On 22nd October 2003, Philljc uploaded Ray - Part 1. It quickly received a Daily 2nd Place and the Weekly Users' Choice Award, and gave Ray a place in Newgrounds's Portal History. Users loved the game for its distinct use of the South Park art style, and for Ray's amusing and often creative acts of violence.

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  Ray - Part 1

  by Philljc

  Interactive Movie where you choose what happens.

  Game

  4,387,548 Views

  (Ages 17+)

It was followed up with Part 2 the year after, which expanded Ray's universe in the sunny but crime-ridden Dice City, brought in minigames like a shootout, and left players on a cliffhanger ending.

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  Ray - Part 2

  by Philljc

  You are Ray, You decide what happens.

  Game

  2,127,791 Views

  (Ages 17+)

The introduction to Part 3 came in 2006, and opened up multiple avenues in Ray's story and life: him surviving Pete shooting him, his miilitary service in the First Gulf War, and his estranged ex and their son Leeroy.

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  Ray - Part 3 Introduction

  by Philljc

  Ray 3 Introduction

  Movie

  2,220,101 Views

  (Ages 17+)

Both of these projects also scored big on the frontpage, and became instant favourites amongst the userbase.

The full Ray Part 3 promised 60 minutes of gameplay, an open world where you choose jobs, and the option to customise your wardrobe and arsenal. It would've been exciting to see how Ray's story unfolded from this point. Unfortunately, the full Part 3 never came out. For years people speculated and bugged Phill to hell and back. In 2016, Phill confirmed this to be the case, and that he had moved on.

While the series may have abruptly ended 17 years ago with no closure to Ray's story, and while it may not be as talked about as other Flash series, it's still iconic; 20 years on, these two games and movie have amassed over 8 million views, over 8,000 faves, and an average rating of 4.67/5 here on Newgrounds; they have crossed over to countless other Flash game websites, have been preserved in the Flashpoint Archive, have several playthroughs on YouTube, and have even been remade in Grand Theft Auto V. They've also gained popularity in the Turkish-speaking world due to unofficial Turkish translations.

This is my way of commemmorating this series and its creator for inspiring me so much.

Special thanks to:

@Philljc for bringing us this series, inspiring me to join this site and post art here, and introducing me to bops like Sweet Child of Mine and Sunsets.

@kenjamin for giving Ray a voice in the Part 3 intro.

@Graeme of 2 Left Thumbs for promoting, hyping up, and publishing Phill's latest title, Repella Fella.

Everyone who participated in my South Park Collab, which will be sort of a part 2 to this.