FMV Games...Video Games that use Full Motion Video for they're graphics. They died out in the late 90's, and haven't been seen since, as far as I know. For many, they're stupid and have no real value. For others, such as myself, they're fun and unique. Today, I'm here to present to you a look back at the most famous (and infamous) ones. Let's start.
[img width=640 height=899]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/5/920185_53835_front.jpg[/img]
That game there is Night Trap, a game with some controversial history behind it. There's a LOT behind it's story, but the short version is that a politician called it bad in the sense that it was too violent, and everyone believed him. Over time, the hype died down, and to some, it's now a cult classic. Originally released for the Sega CD, the goal is to trap Vampires called "Augers" using various trap doors in a house to protect several young women in the house having a sleepover. Simple, but it can raise your tension sometimes, because most of the time, one wrong move means Game Over. It was also released for the 3DO and the 32X-CD.
What's Special About It: The Main Character is portrayed by Dano Plato of Diff'rent Strokes fame. Also, as mentioned before, it caused a lot of controversy, but most of it only happened because someone was full of hot air.
[img width=640 height=1256]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/6/584526_37496_front.jpg[/img]
What we have here is Wing Commander III, a game I like to call a Sleeper Hit. It's a Small-Spaceship Simulator, and your goal is to fend off the Kilrathi (Humanoid Lions). Besides the Spaceship Combat, it also plays like a typical FMV Adventure Game. You can talk to the Characters to initiate live action conversations with them, which look awesome. Wing Commander III is, without a doubt, my favorite FMV Game. Originally released for DOS, it has been ported to the 3DO and PS1.
What's Special About It: Mark Hamill, most famous for his portrayal of Luke Skywalker in Star Wars IV, V, and VI, plays the Main Character in this one, and in the fourth one, and he does an excellent job at it.
[img width=640 height=637]http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/4/581284_87755_front.jpg[/img]
Mad Dog McCree is an Old West shooting game. The goal is to track down the outlaw Mad Dog McCree and save the Mayor's daughter. To do this, you have to shoot a bunch of other criminals while searching for Mad Dog. It's not too hard, but not too easy either, and the whole concept is really simple. It was originally released as an Arcade Machine, and has been ported to many other Consoles.
What's Special About It: It was actually pretty successful for an FMV Game, considering most people hate them.
Well, that's it for this short entry. It would've been longer, but I'm pretty bored right now, and I'm not really working at my fullest right now. Heh. Anyway, my next entry will be better.
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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