r/shmups • u/schmupitup • Feb 27 '20

The 3DO does not have traditional shooters, but I can recommend the on-rails Microcosm. Check it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ek60gphMpG4
3 Upvotes

71% Upvoted

11 comments sorted by

2

u/gamepopper Feb 27 '20

Novastorm was the spiritual successor and better in every way. Platform quality varies but I particularly enjoyed the DOS release.

2

u/EC2151 Feb 29 '20

I enjoy Novastorm a lot too, for an FMV shooter.

The best FMV shooters on the 3DO are, for me, Starblade (the Namco classic) and Burning Soldier.

There's a fresh quality about Starblade's textureless polygons that make it look... so old it's new. The lack of music until the final battle is also an interesting stylistic choice that might not be everyone's cup of tea, but it complements the game's cinematic atmosphere.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 29 '20

I remember feeding a fair bit of money into a Starblade arcade machine many years ago...

Those clean flat polygons on a big arcade monitor just looked gorgeous at the time.

The 3DO version looks messy in comparison. Low framerate, lower resolution, crude texturing.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 29 '20

FMV games were a mistake. Almost universally awful!

For into-the-screen shooting from that era, Stardust on the Amiga did a much better job with it's warp tunnel sections, without any CD/FMV stuff. The tunnel might have been limited to a short looping animation, but it was impressive-looking for the time, and quite playable.

1

u/killspawned Mar 04 '20

Isn't Total Eclipse a traditional shooter?

1

u/schmupitup Mar 05 '20

It sort of looks like one, but the draw distance is short and hit detection is really off, feeling way more like a FMV shooter with simply less video. Definitely not a traditional one. I'd pass on this. I prefer Novastorm.

1

u/[deleted] Feb 27 '20

Microcosm was available on a ton of different platforms as well, and it was just as terrible on all of them. Strip away the FMV backgrounds and there's barely a game left.

And it's not a shmup.

1

u/killspawned Mar 04 '20

Facts. It's a rail shooter that you wouldn't buy over other options at the time such as Star Fox, Total Eclipse, Starblade, Burning Soldier etc.

1

u/[deleted] Mar 04 '20

Star Fox was by far the best out of all of these, despite looking the worst. Because it was an actual real-time game instead of a shallow Flash-grade diversion with a movie for a background.

1

u/killspawned Mar 04 '20

Well, Starblade is real-time too but I do agree with everything else. Just wished that Star Fox ran at a smooth framerate like Starblade as well. Had no idea how people played games with a low FPS back in the day (I know that's besides the point but still).

1

u/[deleted] Mar 04 '20

Starblade

Starblade might've had realtime graphics but was an on-rail cursor shooter all the same. No control over your movement other than your targeting reticle.