2/13/2006: 3DO: FIFA International Soccer, Return Fire, Slam and Jam

John Rowland · Postby **John Rowland** » February 14th, 2006, 1:40 am

Post your feedback here!

John Rowland · Postby **John Rowland** » February 14th, 2006, 2:31 am

Don't mind if I do!

Your reviews of FIFA and Slam 'n Jam were right on! FIFA is definitely my favorite soccer game (I haven't played many though) because it combines the instant playability of the Genesis iterations with the slick presentation of more modern sports games. Booya!

Slam 'n Jam is also an immensely entertaining and fast paced game, and I think it has held up as well as NBA Jam (if not better). Run 'n Gun was one of my favorite arcade games and the 3DO version is a great port.

Finally, Return Fire. Ugh! One of my least favorite reviews. I think you're coming at it all wrong. I would hardly call it a shooter. It is much more of a strategy game. The one player mode in particular rewards careful planning and use of resources. But the two player does too. For example, towards the endgame, do you spend time clearing out all of your opponents enemies, or throw caution to the wind, bring out the jeep early, and go for the jugular! Which risks losing a jeep and (also) precious time. In turn, when your opponent makes such a bold move, do you rely on your guards to take them down or take out your helicopter and do it yourself? OR, say you went for the flag, got it, but died along the way. Do you send out another jeep, or a tank to clear the way? Now, say that your opponent found your flag. Do you keep going for his or spend time moving/hiding your own? I'd also like to add that the jeep always seems to create an amusing scenario. I've seen my friend FIND the flag with the jeep by destroying a tower with the puny grenades! Quite bold! I've also seen jeep battles where both competitors possess the flag! I think more methodical players will really enjoy it (even in '06!) but those looking for a twitchy button masher will probably have the same reaction you did.

BTW, there is a SELF-DESTRUCT feature, so you don't have to go drowning yourself. It's "A+B+C" or "O+[]+X+/_\ (that's a triangle)" for the PS1. So much for your "obvious design flaw"!

bluemonkey1 · Postby **bluemonkey1** » February 14th, 2006, 4:53 am

Return Fire is available on the PS1?!? I loved this game back on the PC when my friend had it but can't find it on the PC anymore. Definitely going to have to look for the PS1 version.

chrisbid1 · Postby **chrisbid1** » February 14th, 2006, 7:31 am

remember when EA used to be about making good games?

sigh...

Kroozer · Postby **Kroozer** » February 14th, 2006, 11:21 am

All of the NBA teams are in Slam N Jam, sorta. To keep out of trouble from the NBA, Crystal Dynamics just shifted the cities over by one, so if you want to play as the Lakers, you choose Phonex from the team menu; for the Bulls, you pick Cleveland, and so on. Even the players that were famous for the teams in 1995 are there, although they may appear a little different (Shaq and Manute Bol are white guys!!) but the stats are correct. If you play as the team representing the Charolette Hornets, you can find 5'6 Spudd Webb there.

There's even 2 unlockable teams where you can play as the game developers and a team consisting of halloween monsters (Gorilla, Fly, Wolfman, etc).

John Rowland · Postby **John Rowland** » February 14th, 2006, 12:31 pm

[QUOTE=bluemonkey]Return Fire is available on the PS1?!? I loved this game back on the PC when my friend had it but can't find it on the PC anymore. Definitely going to have to look for the PS1 version.[/QUOTE]

Yep! But unfortunately it's not the easiest game to find either. It took me several months to find an acceptable one on Ebay. I ended up paying about $30 for a mint and complete copy. Well worth it though!

Postby **VideoGameCritic** » February 14th, 2006, 3:17 pm

[QUOTE=John Rowland]

BTW, there is a SELF-DESTRUCT feature, so you don't have to go drowning yourself. It's "A+B+C" or "O+[]+X+/_\ (that's a triangle)" for the PS1. So much for your "obvious design flaw"!

[/QUOTE]

This is good to know. Too bad the 3DO version doesn't come with any instructions!! Still, I will modify the review accordingly.

Jeff · Postby **Jeff** » February 14th, 2006, 5:07 pm

Return Fire is one of my favorite two-player games of all-time. Like John mentioned, it's more about strategy than action. It's about planning...do you send in a tank to clear out all of your opponent's cannons first, or only clear the minimum and hope it's enough? Do you want to blow up all of your opponent's bridges to make things hard on him or are you afraid he'll do the same to you? Once your flag is revealed, do you move it to a better location, bring it back to base to be randomly sent to one of your other towers, or are you more concerned with finding your opponent's flag? Do you risk looking at your map at a crucial moment or do you think displaying the map will help him more than you?

Throw in the wonderful classical soundtrack and it's a classic game. I love it regardless of what year it is.

JustLikeHeaven1 · Postby **JustLikeHeaven1** » February 14th, 2006, 6:09 pm

Glad to see you finally reviewed some more quality titles for the 3DO Critic. I completely agree with the FIFA review as well as Slam n' Jam, both are top notch titles worthy of the grades given.

Man you dropped the ball on Return Fire though. I agree with Mr. Rowland that the game should not be approched as a typical shooter because as he pointed out its is more of an action strategy game. Lets say you have an island (only accessable buy wooden bridges) that is home to your last flag tower, do you A) Destroy the bridges leading to the island forcing your oppenent to use the fragile helicopter to mount an attack. B) Place land mines around the area in an attempt to to destroy one of his vehicles and buy you some more time. C) Continue plowing through his bases with your tank and hope that your turrets can hold him off long enough for you to find his flag. These are scenarios that occur all of the time in the game and once everybody knows the ins and outs of the game its an absolute blast. On another note the instructions for the 3DO game are located in the game as it is stated on the CD insert. Return Fire is easily in the B to A range and I think you are mistaken with your review. The production values are ridiculous and the two player action is one of the best I have ever experienced.

While the 3DO version is a great game the PS1 version is superior in everyway (more levels, better controls, slightly improved graphics). Though it is much harder (read: expensive) to track down. Lucky for me it was the second Playstation game I ever bought.

Kroozer · Postby **Kroozer** » February 14th, 2006, 8:31 pm

Oh, yeah, Return Fire also had an expansion disk with extra maps (Maps o' Death). I dunno if PS1 had one for their version.