3DO Reviews A-E

This generic space shooter is one those bargain bin 3DO titles you expect to totally suck. Burning Soldier? Apparently this soldier missed the day of boot camp when the drill sergeant warned of the dangers of loving unclean women! Upon firing up this game, I was greeted by some dark cut-scenes and a James Earl Jones-wannabe narrator who explains, "It is 2095. Suddenly UFOs attack Mars." Wow, that's some thought-provoking stuff. Once I began playing the game however, I realized that Burning Soldier is not bad at all. In fact, for a 3DO title, it's a gem. Borrowing heavily from Star Wars The Arcade Game (1983) and Afterburner (1987), the game employs a first-person perspective, letting you aim a reticule at alien ships and incoming torpedoes. The digital pad is a touchy (you'll wish you had an analog controller), but fortunately your targets tend to congregate near the center of the screen. It's really satisfying to blow up alien ships, but you'll want to concentrate your fire on those big, red, incoming torpedoes. Besides a rapid-fire cannon, you're equipped with a special lock-on weapon you can "charge up", and I'd recommend doing just that during lulls in the action. Burning Soldier's gameplay isn't spectacular, but nifty full-motion video backgrounds sweeten the deal. The boring early stages are set in deep space, but once you return to earth, you'll be careening through desert valleys and whipping around the skyscrapers of Tokyo. The eye candy is rich, and I looked forward to seeing what each new stage had in store. Complementing the shooting action is an upbeat, synthesized soundtrack that reminded me of Sonic Adventure (Dreamcast, 1999). Burning Soldier has frequent cut-scenes which cannot be skipped, but they are mercifully brief. The game offers endless continues, but you'll need to turn on the "score" option if you want some way to gauge your progress. Easy on the eyes and easy to play, Burning Soldier is one bargain bin title that's worthy of a spot in any 3DO collection. © Copyright 2007 The Video Game Critic.

Okay, I was terribly harsh in my initial review of this game, but as I often say to my wife, "I can explain!" It turns out that certain 3DO games run better on some systems than others. When I first reviewed this game a few years back, I played it on my Goldstar system, which thrashed and stuttered the whole way through. As you can imagine, the sporadic controls and fragmented music really tainted the experience. However, now that I've had a chance to play it on my Panasonic FZ-10, I can see Casper for what it really is - an engaging, easy-to-play adventure. Despite its quirks, Casper is certainly more enjoyable than most of the 3DO titles I've inflicted upon myself. I will admit that the premise is somewhat disturbing. Casper is actually a dead kid trying to resurrect himself! And while the cartoon version of the Casper character looked "friendly" enough, this 3D incarnation looks somewhat creepy. Still, Interplay infused the subject matter with enough with whimsical style and good-natured humor to make it palatable to most gamers (including kids). Gameplay involves exploring a huge mansion, collecting items, pigging out on food, assembling jigsaw puzzles, and avoiding unfriendly ghosts. As it turns out, ghosts love to eat broccoli and tuna fish sandwiches! Who knew? The game isn't the most logical in the world, so the ability to suspend disbelief is pre-requisite. For example, Casper can transform with a mist to navigate the ventilation system, but can't penetrate a barred door! One puzzle requires you to drop a lead weigh on a sparkly area to trigger a switch. That's hardly intuitive, but most of the game's puzzles are simple enough to hold your attention. Eventually, you'll open up so much of the mansion that it becomes confusing to navigate. A map screen would have been helpful. Still, the game is addictive, and I like how you can save you progress at any time. In terms of presentation, Casper rates extremely high. The house has a decrepit but elegant look, evocative of Disney's Haunted Mansion. The lavish orchestrated musical score tows the line between playful and ominous. This is a game that eventually grew on me. If your 3DO can handle it, Casper is a pleasant diversion. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

I love old games that used real video footage. They have the effect of sending you back through time, enjoying the places, fashion, and pop culture of a bygone era. Crime Patrol is a first-person light gun shooter that puts you in the role of a cop who must shoot or be shot. Your partner is a cocky female who starts every mission by yelling "let's kick some butt!" As you creep through an electronics store robbers leap out from behind the huge displays. It reminds me of the old Circuit City in my old neighborhood, except for the all the shooting. The gameplay boils down to just watching video and shooting at the next thug when he draws his gun. You actually have a pretty small window of opportunity and you need to be on target. The collision detection is erratic so to compensate I'd recommend unloading several shots in the general vicinity. You have unlimited ammo and sometimes close is good enough. If your aim is true you're treated to a video of the bad guy throwing himself through the nearest window. Even more funny is when I shoot a guy in the face and he grabs his chest! If you miss you're dead, and you get three lives. Try not to hit the innocent civilians, usually in the form of attractive women. Crime Patrol can be played by aiming a cursor with a normal controller. It's clumsy but since the bad guys tend to pop out in the same places you can anticiate them. Using a light gun is a lot more fun. I was surprised how responsive and accurate the gun is considering I didn't even calibrate it. The game includes a nice selection of stage locations including an airport, garage, and bank. There's even a strip club with exotic dancers, and the prospect of reaching that stage should give you some incentive. Crime Patrol may be medicre as a game but it's still a fascinating and often funny step back in time. © Copyright 2019 The Video Game Critic.

Despite their low budget special effects and laughable acting, I generally enjoy these old full-motion video (FMV) games. But unlike most titles in the genre, this one had some decent financing. Daedalus Encounter features snazzy visuals and a nice soundtrack, but it's all a facade. Despite its minimal gameplay, there's plenty of eye candy, mainly in the form of Tia Carrere, who you may recognize as the vixen from the films Wayne's World and True Lies. Here she plays Ariel, captain of a renegade starship, and Zack is her smart-aleck copilot. You play the role of Casey, some poor schmuck who got blasted to bits on a previous mission. As the third "member" of the crew, Casey is just a brain floating in a box with wires connecting him to a computer system. By holding the right shoulder button, you have a list of commands you can perform, such as analyzing objects or controlling a remote control probe. At least you won't be left behind when it's time to go out and explore. Daedalus Encounter is a good-looking game, even by today's standards. The video is slightly pixilated, but the pre-rendered alien landscapes are colorful and appropriately otherworldly. The story centers around an encounter with a large, seemingly abandoned alien freighter. The crew investigates and wanders around the mysterious vessel, and then, well, not a whole lot happens. Predictably, you have little bearing on what goes on. Your role is mainly limited to solving tedious puzzles to open doors. For some reason, just about every door contains a collection of symbols you need to rearrange in various combinations to open it. Unfortunately, these aren't the kind of puzzles that I'd call "fun". No, these are the kind that put people into mental institutions. I still don't know how I managed to solve a few of them. Daedalus Encounter offers little in the way of action, and when it does occur, you're little more than a spectator. You spend most of the game watching video, and although the first few scenes are interesting enough, the game gets boring when you start exploring the vessel and every room looks the same. The actors do a fair job considering the material, and Zack even has a few funny lines of dialogue. The gratuitous use of the "s---" word was probably done to merit a "mature" rating. Remember, 3DO was catering to the "adult" crowd, and you know how adults love to say bad words. In terms of audio, the game features some impressive mellow electronic music that nicely captures the desolation of space (or the desolation playing a boring FMV game). Daedalus Encounter comes on four CDs, but don't be deceived. The game is not very long and it can be finished in one sitting. Whenever you mess up, I like how the game automatically saves your spot and lets you pick up directly where you left off. I found Daedalus Encounter intriguing at first, but it couldn't hold my attention all the way through. Puzzle fans may find it a challenge, and FMV fans (all three of you) should get a kick out of the acting, but the rest of us are just along for the ride. And it's a pretty uneventful journey. © Copyright 2005 The Video Game Critic.

There's probably a decent D&D game buried in here somewhere, but DeathKeep was a freakin' nightmare to review. As the sequel to Slayer (3DO, 1994), this first-person dungeon crawler lets you wield weapons and cast spells against hostile creatures in underground mazes. There are plenty of items to collect, and managing you inventory is key. The monsters are impressively rendered and animated, but they look no better than those in Slayer. In fact, you'll face a lot of the very same creatures. Unlike Slayer's flat dungeons, DeathKeep incorporates ramps and platforms of various heights, but awkward camera controls make it hard to adjust your sights. Another issue is the lack of a map! That map was about the only thing that kept me going in Slayer, and without it I feel lost. And don't go looking for the save function either, because now you can only save between stages! Even the instruction book took a hit, as it's now a lot thinner and printed on cheap paper. The controls have been revamped, with the A and C buttons controlling your left and right hands, respectively. Being able to use the shoulder buttons to strafe is a huge improvement. Unfortunately, the 3DO controller's lack of buttons means you're forced to hit combinations to perform basic actions like adjusting the camera and changing weapons. For example, to look up you need to press B and R at the same time - not very intuitive! The audio has been noticeably upgraded with digitized sounds including nervous violins and ethereal chimes. Unfortunately the game goes completely silent whenever the disk is accessed - which is quite often! DeathKeep has its share of issues, but these are small potatoes compared to the putrid design of the first stage. As you explore blue caves, you'll slide on ice, burn yourself in boiling water, and be swept along by flowing water. How all three of these can coexist in such a small area, I have no idea. While struggling to navigate, you're constantly getting caught up on the numerous nooks and crannies along the hallways. Last but not least, you're immediately confronted by "ice trolls" who are - get this - impervious to weapon attacks! Each one of the things I just mentioned is an egregious example of poor game design. Shoehorning them all into one place - the first stage no less - is unforgivable. DeathKeep made me miserable, a if not for a cheat code I would have never seen the second stage. Once there, the game began to look a lot more like Slayer, but was far less enjoyable to play. © Copyright 2009 The Video Game Critic.

"Send a maniac to catch a maniac." That's Sylvester Stallone's opening line in Demolition Man, a game that manages to blur the line between movie and video game. Not only does the game follow the movie's storyline from beginning to end, it even contains lengthy video clips from the movie. And I was shocked to see that the star of the movie, Sylvester Stallone, actually shot video footage just for this game. That's extremely rare. Heck, they usually can't even get the actors to provide voices for the games. The production quality of this game is sky high, and the overall presentation really elevates this otherwise mediocre action title. Between stages, Stallone runs around in some admittedly virtual-looking environments to set up the next scene. Sly even cut video for the options menu! Choose the regular difficulty and he'll say, "You're doing the right thing", but pick the easy difficulty and he'll say "you suck". You have to appreciate that level of detail (and honesty!) The game itself is a hodgepodge of game styles, none of which excel in any way. The best and most prevalent stages are the light gun levels. While best played with a light gun (duh), these stages even work well with a joypad, believe it or not. The digitized thugs look great and provide a nice variety of targets. Hint: Shoot the grenades! In the museum stages, instead of shooting bad guys, you instead need to shoot parts of the scenery that will reveal your hiding archenemy Simon Phoenix (played by Wesley Snipes). There are also a few 2D fighting stages thrown it that play like a really bad Mortal Kombat clone. The controls are sluggish to say the least, and the gameplay is terribly primitive, despite some cool digitized graphics. Another poorly executed stage is the first-person underground tunnel stage. As you mow down bad guys while looking for the end of the tunnel, you can't harm Simon Phoenix, who antagonizes you nonstop! Everything looks the same down there, so if you want any chance of escaping, I'd recommend staying to the left or right the whole time (a basic maze traversal algorithm). The last type of stage is the driving stage, which looks great but is remarkably shallow. I love the smooth scaling and dark scenery, but all you're really doing is dodging cars. Demolition Man is a great looking game, but the gameplay should have gotten more attention. I appreciate the variety, but there's just not enough fun to be had. © Copyright 2002 The Video Game Critic.

Drug Wars is a guilty pleasure that doesn't promise much... and delivers! As the sequel to Crime Patrol (3DO, 1995) it follows the exact same formula, employing video clips starring "actors" (I use the term loosely). The game is designed to work with a light gun and I wouldn't advise trying to play it with anything else. The intro suggests exotic adventure with drug kingpins and sexy babes lounging around in bikinis. What more incentive do you need? The first set of stages are set in some dusty southern town. It feels a lot like Mad Dog McCree (3DO, 1993) to see outlaws tumble off rooftops and hurl themselves through plate glass windows. The game alternates between two types of scenes. During the semi-randomized shootouts the camera remains still as you pick off bad guys who pop out of the woodwork. Then there are hand-held camera scenes where you venture through bars, yachts, and drug houses. It's satisfying to shoots thugs as you round each corner, your trigger finger running on pure adrenaline. The light gun is fairly accurate but it's a good idea to unload two or three shots "just to be safe". The driving shootouts are kind of a joke. It's really hard to see what's happening in the other cars so just keep shooting at the windows until the car runs into a gas station station or goes off a cliff. The second set of stages take place in Chicago as you fight through a factory, courthouse, and bus-chase sequence. The acting is cheesy as all hell but that just adds to the fun. The industrial facility has a very creepy atmosphere with the pervasive sound of grinding metal. The third set of stages takes place at "the border" where you'll shoot up boats, marinas, and beach parties. The pace gets very quick, so take care not to shoot an innocent which will instantly end your mission. I think there are more stages but apparently I ran out of continues at some point. Drug Wars isn't a bad game. It lacks replay value, but you'll have fun the first time through. Note: Light gun games only work on old-style CRT televisions. Crank up the brightness for best results. © Copyright 2019 The Video Game Critic.