Flashback
Take a walk through gaming history as we pick a random date in gaming history and bring you the news from that time as if it was now , different era every week - covering all of gaming history
Flashback
A look at gaming in January 2003
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Metroid almost became a live-action movie, GTA Vice City nearly competed for a serious design award, and the PS2 was about to get a flood of brand-new $9.99 games. January 2003 was not quiet, it was just weird in the best way, and that makes it perfect for a retro gaming time capsule.
I’m flying solo this week as we jump back to January 2003 and scan what we would have been playing across PS2, original Xbox, GameCube, and Game Boy Advance. We talk through a grab bag of releases, then slow down for the games that still spark curiosity today: The Getaway’s HUD-free, movie-like approach to crime action, and OutRun 2 as an all-time arcade racer that shows off what the original Xbox could do.
Then we dig into three stories pulled from the gaming press of the time: the unrealized Metroid film plans and what kind of Samus casting could work now, Vice City’s recognition by London’s Design Museum and why its 80s Miami aesthetic still lands, and the “Play It” budget publisher strategy that raises a timeless question about cheap games and hidden gems versus shovelware. We wrap with Stingray’s Boot picks for February 2003, a quick movie recommendation with The Ring, and ways to join the conversation through email and Discord.
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Welcome And The Flashback Format
SPEAKER_00This is episode 28. This week we're in January 2003. I'm on GT, and as always, I'm joined by just me this week. Unfortunately, just got me as a solo with uh work commitments and that we've all been a bit tied up, so uh I thought I'd do a solo for you this week, so it might be a bit shorter. Um, but we'll still do the same format. So if you're new to the show, welcome. Um, hope you enjoy it. There's plenty more to download. Um, also check out UCP, our other show. Um, but the the format of this will be basically looking at a random month in a random year. Um, and like I say, this one is January 2003. Um, so we'll be looking at what we would have been playing or hoping to have been playing at that time. Um, three news articles from that era. We finish up with a bit of Stingray's boot. Um, see what he's got for us to purchase, which is normally um what we would have hoped to have been playing in the following months coming up, and maybe even a little movie pick at the end. Um, but yeah, let's um let's jump straight in.
January 2003 Game Releases
SPEAKER_00Um quite a few games here that I hadn't actually played um in this, especially this era and this month as well. I mean, I'll start off with it as Kirby Nightmare and Dreamland. Never really been much of a Kirby player, but I know the fans of Kirby, you know, rave about the games, you know. It's always it's almost a bit like Metroid, that's that sort of IP of Nintendo that always sort of burning away in the background. Um, I think the only one I played was the Forgotten Land or Forgotten World on the Switch. That was quite good. Different sort of take on Kirby, that sort of 3D, sort of almost apocalyptic sort of um era sort of world, really. But that was quite good. But the others I haven't really sort of dabbled in. Um and another game I haven't played, um Legend of Zelda Four Swords. Um now I've always been tempted with these games. I mean, there's I wouldn't say they're sort of spin-off games, so there's loads of these sort of smaller Zelda games, you know, with four swords and Minish Cap and Lynx Awakening and all those. Link's Awakened I've played, but the newer version. But these have always interest interested me. I mean, my sort of experience with Zelda is um a lot later with Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom, um both incredible games, especially Breath of the Wild. I mean, you know, I've watched a little about that before, but I've always been tempted to go back and play these ones. I have played the original Zelda. Um, I sort of got more into that when I picked up my Nes Mini when that came out and played through that, and that was good fun. I'd love to go through and play back through the Zeldas, and definitely Four Swords is one of them I'll be interested in. Um what else we got here? NCAA college basketball. Um, that was for the original Xbox. Um, obviously, quite popular games, basketball games at the time, and and the college ones were. I remember with the college football as well, I think a couple of years ago, one of those got quite an expensive game. Um, but obviously nothing I'd sort of played, or whether it even got released in Power Regions, I don't know. Um, we had a Mega Man Battle Network 3 uh white version. Now, back in the day I did have Game Boy Advanced, I think this was Game Boy Advanced game. Um, and I did have a Mega Man Battle Network game. I can't remember if that was the first or second. Correct me, you know, if you listen on YouTube, comment down below, let us know about it. And I remember quite enjoying it and wish I still had it. That was quite a different game for um for a Mega Man, but yeah, it was you know decent. Um, what else did we have? Crimson Sea. Um, don't really know too much about that game, but one game I do know quite a bit about, and that's the getaway.
The Getaway And HUD-Free Design
SPEAKER_00Um, good friend of the show, Mike Rice, was was a developer on this game when this was coming out. Um award-winning game. Um, and recently George from UCP has recently played through this game again and absolutely loved it. It's um if you haven't played a getaway on the PS2, it's it's a very different game. They've sort of they sort of went down this GTA sort of route set in London and a very good representation of London, I might add. And I think Mike Grace, who who we know is also retro gamer boy on YouTube, check him out. Um, I think he worked on sort of car models and stuff, which looks fantastic for the time um for a PS2 game. Um, but it's set in London, but it was more the the you know, the lead developer wanted it more like a movie, so you didn't seem you didn't have your HUD, so to speak, so you didn't have how many bullets you had, you didn't have what weapon you had, you didn't have your health, you know, it was more of a movie, and you just done that by eye, which was very different for the time, it's still very different for today. Um, definitely worth going back and playing. It's it's it's clunky in places now, it's bound to be, you know, it's a it's a 24-year-old game, but um it done things differently. Um, and they did follow it up with uh was it Black Monday? I think it was the the getaway, the second one. Um, but yeah, I definitely recommend checking them out just for a different take on that sort of crime, fight, and open world sort of genre that was about at the time. Um who else do we have? Sims Online. Uh wow, imagine playing it online. I bet some people got addicted to that. Um we also had Sonic Advance 2, um, which I think I had as well, but I can't quite remember. Um, there was also Chocobo Land, a game of dice, but there was also Panzer Dragoon Order. Um now Panzer Dragoons again, I've sort of sporadically played. I think I've got the first two on Sega Saturn. Um I've never obviously played the third one, the saga, which is rather expensive, but this order I've got as well. Now I think it was recently on um or within the last 80 months, anyway, on Retro Asylum. Um great UK podcast retro game, and they they used to do a game club and pick a game, and I think this was one of them. Um and it it sort of intrigued me to go back and play it, so something I might might dip into again and and and and play back because it does look a good game, and especially being on the original Xbox with a power of that console, I bet it looks pretty good. Um we had Mr. Driller, Drill Land, which you know, if you're into them sort of arcade games, you know, as perfect sort of game. I would imagine that was handheld as well. Um, King of Fighters. We always say there's a King of Fighters. There seems to be one every year at least, nearly every month, I think. Um, what else did we have? Fame Academy, the breakdown, war chess. I mean, a lot of these I imagine would probably be sort of early console but also PC games, Dogma, um, Apprentice M MLB Slam. I haven't heard of that one. Um, I don't know what that was like. Um one uh one must fall battlegrounds, never heard of that either. So it's quite an unusual month for games coming out, I suppose just
OutRun 2 And Xbox Arcade DNA
SPEAKER_00after Christmas as well. But one that um caught my eye again, um Outrun 2 on the OG Xbox. Um fantastic game. I mean, I know with the OG Xbox how they almost sort of took up the mantle from the Dreamcast, you know, they sort of helped the Dreamcast, and then they took on those those IPs, you know, jet set radio and and um Shenmu and that onto the system. Well, they almost had that although they had the the RPGs and bits, they also also had a bit of that arcade DNA in there from Sega, and this this outrun 2 is a fantastic game on the original Xbox if you want that arcade feel. Um, one of the best outruns, in in my opinion. Um, that and Coast to Coast, um, definitely worth checking out. Um, and it just show how good that original Xbox was because you could have like I say from RPGs to um right through to arcade games and especially as good as Outrun 2. Um there was also Perfect Ace Pro Tournament Tennis. Now I'm sure I remember playing this. I went for a bit of a spate of playing a lot of tennis games back in the day. Um and I'm sure I remember playing this because I'm sure they had on this, I'm sure they had like a um training where you would knock down like 10 pin bowling pins on the other side and and random sort of training things to get your player up to spec. I'm sure that was one of those. Let me know if that was that, unless unless I'm thinking of a a virtue attenness, I can't remember, but I'm sure that was on one of them. Um what else have we got on here? A tale
SimCity 4 And School Days Nostalgia
SPEAKER_00in the desert. Um we also had School Tycoon. Now, although I've that was on PC, although I've never played it, that does remind me of a game I played and loved on my spectrum, which was School Days. Um, I've been itching to get back onto it since I bought the um Um Retro Games UK Spectrum they released, the 48k one, which is a great representation of a Spectrum. It is it looks just as good as the original, just with an HDMI out. So definitely look at them if you're a Spectrum fan. But yes, it reminds me of school days, whether it is like that or not. I mean, if you played school Tycoon, let me know. But school days was brilliant, hey, to get to your to your lessons, and you know, when the teacher turned around, you could hit them with a catapult in the back of the head and not get caught, and you couldn't get you could get done for truancy. And that was sort of one of the first games I remember from being young, where it was more open to what you could do. Yes, your limitations on the spectrum were limited, obviously, but with your graphics and bits and pieces, but you did feel like you were that character you were going to school and what you could get up to. It was uh it was very clever and ahead of us time, really. School days. I'd love to see a remake of that, that'd be brilliant. That'd sort of almost be in the sort of realm of bully, I suppose, or caniscane and edit as we knew it. But um, what else did we have? Well, funnily enough, we always say this at the end of the show, but Star Wars, the battle for end battle of endor. Um, haven't played it, but always makes me laugh when I see that. Um, what else do we have? Dogfight, Battle of the Pacific. Umpossible creatures. Never heard of that. Now that is a that is a random cover. Um, obviously, you'll listen to this on audio, but this is like a scorpion with a tiger's head. I'll say no more on that one. Um, air raid, this is not a drill. Um we also had um Highland Warriors, but also Pride FC Fighting Championships. Now, I know obviously Pride is um I don't know if that's the Japanese sort of version of the UFC. Um, but this is by THQ. Now I didn't realise that there was obviously now we just know EA and and UFC. I didn't realise that there was a a Pride version of that in 2003. So be interested to see how good that was and what systems that was on, but I never remember seeing it, whether that was just a region-based one, or you know, because we only just sort of know the the yearly representations of UFC nowadays, and although I played the early ones of of UFC, it's not I got a bit bored after one and two, and I think I might have played three, but it was much of a muchness, I think. I know some people quite enjoy playing them online and get quite competitive online, but yeah, it's not really my sort of thing, unfortunately. Um, what else do we have? Uh Dynasty Warriors 3 Extreme Legends, uh War of Monsters. Um, looks very sort of rampage-y to me that uh Legend of Zord. We also had Sim City 4. Um, and that's again Sim Cities. I think I might have played back in the day Sim City on the SNES, um, which I quite enjoy, but I've never really gone back to those sort of uh city building sort of godsim sort of games, really. Um, and I said I should do really, I mean, I've recently picked up. I was showing George the other day, I've been away for a week, but I recently picked up um Rao Empire 2 for my Switch, uh something I you know that's on that sort of ilk, you know, creating an area and building up and bits and pieces. Um, so yeah, I really should get back into those those older ones. And I mean I used to play Theme Park as well back in the day, and they were always quite good, but I don't know whether I just thought they got too complicated as time went on and stuff. But um I think, although short, I'm sorry it is short, but I think that is pretty much um what we or what I would have been playing at that time. Um
News From January 2003
SPEAKER_00so it brings us on to the news. We scoured the very darkest back pages of the Gamer Mags and even delved deep into the Interweb to bring you what was the latest stories in January 2003. First up from Eurogamer.
Metroid Film Rights That Vanished
SPEAKER_00Um Metroid film rights sold. Warren Zide and Craig Perry of Zyde Perry Entertainment have bought the rights to a Metroid feature film. Variety reports. Both are Hollywood producers with Final Destination. It makes you wonder if there is fate in this world. An American pie, I laugh so hard, I spit out half the bucket of popcorn I was and pop I was drinking. Um so they were both behind those. Nothing has been particularly confirmed other than a pair's plans to find a decent writer and director to adapt the property. But N Files uh uh brings us up onto the plot. Story is set in a once peaceful galaxy which is which has its prosperity shattered by startling new discovery. On a routine mapping expedition of a planet, a survey crew discovers a new airborne life form, the Metroid, able to engulf other living beings, feed on their energy and multiply in great numbers. They prove a terrifying menace. Female bounty hunter Samusaran is commissioned by the Galactic Federation to eliminate the pests, but she soon discovers that pirates with a stolen Metroid specimen are plotting to breed and build an unstoppable army. Metroid Prime, the stunning GameCube game which triggered all of this nonsense, is due out in Europe on March 21st. Now um obviously they mentioned Metroid Prime at the end air on the GameCube, and we all know how good a game that was, especially how it looked. Excuse me, I'm just having a drink. Um yeah, it looked an incredible game. They've recently just released the fourth installment of that as a recording on the on this uh Switch Switch 2. Um now I never realised they were planning to do a film of this. Um I mean you come to think of it, you think mmm. With that sort of space story and the Metroids and Samus and that, you think it could have made a good film, but obviously this was early days. Um they'd obviously announced that they'd got the property, they were looking for directors, they were looking for writers to take this this on, and um it obviously never happened. I mean, I looked into it a little bit, um it was a live action version, um, but after a while nothing happened, and and apparently the the rights um expired, and then John Wu stepped in and said he would develop the movie um with producers Brad Foxhoven, Suzanne Zizzy, and Terence Chang were attached. Um the film again was going to be based around Sarah Saran and her early battles with Metroids and Mother Brain. Um, but you know, there was small bits of information, nothing was really given. Um, and I think it was scheduled to be released sort of 2006. Um but I mean nothing nothing ever happened. I mean there's there's always been rumours in recent years that they were they were planning to do one. Um but it's a shame really, I mean, because I've I think it would have made a good movie, and I know you know in the past games to movies rarely work. I mean, I think of late, probably ones that have worked and that have been popular are things like Fallout series, the Last of Us series, which I think was a fantastic representation of the game, or at least so far. Um those sorts of ones seem to work, but then we seem to have the ones that seem to bomb, like um Borderlands and you know the early tomb raiders, where at the time you probably thought they were quite good, but you look back at the early tomb raiders with Angelina Jolie and that, and you just sort of think, mmm, you know, it's not it's just a bit silly, you know, and sometimes things that we accept in games don't translate to films very well. Um so yeah, it's I I just think that this probably could have been something that could work because it was we know Metroid, we know sort of the the world is setting and the galaxy is setting, so I think that over-the-top stuff would have probably worked in here, and I think that could have made a decent movie, but obviously it weren't meant to be. I mean, two two lots took it on and still never managed to make it work. So, whether that was because maybe you need a writer who's in with the law or you know knows the games inside out, and maybe that just that person wasn't available, I don't know. Um, but it seems such a shame because you just think you know, Samus seeing a film version of Samus would have been brilliant. I've been interested in who'd cast. I mean, let us know down below in the comments, or if you're listening, contact the show, let us know. Um, you can do it on your podcast supplier or questions at unofficial controller podcast.com. Let us know who you'd put you know put in there. And if you're listening, you're in the Discord, let us know in the Discord. I'd be really interested in our little flashback section. You know, if if the film was to go ahead now, Metroid film, who would who would you cast as Samus? That'd be quite interesting. Um, but yeah, that's and also it probably could have spawned a series of games. Um because you think uh not series of games, excuse me, series of films. Um because I mean obviously like with The Last of Us, they've only got the two games, but they've uh broke the seasons down, you know, so you have sort of the first and second season of the first game and broke down with the longevity, because obviously with film you can fill more up with bits and pieces that you probably wanted to add in. Um so that is interesting. Um, and like I say, it could have been a decent little series, but I wouldn't say it isn't gonna happen, but I I very much doubt now that a uh a Metroid film series is on the cards. But you know, also let us know what what if you think of Nintendo properties, what would you think would be. I know they're making films of Mara stuff, but the unusual properties, what do you think would be a good one? We've got the Zelda coming out soon, so yeah, let us know what you think would be a uh a good Nintendo exclusive movie. Um let's move on to the next part of the news. And
Vice City Heads To A Museum
SPEAKER_00this is also from Eurogamer uh Vice City Up for Design Award. Um and it's from a real museum and all. Yeah, I had to read this twice. Um Grand Theft Auto is to be recognised, and I don't just mean when you walk into a lounge and spot your in-laws crowded round a TV with a six-star wanted rating. According to the BBC, GTA Vice City developer Rockstar North, along with jewellery and chandelier designers, and Apple's Jonathan Ive will make up the short list for the new designer of the year award. The inaugural award launched by London's Design Museum will earn the winner £25,000 and will be announced in June. Of course, £25,000 is small change to a company whose game sold £1.25 million copies in under six weeks, but to be held in the same regard as more traditional designers is high praise indeed. An exhibition of the work of the four nominees will be staged at the design museum from March 1st to June 29, 2003. The four nominees have all been made fantastic have all made fantastic contributions to the world of design, according to the one of the jurors' fashions guru Paul Smith, and their work in 2002 was exceptional. Vice City's credentials acquire little explanation around here, but since you've you've you're no doubt interested, it goes up against some very interesting competition, most notably Apple's Jonathan Ive and uh the London born designer responsible for. For reinventing Apple systems with designs for Macs, iPod, and even the new bizarre Blob Plus LCD combo. The others, Royal College of Art veteran Todd Boonchi, the muse uh the blossom chandelier, the Salange Arguzi Partridge, designer of her own engagement ring, will be shooting from the more traditional realms of design, but one feels 2002 may be given over to one of the E contemporaries. Um yeah, I never knew about this with Vice City. Um I found it absolutely fascinating. Um and when you think of the bad rap that always went round uh Vice City and GTAs, especially you know Vice City with lawsuits and bits and pieces, which is probably after this, but um being taken to court and for you know they were crazy at this stage about thinking that video games influenced um teenagers um to into doing things that they'd seen in the game. Um I know a lot of people will say, you know, bad news is good news, but you know, it was always seemed to link to that. But then to suddenly be linked in this high esteem um for a design award for you know for a you know uh a game property, you know, uh is just crazy when you think of the designers they're up against, you know, more physical designers. Um and like they say, 25,000, you know, ain't gonna be a lot too rockstar, but it was the you know, the chance to have the opportunity to win a design award and be recognised for how good that game was, you know. Not only, I mean, and I think the design side of it is not only did they create this big open world, not only did they create um, you know, the second sort of installment of their open world games that was just you know absolutely fantastic, but it was you know, I think the more the design side probably comes from their their 80s Miami aesthetic that they set in this game that that came over so well, and you know, the opening scene with you know Michael Jackson playing, and it was something else, and I think you know probably where they were aiming at with this design award, in my opinion, because to me it just was 80s, you know, and they they nailed it from you know having Rayleigh Otter as Tommy Vichetti and you know just a voice acting to the lot I say the design of that Miami-looking Vice City and the neon lights and the nightclubs, the music that they played. It was just this complete package that you know the likes of us gamers hadn't seen before. You know, we'd had GTA 3, but nothing to you know, GTA 3 was the launch pad, but it it was set in you know an American city, but then to take that back to the 80s and really just build this whole 80s city was just absolutely fantastic, and the depth in the game. I mean, I've played through and completed recently. We done a live stream a couple of years ago um on our UCP channel, and yeah, the game's a lot shorter than you remember. But I suppose at the time you were trying all the rampages and the bits and pieces, trying to 100% everything, you know, get the businesses and stuff. But yeah, great game, and um, yeah, great, great nomination for them to be to be pitched, you know, uh especially at a design museum as well. I'd have been interested, that would have been nice to have seen what the the exhibition was like, how they put that forward, whether they just had stills of the game or cutouts, or did they have you know, even a you know, a TV plan reels of the game or bits and pieces, dunno, but I would imagine that would have probably been sort of more of the the stills of of the game and and you know the characters and cars and models and and the you know like Vice City at night with the neons and that, but absolutely brilliant and probably I would say probably one of the first times that a gaming company had probably been entered into a design award, I would imagine. I might be wrong. Like I say, let us know if you know any different, but I can't imagine there'd been many companies up till then that had that had got to to you know be in the design museum with a chance of winning an award, especially against more sort of conventional designers. Um, but yeah, absolutely fantastic. We'll have to uh find out and see how they get on, and I'll have to let you know on next week's show because uh I'd be amazing if they did actually come out and have won that. Um yeah, so we'll get on to our final piece of news, which funnily enough is from Eurogamer again.
The 9.99 PS2 Budget Line Debate
SPEAKER_00They had so many good when I was researching this had so many interesting stories for just this month. There must have been 40-50 articles just from January 2003, and although the game seemed a bit slow for this month, the news articles there was loads, and I thought, what could you know which ones do I pick? It took me hours to pick which ones, and I went with these three just for how sort of different they were and things I haven't heard of, and look you might not have heard of. Um, so yeah, hopefully, uh, even this last one will be be as good. Um, play it again, man. This is called, um, or then again, maybe not. Budget conscious PS2 gamers will shortly have a range of brand new $9.99, that's pound sterling, titles to choose from, thanks to newly formed UK publisher by the name of Play It. According to a report in trade magazine, four titles launched initially, um, which is play at pinball, sell damage overdrive, seek and destroy, and road trip with up to 20 available by the summer. While we certainly applaud any attempt to bring out cheaper games, reading between the lines it would appear that these titles aren't being pitched to raise the pulse of the average gamer. Quote an MCV, the strategy of play it is to take advantage of the huge PS2 install base and the titles will obviously not be targeted at enthusiast gamers, but at casual or gift purchasers. So that will not be targeted at us and presumably you too. Forgive us a little rant for a moment, but does an already saturated PS2 software market um that is already populated with bewildering um myriad of spirit-crushing bad games need more potentially terrible games? We don't want to write off their chances before we've seen so much as a screenshot, but a range of games that were most likely rejected by other publishers doesn't really bode well. For example, is cell damage overdrive a sequel to EA's flop cell damage? And while we're at it, let's take issue for a moment with this woolly notion of the casual gamer. We all know plenty of casual gamers that maybe buy the odd one or two games a year. Does that mean that their quality threshold goes down? From experience, casual gamers try to buy the best games but find themselves duped into buying licensed PAP because they don't know any better. What of uh what of gift purchases? This also implies that the company is taking advantage of a non-gamer's lack of knowledge of what would make a good present. Oh look, it's cheap, that'll do. Given that there's literally hundreds of discounted or vastly superior budget games out there, adding more chaff to the pile is a wearisome prospect. On the other hand, if player gets it right, as Firebird did to an extent back in the 80s, we could find a number of quirky gems emerge. Games considered too left field and original for most publishers to dare to take a risk on. For everyone's sake, let's hope it's the latter prospect. Now, again, I picked this one um basically because I remember and I think I've got games on my shelves with the playout logo on. It looks almost like a sort of kiddies toy cheap kiddies toy developer logo, you know. I mean, you've probably if you're a collector and got PS2 games, have a look. You've probably got some play-out ones there. Um now I understand totally what they're saying with this, you know. PS2 had so many games, um, and then you have you know, you you're really good games that come out early, will go on to discount. So, would you really want to spend $9.99 on a game you've never heard of from a cheap publisher than you would from a game that's already got great you know awards and done really well, but then on the other hand, like they say, sometimes you know, again, if you listen to this for the first time over on UCP, I do a hidden gem once a month over on there, and sometimes you find that these cheaper publishers find these smaller developers. Now, you know, we probably weren't really in an era of indie games, so to speak, at this time. Um, so there's probably a lot of smaller developers out there that have probably made these games or pitched them that couldn't get a publisher. So is play at their way of getting a game out and getting it recognised and then move on? Maybe yes. Um, I don't know what the player list of games was, how many they done, whether they did have any sort of hidden gems that went on to be a lot better, I don't know. But yeah, I can understand from the way they say it is you know, sort of to take advantage of the huge install base. Um, and this obviously will not be target enthusiast game as well. That says to me, you're probably not aiming at the hidden gem sort of market there because it's basically saying that enthusiasts know damn well that these aren't going to be very good, so we're just aiming at people who don't play very often or people who don't know what they're buying, like they said in the article. Um, but I'm sure there was probably some playout games that were decent enough. Um, 9.99 is a release price for a title was very good, you know. We were still in the realms of um games costing you know 30 40 pounds at the time. So a $9.99 was you know a very good price for a brand new game, and probably tempting to a lot of people when you see still wrapped in cellophane at £9.99. Um, so yeah, it's it's an interesting one. Like I say, let us know what you think. Um it's a tough one. I mean, do we see nowadays budget publishers? Maybe. I mean, I think we seem to see more um more indies that have smaller publishing companies rather than cheap publishing companies. So I don't know if that's a thing that really exists anymore. I know we get the odd, dodgy sort of game on consoles, you know, on the latest gen, but seems to be very few and far between nowadays. Um it seems to be more that we get more disappointed with the games that cost 250 million to make nowadays. But yeah, interesting. Let us know what you think. Let us know if you've um you know got any of the playout games. Let us know if you've played any of the playout games. Let us know if you like any of the playout games, and if so, let us know what you you know gives a little um insight as to which ones are good or worth sticking keeping an eye out for in your retro game shops or what to pick up. But yeah, it's definitely an interesting one. Um yeah, but I enjoyed the news there. A lot of say, sorry it's a shorter episode, but um I thought I'd you know try and give a bit of everything, you know, with from Metroid film rights, which was very interesting and something that um never materialised, even when John Wu got in involved, from Vice City up for a design award, um, which blown me away. Couldn't believe it from you know the constant bad rap that MGTA games got that someone actually sort of stood back and said, hmm, hang on a minute, there's there's a lot gone on with this, they've put a lot of work in this, and you know, it's worth getting an award for. Um, right down to budget conscious PS2 gamers, um, with that 9.99 play at range. Um, and that that cell damage overdrive that seems to ring a bell with me. But like I say, if even if you've played any of the games they list on there, uh pinball, cell damage overdrive, sink and destroy, and road trip. You play any of them, let us know. And if they are absolute pap or in the CEX for 50p, then you know that maybe 9.99 was too much for them back in the day. Um, but yeah, I think it's probably now time for what we affectionately call Stingray's boot.
Stingray’s Boot February 2003 Picks
SPEAKER_00What's nestled between some counterfeit nappies and a dodgy copy for battle of Endor is some of the new releases for February 2003. Spring Stop Wow. Um, I'll go for a few more. We normally only pick a couple out, as is only me. I'll go for a few here. I mean, again, there were some random games out in this month I've never heard of. Um, we had things like Robin Hood Defender of the Crown. Um, I don't know if that was PC only, never played that. We had Apex, um Galarians Ash. Now I recognise that Galarians. I'm sure George has mentioned that before Galarians, um, with the lady on the front, but don't remember that. But there was also Unreal 2 Unreal 2, the Awakening. Um, I always remember Unreal being quite popular. Um, but again, something I haven't played. We had Daredevil 2003. GT Advance 3 Pro Concept Racing on the Game Boy Advance. Now I remember them GT Advance games. Um, I remember well they the ones um that were like the almost 3D. I know the Game Boy could do Game Boy Advance could do some basic 3D, and I wonder if that was you know one of those games. I can't quite remember. But we had American Conquest, Divided Nation. Um we had Command and Conquer Generals. Um again, games I haven't got into Command and Conquer, but always seemed interesting. Um, me and George were talking about them the other week. Um, we had Vex, which I think was OG Xbox, I remember. EverQuest Online Adventures. Um we had Yu-Gi-Oh! Dungeons of Dice Monsters. I know Yu-Gi-Oh! Yu-Gi-Oh! crops up every now and then, so I know, although nothing like Pokemon cards, so I know it's um when I watch Mystic on YouTube, the PlayStation guy, he's you know, big into Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, and there seemed to be quite a collecting scene about Yu-Gi-Oh! cards, but nothing I've ever been into, unfortunately. Um then we had things like IGI2, Covert Strike, NASCAR racing 2003 season, Think Tanks, which looks pretty abysmal. That weren't a play out game, I would imagine. Um, Yu-Gi-Oh! again, the Eternal Julius Soul. Cool, they're releasing a few of those games. Dark Cloud 2. Um now I've got I don't think I've got Dark Cloud 2. I've got Dark Cloud, and I've started a couple of times. I must get into it more, but a lot of people quite rate that as a as an RPG. Um, like I say, it's it's one I should really get into on the PS2 and and quite well thought of. Um Space Station 13. We had High Heat Major League Baseball. Well, that's one for George with his love of baseball. Um, Indiana Jones and the Emperor's Tomb was another one. Now, this was uh um another series I wanted to get into, but I don't think this was released in Power Regents. I think we may have only got the second one, um, and that is Xenosaga, um episode one. But an only reason I wanted to get into that is because I'm sort of I've played uh Xenoblade Chronicles X and I'm currently as of the recording this um sort of 30 hours into Xenoblade Chronicles on the Switch 2. Now this is from their earlier games, the Xenosaga games. Um so I've always fancied getting it getting those, but like I said, I think I'm sure the only one we got was Xenosaga 2, but something I must pick up. If you're playing the Xenosaga games, let us know because I've always quite fancied them because um you know Xenoblade took me a while to get into to learn the unique combat and the world and how things work, but once it clicked, such great games. Um Xenoblade Chronicles, you know, on the Switch 2 is just phenomenal, and that's that's just a sort of double rebuffed um Wii game originally, um, but such a great game, and it's got that old school RPG feel, but with sort of modern techniques and open world and really good. But yeah, Xenosaga, let us know if you've played that. I'd be interested to know what they're like. It might be completely different and not up my street at all, but worth to find out. Um we had Harbinger, we had Kung Fu Chaos, we had Motor GP3. Um now I didn't I don't really remember playing the Motor GP games back then on sort of PS2 and that. Um I played some later ride games and that and quite enjoyed them, but you know, they are you know, you need to know how a bike works, I think, when you play them because it is you do, you know, you that's not like um super hang on, we just flat out everywhere. You have to learn to at the corners and where you throttle and lean and everything, and yeah, they're quite in-depth and quite enjoyable for that reason. That they're almost a bit more of a sim than they are uh um you know, uh uh you know, like an arcade racer. Um else do we have another all-star baseball game? Choko Extreme Race Drift. Um, I think probably Badabinkster, if you're listening, you might know a bit about this one. Tokyo Extreme Race Adrift. Was that um PS2? But was that um Japanese release? Can't remember. That might have had a world release, but I don't think it did. But that looks quite interesting. But I think what I'll go for um with my Stingrays boot pick. Um
Indiana Jones And Dark Cloud 2
SPEAKER_00I think I am gonna go with I think I might have to go with Indiana Jones in the Emperor's Tomb. Um, yeah. I think that'll grab me. Good game, good bit of fun, good bit of Indiana Jones, not early, sort of uncharted, that's always up my street. I love a bit of that. Um, but yeah, there was an interesting mix of games there. I was shall I do a second pick? I'll do a second pick and I'll go Dark Cloud 2 just because I want to experience that world, that sort of RPG world. So yeah, there we go. Indiana Jones and the Emperor's tomb, and I'll pick Dark Cloud 2. Now my movie choice.
Movie Pick The Ring
SPEAKER_00Well, there was quite a lot to choose from in 2003, and I was sort of I took my picks from late on in 2002, but there was one I suddenly thought, oh, this film horror film was all the rage at the time, and people watching it, and I remember watching it um sort of the early days of meeting Mrs. RGT, and that was the film The Ring. Um I don't know what it's age like nowadays, but um I always remember that being quite a spooky film and uh the VHS and the bits and pieces. So, yeah, I think I'm gonna choose for January 2003 The Ring. Um, before we finish this show, and again I am sorry it's a short one, but before we finish the show, I'll just do a bit of housekeeping as I always do at this time of the show.
Where To Find Us And Join In
SPEAKER_00Um UCP, which is the unofficial controller podcast. That is our main show that has had well over 300 episodes so far. Um there's me, there's George, the the uh sort of Lord and Savour UCP, who started it all back eight, nine years ago. Um Seb, he's occasionally on, he's from Texas, big indie man. We have Bobby on, he knows his games, he's a bit of a platinum hunter from New York. We have Scott Marathon Gaming off YouTube, he comes on as well, and then there's a lot of saves me, RGT, and George. Um, check us out, give us a dano, give us a follow. We're on YouTube, we're trying to boost a YouTube at the moment, but a lot of saves over 300 episodes from eight nine years of of making content, weekly content. Um Yeah, come and come and have a look, see what you think. Um, I hope you like it. It's more on the modern side, hence why we started this flashback show um to keep it a bit more you know retro on this side to give people a couple of shows a week. Um also check out our website. Um Captain Scarlet does that for us. Good friend of mine, very good friend, great guy. Um, does a lot for the show um in the background and has made an amazing website for us that we're very proud of, and we're very proud of him for doing it. So thank you as always, Captain. But check that out because there is the unofficial controller podcast.com. Um jump on there, and we've got uh flashback on there, we've got uh bits of our Discord, we've got the latest shows on there you can click on. Um you've got a bit about us presenters. Um we've also um I say we, I should say Captain has recently done reviews on there. There's a couple of reviews up on there now. We will be adding to that as and when we can. Um I think I've been taking a lot of notes on Zinbury Chronicles, so I might do a review on there. Uh they're not too long. They give you a little bit of insight into games. Our pluses, our minuses. Um, we give a bit about the graphics, we give a bit about the narrative of the game, and we give you a final score, what we think, and we have a little bit of fun because we give it a we give it a fingers on the shaft right now about that, and that's out of eight, not ten. So a little bit of a laugh. But yeah, check it out. Um that's that's a great website, good bit of fun there. Um, and links to everything else. Um if there's anything on the show a lot of us mentioned today that you think, oh, I used to have that, and you want to tell us about, give us an email. That is questions at unofficialcontrollerpodcast.com. But message us anything, even if it's you know, you want to get on to our Discord but you can't find a link because you're not on Instagram or blah blah blah, and you're not on X, we can send you a link. So if anything like that, let us know. Um but yeah, it's a good way of contacting the show. If you've got any ideas for what you'd like us to do with Flashback going forward, chuck them on there, let us know. Uh it's always great to hear from people who are listening and what what you think, what you like, what you don't like. Um all helps to to shape the show. Discord, have you heard me mentioned? Um we've had a Discord for quite a few years now, run by Boba um and Digital Monkery. Um brilliant site. Um, it's very friendly, um gamer-based. Um, we have various different things on there. From Digital Monkery does uh let's get quizzical. So he does a uh a weekly quiz on a Monday on there, and you can go through. That's not um that's not something that you have to add a score, it's not a competition, it's just a little bit of quiz. So when you're in your lunch break at work, sit there, go through, and you can uncover the answers, see how many you get out of ten. And if you want, some of us put on what we get out of ten on there. But they're very good quizzes, he's very good at them, he does great questions, so definitely check that out. He also does uh challenge accepted, um, which will be back soon. It's been on a bit of a break at the moment, but that'll be back soon. That is basically a monthly competition with prizes for the winner. Um, one of our recent winners, um, we had to send out to Australia for him. So he done absolutely fantastic on the that was on the golden eye, I think. But basically we just do a uh Digital Monkry does a lot of high score challenge, or he'll find a challenge within a game. Um like there's been the fastest time to get Sonic the Hedgehog first level done from we've had international to pro track and field, the longest javelin, I believe it was. So there's all different um ones we do and we just do them for a monthly and we do them for a bit of fun. But if you happen to be good at a game and you happen to win, you get a good prize out of it at the end. So you know, everyone's a winner, it's great fun to take part, and they've been going a few years now, and he does a great job of that. Um also on Discord there's a thing called RGT Back to the Past, which is our Gen 7 playthrough, which me and one of our uh loyal uh sub-members, uh Zan Geef, we we a few months ago we picked a list of generation seven games from the Xbox 360 and the PlayStation 3 of games that we'd either wanted to play again, hadn't finished, or games we hadn't played but want to. We got a big list together and we literally do a vote. Um we put four games up for a vote, and whatever you guys pick, we play through together. We talk about it, if we get stuck, we help each other. It's a great way of going back and playing these games that you hadn't finished, and a great way to give the enthusiasm and to play with others friendly gamers and have a great bit of fun. At the moment we're playing um the first um instalment of Mass Effect. Um I think Gazcon is the only one who's to actually finish it. Well done, Gaz. But um he's finished it on but halfway through. That's a bit of a big one that, but we've played uh Sleepin' Dogs and Safe Park and various different games we've voted on, but a great way to go back and just enjoy you know the systems of of that generation seven. Um so yeah, jump on Discord, it's a great place to interact with other gamers, great place to have fun with people, great place to play games and chat, you know, it's really good. Um we also oh also I will just say for the Discord as well, our we have sub-members, they get yearly merch bits and pieces, depending on the level, they're all gone out, and I've seen the bits coming in of people getting their merch and stuff, so I'm glad you're all enjoying it. And that's a very little something just to say thank you for all your support because we couldn't do two shows a week, let alone one, without your support. It's it takes a lot of hours to produce these shows. Um and we love doing it because of you guys to help us doing it. So just a little thanks there. Um we're also on TikTok. Uh Captain runs our TikTok for us because the legend he is, and he does brilliant edited videos, good bit of fun on there. Some of the videos get thousands of views, just a little way of people seeing the Unafish Controller Podcast, just to get us out of their bit. Check us out if you're on TikTok. We're also on Instagram, uh another place where you can get a link to our bits and pieces. So Unafish Controller Podcast is on Instagram, and me, RGT, I will be down as Retro Gamer Thomas, obviously, on Instagram. So if you want a link or want to ask me any questions, jump on there and let us know. Um it's always a good way, place to communicate with other gamers, other podcasts, other YouTubers. There's always, you know, we occasionally we do these collaborations with different YouTubers and stuff. So that's the best way place to talk to us over there on Insta. But also on X, um or what was known as Twitter, as people say. We're on there as well, so just jump on if there's anything you want to find on there from us. Links and bits and pieces are available. Um, and again, I will just say if there's anything you want to know or talk to us about the show, questions at unofficialcontroller podcast dot com. Um and I think that brings us to the end of the show. Sorry,
Final Wrap And Thanks
SPEAKER_00that was a bit long-winded with the uh housekeeping, but I hope you enjoyed the show. Um January 2003 Um random choice of games, and a strange one as well, there's a lot of stuff I haven't played, and I thought I'd played a lot of games. Um but yeah, some random games there from that month. Um, some interesting stories, like I said, from Metroid Film, Vice City Design Ward uh award, right through to the cheap budget plat again on the PS2 games. So I hope you enjoyed that. Um sorry it's been a solo. I hope I haven't been too boring, but you've enjoyed the show. Um, and it just leaves me to say flashback the games you loved, the stories you forgot. And genuinely, thank you everyone um for your support. Thanks for downloading and thanks for just pushing this show because we're loving doing it and it's making it all worthwhile. So have a good week, everyone, and I will see you in the next week.