Of course its ok. Only ignorant people hate the 3DO. You arnt required to apriciate it, but there is no reason what so ever to actually hate it.
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Of course its ok. Only ignorant people hate the 3DO. You arnt required to apriciate it, but there is no reason what so ever to actually hate it.
I say any console that has over 100 releases is at least worth a look, there's bound to be ten games in there that you can enjoy by the Playstations' standards. The 3DO is like having a suped up Sega CD and a high end 1993 gaming PC all in one, I enjoy it quite a bit. For Nintendo fans, the 3DO is everything that was ever promised for the SNES CD-ROM attachment and more. Crystal Dynamic's games really shine on the 3DO, I barely appreciated them as a developer before I played their games on the 3DO.
This.Quote:
Originally Posted by sheath
(from the Jaguar thread -- I thought my questions would be more appropriate here)
I probably don't have the patience to surf eBay until I can find a deal like that. Maybe if I was more motivated. Time is money, as they say, and I could probably get there faster if I just worked a couple of hours of overtime to cover the difference anyways. If I do decide to get one, I have some questions before I spend any money:Quote:
Originally Posted by sheath
1. What is the deal with Japanese imports on the 3DO? I thought 3DO's were region-free. So if I get a Japanese 3DO, can I play USA games on it? If I get a Japanese game, can I play it on a USA 3DO? Is there a language switch for imports to be played in English? You get the idea of what I'm asking, hopefully.
2. What is the best model to get? What is the best brand to get? I know there are at least three brands (Panasonic, Goldstar, and Sanyo) and at least two models, FZ-1 and FZ-10. I would guess that the clamshell version is more reliable but don't really know. And depending upon the answer to #1, is it better to buy an Japanese or USA 3DO or does that matter?
3. For buying Star Control 2, besides the English language questions, I can't remember because I played it so long ago on 3DO. Does the two-player mode have a strategy mode or starmap like Star Control 1 or is it strictly melee?
4. I couldn't find any video for Starfighter on PC. I did find some for Starfighter 3000 on the Acorn (?). Is that the same thing?
Thanks in advance!
I just search and then click the link to save the search, then I get emails when new postings pop up. For a less expensive 3DO I'd look for a lot, or a seller with less than 100 sales. Then I'd just watch it and snipe at the last ten seconds if I had the time.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bones Justice
All of the imports I have bought were either in Japanese or English, not both. My Jpn version of Crash N Burn and Star Control 2 are in Japanese except for the menus. Most sellers aren't going to play the game long enough to find out in my experience.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bones Justice
Somebody else will have to answer this. I have a Panasonic front loader, I think it is the FZ-1. It works great, but a lot of people swear that top loaders are more reliable. I also prefer my Sega CD model 1 over my Sega CD 2 or X'Eye.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bones Justice
I have only played the verses mode against the computer. The campaign mode is all in Japanese and unplayable for me. I am not sure what options there are for the two player modes, I can check that on Monday if nobody else replies by then.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bones Justice
This discussion happened at the same time I randomly fell upon a similar discussion on Atari Age. Here is what that discussion produced about the PC version of Starfighter.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bones Justice
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...;v=I8yLRZExpJM
No, Star Control 2 is just meleeQuote:
Originally Posted by Bones Justice
There's no switch or anything like it. Arcade style JP releases may still feature English; nothing else will. Yes the machine's region free except for a few JP RPGs and miscellaneous that won't display properly on a US machine.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bones Justice
Sanyo TRY is the best model; it runs about $150 in the US. But that's really for perfectionists, hardcore collectors, &c. Of common models the fliptop is a little more widely preferred because it's easier to get into to clean or adjust (the laser); otherwise it and the FZ-1 are equal. (There's the memory management issue but since the machine reads CD-Rs you can just burn a manager CD--don't waste your money on a genuine one). The Goldstar is the most prone to failure and since it does not sell for less than the FZ-1 and FZ-10 on ebay you're better off skipping it unless it comes in a killer package or the seller can guarantee it reads CD-Rs (all 3DOs can at first but the ability may wear out on any given machine). Other than the TRY model getting a JP console won't make a difference.Quote:
2. What is the best model to get? What is the best brand to get? I know there are at least three brands (Panasonic, Goldstar, and Sanyo) and at least two models, FZ-1 and FZ-10. I would guess that the clamshell version is more reliable but don't really know. And depending upon the answer to #1, is it better to buy an Japanese or USA 3DO or does that matter?
You shouldn't need to worry about this game in JP, the US release goes for $20 shipped BIN unless you're after the longbox as well. Star Control II can get expensive though.Quote:
4. Starfighter.
What I've heard in the past, is that some Japanese games can't save on a North American system if the save file is titled with Japanese text.Quote:
1. What is the deal with Japanese imports on the 3DO? I thought 3DO's were region-free. So if I get a Japanese 3DO, can I play USA games on it? If I get a Japanese game, can I play it on a USA 3DO? Is there a language switch for imports to be played in English? You get the idea of what I'm asking, hopefully.
If anyone hasn't already said it, don't buy a Goldstar 3DO. They look pretty, but fail an order of magnitude more often than Panasonic 3DO systems. I've yet to hear a report about replacing the laser diode/assembly correcting the failure to read discs, and I'd rather not waste another $25 on my Goldstar 3DO to find that either the person selling the parts is illiterate and is selling incompatible garbage, or that it's not the component that causes the failure to read even if the transplant is successful.
I bought a goldstar 3do from a guy who didn't know how to test it and it works great
Only a very few japanese titles will not play on a US or Pal machine. Its not an incompatibility as such, but rather they lack the Kanji font on the actual system. Most japanese titles have this font in the software, so its only the very few which do not, that wont work on a non japanese console. I am not an expert on which titles these are, but they are VERY few, and its really not a problem for anyone but the most serious collector. And they will have a japanese machine already...
As for which model to get. I would say FZ-10 if you just want to play the games. Its as reliable as any cd based console is, its more convenient with a memory manager installed in the system itself, and it has less moving parts to break on you. But if you prefer the "original" 3DO, the FZ-1, it is also reliable and isnt very likely to break on you. It does not have the memory manager however, but many games has one, so you can use those to manage your files. Its just abit of a hassle.
US or Japanese, or even Pal? Well, id go with a US FZ-10 if it was my first 3DO, again it has the manager, in ENGLISH, so its easy to use. Pal will run you at 50hz so avoid those, and stay away from Goldstars and Sanyos.. They both have issues with ribbon cables since the actual cdrom is in the sled, which sometimes are easy to fix, sometimes not. I cant get my Sanyo to work, and from advice it seems its down to ribbon cables not working properly. Ive taken it apart, reseated all the cables. Still no go.
So in short, if you are wanting in on the 3DO action at a low initial cost, id look for a FZ-10, with all the hookups, a few controllers and some games in a nice bundle which is tested and proven to work. That should have you set with few unforseen issues. The system is definetly worth having and it has many good games, and is not dominated by FMV-games, which is a popular misconception. Many games have FMV elements, but the actual gameplay is not.
Thanks for all the advice and tips. I just don't think I will end up with one any time soon, though. This past weekend, I had some spare time so I really hit up the retro shops to check out the 3DO market. The cheapest set I saw was $90. It's not really the price that much as I could spend $100 on one if I really wanted it. I was replying to another thread here about SNES action games and it made me realize that there just isn't anything on 3DO that I want that much. I did get to play some of the games at one of the shops and it was all like I remembered -- I've got those games already. Road Rash, Street Fighter 2, and Space Hulk are good games but I've already played those out on other systems and at least to me, I didn't see any major difference in the 3DO versions (except having to play SF2 with a three-button pad stinks). Need for Speed was even slower than I remembered. Starfighter was pretty good but not a system seller for me. I did try Starfighter on PS1 also (they didn't have it for Saturn) and you're right, the 3DO version is a lot better looking.
I guess it's just going to be one of those systems I'll never get unless I stumble on to an amazing deal. I wouldn't turn down a cheap one but I've played the better games that 3DO has already. I have been keeping half an eye on eBay and none of them seem like a good deal to me. I've never seen so many listings that claim demo or sampler discs as games, either -- "3DO with three games" turns out to be a system with several sample discs.
Again, I'm not saying 3DO is a bad system or that the games are bad, it's just that almost all of the games worth getting the system for were ported to other systems. And I've already played most of them.
It wasn't a total loss, though, as I bought several games for my Saturn!
why even bother with retroshops. just use ebay
eBay is okay sometimes but I like going to retro shops, too. There's nothing like actually getting to try out something before you buy it. And what better place to meet like-minded individuals (other than Sega-16, of course)?Quote:
Originally Posted by bultje112
I learned a few things about 3DO from one of the shop guys, too. He said that the reason that 3DO retailed for $700 was because they used a different business model. He said 3DO didn't make any money off the games sold so they had to sell the consoles for a bigger profit than companies like Sega or Nintendo. I've been thinking about that, and if it's true, then were the games cheaper than Sega and Nintendo games? I know there are production costs but the games were just CD's otherwise so if they were not paying 3DO money, wouldn't they have been cheaper? I knew that 3DO consoles were $700 back in the day but I never thought to price the games.
He also said that the game selection was the main reason for the 3DO's failure. I don't remember the exact numbers but he said there were two-hundred games for 3DO but only five racing games, one football game, eight fighting games, and a few (can't remember) platform games out of all of those. What the heck were the other one-hundred-and-eighty games then?
I've tried watching some of the "best of 3DO" videos on YouTube this weekend. I'm surprised that Starfighter was not in anybody's top ten. I thought it was really good when I tried it. I couldn't believe how bad the Playstation version was in comparison. It's probably the one game that still has me somewhat motivated to get a 3DO someday. (And to be honest, I've got a couple of hundred bucks that's been burning a hole in my pocket recently.)
I was really surprised at how little a used XBox sells for in comparison to 3DO. I saw one for as little as $40, though the average price of their (used) games was higher than the price of their 3DO games. Of the shop guys that even bothered to sell me on something, they seemed more interested in selling me an XBox than a 3DO. For some reason, that put me off a little, I guess. Reverse-psychology in sales? Maybe.
Just have to point out that there are multiple 6 face button controllers for the 3DO, and you can also find adapters to play other system's controllers on it. Snes is the most common, but you can also find a ps2 controller adaptor via Tototek. There is also an elusive sega controller adapter, which i absolutely love and am lucky to own. SSF2 is however best enjoyed with an arcade stick, i use the Panasonic one and love it.
The games on the 3DO is their own style for the most part. Much like Nintendo had their style, and Sega had their etc.. Multisystem titles werent as common back then, and even if they were, they were more different from eachother than they are today. Even different gameplay elements etc. The 3DO has something like 300+ (many of which are japanese exclusives, some playable others not) titles for it, most are games but it also has some educational titles, educational games, adult titles, encyclopedias etc so they arnt ALL games as you might know them. It wasnt a simple game console, it was an entertainment center, which explains the untraditional library of titles for the day (and even today).
I still think you should get one if you say you have the money for it, it has some great exlusives as mentioned before, and often if not always the superior version of multisystem games. You may not justify the current cost, and thats fine, but if that deal you want apears, jump on it.