Flashback

Send us Fan Mail November 2010 doesn’t just feel like “not that long ago” it’s a reminder of how fast gaming changed, and how stacked the release calendar used to be. We open our Flashback time capsule and trade the games we’d be playing across PS3, Xbox 360, Wii, handhelds, and early smartphone classics, from Cut The Rope’s perfect little physics puzzles to overlooked console gems like Enslaved:...

Send us Fan Mail Sega is cutting jobs. The Dreamcast is being phased out. And somehow, February 2001 is still packed with the kind of gaming memories that stick to your ribs. We rewind the clock and talk honestly about what it feels like when you love a console that the rest of the world is already leaving behind, using Headhunter as the perfect late-era Dreamcast snapshot: ambitious, stylish, a l...

Send us Fan Mail Fifteen years is an eternity in podcast time, especially in retro gaming, where trends cycle fast and attention is always shifting. We’re joined by Retro Asylum’s Dean Swain to get the real story behind one of the longest-running retro gaming podcasts in the UK, and why it still feels like a few mates talking games rather than a polished sales pitch. We start where so many collect...

Send us Fan Mail Ten PS3 games, one simple goal: help you start a “new retro” PlayStation 3 collection with confidence, not confusion. We each bring five picks to the table, aiming for a true starter kit that mixes iconic heavy hitters with the kind of PS3 gems that slipped past people the first time around. If you have been hunting for the best PS3 games to collect, or you just dragged a console...

Send us Fan Mail March 1995 is one of those months where gaming feels like it’s changing shape in real time. We’re proud to hit episode 40 by cracking open a fresh Flashback time capsule, swapping stories from the tail end of the 16-bit era while the industry starts side-eyeing polygons and “next gen” hardware. If you love retro gaming nostalgia, gaming history deep dives, and the kind of forgotte...

Send us Fan Mail July 1998 was the kind of month where a game could look “photo-realistic” for five minutes and still play like a brick, where every company with a license thought they could beat Nintendo, and where Sega was quietly lining up its last great swing. We jump back into that moment with the stuff we’d actually be playing, plus the gaming news that shaped the next few years. First up, w...

Send us Fan Mail March 2006 isn’t just a date, it’s a mood: PS2 is still delivering late-era stunners, Xbox 360 has landed and everyone is chasing that first true “wow” game, and PSP is quietly becoming the most ambitious handheld Sony ever made. We’re RGT and UCP George, and we’re cracking open that exact month to figure out what we would have played, what still holds up, and what the era tells u...

Send us Fan Mail September 2002 doesn’t flood the calendar with releases, but the hits it does have are the kind that stick to you for decades. We’re building a retro gaming time capsule around a tight set of essentials across PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube, starting with Kingdom Hearts as the rare “Disney looking” action RPG that’s genuinely rewarding, surprisingly tough late game, and perfe...

Send us Fan Mail March 2015 is close enough to remember clearly and far enough away to feel weirdly historic. We crack open that month like a time capsule and start with The Order 1886, the PS4 exclusive that took a beating for its length and linear design, yet still looks stunning and nails a grimy Victorian steampunk mood. We talk about why it plays so well as a “palette cleanser,” how perceptio...

Send us Fan Mail The PSP wasn’t just a handheld. It was a pocket-sized “everything” device before we even had the language for that, and the library still proves it. We put together a beginner-friendly, collector-minded list of ten PSP games that feel like true console experiences on the go, then we get painfully honest about what they cost today. We (RGT and UCP George) draft our must-buy PSP sta...

Send us Fan Mail January 1993 feels close enough to touch, and we’re treating it like a playable time capsule. We kick off with a genuine love letter to MicroProse’s F-19 Stealth Fighter (F-117A in some regions), where the manual is half the game and mission planning matters as much as your reflexes. From stealth aircraft lore to plotting routes around radar and squeezing drama out of vector-era v...

Send us Fan Mail A single month can tell you a lot about an era, and September 2009 is one of those sweet spots where gaming feels both ambitious and weird in the best way. We’re chasing that feeling on Flashback, starting with the handheld magic trick that still surprises people: MotorStorm Arctic Edge on PSP. It’s fast, sharp, and proof that “pick up and play” doesn’t have to mean “scaled down.”...

Send us Fan Mail February 1999 is one of those months that looks quiet on paper and then suddenly floods you with memories. We jump back into the late PS1 era, the early Dreamcast glow, and an N64 scene that’s still trying to keep up with the “serious” racing conversation. Along the way we swap picks, argue about what holds up, and chase the feeling of playing something new when the internet could...

Send us Fan Mail A video game getting honored at the Tribeca Film Festival sounds normal now, but in 2011 it felt like a line in the sand. We rewind to March 2011 and use it as a lens for how gaming culture was changing fast, from the Nintendo DS and PS3 era habits to the rise of digital storefront releases and HD collections. Along the way, we swap personal picks and mini confessions, including w...

Send us Fan Mail Digital libraries feel permanent until they aren’t, and that’s why we’re going back to basics: physical PlayStation games that are still affordable, still easy to find, and still absolutely worth owning. We’re finishing our Flashback special with six picks across PSP, PS Vita, and PS4, built for collectors who want real value and players who only ever tried these through downloads...

Send us Fan Mail Sony’s “digital in 2028” headline sounds convenient until you ask one question: what happens to the games that never get re-released, get delisted, or only survive behind a subscription login? We go full Flashback mode and treat it like a preservation problem, not a panic button, then build a practical list of 12 physical PlayStation games to pick up now before price spikes and av...

Send us Fan Mail 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 playin...

Send us Fan Mail Five percent digital downloads used to be a victory lap, and that one stat tells you almost everything about how much gaming has changed since 2012. We’re rewinding to August 2012 and building a full time capsule around what we’d be playing on PS3, Xbox 360, PS Vita, and Nintendo 3DS, plus the news stories that shaped the industry’s next decade.  We start with pure gameplay love:...

Send us Fan Mail Play a little thought experiment with us: what if Sony never shipped the PlayStation, and the Sega Saturn went head-to-head with the Nintendo 64 on its own? That single question opens a surprisingly sharp look at March 1997, when sales charts, developer support, and hardware choices were quietly locking in the future of the console wars. We start with the games we’d actually want...

Send us Fan Mail Your PS1 collection can either become a shelf of “important” games you never finish or a stack of classics you actually want to play. We’re building the second kind. We each bring five essential PlayStation 1 games for new retro players, aiming for variety, approachability, and replay value across genres that defined the era. We start with the identity pieces: Wipeout as the game...

Send us Fan Mail Trading an entire N64 collection for a Dreamcast sounds reckless, until you remember what that jump felt like in early 2000. We rewind to February 2000 and chase that exact feeling: firing up Sonic Adventure for the first time, getting pulled in by its speed and soundtrack, then laughing at the oddly empty human city sections that only a first-wave 3D game could get away with. It’...

Send us Fan Mail April 2006 is one of those gaming months that feels like a hinge in history: the Xbox 360 is already flexing, the PS3 is approaching with big promises and bigger costs, and the PSP is quietly dropping games that still look like they shouldn’t be possible on a handheld. We dig into what we would have been playing at the time, starting with PSP standouts like Pursuit Force and a sur...

Send us Fan Mail October 2013 looks like a normal page on a calendar until you actually read the list, then you realize it’s a blueprint for the next decade of gaming. I’m flying solo for this rewind, running through what we would have been playing back then, what we missed, and what still holds up today. From Dishonored Game of the Year Edition to Borderlands 2, Batman Arkham Origins, and the kin...

Send us Fan Mail March 2008 is one of those months that looks ordinary on paper, then turns into a full-on time capsule the moment you start pulling at the threads. We’re back in the thick of the PS3 vs Xbox 360 era, with publishers throwing money at visibility, franchises fighting for mindshare, and the Wii and PSP quietly proving that “fun” and “portable” can be just as important as raw power. W...

Send us Fan Mail October 1995 is one of those months where you can feel gaming changing under your feet. We’re talking early 3D that still shows its seams, last-gasp 16-bit brilliance, and that very specific mid-90s moment where a new console is not just a purchase, it’s a statement about who you are. We kick off with Destruction Derby as a PlayStation-era eye-opener, why the smoke, deformation, a...