3DO ZONE Forums

Before I got a 3DO, I had just assumed I would go with the Saturn version of any game appearing on both consoles that caught my interest. After all, I am a Saturn fanatic, and enjoying seeing the system at work even on the less proud members of its games library.

However, now that an actual 3DO is sitting in front of my TV, it strikes me that I have an opportunity here that shouldn't be wasted. This is the first time I've owned two consoles of the same generation, and therefore the first time I've had the chance to make a call between which version of a multi-platform game is better, and then make a buying decision based on that call.

So, I'm putting the question to you guys. The 3DO/Saturn games I'm interested in right now are Cyberia, Off-world Interceptor, Brain Dead 13, and Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels. For those of you familiar with both versions of any of those games, what are the differences you know of between the two?

(By the way, price is a factor... I'm willing to take a slight drop in quality if it means saving $25.)

when i have multiple systems, i hardly have the same games on both systems

say i have dragons lair for 3do that means i wont buy it for any other system, but i have read in the past that the 3do version of Space Hulk was better than Saturns

i do have The Horde on the Saturn and 3DO and i like the Saturn version more, and only play that one, mainly because of the save bug on the 3do version, and i like Saturns controllers

Brain Dead 13 and Space Hulk you will want to get on 3DO.

Martin III wrote: So, I'm putting the question to you guys. The 3DO/Saturn games I'm interested in right now are Cyberia, Off-world Interceptor, Brain Dead 13, and Space Hulk: Vengeance of the Blood Angels. For those of you familiar with both versions of any of those games, what are the differences you know of between the two?

Cyberia - no clue ...

OWI - I'd have to say the Saturn version, if only because (I think) it allows you to save between levels.

BD13 - Having owned both, I can say the 3DO version is far, far superior. The Saturn version is darker, more pixleated, artifacts, etc ...

Space Hulk - I'd give the nod to 3DO, based soley on reviews I've read (haven't played the Saturn version yet)

I know the PlayStation version of Off-World has a better framerate, so if the Saturn is the same, I would get that over the 3DO one. It makes it easier to play and more pleasant on the eyes.

Trev wrote:Space Hulk - I'd give the nod to 3DO, based soley on reviews I've read (haven't played the Saturn version yet)

The Saturn version plays faster. It seems that they sped up the game because the space marines move slowly (on purpose) in the 3DO ver. But this also speeds up the bad guys so it gets crazy.

They dressed up some parts of the Saturn version, like menus ect., but overall game looks worse. And they added in music that does not fit at all. Yuk!

3DO Experience wrote:

Trev wrote:Space Hulk - I'd give the nod to 3DO, based soley on reviews I've read (haven't played the Saturn version yet)

The Saturn version plays faster. It seems that they sped up the game because the space marines move slowly (on purpose) in the 3DO ver. But this also speeds up the bad guys so it gets crazy.

They dressed up some parts of the Saturn version, like menus ect., but overall game looks worse. And they added in music that does not fit at all. Yuk!

This was one of the reasons the 3DO was not remembered fondly in a lot of cases. A game, which 3DO owners thought was the bees-knees, got converted to one of the uber-consoles (saturn/PS1) and it was made a dogs-dinner of.

Frustrating because in those days i sort of assumed the PS1/Saturn would be better versions because they were more powerful consoles

Starfighter is probably the clearest case of the 3DO version stomping the port. The saturn version is just terrible while the 3DO version is vivid and open.

sneth wrote:Starfighter is probably the clearest case of the 3DO version stomping the port. The saturn version is just terrible while the 3DO version is vivid and open.

Agreed.

Wow, a great bunch of answers here! Thanks, guys!

Lemmi wrote:i do have The Horde on the Saturn and 3DO and i like the Saturn version more, and only play that one, mainly because of the save bug on the 3do version, and i like Saturns controllers

I already have the Saturn version of the Horde(didn't even realize that the game was on the 3DO too until long after I bought it), so I'm all set there. I thought the save bug was fixed on later releases of the 3DO version, though?

Trev wrote:OWI - I'd have to say the Saturn version, if only because (I think) it allows you to save between levels.

BD13 - Having owned both, I can say the 3DO version is far, far superior. The Saturn version is darker, more pixleated, artifacts, etc ...

Interesting. Given that the console versions were developed at the same time (I think?), I wouldn't have expected that the Saturn version would be so much worse. Though the 3DO does seem to have a leg up on the Saturn in the FMV department, at least going by what little I've seen.

I owned the Saturn version of BD13 first ... and thought it looked ... okay. After I got the 3DO version though, there was no going back ... the Saturn version was ugly by comparison.

As for the Horde, the later versions were corrected. I'm not sure how to identify them off the top of my head, but there is a very old thread on here that discusses the save game bug.

this is going to be a conundrum for me as well... i use to take every opportunity to play my saturn but now that i have a 3do i will be more likely to buy games for it over the saturn... maybe just cuz it's new to me... maybe it'll even out in the future... only time will tell...

Biggest problem with Brain Dead 13 is the fact that they compressed the whole game onto one disc. Same thing happened on the Jaguar version. The fact that the 3DO version is multiple disc really helps it very much. The game is absolutely gorgeous on the system. Controls are tight and it sounds beautiful too. Really worth the extra coin you will plop down on it. My thoughts are also well known on Space Hulk. Check the thread if you want details. In the end, get the 3DO version on that too.

T2KFreeker wrote:Biggest problem with Brain Dead 13 is the fact that they compressed the whole game onto one disc. Same thing happened on the Jaguar version. The fact that the 3DO version is multiple disc really helps it very much. The game is absolutely gorgeous on the system. Controls are tight and it sounds beautiful too. Really worth the extra coin you will plop down on it. My thoughts are also well known on Space Hulk. Check the thread if you want details. In the end, get the 3DO version on that too.

Woah, I had no idea the 3DO version of BD13 was multi-disc. Wonder why they didn't do that for the other versions?

Hopefully I'll be able to find the 3DO version for a fairly reasonable price - though the Saturn version doesn't exactly go dirt cheap either, so that's not a major deterrent. Definitely going for the 3DO release on that one.

You can beat BD13 on the 3DO without the corrected disc, but it can be difficult. You might want to grab a rip of the fixed copy just in case. I only have the botched disc.

Is the jaguar cd version not multi disk then...? it's damned expensive, i know that

sneth wrote:You can beat BD13 on the 3DO without the corrected disc, but it can be difficult. You might want to grab a rip of the fixed copy just in case. I only have the botched disc.

To convert your first release disc into a 1.1 version, make an iso of the CD and use this program to patch it. Then burn and play.

3DOKid wrote:Is the jaguar cd version not multi disk then...? it's damned expensive, i know that

No. The Jaguar version is also compressed way down and on one disc, sadly. It's so expensive because it has an extremely low print run. Same deal with Space Ace in some circles. Very few were made of the Jaguar version, and it sucks. Totally broken play mechanics. Sad really because it looks outstanding. If I am correct, Brain Dead 13 has the lowest print run of the official Jaguar CD games outside of maybe the Telegames releases.

Well, I took you guys' advice and got a loose copy of the game off Ebay, for the relatively cheap price of $20 with shipping. It was tempting to go for the Saturn version - I happened to spot a complete-in-box copy for the same price as the loose 3DO version - but I'm happy with my choice. Having a manual is always nice, but being a QTE game, it shouldn't be necessary.

I also snagged a copy of the Saturn version of Shanghai Triple Threat. I didn't realize until recently that this was another one for both Saturn and 3DO, and so neglected to ask about it here. Not that it matters much (I won't tell you what I paid for the game, but it was a single digit figure), but did I get the better of the two versions or no?

Surprisingly (I just found this out recently), Shanghai: Triple Thread was actually an arcade game that ran on the Sega ST-V motherboard (basically, the arcade hardware based on the Saturn). The Saturn version is likely a flawless arcade conversion (as were all ST-V to Saturn ports, if I remember correctly). I actually picked the 3DO version up recently though, and it's really good as well. I no longer have the Saturn version so I am unable to do a comparison, but nothing stands out as strikingly different to me in the 3DO one (nothing glaring anyway like framerate hiccups). My guess is both ports are pretty similar, if not identical.

I'm still trying to figure out if I should get the Saturn or 3DO version of Cyberia, and I just stumbled upon the little factoid that the Saturn version is compatible with the Saturn mouse. So, two obvious questions: Does the 3DO version have mouse compatibility too? And more importantly, is the mouse a good means of control for the game?

Hrmm, I could be wrong here but I'm not sure if Cyberia supports the mouse. I have it on PC and 3do and am not quite sure about the mouse working with it on the 3do...

Unless I'm completely wrong and every game works with the mouse lol

vampyre mike wrote:Hrmm, I could be wrong here but I'm not sure if Cyberia supports the mouse. I have it on PC and 3do and am not quite sure about the mouse working with it on the 3do...

Unless I'm completely wrong and every game works with the mouse lol

Sadly, only a handful of titles support the 3DO mouse ...

The Cd-i on the other hand does have every game/title/program have mouse conpatability ... go figure.

vampyre mike wrote:Hrmm, I could be wrong here but I'm not sure if Cyberia supports the mouse. I have it on PC and 3do and am not quite sure about the mouse working with it on the 3do...

So the mouse is the best way to control it, then?

Trev wrote:Sadly, only a handful of titles support the 3DO mouse ...

The Cd-i on the other hand does have every game/title/program have mouse conpatability ... go figure.

Yeah, it's probably the only console that does that. The Saturn and Dreamcast are the same way as the 3DO: less than half of the games that would benefit from mouse support have it. Then to rub salt in the wound, you have games like Panzer Dragoon II, which are basically unplayable with a mouse, but inexplicably have mouse support anyway. I still enjoy having a Saturn mouse for the few games that it's good with, but it is a bit frustrating that developers didn't make better use of it.

And then of course there's the Jaguar, which doesn't have a mouse peripheral to begin with.

Martin III wrote:And then of course there's the Jaguar, which doesn't have a mouse peripheral to begin with.

That's because it ate it's mouse.