The Rise and Fall of the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer Console
If you hear the name 3DO, maybe some of you will immediately remember a number of games from the Heroes of Might & Magic series. And indeed, 3DO is a company engaged in the video game industry as well as acting as a publisher of these games. But did you know that apart from releasing video games, the company that finally went out of business in 2003 has also developed its own console system? This is the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer Gaming Console.
How It Came to Be
It is not known exactly when development of the 3DO IMG console officially began, but the real concept of the console emerged from the combined ideas of Trip Hawkins, the founder of 3DO, and two prominent figures in the electronics and gaming industry at the time, Dave Needle and Robert J. Mical. The three men had the same idea of creating a next-generation console, and when Trip Hawkins found out that Dave and Robert had even started designing the designs in 1989, he decided to join forces and work together.
Lacking the resources to manufacture its own consoles, the 3DO company decided to sell the licenses to other companies, primarily electronics product companies such as Panasonic, Sanyo, and Goldstar, and then collect royalties from both console and game sales. The licensing system resulted in the price of the 3DO console being very expensive, even with the launch price reaching $699 or around Rp.13,500,000, – (according to the current exchange rate). But it turns out that only a few retailers sell 3DO IMG at that price, and the majority have lowered their prices to as low as $399.
Unfortunate Ending
The high price tag offered at its release gave the impression that the 3DO IMG was “the console of the rich”, and even though it has experienced several price drops, it can’t escape its negative reputation. In addition, CD-ROM technology experienced a fairly rapid development in the mid-1990s, so that the 3DO console was increasingly considered outdated. These two things became several factors that caused the 3DO IMG sales to decline, so that finally the production of the console was officially discontinued towards the end of 1996. Although it only circulated for a relatively short time and was not very successful in the market, the 3DO Interactive Multiplayer Gaming console was able to create a community. gamers who love the console.
The Games
Since the 3DO company doesn’t place any restrictions on software licenses for 3DO IMG, this relatively short-lived console has a huge lineup of games, even more than 300 titles. The following are some games that are rated as the best games ever to appear on the IMG 3DO console, where most of them are multiplatform games that perform best on the 3DO platform:
Crash ‘N Burn
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Genre: Racing, Shooter
Release: 1993
This racing-shooter game with a futuristic setting is an exclusive 3DO IMG game which is the launch title of the console. The combination of racing gameplay with intense shooter elements in a futuristic setting that was quite cool at the time, as well as the Full-Motion Videos (FMV) feature that appeared in the middle of the race made Crash ‘N Burn rated as one of the best games for the 3DO console. This game was also planned to be made for the PlayStation console, but in the end it was not realized.
GEX
Developer: Crystal Dynamics
Genre: Platform
Release: November 1994
GEX is a platformer game that was eventually released for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and PC, but was originally designed for 3DO IMG. This quite unique game features the main character of a green gecko who adventures in the world of digital media, with a background story that is also quite unique. GEX received positive responses from gamers as well as from several gaming media, and even received an award as “Best 3DO Game of 1995” from the Electronic Gaming Monthly media.
• Road Rash
Developer: Electronic Arts
Genre: Racing
Release: 1994
Road Rash is a racing game that inserts fighting elements into motorcycle racing gameplay, and first appeared on the Mega Drive platform in 1991. This game then appeared in various versions on various other platforms, where one of them is the 3DO version which can actually be called as a remake of the original game. With various additional features in it, the 3DO version of Road Rash is called the best version among other platform versions.
The Need for Speed
Developer: Pioneer Productions
Genre: Racing
Release: August 1994
Who is a fan of the racing genre who does not know this title? The game with the full title Road & Track Presents: The Need for Speed first appeared on the 3DO platform, and only then was ported to the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and PC consoles. Apart from featuring sports cars and exotic cars, the first game in the series is also popular because it features realistic car behavior, detailed vehicle info, automotive magazine-style interior and exterior illustrations, plus a short FMV about each vehicle.
Return Fire
Developer: Silent Software
Genre: Action, Strategy
Release: 1995
Return Fire is one of the few highly rated strategy games for the 3DO platform; high enough to be considered one of the best games in the “Home of the Underdog” category. In Return Fire, players will control one of four types of war vehicles to capture the enemy’s flag (Capture the Flag) while destroying enemy buildings and vehicles. The game features 3D visuals from a bird’s eye view, and features a split-screen local multiplayer mode.
Samurai Showdown
Developer: SNK
Genre: Fighting
Release: August 1993
Apparently one of the most popular fighting game titles in the Neo Geo era also achieved success on the 3DO platform, where the development of the 3DO version fell into the hands of the Crystal Dynamics team. At the time, Sega’s version of Samurai Shodown had suffered under the pressure of the censors who reduced or eliminated elements of violence in it, but the 3DO version of the game was released a year later, allowing for the return of the original graphics of Samurai Shodown which was quite brutal and bloody.
Trivia
• Along with the “death” of the 3DO console, the 3DO company reorganized their internal software development department into a multi-platform company that supports software/game development for PlayStation, Sega Saturn, and PC.
• Officially there are 6 versions of the 3DO console released between the United States, Europe and Japan. But apparently there is one exclusive model that is considered the rarest, namely the Goldstar 3DO Alive I, which was only released in South Korea.
• In 1995, 3DO announced plans to develop a technology successor to the 3DO IMG, the 3DO M2, which was launched to outperform all other consoles at that time. Unfortunately, even this project failed to be realized, and was sunk with 3DO IMG at the end of 1996.
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