
January 21, 1995
The 3DO Best and Worst list- Part 1: the Best list.
By Jason D'Aprile
By the last Christmas season, 3DO proved itself as a viable software base with over a hundred titles and more, more, more on the way. But, with so much, so suddenly, what's up and what's down? Depending upon your tastes, of course, puzzled 3DO owners should find some answers below. The good ones are some of the best games around for any system. And the worst... Well, some are just mediocre and out of date, others are really, really bad. For this first part of the article, I've covered the really good stuff.
The Really Good Stuff:
1. ShockWave, by Electronic Arts. The very first 3DO title I ever booted into my machine and it was love at first sight. Ignore what you may have heard from other critics. Shockwave isn't a full motion video game and if it's rehash, then I 'll have more where this one came from( and I got it, too, with the excellent Operation Jumpgate mission disk.). Shockwave is cockpit view, breakneck speed, incredible shoot 'em up action and it isn't for the faint hearted or easily frustrated. This game is long, hard and totally intense. The cinemas are fantastic with great use of live action, sci-fi storyline and special effects. Gold Star and the 3DO PC add on owners get this game in the box and it isn't hard to figure out way- as a pack-in, Shockwave kicks Crash 'n Burn's butt. 
	The mission disk contains more of the same, but on the other planets and moons in the Solar System. There are 5(+1) missions on the add on disk and if you love the first like I do, you'll want Operation Jumpgate as well. And hey, the nukes make a much bigger bang on other planets and Jumpgate has the mother of all cliffhanger endings. Also, if you've got the equipment, Shockwave takes on new levels of excitement with a surround sound rig and big screen.
2. FIFA Soccer International, by Electronic Arts. And I don't even like real soccer. FIFA 3DO really takes video sports to the next level and then some. With totally enveloping sound( which seems to be one of EA's 3DO trademarks for quality), incredible animation and fantastic gameplay, video sports action doesn't get any better then FIFA 3DO. Up to 8 can play and the variety of playing options is excellent. With soccer games having flooded the market in an attempt to get America into the "Soccer Frenzy" that Europeans seem so keen on, EA has created the end-all, absolute last word in soccer action. FIFA Soccer 3DO- anything else is uncivilized.
3. Road Rash, by Electronic Arts(Seeing a trend here?). The ultimate, last word in anti-social behavior and I have yet to meet anyone- gamer or not- that doesn't like this game. With it's incredible track graphics, blatant disregard for life, limb and law, great control and smooth learning curve,  Road Rash is incredible. And for some reason, virtually anyone over 40 seems to play this game just so they can beat the cops up. Go figure. Road Rash and midlife crisis- they just seem to go together.
4. Return Fire, by Prolific Publishing/ Silent Software. So easy to play that it doesn't even come with a manual. While it makes for a fantastic one player game, Return Fire may well be one of the greatest  two player games ever made. I can't recall when I've so much fun demolishing a best friend as I did with this game. Essentially, this is an overhead, 3 dimensional, relentlessly fun and militaristic version of "Capture the Flag." Choose from four different military vehicles- Helicopter, jeep, tank and the "Fun is My Middle Name" ASV( Armored Support Vehicle.). All you do is blow things up- all things, indiscriminately. Blatant destruction has never been so much fun.
5. Twisted, by Electronic Arts. Bizarre, gameshow fun. Twisted does to the gameshow genre what FIFA does to previous sports titles- obliterates them. With it's stunning graphics, really bad commercials and really fun gameplay, Twisted is incredibly original, incredibly weird multiplayer entertainment. If you hate gameshows like I hate gameshows, you'll love Twisted. Some people I know even have a "Twisted Night" in their household. Besides, it's really hard to find games that the whole family can play and Twisted sure beats Family Feud.
6. Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo, by Capcom Japan and Panasonic Software USA. So what if it's getting old? This is still the best fighting game ever created. Super SF2 Turbo is refined to near perfection and the 3DO version sounds better then the arcade, isn't as letterboxed and plays just like the arcade. It's no wonder Capcom is so reluctant to count to 3- after this version of SF2, 2D side view fighting games just can't get much better.
7. Samurai Shodown, by Crystal Dynamics. The next best thing to Street Fighter 2 and a great game in it's own right- even if it does suffer some from Crystal Dynamics' lack of foresight in not allowing for the option of a six button joystick, has limited continues and contains Crystal Dynamics' almost trademark lack of controller configuration. Sam Shodown looks better then Super SF2 Turbo, plays not quite as well and has blood, vicious weapons and pets. The voice in the game, however, is oatmeal-mouthed awful. The main complaint is the uncustomizeable controller layout. It doesn't use the original 4 button Neo Geo layout, or even Capcom/ Panasonic's six button config. Instead, the ABC buttons are used for the 3 slashes, but to kick you have to press the Right shift button and one of the ABC buttons simultaneously. Gee, how terribly convenient( Ahem.).
8. Iron Angel of the Apocalypse, by Synergy. Never heard of this one? Not surprising. It was supposed to have been released in late '94, but Panasonic decided not to for fear of some sort of odd litigation. Fortunately, Synergy's American branch is releasing it here and this version is actually better then previous European and Japanese version( which is what I had been playing and loving.). It's now a bit faster then the older versions and some of the already incredible cinematic sequences have been vastly improved. You take the role of a hulking robotman and go lumbering through a scary, atmospheric skyscraper in a bleak, cyberpunk Tokyo blasting everything in your way. While Iron Angel is nowhere near the visceral, nonstop action of Doom, it's a totally involving, engulfing experience with some of the greatest cinemas ever created for a video game. 
9. Need for Speed, by Electronic Arts. The classic computer driving sim, Test Drive, comes of age. NFS uses the same graphics engine used in Road Rash, Shock Wave and other 3DO games to incredible effect. EA's usual talent for spectacular sonic effects, numerous options and great control shines on this disk. Need for Speed is an incredible driving game. Choose from several different sports cars to drive through three different settings- racing either against the clock or a computer opponent. Overall, it's sort of like Road Rash in a car, but doesn't have quite as mean a streak. You can still run the cops and civilian drivers off the road, however. The downside of the game is not so much that there are only 3 different track settings( more would have been nice), but that it lacks the multiple routes, side roads, short cuts and competition of Road Rash. While playing, though, there's plenty of on coming traffic to keep one's mind off of things like that. Overall, Need for Speed is easily one of the best driving games ever created.
10. Guardian War, by Panasonic Software. Guardian War is one of the few games out there that I would call endearing. The characters, the plot, the enemies, the look and sound- everything about this game has a wonderful, endearing quality to it. It's as if the whole game were from a childhood memory of ancient fairie tales and other fantastical stories. Guardian War is basically a kind of toy war game with it's claymation-type, action figure-like characters emersed in a role playing game system. Guardian War is a highly original, involving game with hours of play time and all sort of things to do.
11. Off World Intercepter, by Crystal Dynamics. Total Eclipse revisited and with better results for the most part. Sci-fi combat racing has never been so much fun or visceral as it is in this planetary dune buggy racer with very big guns and plenty to blow away. The biggest complaint I have with this game is the Story mode, which is where all the Grade Z sci-fi cinemas are. It's not that the cinemas are so bad( they are.), I can take bad sci-fi without flinching( I have, after all, seen nearly every episode of SeaQuest...). It's that Crystal Dynamics, in an apparent attempt to make up for it at the last minute, made them excruciating to watch by putting these two idiotic commentators at the bottom of the screen( a la' Science Fiction Theater 2000.). These guys talk incessantly through the cinemas, are supposed to be humorous, but are actually mind boggling witless and offensive. They are also the reason OWI got a "For Mature audiences, ages 17+" rating, since they use profanity and are extremely lewd at times. Get the game, but skip past the cinemas, or just play in one of the other two modes.

Runner-ups you might also want to try:
Burning Soldier, by Panasonic Software, is a visually stunning, arcade experience- a gun game without the gun. It's a little on the short side, but the fantastic graphics and smoothly interspersed cinemas make it a well worth the trip. The best of the Full motion video targeting games- for any system.
Total Eclipse, the original 3DO shooter, is still a high velocity, mind bogglingly hard game with great graphics and rather touchy control. It's a lot of fun for diehard shooter fans.
Super Wing Commander, by Origin, is state of the art space opera epic. Despite the occasional slow down during the game, SWC is a heck of a game, with lots of hard missions, on going storyline and a full universe to fly in. It also has incredible cinemas and an excellent musical score.
Slayer, by SSI, introduces Dungeons and Dragons to Doom with extremely good results. While the graphics are rather unrefined, the dungeons Slayer creates for the gamer are incredibly atmospheric and full of depth. It's smooth control, atmosphere, along with incredible music and sound effects really bring you into the game.
John Madden Football, by Electronic Arts, is still the best arcade style football game ever created. While not quite as technologically enthralling as FIFA, it's still pretty incredible and great fun.
Dragon's Lair, by Readysoft, is a close to perfect replica of the venerable arcade classic and doesn't need an MPEG adapter. Whether you like this game or not is, however, definitely up to you, since the word "interactive" hangs very precariously around Dragon's Lair's neck.
Of all the various puzzle/ strategy type games on the 3DO, Dynamix's The Incredible Machine is probably the most fun and entertaining. With it's original, no plot whatsoever premise of having to create bizarre types of mechanisms in order to fulfil pointless goals and the lack of a time limit, this game stands above the others for mental fun.
	While I hesitate to go so far as to actually recommend it to all but the most diehard fighting fans, Naughty Dogs'/ UIS' Way of the Warrior deserves some credit and mention. Despite the controversy over  whether or not this game is any or good or not, it's an extremely original take on the old standard in a genre overflowing with mediocre rehash. I won't recommend that you buy it, but if you're a fighting fan you should definitely give the Way of the Warrior a chance.
	Next up, the bad, the worse and the just plain ugly...
	Until then, this is Jason D'Aprile, the 3DO Guy, continually proving that there are a lot more then just 5 good titles for the 3DO.
