David Liu's CES report

Report by David R. Liu <davidliu@case.ai.mit.edu>

Just (5 min ago) flew back from Chicago. Wow...what a past few days. I'm tired now so i'll keep my report concise (hopefully).

First, a disclaimer since some of what i'm going to say may sound a bit... er, full of praise. I don't work for and am not an employee of:

  1. 3DO
  2. Universal Interactive
  3. Naughty Dog Incorported.
However, I want to start by saying that the guys (and gals) from 3DO, Universal, and NDI are truly amazing people with a passion to see their vision of the future of gaming equalled only by their kindness and generosity. Thanks to Rob, Jim, Sacha, Andy, Jason, Rick, Nick, Trip (!), Mike, and all the folks whose names have been lost in my synapses for sponsoring my CES trip and for giving me a fascinating glimpse into the future of 3DO.

Now for the meat:

Games:

Way of the Warrior

Enough said. If you like fighting games, you'll buy it. Lots of press coverage. Lots of people ranging from 12 yr old game fans to CEOs playing this game. Look for it in August; the rate limiting step of bringing Way to shelves is not any fault of NDI; i think they are mostly waiting on finalizing the arrangements for a reasonably well-known band to do the music. Sorry to anyone if I beat you up too badly :)

Shockwave:

A solid game in which you can turn around and go anywhere (within reason), with fully tmapped terrain and enemies. Two thumbs and two big toes up. Buy it.

Road Rash:

For me, the surprise title of the show. This game looks and feels amazing! It will be encrypted next week, so it should be on shelves in 3 weeks. Fabulous still pictures, fabulous tmapped terrain flying by a great speeds, and all the humor (of getting hit by oncoming traffic, etc.) that made Road Rash such a hit. Two thumbs and big toes up.

Demolition Man:

Looks great, with near MPEG-quality video. However, not too much in the way of interaction: a shooting section (Lethal Enforcers style), a DOOM-like section, and a fighting section (Sly vs. Wesley). OK gameplay, but a tad boring. One thumb down.

Off world interceptor:

Looks great, plays great in the 1-player mode, a little slow in this early version for 2 players. Terrain is somewhat pixelated, but you'll be having enough fun that you wont care. Two thumbs up.

FIFA Soccer:

A great feel that you are actually playing on an open field. Too early to make rash conclusions about the game, but it looks promising. Should be out by fall/winter.

GEX:

Crystal's platform game in which you play the role of a gecko, climbing up walls and munching insects with your tongue. Graphics are largely pre-rendered and look AMAZING. A clear winner, even in its early stages (the recent versions were demoed on videotape).

Soccer Kid:

Another platform game; this time you play a soccer kid (surprise) who dribbles a ball and uses this ball as a weapon/tool. Look quite nice actually; a little early. Press release (6/23/94) says due out in August.

Gridders:

Somewhat improved from demo disk (though not dramatically); now you have a dog as your sidekick. Release scheduled for JULY in stores; as before, a novel 1st-person perspective puzzle game. Looks like two thumbs up for puzzle fans.

Star Control II:

Great looking intro and cinemas, but preserved most of the ibm game's original features and look. Not as visually appealing as many games demoed for the 3do, but the SCII original was such a hit that the gameplay and strategic element will probably make this one a winner.

Real early games

Samurai Shodown:

Crystal's port looks quite promising, leaving little doubt that they will be able to do a very faithful port. Had only one background and a couple moves playable, but looked as good or better than the corresponding parts of the NeoGeo original.

Pataank:

1st person perspective pinball (from the ball's perspective). Looked exciting; not sure when the release date will be.

AD&D Slayer:

1st person perspec DnD-style maze game, looks decent, reasonable fast. Early.

Aduelin'Firemen!:

Wierd. On video only. real wierd. Don't ask.

Rumors

  1. CAPCOM is doing (drum roll): Super Street Fighter II Turbo for the 3do. Yes! Release "later this year". This info from a 3do press release 6/23/94.
  2. Capcom, Konami, Taito, Tomy, Koei, Bandai, Jaleco are all "developing game titles" for the 3do.
  3. SANYO, GOLDSTAR, and CREATIVE LABS all had WORKING RUNNING PLAYABLE 3do machines on display. All 3 looks seamless and indistinguishable on screen from the panasonic unit. Creative Labs' 3do blaster card is SCALABLE on your desktop as a window and doesnt tax your processor (i think they were demoing TOTAL ECLIPSE on a 386!).
My guess as to the prices of the new 3DOs: possibly around $400-$450 for the 2 3DO's, and less for the 3DO card (maybe 100-200 less). Just some guesses.

Based on all info garnered from CES (not all of which i should post :), it is safe to say that the next few years will be an amazing set of developments for 3DO.

Any questions: email me.

David