uh length and breadth comparison.

SPEAKER_02 48:27

I suppose so, but other than that, they're completely different genres, but maybe they didn't know at the time. Um I put I put this in here uh at the time because one I thought yeah, it seemed quite random what how he was describing the game, and two, I know you've recently played this again, um, so it lines up well. Um I did remember there being a bit of trouble with a getaway, but not quite as much as he's explaining here. I didn't realise it.

SPEAKER_01 48:55

There was a lot of Fiora at the time. I do remember it. Um it was much delayed, often talks about I would never get here, it's never gonna look like that. And uh to be fair, it did get here. It didn't look quite. I mean, good luck to you finding those renders, good luck to you, um, because they were probably only in mags, very early internet. I think that you'd have to be in the way back machine and fingers crossed to find that, but but but but or maybe if someone's deep dived it on YouTube, maybe there's a still on there, but I think the getaway ended up hitting. Um I think you know, obviously the getaway came out after Metropolis Street Racer, but I think you know it it's take on London to me is probably more comparable. I think PGR is an Xbox game. Um as you say, RGT very different. No need to program oncoming traffic, no need to program you know, traffic flows, no need to program. Or even story. Well, we we've not even got there. The list of things that we've already got to is enough to obviously show a very clear delineation between the two development cycles. Um yeah, I I I don't know, every now and then we get an article in here, don't we? And I I'm not quite sure. There was a lot of talk, as you say, there was some controversy around the getaway. It was one of those titles that I think got the equivalent of clicks. It certainly sold mags back in the day because I think PS2 owners were you know looking for something a little bit you know sexy. Um the Getaway was a Sony kind of developed project that got the official magazine headlines that look good. Um and I think do you know what when the dust has settled and the smoke has cleared, I have played it as you say, more recently, and um there's lots to like. I if we're taking Tom at his word and we're comparing PGR to the getaway, I would say that the PGR is a more fun experience. Um only because it's it's less involved, there's no story, um, it's just some fun time racing.

SPEAKER_02 51:10

The getaways driving sections aren't a fun time because they're through the middle of London, which is a pain at the best of times, and it's also a lot of brutal gangster story-based London almost movie style game.

SPEAKER_01 51:23

That's that's actually way more brutal than I actually ever remembered or give it credit for. I don't know whether I've softened as I've got older, but there were a few bits in there, I was like, hmm, wow.

SPEAKER_02 51:32

That must have hit hard at the time.

SPEAKER_01 51:34

Yeah, so yeah, I don't know. Like I say, I'm a fan of both games. If I had to if I had to throw my hat in one to be divisive, because that's what sells the internet these days, I would say it'd be PGR. Although I'll be a bit torn. Um yeah, I think the the controversy about this is London.com having speculation about the release date, a web journal.

SPEAKER_02 52:00

Odd because who he's actually reading it?

SPEAKER_01 52:04

Well, the internet was a weird place then, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 52:06

Um and also I think standard gaming journalists from the outset, once they first get in the first whiff of the getaway and what they were doing, were quite against it. They they wanted to make, you know, we've got this for the horses made from interviewing Mike Race, but they wanted to make a playable movie, you know. You didn't have your health on the screen or anything like that, you played a gangster base, like I say, brutal movie. And and for the time of doing that, they were way ahead of their time for what they done with the game.

SPEAKER_01 52:39

Yeah, if anyone wants to listen to that, obviously the main show that we do, the unofficial controller podcast, this is one of the this is a spin-off channel of that. If you go back and look for the Mike Rouse interviews, you'll find them on YouTube, um Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, wherever you want to go and get your podcast. Um have a little look-see for the Mike Rouse episode, you'll find it very rewarding. If you want to know like a proper deep dive about the getaway, its development, his role in it as well, RGT. Yeah, that's the place to go. Wish we'd had this then. Because what was all this about, Mike? Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 53:21

That'd be nice to see what um what is the last thing he wants to be disturbed by, isn't it?

SPEAKER_01 53:26

Me. What's all this? A news article from 2001. Are you alright? Who hurt you? No one, Michael. Get some sleep, George.

SPEAKER_02 53:34

We spoke about this before. Okay, sorry, sorry, Mike.

SPEAKER_01 53:38

Um, that's what I sound like. Wow.

SPEAKER_02 53:40

But that'd have been nice to see it from giving him this article and seeing it from the inside. Were they feeling the pressure?

SPEAKER_01 53:46

Were they really under the Oh, they were under the gush, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 53:50

You know, they were probably on the old uh crunch time for uh quite a few weeks, I would imagine, to get this done. Um, because yeah, I remember it being an expensive game because they were trying something so different. But yeah, very interesting there. Um hope you like those stories. Three quite different stories, but very of the time. Um, from the demise of SLK uh SNK to the first PS2 online game when we were really starting to see that sort of thing then start rearing up and you know pave the way for where we are today to the getaway uh being compared to a street racing game. And um obviously not not a fan of the getaway was Tom Bramwell, but hope you played it since then and actually enjoyed it. But yeah, I hope you enjoyed those stories. Um, but now it's time for what we affectionately call Stingray's boot. What's nestled between some counterfeit nappies and a dodgy copy for Battle for Endor is some of the new releases for November 2001. Spring stop wattle whoa. Have you seen Ray this week, George?

News: The Getaway’s Hype, Delays, And London

SPEAKER_01 54:57

I'm seeing Ray as the ghost effigy of the Dreamcast and Sega's burst bubble of memories. He's happy but he's sad. He's smiling but he's crying inside. He's not a man, he's just like a constant shifting cloud of visions of like Dreamcast, Panzer Dragoon, Nintendo Sega does what Nintendo. I'm seeing gore in Mortal Kombat, and then I'm just seeing his eyes just say the word closed for business.

SPEAKER_02 55:30

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 55:31

I look at Little Sting, he's equally come as disappointment, wrapped in happiness. He's come as a game gear.

SPEAKER_02 55:39

Wow. Wow, what what an image that is. Absolutely brilliant, what an image that is.

SPEAKER_01 55:45

Did I say he's come as or come in? Come as. Um he's come in a game gear. I say that because he's small and he can fit in it.

SPEAKER_02 55:54

Right.

SPEAKER_01 55:57

So he's not gonna make a suit that he can wear, he's literally just hollowed the inside of a game gear out and worn it.

SPEAKER_02 56:03

Wow, he's small.

SPEAKER_01 56:06

Well, yeah, he's not full grown. He's definitely not. And I tell you one thing, mate, the gear's cavernous.

SPEAKER_02 56:13

Yeah, true, it's not the TARDIS. I have heard that.

SPEAKER_01 56:17

I've opened up one before and there was one of those massive six-foot long phosphorus tubes. If I can't fit an eight-year-old child in one of them, someone ain't right.

SPEAKER_02 56:26

Wow, I wondered how they backlit the screen.

SPEAKER_01 56:29

Seriously, that is actually how they backlit the screen. Wow. Six foot phosphorus tube. It wasn't six foot, obviously. It was it's scaled. Anyway, big enough to get a kid in. Yeah. I don't quite know. You looked a bit nervous there.

SPEAKER_02 56:45

Very, very nervous. Keep thinking he's thinking we're on a UCP.

SPEAKER_01 56:50

Um what can I say that even made you nervous?

SPEAKER_02 56:53

Not even going back there. Um well for me, I think uh Ray's a bit confused this week. There's so many good games. He's he's turned up in like uh Mad Max Beach Buggy from like smugglers. Oh, he's got out he looks like Claude from GTA 3. Oh wow. Where's oh Wayne's in the passenger seat? What's he? Hang on, let's just see when he Oh he looks like a little Pikmin. Oh wow, he's must have taken you ages to paint him red like that.

SPEAKER_01 57:24

That's how he fits in the game gear.

SPEAKER_02 57:25

Yeah. The weird thing is he's actually used like exterior paint, so I don't even know if they're gonna get it off him. I mean that's I think they've stained him red. But he does look like a Pikmin, it's very good, but he's definitely sharing a bit of every game that we've been picking out here today. Um but George, what is gonna be your first pick out of Ray's boot?

SPEAKER_01 57:50

There can be only one, can't there? Right. In fact, I may even get Mardy and not pull anything else out. But the one game I am gonna pull out, my handsome little Suffolkshire Sestershire friend, Suffolks, right if that's the county. It is Shenmue 2.

SPEAKER_02 58:14

I did think you might go for Shenmue 2. Um when I saw this list, I thought that's definitely gonna be your baby because uh Dream B.

SPEAKER_01 58:23

But there is so many. I mean, I'm whenever you've picked out your one good friend, and I'm eager to hear what your oh so I'm allowed to.

SPEAKER_02 58:30

Yeah, you can pick another one straight away if you like.

SPEAKER_01 58:33

I'm gonna just completely blow your mind and leave you doing most of the carrying because it's a toss-up between. No, I'm gonna go with it. Uh Project Gotham Racing. And an Xbox Ray. I'll take an Xbox.

SPEAKER_02 58:50

Wow, you're definitely uh going all in.

SPEAKER_01 58:53

Um well, you get that game at launch if you ain't got the console. What are you doing?

SPEAKER_02 58:59

Um I'm gonna go with Star Wars Rogue Squadron 2 Rogue Leader. Um, absolutely fantastic game in the GameCube. Um, still one of the best looking games of the generation, definitely on the GameCube. Um, first one obviously was on the N64, and then they they done this second one, and then they did do a third, but I think the second was where it peaked. Absolutely brilliant game. If you've got a GameCube and you haven't played this, apply it. I mean, it's it's so good. Um, I know we always say this about games, space is easy to emulate and that, but the the ships and everything look so good. Um really enjoyed that game. Um if I'm gonna pick another one, I am gonna go with oh, there's so many here. I mean, a few we can mention. Um I'll probably go with Metal Gear Solid 2, Sons of Liberty. Um I remember vaguely remember playing this, but even then I remember thinking the graphics were so good. That sort of game didn't really seem to be anything else like it at the time. That that really introduced me to stealth and are these dates right?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:08

Because this feels totally upside down to me, but I'm on board for it. I just can't believe that Agent Under Fire came out at the same time as like Metal Gear, how dare it!

SPEAKER_02 1:00:18

Yeah, I know. It's just uh hence why everyone speaks about Metal Gear Solid 2 and not Agent Under Fire. I was playing Agent Under Fire though. I played it, I played it later than that, a lot later than the launch.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:30

Do you know what I was actually playing it in in this very moment because I got it at launch? I don't think these dates are maybe quite correct, but Golden Sun.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:39

Yeah, what on your Game Boy Advance?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:41

Mm-hmm.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:42

Yeah, I've I've never played that, but I've heard very good things about it.

SPEAKER_01 1:00:46

I really quite enjoyed it. I think the lead character and it's called Isaac from memory.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:50

Did they do a couple of these, didn't they? Was it two or three they done?

SPEAKER_01 1:00:55

There might be three of them now. I only really played that, and it it was like, you know, that felt peak, kind of 16-bit RPG to me. Golden the Sun's a particularly good one. I've slapped it on more recently, and I'd be honest with you, I don't really feel like it's aged particularly well. The opening's a bit the opening feels a bit kind of. I don't know. These games, I suppose, didn't have to compete with your phone, did they? Uh and it rumbled on a little bit. I do remember at the time it rumbling on a little bit. I'm just like, just let me play the game for God's sake.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:32

Well, I just um double checked it was out um 12th November in America and it came out in February in UK. That feels more like it.

SPEAKER_01 1:01:41

That's when I bought it.

SPEAKER_02 1:01:42

Yeah. Um, but again, you know, really love series as well. Um, I'll tell you another one I'm gonna pick out as well, if I may, and that's World Rally Championship. Um what a great game. I put hours and hours into this, and that WRC that then sort of obviously spawned into Colin McCrae and bits and pieces as well. Um, but the two games are absolutely brilliant, and WRC I really enjoyed, and I I at the time felt really realistic. Um, even when your brakes used to squeak and your co-driver giving you your instructions, and yeah, it was banging. Yeah, really, really good. Very, very addictive game as well. But give you that, you know, Rally was at a peak then as well, so it was really good timing.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:29

Um, the Dreamcast banger in res.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:32

Um, yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 1:02:34

Just shout out to those original Xbox games as well, getting a launch. So we've got Amps, we've got Dead or Alive 3, we've got my aforementioned Project Gotham from the other page, got Fusion Frenzy, got Halo, I think Mad Dash Racing is one that I'm picking out here. I do believe that was a uh we've got Munch's Odyssey, NFL Fever, these are the um don't forget, listeners, these are the uh American releases, but we're here for our brothers as well. Um looks like a game called Kabuki Warriors, and I do believe uh is that the last one?

SPEAKER_02 1:03:08

Yes, and Frenzy was a pack in and Halo.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:12

Yeah. And I thought I saw another one at the top.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:17

Oh, there was a uh maybe not.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:22

Maybe that original burnout was also there, or I can't quite remember now, but I'm definitely confident about those other ones.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:29

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:30

GameCube must not have been very old either, because obviously getting Rogue Leader and um Luigi's is and Pikmin is interesting.

SPEAKER_02 1:03:40

Yeah, uh Luigi's Mansion Super Monkey Ball, I believe, was on there.

SPEAKER_01 1:03:44

This is like the dawn of the next era, isn't it? Really? Yeah, yeah, Sue just didn't it's sort of I would say stride with your GTAs, etc. Oh, here's another um Xbox launch game, Azuric Rise of Herethia.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:01

And Amp't as well, freestyle snowboarding.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:03

Yeah, I shouted him out, but that's a great series. You're all good. Um Simpson. Amp 1 and 2, I loved on a original Xbox, and Amp three to me is just a pure money shot.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:14

Yeah, maybe what he's saying to me about playing those.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:16

Amp three. I don't know if you've ever played that.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:19

Oh, I've got it, but I haven't played it.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:21

The best snowboarding game you'd probably ever play. Really?

SPEAKER_02 1:04:25

Yep.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:31

For me, Amp three is particularly attractive because the way it does its animations between the levels, uh there's something about that product, the slickness of it. It's almost got like Persona 5 slickness to it.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:45

Oh wow.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:47

I'm overhyping it.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:49

I'll give it a go though.

SPEAKER_01 1:04:50

Um I think I think you should. AMP 1 and 2 are a little bit drier version of it. Very dry, dude.

SPEAKER_02 1:04:56

Um also got Simpsons Road Rage, which is obviously there was a bit of rage there, because they end up having to go to court with Sager over the crazy taxi clone.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:06

Yeah, and then they followed that up with another clone.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:10

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:11

I never really liked Road Rage that much, I have to admit. Like hit and run to me is that's the real deal.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:18

Yeah, I'm with you all the way on that. I mean, Road Rage was was okay, but if you wanted to play that sort of game, you'd play Crazy Taxi. You'd you know it was just reskin Crazy Taxi really just ripped off. Yeah, and it was hit and run worked in the Simpsons world. That was a nice way of driving round Springfield and doing missions and bits, which was quite good fun.

SPEAKER_01 1:05:37

In a way, Road Rage does. I think Road Rage with the benefit of time would definitely sit on the good Simpsons game pile. I just don't think of the vehicular driving Simpsons games. Obviously, this is uh it's not close.

SPEAKER_02 1:05:51

Yeah, yeah, very true. Yeah, very true. Um just a shout out, we had uh Pro Revolution Soccer, we all know how well that went. Absolutely brilliant. We spoke about enough on the show. Um, what else do we have? Oh, SmackDown, just bring it. Any good game, that George? I'm not a resting game, so I don't know, but I would imagine.

SPEAKER_01 1:06:09

Yeah, again, I think SmackDown Just Bring It, I believe, was basically I think there's Know Your Roll, Just Bring It, and another one. These were the sort of second, these were the third and fourth. I can't quite remember which exactly this one is. I think it might be the one before I can't remember now. Either which way, to me, this one's just an evolution of the PS1 games.

SPEAKER_02 1:06:35

Okay.

Stingray’s Boot: November 2001 Picks

SPEAKER_01 1:06:36

This franchise didn't really hit and I like the PS1 games, particularly the second one. I didn't really vibe with the PS2 versions for that reason. They just didn't hit with me until we got to you see, in this era I was off playing WWE RAW or WWF RAW and RAW 2 on Xbox because they felt a little bit more of what I wanted. It was slow, more tactical, no mercy. Both of those games broken as all hell. Didn't really return to like the wrestling game arena full time until um the aforementioned Here Comes the Pain that I talked about a couple of weeks ago. Yeah. And then this weekend, in all honesty, I spent probably a little bit more time than I should have done playing its sequel.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:18

Did you? Did you have fun though? That's the main thing. So much. There you go, then there's no you don't say that you played a little bit.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:25

It's always a grind when you not start a new career because your character's low stated. And even if you if you go to the single player mode and just try and practice with your character, you win the match. You're like, well, what am I doing wrong? Well in career mode, everyone's bounced back down to 23 stats. So when you first start playing it, like why is he so slow? Like, what am I doing wrong? And like matches are hard, like you have to work them.

SPEAKER_02 1:07:45

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:07:45

Um, but top tip if you just spend your money, don't spend the money on getting bra and panties for the divas. Don't do it. It's tempting. Just buy the experience points out of the shop so you can level up quicker. And then get then get the bright panties.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:04

Top tip. Um sorry Harry Potter and well, Sorcerer's Stone as it was um to our American Brothers, but it's actually Philosopher's Stone over here. Game Boy Colour one. Now everyone thinks that's going to be terrible in Game Boy Colour, but if I remember rightly, that's like a turn-based RPG on a Game Boy.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:22

Yeah, again, it was the original versions. Yeah, I played the wheels off Sorcerer's Stone on PS1. I was reading the books. I was I mean what man sort of a man was I. No, I was sat reading Harry Potter books at 20 some odd. And then sat on a PS1 with a little L C D screen playing this game.

SPEAKER_02 1:08:46

Uh and made on a re-release of PS2, which is probably the place to play it.

SPEAKER_01 1:08:51

Oh, most definitely. It's a different game, actually, I think, from memory. Um, but the PS1 version, mate, warpy textures on the wall, haggrid, horrible face, and I still played the wheels off of it, and mate, in my head. Bless little me. In my head, it probably still felt like I was playing Hogwarts Legacy.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:14

Yeah. Oh yeah, definitely. It would have done at the time. Would have done at the time.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:17

And then I just I just got a little bit sort of sad for the young version of me, sat on his own playing that.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:24

Well, I um I didn't know a lot about the Game Boy Colour though until I watched a channel called Flandrew on YouTube and he was going through them and actually then broke down the Game Boy Colour one and then actually realised this uh you know it's almost a JRPG turn-based game, and actually really good for the system.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:42

I think I've seen that same video and I think I mean retrospectively we now know through the the perk of emulation, even on your mobile, that yeah, that might be the better game to play.

SPEAKER_02 1:09:53

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:09:54

But at the time There'd have been no way you'd have got me playing that and admitting it was good compared to that. You see, it's only through retrospection that we can actually maybe appreciate these things.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:04

Yeah, definitely.

SPEAKER_01 1:10:05

Um shout out to Bill Gates Stroke Epstein's favourite game, Fusion Frenzy. It's the one he pulled out of the Xbox Launch. So at the Xbox Launch franchise out of all the games, Odd World Munches, Odyssey, PGR, Halo, you know, he picks out Fusion Frenzy. There's something wrong with that bloke. We should have known then.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:28

Well, let's not get political. What film are you picking out then, George?

SPEAKER_01 1:10:32

Uh there is there can be, really. One film to rule them all, mate. And in 2002, the only film I'm getting out of Ray's boot is Lord of the Rings Two Towers.

SPEAKER_02 1:10:48

Nice. Um the one I'm picking is actually released in October as well. Um this was a film I can't quite believe till I had to do the double and treble check. It's 25 years old, but apparently it is. Um this is a film that not a lot of people speak about now, um, but I thought was an absolutely brilliant film, and that is a film called K-Pax, if anyone's ever heard or seen that film.

SPEAKER_01 1:11:14

Um You picked out K-Pax. I'm just looking in his boot. He's got Lord of the Rings, which is given to me. He's got Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, it's got Spider-Man 1, Star Wars Episode 2, Attack of the Clonus, Many Black 2, Die Another Day, Signs, Ice Age, My Big Fat Greek Yoghurt, Minority Report.

SPEAKER_02 1:11:35

Yeah, but I'm not like you mainstreamers. He's so edgy. I go hidden gems even in movies, mate. And I was doing it back then. K Pax, absolutely brilliant film. Look at that, absolutely superb. Um, yeah, very unique. Give it a go. Not none of this mainstream rubbish that he's touting on about. Um there as you can see from that, there was a lot of games to choose from.

SPEAKER_01 1:12:05

So many.

SPEAKER_02 1:12:10

Yeah, I mean, unbelievable. There were so many games here. We had so much to choose from. That's what BS won. Yeah. Yeah. I mean, so many systems to play for. Um, you know, and then obviously we done our news. I hoped, you know, there was a little bit there for everyone. Um, a little bit different in 2001, but you could see who was making ways in the industry and who weren't, with SNK falling away, they weren't able to keep up. But then PS2's doing online games. Um, so you can see where they were trying to head, and then all the trouble with you know these big releases like the getaway. So it's a little bit different there from each thing. Um but we'll do a little bit of housekeeping now. Um just like to say thanks to everyone I met in Bristol at the weekend, absolutely brilliant. Um, quite a few people come up and said they enjoyed the show, enjoyed UCP and people from Discord that I met up with, other YouTubers such as Retro Ed, RGT, John Riggs. Um great to catch up with all these people. So if you're listening, thank you very much. I'd have to do that.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:12

I was gonna say if the listeners are resort of meeting, you thank you. Welcome to Flashy B. Welcome to the wider UCP family. Let's get you took Tin. Straight the face, RGT.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:22

I just have. I did at the weekend.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:25

Hmm. That was under the influence of alcohol. I want this to be sober to.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:30

To be fair, some have blocked me now.

SPEAKER_01 1:13:32

But anyway, um You're like the teetron in between us. Not the tall guy.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:37

Wow, wow. This isn't UCP, keep it clean, please, be professional. There's a number of drops you've done in this one. Um But yeah, anyway, we had a great weekend.

SPEAKER_00 1:13:48

You can take the boy out of the UCP, but you can't take the UCP out of the boy.

SPEAKER_02 1:13:52

No, you can't. Um, we had a great weekend, plenty of pickups, uh, got some brilliant pickups. Um it was a great, you know, market as well. There was the Oliver twins were there talking about Dizzy as well, which was really good on stage. Um amongst other guests, there was a lot of new indie developers there doing these new games, which um we were chatting to. So really good. I definitely recommend it. But the main thing of these events is the community, meeting the people, having meals out, meeting new people as well, and you know, all getting friends. It was really, really good. Interesting to talk to other people who you know are YouTubers and content creators and what they're doing and how they do it. So very, very interesting. George is just wetting himself again, he can't be serious for two minutes. What's the matter now, George? Hang on, should we just end the show? Right.

SPEAKER_01 1:14:43

No, no, don't, don't. Because we've got the website to talk about, we've got the email, the Discord, all that good stuff. So no, we shouldn't end the show. I just the idea of you spilling round Bristol with your life, hanging out with uh with your wife, hanging out with content creators, it was just a step too far for me.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:00

I think everything I do is a step too far for you. It's always funny, never serious. I think my whole life is. What's wrong with that? Everything I say, I just get you giggling in the background to whatever.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:13

That's my fault. That's my fault.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:15

Um, but yes, website as well. Definitely check the website out. We've got flashback on there. We've got loads going on on the website.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:21

Website's smashing RGT.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:22

Thanks to Captain Scarlet, he's not gonna wonders.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:26

Oh, Captain Scarlet, yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:28

Yeah, definitely, absolutely brilliant, and it's it's evolving all the time. Um if you want or email us, anything about the show, it's uh questions at unofficial controller podcast.com um or like the put flashback in the title so we can get it to the right place, if you could please.

SPEAKER_01 1:15:42

Yes, please. But no stress. Yes, uh and if you message the show and you want us to shout you out through the medium of the text in the audio shows, put your name at the end.

SPEAKER_02 1:15:54

Yes, yeah, put your name in. Um we had the comment last week that came through our um our uh provider itself, so that comes straight through to us and then we can shout you out.

SPEAKER_01 1:16:04

They built it to be anonymous, but we're not really using it that way. So if you want to sh and we'll own our failures, RGT, we will. So if you want to shout us out, you just pop your name at the end. Yes, no, we'll shout you out, pop your name at the end and we'll we'll stand correct it.

SPEAKER_02 1:16:18

Yes, there's nowhere for us to reply to you that like that other than on the show. So if you want your name read out, put your name at the end and we'll give you a shout out on that. Um if you want to check the Discord out, um you can do it by various different ways, either on uh UCP Instagram or uh Retro Gamer Thomas Instagram. We've got uh link link trees on there, jump on there, jump in. We've had a few new people join recently who have really joined in the community, joined in let's get quizzical channel. I did one of my check-ins the other day and was blown away by you know, yeah, and everyone's you know, as always, with our Discord. It is a great family place, it's very friendly. There's you know, it's just a great place to join in, come and talk about some games, show these collections or bits you've been buying, come join in with a challenge accepting the bits and pieces that DM does. Um it's great fun. Um and also don't forget we will be at OLL26 at Epic Studios in Norwich on the 11th of April. Uh that's a Saturday. If you get your tickets there, um come and say hi. We'll have a table there, a bit of flashback, a bit of UCP, um, different bits and pieces. Come and have a chat. Um, come and let us know you enjoy the show. Um yeah, and hopefully we can have a we can have a good time there as well. So that's another event that we will be doing. Um anything else you want to add, George?

SPEAKER_01 1:17:34

No, you've you've you've done the housekeeper, mate, website, email, discord. Oh LL, excited for that. Looking forward to that. Yeah, be brilliant. Um glad that everyone had a good time at Bristol Gaming Market. Glad that the show's getting the recognition it it it deserves, mate. Um, another great episode.

SPEAKER_02 1:17:50

Yeah, it was it was really good, and like I say, it's uh so nice too, you know. Scott's got a really Scott and Retrohead have a really good community round them of other lot I say creators and that, and to be part of that was was really good. Um that's nice. And then when they're saying how they enjoy the show and what we do, and we had comments about you know how we bounce off each other and we're funny and we're unique, it's nothing to quite like what we do. It's it was brilliant. The compliments were fantastic, blew me away. Everyone's very kind.

Xbox Launch Standouts And GameCube Gems

SPEAKER_01 1:18:18

We're like the connoisseurs special secret, aren't we? It's just a shame they don't share it with a few more of the connoisseurs.

SPEAKER_02 1:18:25

Yeah, or just download the back catalogue once a week on a different device.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:28

Well, we've been going since the internet started. Like, what have we done wrong? Who were we hurting?

SPEAKER_02 1:18:32

Yeah. But if you haven't heard UCP, yeah, definitely just jump across. There's well over 300 episodes on there now, you know, seven years of content. Um, very different shows from retrospectives or up to the modern sort of new shows. Jump on, download a few, have a bit of fun. I'm not saying jumping to display, come say home.

SPEAKER_01 1:18:49

It's like stepping in my on my foot RGT and my brain lifting open like a flip-top bin, and then you can it's basically like 300 episodes looking in my brain. Um that's probably put them all off and unsubscribed anyone that we've managed to find. Oh, we see thank you to everyone who listens on the audio, we really do appreciate that. Uh obviously, we're not quite ready to push um uh Flashy V to video yet. Um but we'll look forward to seeing you there. And um, if you're listening to this, we thank you for your audio support, but we'd love to see you on YouTube. Uh I never thought you know seven years of audio success would mean that when we finally decided to give YouTube a proper go, it would be turned into probably one of the hardest slogs of our life. Yeah. Um there's a lot of people on YouTube. Yeah, there certainly is, and there are a lot of people.

SPEAKER_02 1:19:43

There's a lot of people on audio um yeah, it's tricky. Um so if you do listen on a download, please go across to YouTube, give us a sub. If you want to comment on a video, please do have a watch of the video. Because that even though you've already listened to the show, actually watching it, one, you get to see our beautiful faces, mainly George's.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:05

Um, I still still do not know why you're obsessed with seeing two great men talking about kids' toys on the internet, but you demanded it.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:14

Yeah.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:14

So we're giving you it.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:16

So um, yeah, jump across over to there, and uh if you could, even if you know, just give us a sub, give us a little boost that way, and and yeah, that'll all help in the long run, hopefully. Um but I think we're about done, aren't we, George?

SPEAKER_01 1:20:29

Yeah, thank you. Yeah.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:30

Well, yeah, thanks to everyone.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:32

Let me embrace you the way I should embrace I should have embraced video from the start.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:39

Wow. I'm gonna clip that, use it as my message though. Uh got a message from George.

SPEAKER_00 1:20:48

There you go, pal.

SPEAKER_02 1:20:49

Um, yes, thanks to everyone who's listening, downloading, and carrying on enjoying the show and all your nice comments. Thanks to you, George, as always, for joining us.

SPEAKER_01 1:20:57

Thank you, good sir. Thank you to everyone that's listened.

SPEAKER_02 1:21:00

And just leaves me to say flashback, the games you loved, the stories you forgot. See you later, everyone, and I'll see you later, George.

SPEAKER_01 1:21:09

See you guys.