System: 3DO
Released: 1993
Discontinued: 1996
Model Owned: Panasonic
Brief System History
Released originally in October of 1993 in the US and later in JP and EU in 1994, the 3DO launched at an insane price of $699.99. Due largely in part to it's asking price and lack of a library of "must have" titles as well as third party support, the 3DO met it's demise in 1996.
My Opinion On the 3DO
I have always enjoyed playing systems that are considered to be the "underdogs". People write them off as being something not worth their time or money, but in actualyity if you dig deep enough you can find some real diamonds in the rough in terms of games worth playing for the system, and in the 3DO's case there are quite a few of them. The system always appealed to me because oddly enough I fell in love with the box designs for the system. These same boxes also add a lot of hardships to collecting for the system, but that depends how much you want the cardboard boxes. 3DO games came housed in huge rectangular flimsy cardboard boxes that were often discarded as they take up a lot of room and tend not to fit well on your everyday storage shelving unit. Inside most of the boxes are your typical Jewel case to hold the game, so if you do not mind jewel case only, then the games will be a lot cheaper and easier to find.
In terms of rare games there are only a handful of really hard to find games such as the much sought after Lucienne's Quest, the only truely traditional RPG on the console. Dino Park Tycoon is the hardest to find of all, it's like Theme Park only themed around dinosaurs. The series of Adult themed games will also not be easy to find, as well as the FMV game Snow Job.
Pete's Quick Pick Recommendations
Escape From Monster Manor is a fairly creepy and atmospheric first person shooter in the same vein of Doom and Wolfenstien 3D. You zap ghosts and monsters with your ray gun as you explore maze like interiors littered with keys and collectibles. The game runs at a rock solid frame rate and includes some nice FMV enemies and animations.
Guardian War is one of the few RPG's available on the entire system, and a pretty good one at that. It plays out like your typical grid based strategy RPG with different character classes, tons of weapons and enemies to fight, spells to cast, and even a world map. If you are familiar with Mystaria/Blazing Heroes on Sega Saturn you will feel right at home as many of the same developers worked on this title as well.
Icebreaker is a unique Puzzle/Shooting game hybrid where you play as a pyramid that is tasked with moving around a isometric play field while shooting and running into other pyramids all while dodging pits and pyramids that chase you (Pac Man Style). It's hectic and fun and unlike anything else I have played.
Shockwave 2: Beyond the Gate is the perfect game for anyone who enjoys the 90's era of gaming where FMV games were prevalent. Unlike most games in this genre that ended up on consoles, this one is more than just a story driven game with minimal user input, theres some actualy high quality gameplay going on that has you flying ships, controlling turrets, viewing mission objectives, and much more. There are 2 other Shockwave games on 3DO, but this is the best one in my opinion.