A Look Back at 3DO

[Zadoc]

Whenever I hear some misinformed soul chime in with “There were NO good games for the 3DO”, I know that this individual either hasn’t owned one or played any of the classics for the console and is probably parroting something out of some game magazine or off a web site run by folks with no sense of gaming history.



I just wanted to chime in and say that the thing with this 3DO isn't that there aren't any good games for the system, there are lots; it's that MOST of the really good software for the 3DO is also available for (and usually better on) the Saturn or PSOne.

[SoulBlazer]

Not to mention the PC. Heck, even the wonderfull version of Star Control II for the 3DO has been ported to the PC. When that happened I got rid of my 3DO as I no longer had any reason to hold on to it.

It still blows my mind how much they sold it for at launch time and how much that price has dropped compared to the Neo Geo which seems to hold value better.

[Zadoc]

Not to mention the PC. Heck, even the wonderfull version of Star Control II for the 3DO has been ported to the PC. When that happened I got rid of my 3DO as I no longer had any reason to hold on to it.

It still blows my mind how much they sold it for at launch time and how much that price has dropped compared to the Neo Geo which seems to hold value better.

Well, there's a big reason for that. For one, the 3DO systems were sold for a profit because they were manufactured by third parties. That's why they were so expensive.

They're cheap now because the techonology is cheap. There were a lot of 3DO's made and they're fairly common to come accross in the wild. I see them at pawn shops for usually $50 or less.

Neo Geo, on the other hand, is hard to come accross, virtually all of the software is unique to the Neo Geo, and even when it's not you're not going to get a Neo Geo experience anywhere but on a Neo Geo. The System and the games will hold their value forever.

[evildead2099]

I know of 2 great 3DO games:

1) Road Rash

2) Return Fire

Both titles are actually better than their PC ports (I should know, since I own 'em).

Road Rash PC is inferior to the 3DO port since it substitutes the game's great 'band music' (Soundgarden, Hammerbox, etc) for generic MIDI tunes during racers. The Sega CD and 3DO ports are better since they keep that awesome music intact.

[pookninja]

some other good 3do games are:way of the warriorescape from monster manorstrahlguardian warad+d slayerad+d deathkeepiron angel of the apocalypseplus,some of the adult only games are fun to mess with as well.

[evildead2099]

Ahhh yes; there were actually a couple of AO games available for the 3DO (Although that was still before the ESRB formed and came up with a hokey 'AO' rating of its own).

I remember seeing some sort of interactive porn game involving vampires. It looked interesting, but I didn't own a 3DO and even if I did, I probably would've been more apt to try the sexy vampire controversy that was Night Trap.

[dojosky]

I like my 3do and i have a large collection for my 3do even extra systems and dupes or triples of some games !!!! :evil: i actually need to go through them and sort em out and sell all of the extras that I have !!!! jeez !! 3do system is very good ! and there's a lot of good games that are enjoyable to be played on the 3DO !!!

[pookninja]

I like my 3do and i have a large collection for my 3do even extra systems and dupes or triples of some games !!!! :evil: i actually need to go through them and sort em out and sell all of the extras that I have !!!! jeez !! 3do system is very good ! and there's a lot of good games that are enjoyable to be played on the 3DO !!!when you decide to sell your extras.please pm me with a list of which 3do games your selling.

[Anthony1]

Man, the 3DO just get's no damn respect.


I mean, I think the 3DO get's less respect than the 32X and the Jaguar and that's a damn crime if you ask me. People need to remember that the 3DO released in October of 1993. October 1993 people!!!!!

Most gamers compare it to the Saturn and Playstation, but the fact is that the 3DO came out amost 2 years before those systems. Anybody that actually had the opportunity to play Crash N Burn in 1993, was totally amazed by that game. I know I was. I was used to regular old 16 bit games, and when I played Crash N Burn it was like entering a totally new world. That was a huge, huge leap in technology at that time. Crash N Burn looked as good as, or better than most Arcade games at that time. You could have put Crash N Burn in the arcades in late 1993, and people would pay a buck for one play. Sure, the game kinda sucks now, when you look back on it, but back then it was truly next gen.

Then in early 1994, you had the release of Total Eclipse. Another game that was actually more impressive visually than anything at the arcades. Total Eclipse in very early 1994 was the absolute definition of Next Generation at that time. I remember when people came over to my house and saw it. They thought that I had somehow managed to hook up a arcade machine to my TV!!!


Games like Out of this World, with it's enchanting music and beautifull backgrounds totally amazed everybody that saw it. Games like Monster Manor were totally Next-Level type games back then. I remember when I first got Slayer. My buddies were blown away that there was this game with RPG elements that was totally 3D. John Madden Football was also a huge release in early 1994. Here was a game that took the same game from the Genesis but gave it a dramatic graphic overhall, and all my sports game friends were totally addicted to that game. In fact, a few of them actually bought 3DO machines just to play that game.


As time went on, you got Road Rash, which on the 3DO was definitely the killer app for that system. Road Rash was the kinda game that made all non 3DO owners wish they had a 3DO. Again, a totally next level experience that wasn't available on any system at that point. Those graphics were totally arcade quality. Nobody had ever seen a city with cars driving around like that before.

Remember when Fifa International Soccer first came out on the 3DO? That game was totally amazing! I really wasn't a big fan of soccer at all, but that game took soccer to a whole new level. It was the first sports game that I can remember that featured a bunch of different camera angles. It also had the most incredible Dolby Surround Sound. I mean that was a game that when played on a Dolby Surround Sound setup, it really brough you totally into the game. With all the chants from the crowd and the ambience sounds. That was the first sports game to have some really great production values.


Shockwave was a huge game for the 3DO too. Here was a game that actually used Full Motion Video in a good way, because it just supported the game and added to the experience, but basically Shockwave was just a 3D shooter game. But Shockwave was definitely the closest thing to playing some kind of interactive science fiction movie.


What about the Horde? Anybody remember that one? The horde was a great puzzle/god type game that featured outstanding graphics and sounds.

All of these games came out way before the Playstation and Saturn. So you have to take that into consideration. There were tons of great games for the 3DO, and it bothers me that nobody gives the 3DO much love. Was the system way too expensive? Hell yes. Did it have alot of totally crappy games? Hell yes. Did it have alot of games that couldn't even be considered real video games? Hell yes. Was the technology of the 3DO totally put to shame by the Saturn and Playstation? Pretty much. But still, don't disrespect this system. There are lots of great games, and it was truly way ahead of it's time. Unfortunately it had a horrible business model, and it was way overpriced, and the people behind it had visions of multimedia and edutainment dancing around in their heads, and it didn't have enough "pure" video games. But still, you should give this system a chance. If you do, I recommend:


1. Road Rash
2. Out of this World (3DO version is the best ever)
3. Captain Quazar (one of the few real video games on the system)
4. Escape From Monster Manor (not enough different enemies, but still a really cool game. Simple but cool)
5. Gex (maybe had slightly better graphics and control on Saturn and PSX, but still it will always be known as a 3DO game)
6. The Horde (dramatically underrated game)
7. Crash N Burn (most will say this game is crap, but this game came out in October of 1993, and it was freaking amazing then. Similar to Altered Beast on the Genesis. You just have to play this game and think back to when it came out to appreciate it.)
8. Need For Speed (this franchise really got it's start with the 3DO version. A damn good game, and incredibly impressive considering when it came out)
9. Return Fire (this game was pure fun factor and it should always be known as a 3DO game first and foremost)
10. Bladeforce (one of the better 3DO exclusives)
11. Demolition Man (the shooting sequences of this game are actually pretty cool)
12. Shockwave (seems cheesy now, but you have to appreciate how huge this game was when it first hit the scene)
13. Slayer (again, cheesy now, but it was mind blowing when it first hit)
14. Wolfenstein 3D ( I actually think this is the best version of Wolfenstein out there. Super Fast and incredible music!!!)
15. Way of the Warrior (horrible Mortal Kombat ripoff, but this was Naughty Dog's first game, so it's cool to check out. It did have good music!)
16. Night Trap (best version of Night Trap, because the video was much better)
17. Sewer Shark (best version of Sewer Shark, again, video and sound better)
18. Slam N Jam 95 (at the time, this game was totally amazing. Very arcade like with huge players.)
19. Fifa Soccer (it's outdated now, but you have to hear the sound of this game and imagine yourself playing it in mid 1994 way before Playstation and Saturn)
20. Total Eclipse (imagine playing this game in very early 1994, it was totally mindblowing when it first hit)

Those are 20 good ones, but there are many more that I can't think of right now.

[-hellvin-]

A lot of the games are very fun. I've been able to grab quite a few great CIB games and I play it every once in a while. Lots of people hate it, but I think if you give it a chance you'll find a few things you like, especially if you're into pc gaming. I found out recently that a game I used to play ages ago in middle school called dinopark tycoon was on the system but "Oh hey!" it's the rarest game at a freaking R8!!

Oh well, guess it'll still be a cold day in hell before I ever get to play it again.

[Zadoc]

20. Total Eclipse (imagine playing this game in very early 1994, it was totally mindblowing when it first hit)



I still enjoy this game today, I just played it on my Saturn. 3DO had a lot of very good games. My point is, especially as someone who didn't own a 3DO before the 32-bit gen really kicked off, is that nearly 100% of the really good games for the 3DO have already been ported over to Saturn and PSone.

Road Rash was the killer app, especially with that Soundgarden, (I assume today it would be some horrible gang rap), but Road Rash was one of the first to be ported, along with Total/Solar Eclipse.

The 3DO gets all of the respect in the world for being there first, but that's about it. Every A title the system had is already on Saturn/PSOne, which combined with its infirior controller and hardware, just doesn't make it work collecting for. (Unless your goal is to collect everything for every system.)

[Zadoc]

If there's a list that someone has of 3DO exclusive titles, I'd love to see it.

[pacmanhat]

Let's not forget the ONLY console version of The Incredible Machine. I adore that game. The 3DO version of Dragon's Lair is one of the best versions of that as well. The only other game I have for it is Way of the Warrior, which is...weird...REALLY weird...but still good fun for a random vs. game every now and then.

[Anthony1]

Sure, alot of the best 3DO games ended up getting ported to the PSX and Saturn, but definitely not all of the best.


If you want to play the best ever version of Wolfenstein 3D, then you will need to play the 3DO version. Same thing with Out of this World. Playing Out of this World on Sega CD or SNES, just can't compare at all to playing it on the 3DO. Some people will also say that the 3DO got the best version of Flashback. The majority of FMV games that also appeared on the Sega CD are better on the 3DO, primarily to the larger color palette and the larger video window, the sound also was usually better.


Captain Quazar wasn't on any other systems. Same thing with Crash N Burn and Slayer and Monster Manor. I don't think Bladeforce or Icebreaker were on any other systems either. I don't think any other system had the Demolition Man game that the 3DO got. I'm pretty sure no other system had Way of the Warrior. Foes of Ali was a very unique Boxing game and I don't think it appeared on any other system. The version of John Madden that the 3DO got was very different from any other version that ever came out. I'm pretty sure that Killing Time was an exclusive 3DO game. I'm pretty sure that Phoenix 3 was an exclusive game too. I think Snow Job was exclusive, it was a pretty decent FMV game. The Jurassic Park Interactive game was different from any other Jurassic Park game. I think PaTaank and Gridders were exclusives. I think Lucienne's Quest and Guardian War were also exclusives. Did Star Fighter get ported to the PSX?

Anyways, the 3DO had it's share of exclusives. There were other ones besides the ones that I listed, but I think I listed virtually all of them that anybody would want to play. There were alot of crappy games on 3DO too.

Also, in regards to all the 3DO games that eventually got ported to Saturn and Playstation. Games like Total Eclipse and Off World Interceptor and Gex and Shockwave and Slam N Jam 95 and Fifa Soccer and The Horde and Need for Speed and PO'ed and Return Fire and Road Rash and any others that I'm forgetting. All of these games were originally desingned for the 3DO, and personally, I think if you are going to play these games, you might as well play them on the system that they were designed for. If I'm going to play Ninja Gaiden, I'm going to play the NES version, not the SNES version. You know what I mean Vern?

I do have to admit that the controller is horrible and that a SNES 3DO adapter is an absolute must.

[CRV]

What about the Horde? Anybody remember that one? The horde was a great puzzle/god type game that featured outstanding graphics and sounds.

And Kirk Cameron!


Let's not forget the ONLY console version of The Incredible Machine.

Not completely true. There was a version based on Ghouls 'N Ghosts for the Japanese PS1 and Saturn, Arthur to Astaroth no Nazomakaimura: Incredible Toons.

http://www.geocities.com/theghoulrealm/gngnazo.html


Sure, alot of the best 3DO games ended up getting ported to the PSX and Saturn, but definitely not all of the best.

I had always read that Road Rash for PS1 and Saturn were actually worse than the 3DO version, but I have no first-hand experience with those ports.

[-hellvin-]

Thanks Anthony1, didn't notice in the usa list that out of this world came out on it. Me = drool. Since it's so common I'm gonna have to ebay a copy cause I'd love to play it on the 3DO. I have Flashback for it and it's damn good.

[Classicgamesdepot]

someone mentioned captain quazar wasn't on any other system.. it was ported to pc.. I love that game

[Zadoc]

someone mentioned captain quazar wasn't on any other system.. it was ported to pc.. I love that game

http://www.consolecity.com/games.php/action-game_info/game_id-12756.html :D

[digitalpress]

Hey folks, we have a running retrospective already in the Classic Discussions forum. It would be great if you could add (cut and paste if you must) your comments there. That 3DO thread is the one referenced in other parts of this site.

http://www.digitpress.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=315458