Rise of the Robots

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Mirage

I remember seeing ads for Rise of the Robots in magazines when I was a kid… and even back then, I wasn't really impressed. Fast forward several decades, and while I've played it in the past, I made myself sit down and see it through to the end. Now that I've seen the credits roll, I can honestly say that I don't think we have to worry about these robots rising up. Not only are the majority of these robots stupid enough to just stand there and let you attack them with minimal comebacks, but the few who defend themselves and/or attack you seem to be defeated easily with the tactic of just jumping towards them and hitting attack buttons. The combat is absolutely terrible in this game, and not just for what I mentioned in the previous two sentences. The combat feels kind of laggy, the controls don't feel tight, and there's not really enough variety in the fighting to prevent boredom from setting in long before you battle the final boss. You may even get confused the first time you attempt to beat the game, as you'll find yourself fighting against some of the same robots on a loop - with the cutscenes in between the fighting being the only thing really letting you know that you're actually advancing in the game. Rise of the Robots somehow got a sequel… Rise 2. It's almost like the developer was someone's mother and she threatened to make a sequel to this game if her child didn't clean their room. They didn't, and she stuck by her word. Anyway, I'd stay away from Rise of the Robots… instead of rising, we should be lowering this game… lowering it about six feet underground would probably be the best place for it.

Review added: 02/01/2023

Road Rash

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Monkey Do Production

I don't remember the exact quote, but I recall reading that the person in charge of marketing for the 3DO once stated that if Road Rash had been a launch title, he believed that the 3DO would have been much, much more successful than it was. Considering that out of the handful of 3DO titles I’ve played, there have definitely been more bad games than good ones, I don't know if I'd agree with that statement… but I can agree that Road Rash was pretty amazing for its time. It was a 3D racing game where players could race on multiple, unique-looking courses while punching rival racers and police officers, hitting pedestrians, and avoiding traffic. The racing itself was fun, but the chaos involving the things I just mentioned helped make Road Rash stand out from every other racing game on the market. It was a blast to play (and still is, quite frankly), and this entry in the franchise may have been at its best on the 3DO console. Hmm… maybe that 3DO marketing person was onto something after all.

Review added: 10/15/2019

Royal Pro Wrestling: Jikkyou Live!!

Also known as: N/A

Developer: Natsume

Well, this was quite a pleasant surprise. I honestly did not expect much from Royal Pro Wrestling when I first began to play. It looked so basic and boring...however, it's anything but that once the action starts. The game has little details that made me fall in love with it. The generic version of the Undertaker in the game (The Underdise Morgan) actually has a Paul Bearer-like manager lurking around at ringside during his matches...And you can attack said manager if you wish. On top of that, the main mode in the game has you battling it out in the region of your choosing – the United States, Mexico, or Japan. The U.S. region in particular made me smile with wrestlers interviewed by a generic Mean Gene prior to the bout. The gameplay is fairly basic, but still enjoyable once you get the hang of things and it has some very, very minor play-by-play which was a nice novelty for its time. There's enough content here to keep most wrestling fans busy for quite a while. It’s not perfect, but it does enough right where most wrestling fans will likely be able to overlook any negatives. If you're a wrestling fan and you own a 3DO, you can't go wrong by importing this gem from Japan. It’s just a shame it never made its way outside of the land of the Rising Sun.

Review added: 10/12/2019