The 3DO. My second favorite video game console ever.

[Manga4life]

I know the title of this thread sounds crazy, but it's true. The 3DO is my second favorite gaming machine ever. I remember the day I got one, in April of 1996 my dad had won a scratch ticket and gave me $250 to do whatever I wanted with so me and my friend (R.I.P) went to FUNCOLAND and planned on buying a crap ton of NES and SNES games with it. Instead we saw a small section for 3DO games and some of them looked really cool so we checked on how much the system was on those old school news paper FUNCOLAND price sheets and it was $160 at the time so we bought the Panasonic system (the big one) and a CD cleaning system by a company called Recaton. We also picked out AD&D Slayer and Myst as the first two games, both were $15 each at the time. When we got home we played Myst first, and after like 3 hours of trying to figure out where we were and what the game was about we tossed in Slayer and got completely engrossed in the dungeon crawling aspect of the game. Seriously, it was so much fun! We literally played Slayer all night and even just let the game run to listen to the music for a bit, it was that freakin' awesome, and with time Slayer went on to become my #1 favorite game of all-time and Myst cracked my top 20.

Other games would come. Eventually we bought Theme Park, Mazer, Hell, AD&D Deathkeep, DOOM, Escape From Monster Manor, Burning Soldier, Lucinnes Quest, Gex, Samurai Showdown, Super Street Fighter 2, Slam n' Jam 95, Ballz: The Directors Cut, Captain Quasar, Off-World Interceptor, Alone in the Dark 1 and 2, Sewer Shark, and so many other games I can't even think right now. We had so much fun staying up all night playing these games and many would go on to become some of my all-time favorites, the 3DO became such an important piece of my gaming history that I loved it more than my SNES, Genesis, Playstation and other systems that were big at the time, I was completely in love with it and played it all the time and forged some great memories with my friend who had recently passed away.

Anyone here love the 3DO, too? If so, what games and what kinds of memories did you gain during your time with the system? Let's discuss!

[SOL BADGUY]

Have you played that quiz show game that Trip Hawkins says is his favorite on the system?

Oh and heres a video of him talking about the system at the first E3, or across the street from it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=skm_iuXBRn4

[Manga4life]

Nope, never played it. I was never one for trivia style games aside from Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune for the NES back in the day, but other than that I never enjoyed them.

One specific memory I remember back in the day is one night my friend was playing Escape from Monster Manor and he entered a room where the ghosts were loud and there were a lot of them, it was about 3 in the morning and we were tired and the sounds scared us and he dropped the controller. It was kind of funny because up until then we have never been scared of a video game or spooked even in the slightest and that did it, kind of a neat memory.

[SOL BADGUY]

This game is waaaaaaaaaaaay different than that.


Twisted: The Game Show

Quoted as being Trip Hawkins favorite 3DO game, Twisted for short is a trivia/puzzle game that has contestants stuck on a digitized game show. The object is to make your way to the top of the spiral game board and make it back to reality.

With the most unusual cast of characters you can go head to head with up to 5 players in multiplayer. Each player will take turns rolling the Cyber Die and then will move that amount of spaces, landing on different colored spaces grants a certain event. Most spaces will either give a bonus or be a trap, then there’s the Matrix space, this is where the competition happens. Depending on which matrix square is selected that corresponding game will take place.

Surprisingly many of the trivia games are very entertaining, and also memory, reflex, and intelligence come into play. There’s a total of 8 games that are all presented in a goofy manor and are fun and challenging. Sound Bites lets you select a presidents picture and match wacky sounds that come from their mouths. Meanwhile Twin Peaks lets you open different pictures to match what’s behind them, just to give a few examples.

[mailman187666]

I used to rent the 3DO at first, when I was a kid. I can't remember what games I rented with the system, but Monster Manor was one of them. Eventually I was able to save up enough to buy one myself. I played the shit outof that system and I loved it. I've noticed that most people that love the system are the ones like me who owned it back in the 90's. It has that nostalgic feel of being some people's first CD based system. I still love the system and games, and have it hooked up to one of my TVs as we speak. All in all, I am also a proud 3DO owner.

[Urzu402]

I also have a 3DO, and despite what the AVGN episode lead people to believe, it actually has some good games if you can look through all the FMV crap on the system. Like it has damn good ports of Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo and Samurai Shodown, another good game is Total Eclipse, its a Star Fox type game with great risk vs reward gameplay, where your health is constantly draining, and you have to shoot enemies and it restores your health somewhat. then there is one of the very few RPGs on the system Guardian War, the other one is really rare and expensive. also the racing game Crash N' Burn, and I also think the system has a great version of Road Rash but I don't have Road Rash. My 3DO is the FZ-1.

[Xian042]

wait a minute, how has NOBODY mentioned Star Control II yet?

[SOL BADGUY]

Have you guys ever played your games with the DOS operating system attachment?

You guys have made me start taking steps into the 4DO side of the pool.

[buzz_n64]

Have you guys ever played your games with the DOS operating system attachment?

You guys have made me start taking steps into the 4DO side of the pool.

What the hell is that? Are you talking about the Creative 3DO Blaster? A hardware expansion card for the PC where you can play 3DO on the PC.

I did hear that the M2 was originally going to be an expansion to the 3DO but got canned.

[SOL BADGUY]

What the hell is that? Are you talking about the Creative 3DO Blaster? A hardware expansion card for the PC where you can play 3DO on the PC.

I did hear that the M2 was originally going to be an expansion to the 3DO but got canned.
Yeah what you said first. Im wondering how good it really was compared to an actual 3DO.

I know about the M2 stuff as well.

[Haoie]

I came in here to say you must've had a lot of 90s cash to blow back then - Turns out I was right.

[sloan]

I also love 3DO. So many good games, and most have that Win95 feel which I enjoy. Reminds me of mid 90's PC gaming.

[ProjectCamaro]

I love the 3DO but could never afford one back in the day. (To be fair I was only 11 when they came out).

I bought one pretty recently and have been enjoying it. I would have really loved to have one back in the day when they were new.

[o.pwuaioc]

The 3DO is one of the consoles that I never even had an urge to get into, along with CD-i and Atari Jaguar. Of those three, only about the 3DO have I heard good somewhat good things, although this is the first time I ever heard anyone put it up there with their favorites. It has to be nostalgia.

Maybe one year I'll finally break down and buy one (heaven knows I'm not getting any next-gen systems, so I'll be able to afford it). Any recommendations? What to look for? What to get? Top 10/25/50 games?

[Manga4life]

Sure, nostalgia has something to do with it but I think the fact that I fire it up at least 10+ times a year proves that I actually do enjoy it and am not just playing it out of nostalgia. Currently I'm playing Theme Park on and off, I absolutely love this game and I love how you have total control over everything in your park. I'll be moving onto AD&D Deathkeep after that, I had (and still have) a thing for dungeon crawler titles....

[retroman]

I love the 3DO also, had one since 95..A memory i have is staying up late on weekends playing Need For Speed and drinking beer, and like the cool teens we were would say hey..haha you shouldnt drink n drive..Still a very fun system to have.

[WCP]

I think the 3DO is tremendously underrated. It really doesn't get anywhere near the credit it deserves. Most people in this thread got the 3DO in 1995 or 1996, when it was already out of contention so to speak. What people forget, is the thing launched in October of 1993. If you look at the kind of games that were available in October of 1993 on the other systems, well, lets just say that the 3DO was one of those rare times when the technology jump was pretty significant. If you put a SNES game side by side with Crash N Burn and Total Eclipse, the two systems would seem like they are from different decades. Especially at the time of launch. A buddy of mine (who wasn't rich by the way), bought a 3DO at launch. I remember playing the hell out of Crash N Burn with him. We would play Crasn N Burn, and we'd also play the demo of Total Eclipse that came on the Crash N Burn disk.

This was in October 1993. The people that first played a 3DO in late 1995, or 1996, just can't imagine how next-level the thing seemed to be in 1993 and 1994.

I didn't get my own 3DO until Road Rash was available, which I think was the summer of 1994. I was able to buy an open box 3DO that was marked down several hundred from the original price point. I remember Escape from Monster Manor, Gex, Need for Speed, Out of this World (best version btw), The Horde, Shockwave, AD & D Slayer, Fifa Soccer, Madden and Alone in the Dark all being good games. There are definitely some other games that came along that I enjoyed as well, but I mostly remember that Road Rash game being my favorite on the 3DO. Out of this World is an amazing game when you consider the visuals and the audio of it. Really beautiful version of that game. Wolfenstein has amazing music. I really like the music on that one.

[Rob2600]

"Next generation" is meaningless.

In the mid 1990s, would you rather have been playing Crash and Burn and Myst, or Super Metroid, Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country 2, and Chrono Trigger?

[Manga4life]

"Next generation" is meaningless.

In the mid 1990s, would you rather have been playing Crash and Burn and Myst, or Super Metroid, Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country 2, and Chrono Trigger?

Hated Yoshi's Island, didn't like the Donkey Kong Country games, kind of liked Super Metroid, and liked Chrono Trigger just fine. But I'd rather be playing Gex, Monster Manor, AD&D Slayer, Samurai Showdown, Alone in the Dark 1 & 2, Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, Off World Interceptor, and many other 3DO titles.

[wiggyx]

The 3DO is a turd IMO. Bought one back I the day to play SSF2T and then sold it when there were ports for other systems that I actually like. I've never even considered picking one up again.

Star Control was probably the only other game that I cared about.
.

[A.C. Sativa]

"Next generation" is meaningless.

In the mid 1990s, would you rather have been playing Crash and Burn and Myst, or Super Metroid, Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country 2, and Chrono Trigger?

I think I'd rather play a Studio II than play Yoshi's Island. That game is awful.

[buzz_n64]

I think I'd rather play a Studio II than play Yoshi's Island. That game is awful.

I wonder if you and Manga4life are either trolling or just don't have souls. I know the baby crying aspect is annoying, but other than that I can find nothing wrong with the game at all.

[Manga4life]

I wonder if you and Manga4life are either trolling or just don't have souls. I know the baby crying aspect is annoying, but other than that I can find nothing wrong with the game at all.

Not trolling at all. I loved Super Mario World for the SNES, but part 2 was just not my cup of tea.

[Dashopepper]

I picked up a 3DO a couple of months ago and one thing I can say about the system is it seems pretty well built. Fz1 and its heavy as hell But it doesn't make me nervous the way my Sega CD model 1 does. The games I've tried so far have pretty much been crap but I will put in a vivid Interactive adult game for a good laugh with friends.

[o.pwuaioc]

Not trolling at all. I loved Super Mario World for the SNES, but part 2 was just not my cup of tea.

Definitely agree with this. I can't stand Yoshi's Island. Makes me wanna vomit. There are three SNES games that everyone seems to love that I just cannot stand: Earthbound, Harvest Moon, and Yoshi's Island. I just don't get the love for these.

[A.C. Sativa]

Definitely agree with this. I can't stand Yoshi's Island. Makes me wanna vomit. There are three SNES games that everyone seems to love that I just cannot stand: Earthbound, Harvest Moon, and Yoshi's Island. I just don't get the love for these.

I've never played Harvest Moon, but I can't stand Earthbound either.

[Urzu402]

I haven't played Harvest Moon, or Earthbound, but Yoshi's Island is great.

[Zing]

I consider Yoshi's Island to be the best platformer of all time, unless you count Mario Galaxy, and even then it is a close call.

[WCP]

"Next generation" is meaningless.

In the mid 1990s, would you rather have been playing Crash and Burn and Myst, or Super Metroid, Yoshi's Island, Donkey Kong Country 2, and Chrono Trigger?

Well, if you asked me in 1994, if I'd rather be playing AD&D Slayer or Donkey Kong Country, I'd rather play Slayer. Sorry. But it's one of those things where you'd need to time travel back to 1994 to understand. When Road Rash first came out in the summer of 1994, it seemed unbelievable next-level at that time. Now, I know, that almost 20 years later, a game like Donkey Kong Country stands the test of time better than Road Rash on the 3DO, but if you were there in 1994, you wouldn't think that to be the case. It's all perspective.



The 3DO is a turd IMO. Bought one back I the day to play SSF2T and then sold it when there were ports for other systems that I actually like. I've never even considered picking one up again.

Star Control was probably the only other game that I cared about.
.


The 3DO doesn't belong with the best systems to ever come along, but I would rather have the 3DO, and 20 of it's best games, than the Jaguar or 32X and their 20 best games (if they even have 20 good games)


Here is how I would rank the 20 best 3DO games by the way:

1. Road Rash
2. Out of this World
3. Gex
4. AD & D Slayer
5. Escape from Monster Manor
6. Fifa International Soccer
7. Need For Speed
8. Return Fire
9. The Horde
10. Wolfenstein 3D
11. Star Fighter
12. Crash N Burn
13. Total Eclipse
14. Shockwave
15. Way of the Warrior
16. Night Trap
17. Alone in the Dark
18. Captain Quazar
19. Killing Time
20. Demolition Man


Best of the Rest: John Madden Football - Sewer Shark - Star Control II - Blade Force - Foes of Ali - Phoenix 3 - Slam N Jam - Super Street Fighter II Turbo - Shockwave: Operation Jumpgate - Wing Commander 3

[buzz_n64]

Well, if you asked me in 1994, if I'd rather be playing AD&D Slayer or Donkey Kong Country, I'd rather play Slayer. Sorry. But it's one of those things where you'd need to time travel back to 1994 to understand. When Road Rash first came out in the summer of 1994, it seemed unbelievable next-level at that time. Now, I know, that almost 20 years later, a game like Donkey Kong Country stands the test of time better than Road Rash on the 3DO, but if you were there in 1994, you wouldn't think that to be the case. It's all perspective.

I did play it back in 1994 in stores. Gex was really fun. I don't think it topped DKC as a platformer though.

[Manga4life]

I remember being so good at Night Trap for the 3DO that me and my buddy would play through it and only miss like 1 of the dudes who you have to trap. We knew which camera to switch to at what time and exactly what room to shoot to and whatnot, it was pretty intense, I tried playing it a week or so ago and the game didn't last very long at all.....lol. Man, I miss those days.

[Zing]

As a teenager, the thought of owning a 3DO was laughable. It was far too expensive, and the heavy use of digitized graphics and FMV were a turn off even back then. The local store I frequented had the systems and games for rent, but I never seriously considered trying it out. I would look at the game boxes, as any gamer would, but then rent a PlayStation game, or buy one of their $5 NES used titles, which were relatively expensive at the time.

[Ed Oscuro]

OP: You mentioned Escape From Monster Manor (which I've seen in YouTube videos, reminds me a wee bit of Nitemare 3-D on PC, maybe a bit lower quality gameplay, but higher quality visuals), but how about Killing Time and PO'ed (respectively also on PC, and PO'ed got an improved release on PlayStation, reportedly)?

I tried out one of the Shockwave games I picked up a while ago (almost picked up the whole series in one go - left one because I didn't realize it was an expansion, d'oh, but I was running low on cash) in a 3DO emulator and it seemed really slow, almost to the point of being unplayable. Does that seem right?

Anyway, I can definitely respect a choice of a system that made a big break with the routine games of the time. However I just wish more 3DO games married those nice visuals and the CD-ROM to more compelling gameplay. Imagine, for example, games more like Dracula X on the PC-Engine CD, but on 3DO instead. I'm sure it would have handled it brilliantly. At the same time, it's hard not to have a little soft spot for some of the cheesy FMV videos; it's not all just about hard platforming and shootin' games, after all. I think people have gotten years of enjoyment out of games like Corpse Killer (although I would've preferred to see Vincent Schiavelli in Crypt Killer - I'm sure he could've been fit in somehow, right?).

[Manga4life]

The 3DO was the perfect example of never judging a book by it's cover because once you turned the page there was plenty of good content to take in.

I remember countless nights of staying up late playing AD&D Slayer, a game I consider to be my favorite ever, and listening to the amazing soundtrack or trying to figure out how to get the alternate version of the game (there were two different paths). I remember getting stuck into pickles and fighting my way out in epic battles with moments of "awe", my friend Billy (R.I.P) would play the game morning, noon, and night while trying different classes out and finding which ones we likes the most. God.....I don't ever think I played a game more than I played that one.

[greedostick]

The 3DO is one of the consoles that I never even had an urge to get into, along with CD-i and Atari Jaguar. Of those three, only about the 3DO have I heard good somewhat good things, although this is the first time I ever heard anyone put it up there with their favorites. It has to be nostalgia.

Maybe one year I'll finally break down and buy one (heaven knows I'm not getting any next-gen systems, so I'll be able to afford it). Any recommendations? What to look for? What to get? Top 10/25/50 games?

Those are the exact consoles I never had an urge to own. Although I did pick up the Zelda CDi games years ago before they were expensive. Wish I still had those...

What I really want to know though is if the Luceinnes Quest is a good game? I almost bought a 3DO many times because I wanted to try that game. There is next to no info online. Is it worth buying the console for?

I remember back in the day I wanted one because the box art on the back of the street fighter had Akuma on it. I still want to try that game, and Road Rash on 3DO. Maybe one day I will get one. Which is the best version console to get? Is there a real difference in them?

[Manga4life]

Those are the exact consoles I never had an urge to own. Although I did pick up the Zelda CDi games years ago before they were expensive. Wish I still had those...

What I really want to know though is if the Luceinnes Quest is a good game? I almost bought a 3DO many times because I wanted to try that game. There is next to no info online. Is it worth buying the console for?

I remember back in the day I wanted one because the box art on the back of the street fighter had Akuma on it. I still want to try that game, and Road Rash on 3DO. Maybe one day I will get one. Which is the best version console to get? Is there a real difference in them?

Luciennes Quest was fun, I enjoyed the time I spent with that game and played it quite a bit back around 1997 or so and felt like it played a lot like Final Fantasy. The music was really cool and the graphics were enhanced enough from SNES RPG's that the game really felt "next gen" at the time, it's totally worth playing if you love turn based RPG's.

As for the 3DO system worth owning, I have the original Panasonic FZ deck, but I think the top loading Panasonic second model had more internal memory.

[Scotterpop]

WCP, I know exactly what you mean. One of my first jobs out of high school was working in the electronics department of Montgomery Ward where we had a 3DO demo kiosk on display (started there in 1994). When I first saw the graphics and the shiny CD Rom game discs I was blown away by how advanced and futuristic it all seemed at the time. Although I loved playing those games in the store on my lunch break (or whenever the boss wasn't looking!) I was always depressed by the fact that I knew I would never get to own one of those amazing machines, given its ridiculous $700 price tag. So yeah, to really appreciate the 3DO I think you had to be there from the beginning to witness its truly striking debut.

[Manga4life]

It was great the day I bought it with my friend back in early 1996 as I noted in my original post in this thread. I remember playing AD&D Slayer and being blown away because I've never played much in the way of first person games and this game had such high quality graphics at the time, and I also remember being enthralled by Myst and it's photo realistic pictures and video of the people talking in the books. It was pretty awesome back then. I remember just wandering around the world in Myst for hours, accomplishing nothing mind you, but it was absolutely fun and entertaining.

God I love the 3DO.

[Ed Oscuro]

I was always interested in Slayer since seeing screenshots of it in promotional flyers in other SSI games. I might have to go and hunt it down now...interesting note about a possible alternate version.

SSI had a bunch of really interesting stuff out, but I don't know how much of it caught the public imagination. Some of it needed a bit more in the way of replayability, but they were one of the best really.

[lakerstowin]

wait a minute, how has NOBODY mentioned Star Control II yet?




Yeah, for sure.

[Manga4life]

I have a 3DO now, both the Panasonic FZ-1 and the FZ-10 deck, and love them both! I got into this system toward the end of its life cycle and got a ton of games for under $10 each at Funcoland before they stopped carrying it, many of which were under $7.99 at that point. What a bargain! Games like Lucinnes Quest, Slayer, Death Keep, Mazer, Monster Manor, Wolfenstein, Gex, Burning Soldier, Off Worlx Interceptor, Theme Park, Shock Wave, Quasar, Sewer Shark, Madden, SF2, Samurai Showdown, Way of the Warrior, Alone in the Dark and other titles really made this system fun as Hell (pun intended). Lots of great memories here and lktsnkf great games as well!

[TheRetroVideoGameAddict]

EA's Escape from Monster Manor, Gex, Dungeons & Dragons Slayer, Star Control 2, Pataank, Captain Quasar, and other classics bring me back to a time where I was absolutely in love with the 3DO. I still enjoy a 3DO weekend once or twice a year, this past year I played a lot of Samurai Showdown, Night Trap, Mad Dog McGraw, Gex, Ballz, and Alone in the Dark 2 and it was a lot of fun.

The 3DO was the first true graphics powerhouse system I played and most of the games were visually stunning compared to the SNES and Genesis and I was completely blown away. Games like Shockwave, Total Eclipse, and the Star Wars games on the 3DO really shined at the time, and I remember a lot of the FMV games being great looking (but gimmicky). Most still remain fun to this day, though.

[LiquidPolicenaut]

I am an original day one 3DO owner (still have my original box with the EBGames sticker on it for $699!!!) and I have always been happy with my 3DO. Some of my favorite games on the system are:

Night Trap (best video out of all the versions)
Super Street Fighter II Turbo (still love the arranged soundtrack)
Shockwave series (1, 2, and Operation Jumpgate)
Twisted
Road Rash
The Horde
Snowjob (though the video is static, it was nice to be able to look around in 360 degrees)
Wolfenstein 3D (best version of the game IMO and it has a great soundtrack)
The Lost Files of Sherlock Holmes (underrated point-n-click adventure that added voice and FMV "talking heads" not present in the PC version)
Policenauts (Import)

[treismac]

Definitely agree with this. I can't stand Yoshi's Island. Makes me wanna vomit. There are three SNES games that everyone seems to love that I just cannot stand: Earthbound, Harvest Moon, and Yoshi's Island. I just don't get the love for these.

Is it the pastel crayon drawn look of the game or the crying baby Mario that makes you dislike Yoshi or is it simply the game as a whole.

[Nature Boy]

Is it the pastel crayon drawn look of the game or the crying baby Mario that makes you dislike Yoshi or is it simply the game as a whole.

Why not start a Yoshi's Island thread instead of hijacking this one? Or PM?

Anyway...

I remember renting a 3DO and loving both Road Rash and FIFA. When I had the opportunity to add a unit to my collection after the system was dead, I jumped at it, since the price was right (next to nothing, although I don't remember specifically what I paid), and I've since acquired Night Trap and Dragon's Lair as well as my aforementioned favourites.

For the record I don't think the system is underrated at all - I think it's properly rated somewhere in the lower middle or upper lower spectrum of consoles. And yes, I just made that up :)

[thahurricanegame]

We were spoiled (got anything by Nintendo and Sega almost) although we never got the 3DO back then. Part of it had to do with the fact that the console did not resonate with us..

Manga4life sorry to hear about your friend passing, what happened, if you don't mind me asking?

Always sucks to hear about a friend passing and even more so when that friend was a gamer!