3DOAge announced, thought you 3DO fans would be interested

[sheath]

Gamepro May 1995 reviews and previews and whatnot.

[Barone]

My 3DO doesn't really get much love since I don't have a huge desire to play most of the games on it. I've heard the version of Sewer Shark is awesome, and there a couple American Laser Games ones that I want to play (Space Pirates, lol), but since there seems to be less of a problem with it playing CDRs I'm not too concerned on finding legit versions of games I want to play.

Maybe sometime in the future when my house is less crazy lookin

3DO is the American Laser Games lovers wet dream.

@sheath
I love Quarantine. It's kinda weird, bizarre and with some strange controls at first but the game is pure fun. The cyberpunk setting obviously appeals to my taste but the art design is what really shines IMO.
The 3DO version has the less pixelated graphics when compared to Saturn (Death Throttle) and PS1 (Hard Rock Cab) versions. However, the streets don't have textures like the other versions. The framerate is quite low sometimes (framerate: PS1>Saturn>3DO).
On the 3DO you can change the music while the other console versions don't have this option (I never found it...).
It's a forgotten game that deserves more attention...

[StarMist]

I love Quarantine. It's kinda weird, bizarre and with some strange controls at first but the game is pure fun. The cyberpunk setting obviously appeals to my taste but the art design is what really shines IMO.

Believe it or not the first sensation I had getting into the cab in Snatcher was the hope there'd be a Quarantine like segment. Alas.
It's weird neither the Saturn nor PS version was ever exported. Maybe Gex soured them on it.

@ OP = I don't think the site idea ridiculous or anything, just there isn't that much to talk about with so small a library. Perhaps there are dissertations on how the Playstation's popularity derived entirely from 3DO retreads.

[Thenewguy]

Who did say that?

The graphics are very close to the Amiga so I don't see any reason to trash them. The SNES version only looks a bit more colorful but it's totally censored so I don't realize where is the advantage. The resolutions should be considered too.

The colour is noticeably worse than the Amiga version, I think lower resolution too?

Mega Drive definitely has a lot of advantages over the SNES version, but there are still one of two some tradeoffs, Amiga seems better in all areas though, how are the sound effects on Mega-CD?

[Barone]

Believe it or not the first sensation I had getting into the cab in Snatcher was the hope there'd be a Quarantine like segment. Alas.
It's weird neither the Saturn nor PS version was ever exported. Maybe Gex soured them on it.

Wow, I actually thought something similar about Snatcher. I wasn't expecting 3D buildings but some free running across the streets looking for traces, info and snatchers would have been pretty cool IMO. The Sega CD had the proper hardware to do something in those lines...

Quarantine is pretty cool. I'm playing it on the PS1 and I just discovered how to change the music... It's kinda dull but you have to press start (the start menu will appear) and return to the game. The Saturn version does not change the music before the end of the track, no way...
The bad aspect of the PS1 version is that the blood is green, some really stupid thing (maybe there's a cheat to turn it on but the game is so unknown that there's no cheats for this version on the Internet) but probably to avoid the heavy criticism that the original version had due to the great amount of violence and screams of death... Maybe Asmik (the responsible for the PS1 version) was targeting the US market but the release never happened in the end...
Something very positive about the PS1 version is that you have a second mapping option for the controller and so you can use X to accelerate instead of UP. That really annoyed me on the other versions and they have no control options.
Comparing with the Saturn version, the PS1 has longer visible distance and an effect to make the transition between the black and the beginning of the visible area. The framerate is also more consistent (the Saturn has some very high moments but it drops a lot when you see the buildings) and the average is higher. The map view is kinda zoomed on the PS1 and you can scroll it. The Saturn map is zoomed out all the time and looks worse. Saturn version is lacking a couple of sfx that were present in the 3DO version too.

The colour is noticeably worse than the Amiga version, I think lower resolution too?

I really don't see all that difference. Out of this World isn't what I would call "colorful game" and I think the colors are OK on the Genesis/Sega CD; nothing strange or something.
The resolution on Amiga is higher than on Genesis/Sega CD that is higher than on SNES.

Mega Drive definitely has a lot of advantages over the SNES version, but there are still one of two some tradeoffs,

The SNES is far superior to the Genesis version in the sound department. The sound effects are very weak in the Genesis version, some are missing, some are very low quality...
And the music on the SNES is also far superior to the Mega Drive. FAR superior...
IMO the Genesis version has the reasonable framerate as the main advantage over the SNES and, of course, no censorship... A bit more details/enemies here and there...

Amiga seems better in all areas though,

I disagree.
The Genesis version already had some advantages in the sound department with the addition of music for some action moments. However, the quality is so poor for the music and sfx that it's almost nothing in comparison. The Amiga version is far superior to the Genesis, also in terms of framerate.
The SNES version had some upgrades over the Genesis version in the sound department. And I'm not talking about the far superior quality for the music and sfx, but there's more music for some other action moments. In comparison with the Amiga version it has a lot more music and the compositions are great. However, the sfx on the Amiga are still superior IMO and especially the voices sound deeply muffled on the SNES. The SNES version also suffers from very low framerate and loadings that are longer than the Sega CD ones, something really depressing for a cartridge version.

how are the sound effects on Mega-CD?

Well, I'll give you more details about sound...
The Sega CD version is like an upgrade over the SNES one. It adds more music in the game and also with great compositions. It has more sfx than on the SNES and the quality is far superior; more channels are used at the same time too.
Like I said before, it runs in a much higher framerate than the SNES version and also clearly better than the Genesis (especially in the worst moments of the Genesis version).

Comparing to the the Amiga, the Sega CD version has tons of added music and I think it's great for the game. The music has a lot of atmosphere, being minimal in the slow paced moments and stronger in the action ones... It's really great IMO.
The voices are a bit better on the Sega CD and the sfx have a bit more quality (they are better equalized IMO, the Amiga version is only treble and treble; sometimes they sound clearly better on the Sega CD).
The stereo sensation is still far better on the Amiga for the sfx but the CD soundtrack brings some compensation 'cause it has lots of tiny stereo effects to please your ears.
I think the Amiga has more laser sfx in some parts too.

The Sega CD has a bit more sfx and they have better quality (the voices are clearly better) in comparison to the 3DO version.

The Amiga version is a very quiet game. The Sega CD has a lot more atmosphere.

The Sega CD has less slowdown than the Amiga version in the "heavy" action moments.

[goldenband]

Ha, that Immercenary review...I enjoyed the game for what it was, but it's hardly in the 9/10 range. Its difficulty curve is practically backwards -- it's deadly in the beginning, and mindlessly easy by the end. And the gameplay is ultimately very simplistic, amounting to little more than a tarted-up version of Spectre VR.

Still, it was entertaining enough to play through all the way to the end.

[havok666]

3DO is the American Laser Games lovers wet dream.

@sheath
I love Quarantine. It's kinda weird, bizarre and with some strange controls at first but the game is pure fun. The cyberpunk setting obviously appeals to my taste but the art design is what really shines IMO.
The 3DO version has the less pixelated graphics when compared to Saturn (Death Throttle) and PS1 (Hard Rock Cab) versions. However, the streets don't have textures like the other versions. The framerate is quite low sometimes (framerate: PS1>Saturn>3DO).
On the 3DO you can change the music while the other console versions don't have this option (I never found it...).
It's a forgotten game that deserves more attention...

I also enjoy Quarantinee. Had the MSDos version growing up, so there was no soundtrack. I recently grabbed the Saturn version because it looked like it was mostly in English, but unfortunately the cab banter is in Japanese and I don't think I'll be able to complete the game. I honestly forget how to progress, do you just keep picking up fares until something scripted happens?

[Barone]

I also enjoy Quarantinee. Had the MSDos version growing up, so there was no soundtrack.

Nice to see that Quarantine gets some love in this board.

I recently grabbed the Saturn version because it looked like it was mostly in English, but unfortunately the cab banter is in Japanese and I don't think I'll be able to complete the game. I honestly forget how to progress, do you just keep picking up fares until something scripted happens?

Relax, you'll be able to complete the game. The PS1 version is also in Japanese for those dialogues but I found this complete playthrough @YouTube. It's the 3DO version but AFAIK it's exactly the same thing for the Saturn and PS1. I'm playing according to it and having no problems so far.
By the way, how much did you pay for your copy of Death Throttle?

I think you just have to "keep picking up fares until something scripted happens" but sometimes it can be a bit confusing; and don't forget that green points on the map are repair places and red points for weapons... So it's good to have these videos (sorry, but I'll flood this thread right now) (this is the correct order IIRC):

[havok666]

Amazing, thanks for your help. I checked gamefaqs, but I never even thought of using youtube. I paid $15 for my copy.

[Barone]

$15 is a very good price.

[Tanegashima]

Well, I sold my 3DO collection about two years ago and haven't looked back. I've stopped
collecting video games altogether because it's a tremendous waste of time and money for something
I only spend a marginal amount of time actually utilizing.

My entire "collection" consists of 19 Sega Genesis games and that's it...

The 3DO is cool, it has it's novelty but I really didn't get much enjoyment out of it...but I've
also never been a true "gamer" when I realized that I sold 98% of my collection.

I had my fun collecting, but I'm done...I don't collect anything anymore, strongly considering
LaserDisc but that may not happen 'cause I'm lazy and I'd be happier with the money I think.

If I'd owned a 3DO as a kid instead of a Genesis, or a Jaguar or whatever odd system I'd have probably
kept that...all I ever had was Genesis and that's what I'm left with and in the end my 19 Genesis games
are about 5000% better and more enjoyable than the entire 3DO library. Unless you're a die hard collector
or have some attachment to the system, in the end I'd avoid buying it

They sure are easy to find though...I've decided with ebay and amazon and estarland that nothing is really
RARE at all anymore. The rarest most sought after games are constantly being flipped for
profit on ebay and amazon and they'll always be available now. With a few minor exceptions collecting has become so damn easy.

I just don't get the fact that at any given time there are ten copies of Panzer Dragoon Saga on ebay and they still command outrageous prices...for instance. I guess people will pay what they want to...

[sheath]

I like my 3DO well enough, I'm glad I only paid $50 for it and the games I own are all less than half that cost. Since I really like the Sega CD library, I find plenty of enjoyment from the 3DO as well. I'm hoping I will eventually feel the same way about the Jaguar. So far, the Sega CD and 3DO have a much higher quality ratio than the Jaguar seems to have.

[Barone]

So far, the Sega CD and 3DO have a much higher quality ratio than the Jaguar seems to have.

Oh yeah... No doubt.
97.678% of Jaguar games are half-assed at best.

Jaguar screams "cheap" in my mind; heck, even its plastic case looks cheap as fuck!

[magicalsoundshower]

It's 3DO, not 3D Zero. Think like vide-oh or audi-oh.

I was actually going to spell it "3DO" but some googling around somehow made me think spelling it with a zero was the right way to do it. You know, with an "oh" as in "James Bond Double Oh Seven". Thanks for clearing that up!

[SEGA.GENESIS1989]

Road Rash, Gex, Need for Speed, Wolfenstein 3D, Doom (best soundtrack), Street Fighter II Turbo, Out of this World (BEST version I've Played), Flashback, Alone in the Dark is good but the controls really do detract..., battlesport, crash n burn, those were my favorites among other FMV games that had their moments but that list basically sums up the TOP tier of the 3DO library, everything else is pretty bad...

Killing Time...meh...it's kinda bad actually like really bad...

Tanegashima, thanks for taking the time to respond to my question. Alot of people cite price as the reason why the console failed. But looking at their library, I think another reason was the lackluster library available. Looking back, I have to ask myself what games really defined the console? Even if I had the money to buy the console, what games would attract me to the console that the other systems could not offer me? With respect to the list you provided, those games could be played on the other existing systems. Even if the 3DO possessed the definitive version of a game, it would not be enough to compel me to purchase the Panasonic console. It should also be noted, Panasonic was not a company that was known for producing gaming software and most consumers would not associate their brand with "gaming" in general. Here in North America, the company was known for manufacturing mid-level audio and video electronics as well as appliances. After reading the announcement in a gaming magazine, I distinctly remember asking myself why Panasonic had decided to enter the console race. Please note that I am not criticizing the console itself. But I think it's important to present what might have been the perception at the time as I am sure that I was not alone in thinking this way. I don't think that the company realized what an uphill battle they were about to face when dealing with the likes of Nintendo, SEGA, and later SONY. Panasonic is a great company. I've owned several of their products and still do. But I think their sense of optimism in terms of entering the gaming market was a little misplaced.