TELL ME THE STORY OF 3DO AGAIN:
The history of 3DO is filled with promise, disappointment, and hope. Launched in late 1993, the most advanced gaming system available at the time met with overwhelming indifference thanks to a $700 price tag and a series of software that included putrid non-games like Shelly Duvall's "It's A Bird's Life".

Since then, things got better though. With the price slashed down to $299 a couple years later with a growing body of solid titles, 3DO's sales were rising steadily until the competing systems were released in the fall of 1995, Sega Saturn and Sony Playstation.

To stay in the game, 3DO designed a new 64-bit system, the M2, boasting a CPU and graphics processor which easily would beat the power of any 32-bit console, and even would have outperformed the coming Nintendo 64, which was still delayed for another year. However, while the hardware was final, 3DO never announced a partner to manufacture the M2 consoles and eventually scrapped the idea, which was a true dissapointment to eager fans and a death blow to the 3DO's future.

WHY DID ANYONE WANT THIS THING EVER: Well, back in 1993, we were still in the aging period of 16-bit console wars. The public was starting to catch on to what Japan was developing and the promise of 32-bit gaming in the near future excited every American to desire something that brought them to the next level. Amongst Genesis, Super Nintendo, Atari Lynx, and even the unsatisfactory Atari Jaguar, being a 3DO is a sweet deal, the only real 32-bit experience in town. That's pretty much why.

Also, games didn't really have a rating system yet and the release of Night Trap for the Sega CD showed that video games were no longer "just for kids". What 3DO did differently from everyone else was that it placed no restrictions on content, making it the platform to watch for edgy, envelope-pushing, eyebrow-raising games. It's controversial games like "Snowjob" (heehee), "Wolfenstein" and VIVID releases like "Mind Teazzer", kept gamers aware that this was really a system that appealed to all ages and ...tastes! But besides those few spicey meatballs, there was very little content in mainstream 3DO games that couldn't be found elsewhere, especially on the PC. But before the 32-bit competition, it was the only system that offered something extremely close to a 32-bit experience. In 1993, this system was one cool mo-fo!

BUT ...IT FAILED?: Yeah, but it wasn't just because of playstation. The 3DO's single biggest problem was its lack of major software support. When 3DO floundered in its first year, a lot of developers became convinced that the system had no future. The public won't buy the system without seeing a few must-have titles, and developers won't produce 'A' titles unless enough folks have bought the system to justify the investment.

The other major weakness is the system itself, which is underpowered compared to current 32-bit platforms. M2, however, would have flew with the best of them, and probably would have outperformed anything, but its price and availability were such a mystery and nothing ever developed. My guess, given 3DO's popularity, is that M2 would have failed too. But I guess we'll never know now.

SO WAS IT GOOD FOR ANYTHING? WHAT KINDA GAMES WOULD I FIND FOR IT?: Well, in addition to 3DO-original titles (which are mostly just mystery, detective, uninteractive games that try to be "spicy" with images of woman in underwear and "sex talk"), a number of interesting PC games were ported over to it simply because the system was so cheap to develop for.

It has loads of well-known titles like Alone in the Dark, the 7th Guest, Clayfighter, Cyberia, Wolfenstein 3-D, and movie games like Casper, Waterworld, and a few older games re-released with better graphics like Out of this World, Battle Chess, not to mention in-house that really were weird but kinda cool like "CyberDillo", "Scramble Cobra", and a I believe one interesting title with Tia Carrara! Forgot the name though. I'd love someone to tell me!


Once again, the M2 got a lot of developers to take notice of the potential once it's specs were released, but 3DO conceling it's form and never coming up with any release details drove developers off and so close to nothing really incredible got released for the 3DO ever as a result.

So, while the 3DO's initial software was a huge disappointment, things improved after a couple years. The 3DO came through with really incredible titles. The award for best 3DO game ever has to be, without a doubt, Bladeforce, coming closely in a tie with Wing Commander 3, which was a first rate space combat sim, enhanced by the best FMV I've ever seen (on a 32-bitter that is).


TALK ABOUT THE SYSTEM AND ACCESSORIES: Well, that question's a little vague, but ...ok. The system is uhhh, black. Heehee. Square. Sleek. No, seriously. The 3DO was many by a few different makes, one of which was Sony, so depending on what company makes it, there's a slight difference in design. It started out by Panasonic and only had one controller port and a 3-button controller like Sega Genesis. For a second controller, the port is on the controller itself. Very strange model, but the best model was later created by Panasonic which changed the system to a top loader cd drive and two ports and a more sturdy design. This is now the most commonly found model on the net. The accessories were very scattered across the world and are widely unknown to many 3DO owners. If there happened to be any special accessories, I've yet to see them.

SO ARE YOU SAYING THIS SYSTEM'S WORTH BUYING AT ALL?: Hmmmm, well when you go to that incredible RETRO GAMING CONVENTION in San Jose like I did, you somehow wanna own every system in the world. Heehee, it's worth buying to me, but only if I can get it near home and for cheap. I do see it once in a while at Goodwills and other outlet stores, and the beauty of this system is that it takes basic RF adapters and the same AC adapter as the original Sega Genesis, which are both extremely easy to find all over the place. Frankly, I just want to get my hands on the game Bladeforce for it. I've read incredible A+ reviews for it since I was a kid and playing it finally at the Retro Gaming Convention, I understand completely what they were talking about!!! But besides a few really good games and it's retro appeal, the 3DO is a piece of junk to say the least. It's easy and uncomplicated to hook up, but there's too many bad games, too little impressive power,
and frankly it's just an unimpressive system all around.
Collector's item only. Nothing more, if you ask me.


Recommended: No