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The 3DO thread


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So, about 5 years ago, I was shopping a goodwill and I discovered a 3DO FZ-10 sitting on their tech shelves. I had a vague notion of what it was, so bought it along with four games they had sitting in the DVD section. I later... ahem acquired copies of a few other games, Night Trap being my favorite (the 3DO version has the best resolution), just for how silly it is. Thus began my love affair with the 3DO, the console who's market strategy was brilliantly unique and an utter failure and had so much potential but was out at precisely the wrong time.

 

Let's talk about the 3DO. Do we have any early adopters here? How about so 3DO memories or ruminations?

 

I find 3DO's history to be quite interesting.

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So, about 5 years ago, I was shopping a goodwill and I discovered a 3DO FZ-10 sitting on their tech shelves. I had a vague notion of what it was, so bought it along with four games they had sitting in the DVD section. I later... ahem acquired copies of a few other games, Night Trap being my favorite (the 3DO version has the best resolution), just for how silly it is. Thus began my love affair with the 3DO, the console who's market strategy was brilliantly unique and an utter failure and had so much potential but was out at precisely the wrong time.

 

Let's talk about the 3DO. Do we have any early adopters here? How about so 3DO memories or ruminations?

 

I find 3DO's history to be quite interesting.

 

Hi Lendorien,

 

Nice to see a 3DO thread. I remember when it came out on launch day and was amazed on what this unit could do! It was the system that made me want to buy it without asking my parents to spend the money for me. But as a 10 year old that was on an allowance from doing chores around the house, it was not going to happen!

 

But eventually I purchased a FZ-1. FZ-10, and the Goldstar version down the road as I got older. Its was worth every dollar of mine to be spent on it!

 

Despite that I'm a Neo-Geo man, the 3DO is a system that I really like with some titles that amazed me from a dedicated CD system then & now!!

 

Anthony...

Edited by fdurso224
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My family got a 3DO as it was dying, but we didn't understand that it was dying. I guess the PlayStation was kicking its butt.

 

I posted this in another thread:

 

One of the best games on the 3DO is Star Control II. You can download the 3DO version of the game and play it on your computer for free if you want to try it before you buy it:

sc2.sourceforge.net/downloads.php


Speaking of things you can play on your PC, there is a good 3DO emulator now. You can try out games before you buy so you won't have to waste time hunting down games that suck:

www.fourdo.com


I loved Shanghai: Triple-Threat. One of the variations reminds me of the Connect 2 free online game that I have on my web site. Click here for YouTube videos.


Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Slayer was cool because of the random dungeon generator. Talk about randomness and replayability. Click here for YouTube videos.


The Horde was fun for a while. Click here for YouTube videos.


Theme Park is worth owning. It was my first amusement park game. Click here for YouTube videos.


Need for Speed was pretty amazing-looking at the time. Click here for YouTube videos.


I kind of liked Quarantine back then, but it's hard to go back to now since it's so blocky compared to the games of today. It's like a futuristic Crazy Taxi with guns. Click here for YouTube videos.


I had a sampler with a Captain Quazar demo on it. The little I got to play of it made it seem like the game might be worth owning. Click here for YouTube videos.


If you like platform games, then you'll probably love Gex (starring Dana Gould). Click here for YouTube videos.

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Ooh, 3DO thread, somewhere to dump a stupid story about the first system I ever played...

 

So yeah, with gaming, my FZ-1 has been my first and still one of my favorite systems. I think my dad got the thing back when it came out with Crash 'n Burn (obviously) and The Life Stage: Virtual House, which is some Japanese title that I never figured out. For what I get he stayed up-to-date with the thing until the N64 came out, then he dropped it. The thing somehow found its way into my room over time, and when I was five I think, I played my first video game - Star Fighter - on it. I played the thing for a good month, then dropped it as we had an Xbox and Gamecube which "had more games" (The rest of the 3DO games were in a box). Jump forward four years, and it's 2009. My grandparents had passed away, and for some reason two months after I kept remembering how I'd watch the rest of the family play games like Ninja Gaiden and Super Mario Bros. on the NES my grandparents owned. This made me want to find a NES for some reason, so my dad and I went through boxes in the basement where we found our old NES and 40 games, but we also found all of his 3DO games and one of those CH Products Flight Stick Pro things. I ignored those 3DO stuff for a month or so, but they all went to my room and he put them on a shelf next to the 3DO which was sitting in its box. Eventually I wondered what the stack of 3DO games were like, so I got the 3DO out of the box, plugged in a controller (Little me thought it was the dumbest thing to only have one controller port, I didn't realize you could daisy-chain them xD) and started off with Star Fighter again. After a while I went through all the games, beat them (except for HELL: A Cyberpunk Thriller - I never figured it out) and thought "I wonder if there are more?" which yeah, there were. So, I ended up getting into collection through the 3DO, and I still hunt for games to this day - it's the one system I'd want a complete system library for.

 

TL;DR on the bit - First game I played was a 3DO game, I re-discovered the thing in late 2009, and it got me into collecting games.

 

Also, I have to say, nice list of games RT. I enjoy pretty much all of those, and the only one I don't have much time into is Gex as I played through the PS1 version forever ago so I never bothered to play our 3DO copy of it all that much.

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I never understood the Daisy Chain controller thing. How hard would it have been to have multiple controller ports. With the thing already costing 700 bucks, what was one more db9 port?

 

I've always wondered how the 3do would have fared int he long term if it hadn't been so expensive upon its release. It had a CPU that was less powerful than the Playstation's. but it had graphics coprocessors that made up for it. I'm not sure the system was ever taxed by games pushing the limits like some of the others were.

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Welll it's the opposite for me, the daisy chaining is really a clever solution to the issue of having to keep a multitaps around, plus the cords for the controllers are like 2 meters long so what's to complain about?

 

I don't have memories of the 3DO myself. I never heard or saw one BITD, and only heard of it recently. I acquired one around 2011 and I have enjoyed it since. It's a neat system, with some flaws, but it could have been great. To think that Hideo Kojima wanted to release Metal Gear Solid on it at first tells how much the 3DO had potential.

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My brother got a 3DO sometime in the early 2000s. While my retro interest was (and always has been) mainly pre-Crash/8-bit stuff, my brother was interested in early CD platforms and shortlived/failed '90s systems (he also got a Jaguar around the same time, new from Telegames).

Anyway, before I moved away to college I played his 3DO quite a bit, maybe even more than he did. I'd play Offworld Interceptor or Daedalus Encounter or something while he and his friend played Dynasty Warriors 3 on PS2. Out Of This World was my favorite. Such a cool game, like a short art film turned into a game. He had a bunch of other games, the titles of which mostly escape me, and they ranged from pretty bad to decent enough but nothing I'd describe as must-play. I don't think he had any "killer apps" like Shockwave 2 or Super Street Fighter II Turbo.

I got an FZ-1 a few years back in a trade but haven't played it much. I need to get more games for it. I've only got Need For Speed (loved it on PS1 with my buddy BITD; this is just okay), Alone In The Dark (I need to figure this one out; I keep getting killed by the first monster...I once had the same problem with Resident Evil, which I hated at first and soon grew to love), Dragon's Lair (which I just can't figure out...no matter what I do, I die immediately), Space Hulk (looks neat but kind of clunky), and Total Eclipse (haven't played yet, but it looks good). So my library currently hasn't blown me away.

I really like the 3DO controller. I know there were a couple different ones (Panasonic and Goldstar) but they were both nice. Solid feel, fits well in the hands, responsive buttons. Daisy-chain multiplayer seems like an odd design choice--and it IS pretty alien--but makes sense in that developers could make games for any number of players without being constricted to two controller ports or multitaps. Pretty clever in a roundabout way.

 

I like the 3DO--I just need more games for it--and I have some good memories of it (which themselves came long after the system was dead and buried), but it's not hard to see why it got lost in the PlayStation-Saturn-N64 battle. It's got some very good games, but just too few of them, and even fewer of those really stand out.

Final thought: those tall boxes are tits. I love 3DO boxes. :-D

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I think my Love for the 3DO comes from 4 games. Jurassic Park Interactive, Casper, Night Trap (yes, it was on Sega Cd first) and trip'd.

 

I have played the 3DO version of Star Control and the Pc one as well. The Urquan Masters public domain version is really the best of both worlds

 

I think that the controller daisy chaining was an odd choice. It is awkward to have that extra cord sticking out the back.

 

But the bigger issue for me is the lack of save game space. The only has 32K for sabed games. For a collector, this is especially annoying. There really is only room for 5 or so games at most. There was a memory expansion module that fits in to the expansion port.

 

The FZ-EM256 was only released in Japan and adds an additional 256k of save game space. It was released at the end of the 3DOs life so it's fairly hard to come by.

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I was 14 in 1994 and REALLY wanted a 3DO. So I took a summer job moving sprinklers for cattle ranchers and by the end of the season, I had saved the $600 or so (I think the system had already had a price drop at that point) and got myself a FZ-1 with Road Rash… Gex, Return Fire, Samurai Showdown and Madden not long after that. There was a locally owned movie and game renal store just a few blocks from my house and they had enough 3DO games for a few years that I was able to get a good feel for the system renting a game every weekend I could. By the time they got rid of their 3DO stock (late 1996?), I was getting ready to move on too, however they came to my parents and offered me first dibs to buy any remaining stock for a very low price, so I came out of that with about 20 more 3DO games that I paid about $200 for… boxes, manuals all in pristine shape, discs varied… I would have to look for all titles, but I know I picked up “The Horde” “Dragon’s Lair” “Super Street Fighter II Turbo” “Way of The Warrior” “Crash ‘n Burn” “Out of This World” and many more… which held me over until I finally got a Nintendo 64 in 1998…

 

It was such a great system though… I mean, for every “Way of The Warrior” there was a good game that made up for it, and I can’t think of a single bad game EA put out for the system… I would still take 3DO Madden over any incarnation of the franchise in the time since.

Edited by SilvaHaloOne
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While I wasn't an early adopter of the 3DO, a close friend of mine was. He got it the first Xmas it was available so he could play Starblade on it, which he was obsessed with. He also got Samurai Showdown with it, and aside from the awful load times, it was the best home port of that game outside of having a Neo Geo! So, while I didn't personally have one, I did play one all the time back then.

 

Years later, when I was in college and working at an auto parts store in the early 2000's, a guy I work with was moving across the country and cleaning out his storage unit. I had just started collecting seriously, and knowing that I was into games, he told me that if he found anything, I could have it. Before he left, he came in with a big box of 3DO stuff! In the box was a Goldstar 3DO and about 20 games, including some favorites like Samurai Showdown, Wolfenstein 3D, and Return Fire! Sadly, some of the games (like Slayer) were unplayable, as the disc surface had delaminated, but I got about 15 or so quality games out of that haul.

 

A few years later, I hit up a local Play N Trade that had lots of used retro games at just the right time and scored CIB copies of Madden, Way of the Warrior, The Need for Speed, and Road Rash for dirt cheap.

 

It's been collecting dust lately, but after seeing this thread, I think I need to bust it out. :)

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I always wanted a 3DO when they came out but could never afford one. I even considered buying a 3DO Blaster for my PC until I realized that most PC games were the same as the 3DO vesions. A couple of years ago, I found a working FZ-1 at Goodwill. It even had a Soccer game still in the drawer. It was pretty fun. I tried to burn games for it but my burner very rarely made a proper image that the FZ-1 would play. Gex was fun as well as Starblade. Currently, I don't have the 3DO plugged in since I have very few games for it. It's just easier to run the emulator from the PC.

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I'd be interested in getting one and some games for my collection, but trying to save money (somewhat unsuccessfully).

 

Anyway, as far as my experience with the 3DO goes, it's pretty non-existant. I remember seeing them in Circuit City back when they were being sold... I may have played a demo game or something, but that's about it.

 

I do have this to say, though. I remember reading a review for the 3DO version of Need for Speed a long time back. It was a relatively negative review. I remember them saying something about how it didn't seem like the cars went very fast and that they actually had a "need for speed." Anyway, I've always remembered that review and to this day I still have never owned or played a Need for Speed game. People tell me that I'm missing out and there are some really good ones in the series, but I just have never been interested in them. /shrug

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[quote name="SilvaHaloOne" post="3467455"

 

It was such a great system though I mean, for every Way of The Warrior there was a good game that made up for it, and I cant think of a single bad game EA put out for the system I would still take 3DO Madden over any incarnation of the franchise in the time since.

 

What a great story. Do you still have it? I was on of those kids who never had video games growing up. My first console was the N64 around 1998 that I bought myself in college. About 10 years later, I had a horrible breakup and to keep sane, started collecting to keep myself busy. The 3DO was found on one of my thrifting trips. I know I saw a goldstar unit once but at the time didn't know what it was.

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Hey Lendorien,

 

Yes, I still have it... 3DO Road Rash is still one of my favorite games of all time and I don't have any of the subsequent ports of it, "Return Fire" and "Out of This World" still see some play time as well... I play it enough that it is perpetually hooked up in my gaming room. The only thing that seems to have been lost to time are my two original Panasonic controllers... I picked up a couple of Naki replacements a few years ago and they are ok... I have to open them after almost every session and fix one of the trigger buttons though... I have heard that is a pretty common complaint. I haven't picked up much besides those since the early 2000's... I just took a look at prices on Ebay and while they are higher than I would like, they don't seem to be too crazy. I have noticed that a lot of the people I talk to about gaming who are around my age seem to remember the 3DO but never got around to trying it... most ended up with a PlayStation or N64. I ended up with the 3DO and N64 and my next door neighbor had a Saturn, (which he also sold to me in the early 2000's) so between us, we pretty much had our bases covered. Glad people are still talking about the 3DO... I might have to give Road Rash a run through tonight...

Edited by SilvaHaloOne
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I don't have a 3DO, but at times I have pondered on whether getting one or not. Despite the 220 or so titles released for the system during it's three year run in the mid 90's. The only things that are stopping me from getting one is of course I heard about the intermittent disc read problems on the FZ-1 and most notoriously the Goldstar units, games are pretty hard to find out in the wild, the top loading FZ-10 models are tough to find on-line and go for a higher price, and lastly I don't like the daisy chain controller attachments as I feel it's pretty awkward. I have a few games released for the system that was ported to the original Playstation notably Gex. That is a heck of a fun game to play.

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I bought my FZ-1 in 1994 at the Die Hard Game Fan store for $380. It came with Crash n Burn and Total Eclipse, which were both pretty good games. I really wanted the system for Road Rash, Samurai Shodown and Super Street Fighter II. I remember buying SSF2 at Software Etc for $80 the day it came out and playing it non-stop. I also got really lucky and bought a huge stash of sealed games for a $1 each from someone who actually worked at 3DO. I had a lot of fun with the 3DO, but sadly haven't played it in a few years as I don't have the room to put out all my systems anymore.

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I do have this to say, though. I remember reading a review for the 3DO version of Need for Speed a long time back. It was a relatively negative review. I remember them saying something about how it didn't seem like the cars went very fast and that they actually had a "need for speed." Anyway, I've always remembered that review and to this day I still have never owned or played a Need for Speed game. People tell me that I'm missing out and there are some really good ones in the series, but I just have never been interested in them. /shrug

FWIW I remember liking it on PlayStation a lot more than on 3DO.

Edited by BassGuitari
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I do have this to say, though. I remember reading a review for the 3DO version of Need for Speed a long time back. It was a relatively negative review. I remember them saying something about how it didn't seem like the cars went very fast and that they actually had a "need for speed." Anyway, I've always remembered that review and to this day I still have never owned or played a Need for Speed game. People tell me that I'm missing out and there are some really good ones in the series, but I just have never been interested in them. /shrug

You know what's a great game on the system that you have to try?

Need for Speed..

;-)

There's even a story around that when they were getting ready to reboot it, they brought in a 3DO for the new DEVS so they could see that version. Yes, some people hate the guy in the intermissions, but the game is great fun..

 

Yes, there are some junk games on the system, but there are some great games too!

I do like Gex as a platformer.

Need for Speed and Road Rash are awesome.

If you like fighting games, Super Street Fighter II is awesome. (I appreciate it, even tho I'm not a fighting game fan in general.)

 

Personally, I think the controllers were great. I also thought the daisy chaining was an elegant solution to not needing a multi-tap or lots of ports on the system. And the headphone jack in the controller is great...

 

Now, in no way do I think it was worth $700 at the time.. That was just crazy.. I got mine from Goodwill about 8 years ago I guess..

But I've been very impressed with the games..

Had the prices been more realistic from the get go, I think the system could really have given the Playstation a run for it's money.

 

The draw depth on some of the games just show how impressive a system it is..

 

desiv

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So I was thinking about the 3DO's daisy chained controllers on the drive home from work. (It's a 30 minute drive and my radio isn't working.) Anyway, I started wondering if there was an upper limit to the number of controllers that could be chained together. Wikipedia says that the limit is eight. I figured there was some upper limit where the first controller's cable couldn't handle all the different inputs or something, but this is actually higher than I thought it would be. Are there any games that support eight players simultaneous? Maybe a sports game or Bomberman-like game?

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