The above Ad/Promo was used for the 3DO in Japan. If you watch the beginning of it, you'll notice it says "BIG HIT IN THE USA!", which leads us to today's topic: Lying through Advertisements.
While it is true that the 3DO has it's fans (I'm one of them), the general gaming public was not ready to welcome the thing with open arms, partly due to it's high price tag, which even the PS3 couldn't match. It's a known fact that the thing didn't exactly sell all that well. That being said, why do the people who make Ads call what they are advertising the best thing ever, when all it takes is word of mouth/a little research to reveal the truth?
What I'm getting at here, is why do they lie about it in the first place, knowing that it's just going to come back and bite them later? Are the Advertisement People just doing they're jobs to put bread on the table, or are they truly dedicated to what they are doing? If I had to guess, I'd say the former applies here. That being said, I'm honestly not sure what the real reason is, I'm just guessing.
Don't get me wrong though, I really do enjoy the 3DO, but I'm also not an idiot. It doesn't take a Rocket Scientist to see that the thing didn't make it.
If you have any thoughts on this, feel free to shout them out in the comments. Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go play Samurai Shodown RPG.
Welcome to my newest series, The Hunt For Retro. This series will chronicle my hunts for various Retro Gaming Merchandise. First up, the hunt for 3DO. Here we go!
Sometime in 2008 or so, I saw the GT Countdown Video "Top Ten Worst Consoles" on Youtube.
Needless to say, I thought it was crap. I think those systems are just fine. (Save for the Phantom and Gizmondo, as I've never played those, and since the Phantom was never released...well, yeah).
Anyway, while watching the Video, I found Number 7 on the list, the 3DO, particularly intriguing. After researching it, I desired one, and began my hunt.
Enter Collector's Cards and Games, a Website that sells Retro Game Stuff (Among other things). I noticed that the guy running it had a 3DO, so I inquired about it via E-Mail.
Some time later, I received a reply:
"I have a working Goldstar 3DO ready to ship for $60."
Unfortunately, I was completely oblivious to the various 3DO Models in existence, so I agreed, sent him the money via Paypal, and the deal was sealed.
Fast forward a week or so, and the UPS Man showed up at my house with a rather heavy box addressed to me. I opened it, and was greeted with quite the device: The Goldstar 3DO.
Having no games and remembering what the GT Countdown Video said about copy protection, I burned a game and tried to play it.
...It didn't work.
So, I went to Racketboy and asked for help. I then learned that the Goldstar couldn't play Backups.
Pissed off, I ordered a game called Slayer, which I enjoyed for about 15 Minutes before the damn controller broke.
Even angrier now, I decided to settle with a Panasonic Model. I went to Amazon, and found an FZ-10 3DO for $55. I bought it, and waited.
Another week later, I received it in the Mail. This one played backups, and worked very well. It was even in good cosmetic shape.
Unfortunately, I became low on money for other stuff some months later, so, of all the things to sell, I sold the 3DO. I was pretty upset.
Fast forward to present day, I went out to the local Retro Store, and to my shock, the man there had a 3DO for sale, an FZ-1 to be exact.
Unfortunately, It was a little too pricey for me, so we worked out a deal: I gave him my Neo-Geo CDZ (I have a Consolized MVS, so I really had little to lose here), and he gave me the 3DO with Wing Commander 3 and a cool Controller.
So, what did I learn here? Learn to manage your Money better, or you'll regret it later. All things considered though, this all worked out very well in the end. I now have a really cool 3DO, he has a shiny CDZ, and everyone is happy.
Anyway, that's all for this entry. Thanks for reading, and look out for my next Hunt For Retro entry.
To many gamers, 3DO is game-speak for "What the hell is this thing?!". Well, here's the story...
The 3DO, conceived by EA Founder Trip Hawkins, was a CD Based Game Console with impressive processing power and a host of cutting edge technologies. Mr. Hawkins had high hopes for this thing...
...So what went wrong, I hear you ask...Well, for starters, the thing was released with a price point of 700 US Dollars, which even the PS3 couldn't match. (599 US Dollars). It also, as quoted from a GT Countdown Video, squandered it's impressive processing power on playing horrible Full Motion Video. In my opinion, it wasn't really horrible. Just really cheesy. Me, I like FMV Games. Trip also refused to reduce it's price until near the end of it's life.
So, is there anything cool about this thing? Hell yes! It has no copy protection or regional lockout! It also features some great games that weren't available for any other console. One such game is Slayer, a First Person RPG, which takes place in the Dungeons and Dragons Universe.
There are also three different models of it. (At least in America. There are more in Asia.) First up is the FZ-1, which was the first model released. Second is the Goldstar, pictured above, which I own. I would NOT recommend it to anyone, as it's picky with some games, and is the least reliable of all the models. The last one released in America was the FZ-10, which, unlike the FZ-1 and the Goldstar, was a Top Loading Model.
Anyway, that's it for this short entry. If you'd like more 3DO Information, PM me. I'm always happy to talk about this stuff.
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