3DO

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ncman071
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3DO

Post#1 » Mon Mar 23, 2020 8:46 pm

So..does anyone here have a 3do system? been thinking about getting one with games...but is it any better than the ps1? i mean is the experience any better...just trying to see what i'm gonna do before i go down this rabbit hole

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dark
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Re: 3DO

Post#2 » Mon Mar 23, 2020 9:25 pm

I've owned a number of 3DOs over the years. The 3DO library is a lot like the sega cd library. Lots of FMV based games which were cool at the time but might not be of interest to you unless you're nostalgic for that period. In fact there are many shared games between the platforms (but probably not the ones that you'd buy a sega CD to play). There are some other action type games that were quite good at the time including 3d games with early textured polygon graphics but about 95% of those games were all ported to the PS1 (ie: Need for Speed 1, Road Rash, Total Eclipse, Offworld Interceptor, Gex, Primal Rage). The prices have shot out of the roof with 3DO stuff, but you can theoretically burn games and play them if the disc drive still works (one 3do I had ran burned games just fine while another I had later on would glitch out when playing burned game, playing them with lots of stutters and stuff, probably bc of the age/condition of the old cdrom drive).

I think the system physically looks cool and I have nostalgia for that era, heck I've owned maybe 4 or 5 3dos over the years (including ones I bought that were broken), but if you have no attachment to the era or the system and you're just looking at it as a way to find interesting and potentially obscure games, you'd be much better off and save a lot of money going with something like a sega saturn, and/or going for a PS1 longbox collection (many of the graphically better 3do games were ported to and released in the early years of the PS1 back when sony was releasing games in longboxes).

Btw, cautionary note: there are some plastic gears in the cdrom drive for the 3DO FZ-1 and FZ-10 that become brittle and crack with age, even if the system is kept in its box for decades and not used, when the gears are cracked the cdrom drive appears to be dead. Expect that to be an issue with any 3do you pick up these days. It's apparently possible to 3d print replacement gears but I didn't have the means to do that myself. Also the 3do is a bitch to dissassemble, it takes a lot of time to dissassemble and reassemble compared to other systems.

So to answer your question... exploring the 3do library is like being limited to the PS1 games that came out in 1995 only. Overall, 3do games are graphically inferior to games designed for the PS1. There's a lot of "flash" in the games, such as having lots of FMV and CD audio which was novel at the time, but you're simply not going to find anything on the level of like, Crash Bandicoot or Ridge Racer or 3d fighting games like Tekken (or even Battle Arena Toshinden for that matter). And... most of the games released were done by American developers so think about how many early PS1 games you like that were designed by studios like EA and Crystal Dynamics and that's kinda what the feel of the system is like. You won't find neat Japanese flavored stuff like Jumping Flash. Ironically the 3do was semi popular in Japan and there's a huge library for the system there... however the Japan exclusives are overwhelmingly visual novel type stuff or interactive photo stuff or mahjohng titles, rather than awesome obscure Japan only arcade style games.

It is a sexy looking system though

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Last edited by dark on Mon Mar 23, 2020 9:44 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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Ian Micheal
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Re: 3DO

Post#3 » Mon Mar 23, 2020 9:36 pm

3do one of my fav systems lot of good not the same games on it like pc ports and fps things adventure games.. no there not most times on the level of ps1 but some are the best version of the those games


take a look


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Anthony817
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Re: 3DO

Post#4 » Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:09 pm

I had one around the year 2000 when I could actually finally get one. Had like 60 games with it. Hands down the best most graphically impressive game on it for me at least, has to be Starfighter. It had versions on Acorn computers, Windows PC, PSX and Saturn. Hell, the PSX version can even be played on the Dreamcast via Bleem and it is one of my favorite games on it. :lol:

But, the 3DO version of the game was the best one made. Better draw distance that puts all other versions to absolute shame. It really did actually use the hardware very well pushing the system to the limits.



MOST games were ported to other systems, so you can play them on those. However there were a few gems that were great on it for sure.
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Ian Micheal
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Re: 3DO

Post#5 » Mon Mar 23, 2020 10:43 pm

even thou the games were ported they lost there cheesy flash and stuff so.. Dont feel the same.. Something about the 3do that made me enjoy games people would call crap.. could never put my finger on it plus it's just like the dreamcast burn and play..

ncman071
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Re: 3DO

Post#6 » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:10 pm

you guys have some amazing input!! to be honest, i did have a goldstar 3do with about 15 games back around 2004 but it quickly got sold due to finances...basically starting a new job/getting married/broke as hell....so i feel like i never REALLY experienced it. but just doing a little reserach it does have some gems....lucienne's quest, star control 2, the horde, etc...

i found a guy on a fb group who has a system for sell recapped, and new laser (ithink thats what he said)....its the fz10 model for $125 plus shipping...does that sound like a good deal?

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dark
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Re: 3DO

Post#7 » Tue Mar 24, 2020 4:51 pm

That sounds about market price, maybe a little better than market price set by ebay as long as it comes with a controller. Buying a separate first party controller can be a little pricey. Some people think the FZ-10 is the most reliable model. In any case, with its flip top lid for the cd drive it has fewer moving parts than the FZ-10 or goldstar/sanyo models. It will still have the gears that could break simply due to age, but for $125 you might be hard pressed to do much better for a working model these days.

ncman071
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Re: 3DO

Post#8 » Tue Mar 24, 2020 7:18 pm

yea the $125 includes the system, controller, av cord, and the game Gex

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Anthony817
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Re: 3DO

Post#9 » Tue Mar 24, 2020 8:02 pm

I still have an official controller from mine from back in the day. That is literally the only part I still own unfortunately. While yes, you can often experience those games on other systems, it is still a platform I would recommend. It is one of my top 10 favorite consoles.

When you get it, please do me a favor and play Starfighter. It has a pretty kick ass early 90's electronic soundtrack, and the visuals for the time blow the other ports of the game out of the water hands down! Like mentioned previously, you should be able to burn games do a disc completely fine and play backups because this was from a time when consumer cdrom burners weren't really even on the market yet.
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ncman071
Sunday Shootout
Posts: 678

Re: 3DO

Post#10 » Tue Mar 24, 2020 9:22 pm

Ok so I'm getting the fz10 with controller hookups, and the games gex, Madden, fifa, and wing commander 3 all complete in long box for $165 shipped

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