Down and Dirty Reviews: 3DO -- A - Z

There are some good 3DO games and some really, REALLY bad 3DO games. hmm, maybe I have way too many games............. there are 31 reviews here alone for example. All reviews are by the StarSoldier unless noted.

The overall scores are out of 100.


The graphics, sounds, and game play are out of 10.

SCORE / NAME
57 ALONE in the DARK (Interplay, 1993)

Before there was a little game called Resident Evil, there was this survivor horror action game. Funny thing is that both of them have the same controls: very bad ones! OK, so you can only move your character by pressing Up on the cross pad and to make matters worse the dude you're playable as is super slow. Alone in the Dark has a cool and dark story line and even the graphics are good but what's the point if I don't even like the game play.
For 1 player only
graphics: 6
sound: 7
gameplay: 5

Find Alone in the Dark on eBay here!

35 ALONE in the DARK 2 (Electronic Arts, September 8, 1995)
This game looks so bad that it almost looks like a Super Nintendo FX game. Almost a insult to the Super Nintendo itself. This sequel to the original horror mystery game moves very slow and the overall game is very bad in quality.
For 1 player only
graphics: 4
sound: 4
gameplay: 2

Find Alone in the Dark 2 on eBay here!

59 BATTLE CHESS (Interplay, June 16, 1994)
Here is a new take on the classic board game because this is a 3D chess game with some cool and well animated medieval battles. This game is also on the NES but trust me this looks way better than that old game, this is the 3DO after all. Battle Chess sure looks good but it is still just a chess game and the animations really slows everything down.
For 1 or 2 players
graphics: 8
sound: 8
gameplay: 5
Find Battle Chess on eBay here!

52 BATTLE SPORT (3DO, November 6, 1994)
Here is a early car combat based game in the future that would have been a interesting game if there were more options available and if the visuals didn't age so bad too. Now this weird game is only average compared to all the other multi-player games out now.
For 1 or 2 players
graphics: 6
sound: 5
gameplay: 5

Find Battle Sport on eBay here!

76 BUST A MOVE (Panasonic/Taito, March 19, 1995)
This popular arcade classic is just like the Super Nintendo version of the same name but this fun game has one added extra over that edition. It's now possible to save your game right to the system now which is a nice added bonus because you can keep a record of your top scores to help you show off more to friends and especially your rivals. It would be been nice if the graphics were more fitting considering this is on the 3DO but even in its 2D form, the game is still one of the best titles available for the system cause it's very playable.
For 1 or 2 players
graphics: 4
sound: 6
gameplay: 8

Find Bust A Move on eBay here!


66 CAPTAIN QUAZAR (3DO/Cyclone, 1993)
Captain Quazar is a fairly good 2D cartoony shooter with a overhead perspective, something you don't really see for the 3DO too often. This shooter stars a very cocky space hero for hire looking for work. The game plays and looks fairly well too but the game's action can drag on a little too long at times.
For 1 or 2 players
graphics: 7
sound: 7
gameplay: 7
Find Captain Quazar on eBay here!

54 CRASH and BURN (Crystal Dynamics, October 1, 1993)
One of the first games for the 3DO is this choppy looking extreme racer with generic cars, bad acting, bad soundtracks, and very loose controls. The graphics were actually quite good in its day but racing games have advanced so much over the years that there's just nothing special here anymore.
For 1 or 2 players
graphics: 4
sound: 6
gameplay: 8

Find Crash and Burn on eBay here!

67 DEMOLITION MAN (Virgin Interactive, December 9, 1994)
This plays just like the goofy movie starring both Sylvester Stallone and Wesley Snipes but before you dismiss the game has license garbage, don't worry because it's not all that bad. Some of the better scenes in the game are the shooting galleries but the only thing wrong with all the action here is the boring fight scenes.
For 1 player only
graphics: 8
sound: 8
gameplay: 7

Find Demolition Man on eBay here!


31 DENNIS MILLER: THAT'S NEWS TO ME! (Sanctuary Woods, 1994)
Dennis Miller here is a comedian from various talk shows and Saturday Night Live fame and he even got his own video game for some reason. This is OK concept but once you seen all the jokes there isn't any reason to go through it again. Another issue I have here is that I don't get half the jokes in this game, but remember this is Dennis Miller we're talking about here so don't be surprised if a lot of jokes from this 90's era go over your head. Still a good time waster but don't expect to see Dennis Miller 2 game any time soon.
For 1 player only
graphics: 5
sound: 5
gameplay: 0
Find Dennis Miller on eBay here!


42 DOOM (Art/ID Software, 1994)

Doom is a popular first person shooter that's suppose to take place in hell but the real hell is trying to play this on the 3DO. This is just like the PC classic where you are the lone survivor fighting off the undead and deadly demons with several cool weapons like shot guns, plasma blasters, and many more. All this is cool but the graphics run at bad frame rate here and like the 32X version the game has a border around the screen which is annoying since the wussy Jaguar version didn't even have it. Another problem with the game is missing levels and power ups that really ruins the game play here. Doom on the 3DO is still solid killing action and the music is pretty good too but everything else is just poorly done.
For 1 player only
graphics: 4
sound: 7
gameplay: 5

Find Doom on eBay here!

10 DRAGON'S LAIR (ReadySoft, June 24, 1994)
One of the first ever full motion video Laser disc game comes to the 3DO. Although it looks fairly nice thanks to its high quality Disney-like artwork, there is little new in the 3DO edition here and that press a button at the right second game play will only appeal to few people. The 3DO version also has no hints when you are suppose to hit the buttons making the game even more annoying to play.
For 1 player only
graphics: 9
sound: 7
gameplay: 1

Find Dragon's Lair on eBay here!

64 FIFA International Soccer (Electronic Arts, November 3, 1994)
The game looks and sounds just like a real game of soccer but I still could not get into it because the slow speed and serious nature of the game play. This is no NBA Jam or NHL 94 here, this is a strict by the book sports simulation.
For 1 or 2 players
graphics: 7
sound: 5
gameplay: 5

Find Fifa on eBay here!

45 FIREBALL
*Japanese 3DO Game
Fireball is a very strange but still average Japanese pinball game that's definitely not as good as other video game pinball games I played over the years like Galactic Pinball and Devil's Crush thanks to the unrealistic controls. C'mon the 3DO should be able to do a Pinball game in it's sleep!
For 1 player only
graphics: 6
sound: 5
gameplay: 5

Find Fireball on eBay here!

78 GEX (Crystal Dynamics, November 16, 1994)

Here is Gex's first ever gaming debut and his game is pretty good. If you don't the deal Gex is a very funny action game starring everyone's favourite gaming gecko (played by comedian Dana Gould) trapped in a strange TV wasteland. Although the game play was nothing too new in terms of 2D adventures, Gex is still a lot of fun and the game itself is challenging to play. This was sure a nice surprise for the 3DO owner.
For 1 player only
graphics: 8
sound: 8
gameplay: 7

Find Gex on eBay here!

54 GRIDDERS (Tetragon, November 18, 1994)
This weird looking Intelligent Qube-like game featuring a kid and his robotic dog trying to survive in a room of giant blocks. Gridders is a decent action game but the game play is very repetitive yet it's hardly addictive at the same time so everything comes out average here.
For 1 player only
graphics: 6
sound: 7
gameplay: 5

Find Gridders on eBay here!

60 GUARDIAN WAR (Panasonic/Micro Cabin, June 11, 1994)
Guardian War is a super horrible looking 3D Strategy/RPG with a weak story line and very simple game play mechanics. It's still one of the better Role Playing games on the system (note: there isn't too many by the way) with some OK music on the old 3DO but that alone is pretty sad since most Final Fantasy fans would rather poke their eyes out with a sharp stick than play this game.
For 1 player only
graphics: 5
sound: 7
gameplay: 7

Find Guardian War on eBay here!

40 HORDE (Crystal Dynamics, September 23, 1994)
After saving the king's life, a young man gets the right to become a knight to protect the kingdom. The dude from Growing Pains (Kirk Cameron) must kill evil invading demons before they eat all the cows. Whatever! This game tries to mix both a action game into a strategy game but it doesn't do well with either. "Stick with TV, Kirk!"
For 1 player only
graphics: 6
sound: 7
gameplay: 7

Find Horde on eBay here!

33 JOHNNY BAZOOKATONE (US Gold/ARC Development, February 23, 1996)
What could have a good 2D action game starring a hip guitar playing hero, soon turns into a game ruined by extremely poor hit detection and lots of overly repetitive music. This tiny character is a dork anyway and he kind of reminds me of the old WCW wrestler: Johnny B. Badd! Johnny Bazookatone is just a bad gimmick and a horrible platformer.
For 1 player only
graphics: 6
sound: 5
gameplay: 5

Find Johnny Bazookatone on eBay here!

60 MYST (Panasonic/Cyan, March 17, 1995)
This point and click game is certainly void of any action what so ever and the game's pace is definitely on the slow side but Myst will still test you and make you question your surrounding plus the still photo-realistic scenery isn't all that bad either. If you never played Myst before you have to solve the mystery of a island that's filled with puzzles and secrets. Myst is worth a try but don't pay too much for it because it is a fairly common title.
For 1 player only
graphics: 7
sound: 5
gameplay: 3

Find Myst on eBay here!

65 NEED FOR SPEED (Electronic Arts, 1994)
Yes, this is the first ever Need for Speed title, one of EA's most popular franchises! This edition is a really basic racing game by today's standards and the full motion videos are a little cheesy but it is still a really fun out run type of game with some nice cars available. The game is short with only a few tracks but it controls well and the challenge is there too.
For 1 or 2 players
graphics: 7
sound: 7
gameplay: 6

Find Need for Speed on eBay here!

68 OUT of this WORLD (Interplay/Delphine, June 24, 1994)
Now here is a classic title! In Out of this World you control a young man who gets transported to another universe and most of the alien residents are not afraid to kill you on the spot. This popular PC game now has some graphical improvements over the some of the original editions but the game itself is still a very linear action title that focuses more on the story and less on the action. Plus if you played the award winning original before already than you'll find nothing new here in terms of game play because it's the same old trial and error action game all over again.
For 1 player only
graphics: 8
sound: 7
gameplay: 6

Find Out of this World on eBay here!

40 PATAANK (PF Magic, 1994)
Pataank is a very strange 3D pinball game where you see the view of the action from the ball's (or whatever it is) perspective. Too bad the game is filled with now out dated graphics and the whole concept isn't handled too well so it gets old fast.
For 1 player only
graphics: 4
sound: 6
gameplay: 7
Find Pataank on eBay here!

67 PRIMAL RAGE (Goldstar/Atari Games, November 15, 1995)

The popular dinosaur fighting arcade game also comes to the 3DO but will you care? This 2D brawler does look and sound better than the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis games but the game itself is still a little too unexciting thanks to the lack of moves and limited playable characters. Primal Rage is still one of the better fighting games on the system but that isn't saying much.
For 1 or 2 players
graphics: 7
sound: 7
gameplay: 6

Find Primal Rage on eBay here!

57 PUTT PUTT: Joins the PARADE (Humongous, 1993)

Want something for the kids? Here is a very linear adventure starring a cartoon car that kind of plays like a interactive story book. Putt Putt is a great game for the younger kids since the game actually talks back (but in a good way) but the older crowd may want more of course.
For 1 player only
graphics: 6
sound: 8
gameplay: 3

Find Putt Putt Joins the Parade on eBay here!

70 RETURN FIRE (Prolific, July 7, 1995)
Now here's a 3DO classic. Return Fire is a one or two player war game with a lot of different vehicles to use and each come with excellent controls as well. The game also has some good music, and even great graphics here. The game play may be too arcadey for some strategy fanatics but it was still a lot of fun.
For 1 or 2 players
graphics: 8
sound: 8
gameplay: 6

Find Return Fire on eBay here!

Total Recall DUD OF THE MONTH Loser
09 RISE OF THE ROBOTS (Absolute, March 17, 1995)

This lame fighting game that bombed on the Super Nintendo also comes to the 3DO as well but who really cares? It's still the same limited one on one fighter as you can only control a blue cyborg during the game's linear story mode. I was really hoping since the 3DO was so powerful that it would be able to save this series from disaster but just the opposite happened. Believe it or not but this game is even worse than the Super Nintendo version thanks to the game's lack of in game music and dialogue. Rise of the Robots for the 3DO is such a waste!
For 1 or 2 players
Rated (K-A) Kids to Adults
graphics: 5
sound: 5
gameplay: 1

Find Rise of the Robots on eBay here!

75 ROAD RASH (Electronic Arts, July 22, 1994)
This is a very impressive upgrade for this tough bike racing series especially after playing those fun but aging Sega Genesis titles. In Road Rash you race across several realistic levels to win the big race and you can even attack your opponents to help gain a edge. Be careful on how much damage you take along the way or you won't make it very far so the challenge is there. This intense racer would have scored even higher if there was some in-game music and more tracks but what's here is still dam good.
For 1 player only
graphics: 8
sound: 7
gameplay: 7

Find Road Rash on eBay here!

GAME OF THE MONTH COLLECTION!
BEST 3DO GAME!
85 SAMURAI SHODOWN (Crystal Dynamics/SNK, 1993, November 30, 1994)
For many, Samurai Shodown for the 3DO was the best way for gamers to play the popular hack n slash arcade fighter at home. Just like in the awesome arcade version you get a choice of 12 skilled fighters (and yes, everybody is here unlike in some other versions), each character not only had their own unique look and style to them but they also had a unique weapon as well. This is definitely one of the best versions of the SNK classic here and it puts the 16-bit versions to shame. What more could you want? You get great characters with vicious weapons plus you get furious arcade action with great graphics and awesome music that's overall sure rare for a 3DO game.
For 1 or 2 players
graphics: 8
sound: 9
gameplay: 9

Find Samurai Shodown on eBay here!


11 SHADOW: War of Succession (Tribeca Digital, 1994)
Shadow is a very weak, very low budget fighting game that may be one of the worst one on one beat em up in known existence thanks to it's poor hit detection and weak digital character designs. It's too bad that there are so many bad fighting games on the 3DO like Way of the Warrior and Rise of the Robots, a game like Shadow doesn't look so awful even though it is.
For 1 or 2 players
graphics: 4
sound: 3
gameplay: 2

Find Shadow on eBay here!

52 SOCCER KID (3DO, May 2, 1994)
In this unique platformer you help a kid use a soccer ball as a weapon against his enemies. Although the game appears to be a simple one, the controls definitely take some getting use to. Needless to say, this game wasn't a big hit in the States where Women's soccer is bigger then the Men's.
For 1 player only
graphics: 5
sound: 5
gameplay: 7

Find Soccer Kid on eBay here!

27 STAR BLADE (Panasonic/Namco, December 28, 1994)
Star Blade is Namco's well forgotten space shoot em up with early polygon graphics and very linear game play. This is one of the few 3DO shooting games so it may be worth picking up if it's dirt cheap but that's a big IF. It's also on the Playstation if anybody cares?
For 1 player only
graphics: 6
sound: 7
gameplay: 2
Find Star Blade on eBay here!

70 Star Wars REBEL ASSAULT (Lucas Arts, 1993)
This popular PC and Sega CD shooting game now comes to the 3DO as well. This is nothing more than a rail based shoot em up but with a interesting Star Wars theme and story line attact to it. The game is very simple yet still effective since its easy to get into and it comes with great graphics and sounds.
*Uncommon 3DO game
For 1 player only
graphics: 7
sound: 8
gameplay: 5

Find Star Wars on eBay here!


75 SUPER STREET FIGHTER II TURBO (Panasonic/Capcom, November 6, 1994)
Sure, this is a very solid fighting game by the masters at Capcom but by this time I was getting so sick of the Street Fighter II franchise and all its many upgrades. So what's so special about this addition? This game introduced the evil grand master Akuma to the series who looks a lot like Ryu or Ken but he is in a black ki plus you can also perform some new but limited Super Moves once your new power gauge is full. The game also comes with some brand new standard moves not found in the previous Super Street Fighter II like Chun Li's anti-air multi kick. Not a bad fighting game to have for 3D0 players especially since don't have too many but I think the last thing the world needs is another Street Fighter II game.
*Uncommon 3DO game
For 1 or 2 players
graphics: 7
sound: 7
gameplay: 8
Find Super Street Fighter II Turbo on eBay here!

38 SUPER WING COMMANDER (Electronic Arts, 1994)

If you love games that have a decent story line then this is for you but the clumsy space action itself is nothing like a Star Fox or a Colony Wars. I really dislike all these early Wing Commander games and you are better off with later versions.
For 1 player only
graphics: 5
sound: 6
gameplay: 6

Find Super Wing Commander on eBay here!

76 TWISTED (Electronic Arts, 1994)
Twisted is definitely truth in advertising! Here is a very original TV show like board game with a wacky bunch of characters and some crazy contests. The game is great has a multi player and it comes with quick load times as well. Twisted is easily one of the 3DO's brightest gems.
For 1 to 4 players
graphics: 8
sound: 7
gameplay: 7

Find Twisted on eBay here!

48 WAY of the WARRIOR (Naughty Dog, October 30, 1994)
Way of the Warrior is another fighting game similar to the violent world of Mortal Kombat but unlike that series this game is very hard to take seriously. Not only does the game suffer from awful animation but the game's biggest problems are the very goofy over acting characters. It doesn't help matters when this mess is quite hard to control as well and computer can super cheap. This game features music by White Zombie if you're a fan of their music but that may be the only reason why anyone would buy this mediocre fighter, eh?
For 1 or 2 players
graphics: 7
sound: 6
gameplay: 5

Find Way of the Warrior on eBay here!


-All the reviews here are written by the StarSoldier unless noted.