The 3DO Experience - Episode 21: Icebreaker: Pyramid Based Action-Strategy!

[00:00:00] Happy New Experience, New York's apparel of the Panasonic Wheel 3DO System! Obviously! Presenting 3DO... The most advanced home gaming system in the universe. It's time to prove your story. 3DO, Panasonic, Gold Star and Creative Lads, Animal Pysense, 3D, and Sing graphics of Panasonic 4DO. 3DO.

[00:00:37] Hello everybody and welcome back to the 3DO experience, the 3DO retrospective podcast where we talk about the 3DO console, the company behind it and everything in between I'm Bill and this is Thrac Ado a drag.

[00:00:47] Hey Bill, I'm doing alright. This is I'm assuming this is our test run for the video so hello everybody hope y'all or hope you all will be visually entertained as well as auditorially entertained. I'm doing alright. How are you doing Bill? I know the weather's been bad.

[00:01:05] Yeah, it's currently so we had a big winter snow storm over the weekend that was fun. A bunch of trees fell down didn't lose power that's always fun. We wouldn't be doing this show if you lost power. Well, I went over the weekend.

[00:01:19] It's still pretty bad. It's like a raining snow. It's basically freezing rain out there right now, which is like a combination of two of my least favorite things. Fair enough. It rained. It's been raining all day here and that's supposed to turn the snow overnight.

[00:01:38] Not nearly as bad over here in my in the Midwest for me, but you know I unlike most people I tend to enjoy this kind of weather.

[00:01:48] You know, because it's funny at work. I typically wear like just like short sleeves because I as I like to say I run hot so I'm usually just kind of warm.

[00:01:59] So I might be cold like say when I get there, but once I start moving on, I'm fine and many times like customers or other workers will be like, are you? It's like are you cold or whatever and I was always always just put out my arm and say just feel my forearm and it like just heat radiates off of it and they're always amazed I think.

[00:02:17] It made amazed. That's why I hate the summer. Because it doesn't it, it doesn't cool down. So. Yeah, you used to run, I used to run hot that I lost a lot of weight and then now I'm always cold.

[00:02:30] See, I've always run hot. You know, let me even at my heaviest and I've lost a fair amount of weight since then. I hope to lose a bit more, but you know, as I say, I know how to hide some more road to nature, but nevertheless. So yeah.

[00:02:51] Yeah, I turned 29 over the last week too. Actually, the day the last episode came out has a feel. Yeah, one year away from 30 welcome welcome. I will be turning 30 in like seven months and I don't know how to feel about that.

[00:03:12] So I'm only, because I missed like most of my 20s because of COVID. It's kind of a bummer. Well, as somebody who lived through most of his 20s, he didn't miss that much.

[00:03:25] Yeah, it starts out really fun. You know, real exciting and then and then it just kind of slowly kind of Peters out, you know, and then you, you kind of hit that quarter life crisis and then you end up on vegan podcast because of it.

[00:03:41] So yeah, you know, that's just the cool thing to do these days is just you start a podcast about something. Yeah, yeah, it's the the equivalent in the 70s when everyone had a band. Everyone has podcasts now. Yep. You know, that phone haven't been playing a whole lot.

[00:04:00] I've been playing infamous again like on and off because. Some reason like I'm getting sick and tired of superhero stuff, but like I want to play a superhero game and if Mrs. Like the closest thing possible. Oh, isn't prototype similar?

[00:04:16] I'll you prototype you plays more of a villain. There isn't really a hero in prototype. Because infamous is I mean they're both they're both great games. In from this I like a little bit more just because it's you can do.

[00:04:31] It does the hero villain thing better in my opinion. It's funny though because like when you play as a hero, the game's actually kind of challenging, but when you play as a villain, it's super easy because they're fucking no rules.

[00:04:40] Yeah, it's always it's always more fun to do that. It's like in hero mode, you actually have to like be careful not to hit civilians when you're in like a street fight or something, but I'm like villain. Below the referee party because you don't give it a shit.

[00:04:53] It's great. Good stuff. I've never touched the infamous games so I have no idea they look interesting like you're just a guy who shoots electricity at things. So seems interesting enough, you know, I'm not sure why the series ended.

[00:05:08] Maybe it was just a, was it the curse of like oh, it's a Sony franchise. So it gets three entries and then it goes away. Or what is this soccer punch wanted to move on?

[00:05:18] I think it's more the case of soccer punches strictly a one game studio and they wanted to do something else. No one else just wanted to take it up I guess. I wonder what the other thing they did turned out. I heard it was a samurai game.

[00:05:34] I'm sure if it didn't well though or not. Yes, yes, some some about haunting people I think. The haunting starring Polter guy. Yeah, I heard it was. That's awesome about like it looked so good that people thought it was a PS5 game earlier somewhere.

[00:05:50] I'm sure it looks really good on PS5. So I played the upgrade actually does. A little spoiler there. Nice nice. When I eventually get my PS5, I will play it. For right now, I'm playing Assassin's Creed Syndicate on my series X.

[00:06:07] I've been slowly working my way through the entire series. I started I think it's in December of 22 with the original and I've just been you know, knocking them down one after another. You know, not really doing any of the handheld spin-off ones.

[00:06:23] Just sticking with the main line series. I will do the three Chronicles games after this one before I hit the RPG trilogy. And who knows when I when I finish the series, I may do a whole I might do like a solo tierless video or something.

[00:06:38] But I gotta say a percentage it. I think it's really really good. This is when people tend not to like all that much. And as I'm playing it, I don't quite understand.

[00:06:49] But maybe this is one that appeals to me, you know, because it's in London and you know, your your following like You're like ghost hunting essentially with like Charles Darwin with Charles Dickens.

[00:07:01] And then Darwin shows up and you intimidate somebody that he's having beef with, by literally hijacking his carriage and then trying to ram it until he like talks. Essentially, it is it is pretty interesting. I'm having I'm having a blast with it.

[00:07:17] It's fun. Where as unity unity was good, but unity felt very serious the whole time. You know, syndicates like, hey, let's just have some fun. You know, it's not that big a deal.

[00:07:27] Yeah, I feel like unity they tried to harden syndicate. They didn't try as hard and that kind of was to it's benefit. Yeah, yeah, unity my theory is unity was trying to be as has agreed to again.

[00:07:38] Yeah, and as for as great as a SaaS and screen to is and as much as we love SEO, you're not going to recreate that magic. So there's no reason to do that.

[00:07:47] Just make a fresh game and that's what syndicate is they did what I wanted him to do, which was make something new. It's kind of funny in hindsight because a lot of people forget just how long they milked a SaaS and creeps to for

[00:08:01] Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah, because they had the whole the whole etsyatrylogy, but yeah, because they had to SaaS and screen to then brotherhood and a Revelation or revelations. That's right. Yeah, but it made sense because the series was still finding its feet

[00:08:17] And everyone loved at CEO. So they're like, you know, let's explore this character. And even still at CEO is in my opinion he's the best assassin. Like I mean, I like Edward Edwards great.

[00:08:29] The fried twins aren't too bad. I have some beef with all tire and Arno is but yeah, at CEO at CS peak we love at CEO we love at co folks. I'm always by sonic the hedgehog. I know that's so weird.

[00:08:46] Yeah, it's always funny. It's like his three biggest roles were SEO, sonic and Chris Redfield. I mean, that's quite the interesting three some there, but you know, whatever he's the wheels.

[00:08:57] I love that Sega fired him and then realized they couldn't do any better so then they just brought him back. And they feel like that's pretty good. They were like, you're fired and they're like, just kidding. Please come back. We can't find anyone else.

[00:09:12] Nobody else wants to do this and Ryan drumms of weirdo a little bit a little bit. Oh, well, yeah, didn't he like it was a fan right?

[00:09:24] Yeah, all I know about that is like he was trending on Twitter one day. And I was like, why is Ryan drumming trending trending on Twitter?

[00:09:30] And I clicked on the link that was like, oh, I'm like, okay. Yeah, I first that was like, did he say something problematic or did he die like tragically or whatever?

[00:09:40] And then people were making jokes and I'm like, what the hell? And then I dug a little deeper and I was like, that's that's weird. Yeah, man. Apparently it's nothing illegal just weird. No, no, nothing, no, that's they're perfectly capable of doing that is just strange, you know.

[00:09:57] Yeah, it was one of the actually made a friends mean with the you know the Joe reaction face me more than it's like the you see Ryan drumming's trending on Twitter and then the kid below what is like you see why he's trending on Twitter.

[00:10:11] Just like, yeah, that's that's how I feel today. Keep your friends or keep your fans at arms length. That's all I'll say. Yeah. But yeah, so we're actually going to be changing things up on this episode. We're going to actually have a format for once.

[00:10:28] We're going to try. Yeah, we'll see how it goes. This is my idea. I was like, you know, it's if I don't have a format, I will ramble. So I figured, you know, try to try to wrote me in a little bit.

[00:10:40] Yeah, and I mean, my other podcast, they're completely unstructured anyways. So I think it might be good to structure the one that's supposed to be serious. So this is the serious one shit. I mean, you've seen G and C. I've been in there.

[00:10:56] Yep, it's chaos. And then e-cattics where it is just to basically just to friends shoot in the shit. Basically. But yeah, so for today's episode, we're actually going to be talking about what is often seen as one of the three deos most overlooked hidden gems.

[00:11:15] And that is a game called Icebreaker. This little guy right here, blast them, smash them, trick them. You alone can destroy all pyramids. And obviously it's the game that's behind me right now.

[00:11:29] Yeah, so if you've ever seen a YouTube compilation of just like 3 deo games or like 3 deo gameplay, you've probably seen Icebreaker at least once because this game is shown off in pretty much every 3 deo hidden gems video.

[00:11:44] Like 3 deo retrospective review. Basically, anyone who's talking about 3 deo this game is bound to show up at least once. Yeah, you seconds.

[00:11:53] Yeah, the first time I ever saw it was when ABG ended his infamous plumbers door ties video and it was in his little collection of 3 deo games. And it actually was one of the games that made me go like that actually looks interesting.

[00:12:08] You know, I mean, you can see it behind me for the for for the video listeners or the video watchers even. The game is playing and it's like that that is interesting, you know, you're a you're a. To top to down pyramid, shooting and running into other pyramids.

[00:12:25] Like what? Yeah, it's it's definitely one of the more striking games on 3 deo because it's not trying to be like over the top of graphically.

[00:12:35] It's just kind of doing its own thing and it kind of does it well will get into the gameplay a little bit farther on. So I guess we're kind of in the initial impressions portion now.

[00:12:50] We kind of said like, it it's a striking looking game like when you had mentioned this one is when you wanted to talk about like I was kind of brain farting on like what the game was and then I immediately looked at them like, oh yeah, I've seen this one.

[00:13:02] I'm going to say you're going to say why why do you want to talk about that one. I always see what 3 deo games I'm down to talk about any of them. Yeah, I mean, I would have done it would have been boring but I would have done it.

[00:13:19] If Shanghai won, I would have spent the whole time telling Aaron how much he sucks. Yes, what I would have done higher. Yeah, this game though at first glance. I'd say it looks like something that you would have seen on possibly the previous generation hardware.

[00:13:48] Yeah, it kind of looks like a tech demo. Yeah, like it looks like something that like honestly looks like something you'd find in like computer lab at school. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, it was like weird games. Yeah, we're like secretly teaching you stuff.

[00:14:06] You know, I have no idea what this game would teach you. Well, it's one of those like debatively educational games where like they claim it's educational, but it's just a fucking video game. Yeah, yeah, like um, like type or shark.

[00:14:20] Even though type or shark was kind of educational and that you were honing your typing skills, but you're doing it while murdering sharks and submarines, you would type in words to shoot the the missile right back at it. You know, of course that's educational.

[00:14:36] Yeah, I feel like little unrelated, but I feel like nowadays like if you were good enough, you could like convince a teacher that geometry wars was educational somehow. It's not sure about shapes. Yeah, totally like educational. Of course. Yeah.

[00:14:51] Um, so for release history of this game, this game is interesting like one of my favorite parts about talking about 3DO games, especially like games that. I mean, this came out on PC as well, but it's mostly known for the 3DO.

[00:15:06] Um, I love looking into these games because they have the weirdest developers. Yes, yes. What is the name of this dev studio? Magnet interactive studios. What kind of name is magnet interactive studios? I mean, it's up there with like any channel. So.

[00:15:26] And I looked them up on a movie games. They only have two other games to their name. Chop sui, not not that trap sui, not even that trap sui. What is this cover art?

[00:15:43] It looks like honestly, it looks like um, what's the band name and thing like blind melent or something like an album cover for them. You know, or some really obscure children's book.

[00:15:55] Yes, yes. And then the other is beyond the limit ultimate climb, which feels like it's trying to rip off a cliffhanger. The divester's still own movie from around that time, which I don't know if you've seen it is average.

[00:16:12] Yeah, I always think of like the second David Lee Roth album for some reason. Oh, and you see this one? Yeah, just the cliffhanger, like the image of the guy hanging from the side like, I don't know why I think that.

[00:16:28] See, the only David Lee Roth album cover I remember is Edeman Smile. It's, it's gonna, we can drive me to see him because I can't remember when it's called Skyspir. Skyspir, that's the one. I don't know why that I thought of that.

[00:16:43] Well, that's just that that's your that's your zone man. I guess I'm not really a David Lee Roth fan in either of it. Can't believe like the musicians he had for these albums were like some of the best around at the time and yet the music is just.

[00:17:00] Oh, yeah, yeah, the album cover basically is like exactly what the thinger. Yeah, it's exactly the game art. Yeah, it's exactly the same thing. Yeah, for the other one and he had Steve vibe Billy Sheen and Greg. That's an add on it that album.

[00:17:15] Yeah, yeah, three incredible musicians and yet the music is just not. But I'm not really. I'm not a David Lee Roth. Not a good singer. And I'm not a very mhalon guy. So I was a long time ago. See, I'm a same.

[00:17:32] Hey, our fans like to further that era. I think they both have their merit. No, they do. I just I like same payager. Just not van it. It's not van Halen 3. Which sucks because he's he's arguably the best singer they ever had. But that's another that's to argument.

[00:17:49] Let's yeah, we'll get to that later. So yeah, it's funny that yeah, this game came out in the 3DO and. And then yeah, the game did not sell well. So there was a 3DO.

[00:18:01] Yeah, so they're like, oh, let's port it to windows and it still didn't sell well. It probably sold worse. Probably. Which is kind of funny when you think about it because yeah, and they don't have a date for the 3DO release. It just says 95.

[00:18:18] But for windows, it was released on Halloween 1995. You know, just. Probably mid 95 was when it came out. I'm going to say may. I don't know why. Yeah, movie games doesn't even give a good answer on that. No, no one ever. It just appeared one day.

[00:18:38] Yes, it was a thing that they made. Yes, exactly. Yeah, just as 95 3DO. Who knows? So I guess now do you want to do the brief description of what the gameplay is like.

[00:18:58] In fact, if you want, I can read a little bit of the manual that says what this game is about. Go for it. How nice isn't it? So icebreaker is about destroying pyramids. Pyramids are bad. They are evil and nasty.

[00:19:13] You are outnumbered in a loan all you've got are your wits and cunning. Oh yeah, and a real big plasma blaster. You face a bunch of different species of pyramids species in icebreaker. Some just stand there waiting to be shot or rammed.

[00:19:28] Others, the dreaded seekers chase you around and try to whack you. The 90s. Some pyramids are destroyed with the first shot. Others take many shots. Some are smart, some are dumb. Some regenerate, some are immune to your plasma blaster. Oh well.

[00:19:45] To survive, you've got to move around a lot. Unfortunately, you can't trust the very ground you stand on. They're slippery ice and swamp and lava. And pits and other terrible stuff. Watch your step that you're not step there. 150, 150 increasingly challenging levels packed into this game.

[00:20:06] Each providing its own special challenges. Your goal is to clear each one at your choice of four difficulty levels from easy to insane. Good luck. You'll need it. Oh, and for funsies, it's weird they say pyramids are bad.

[00:20:20] When you're main characters, you can see behind me is a pyramid. Yeah. And apparently your character has a name. Oh, it does he? Yes. And here I'll show it to the camera for everybody. You are the dude, Meyer. Dude, Meyer. Good God.

[00:20:43] I'm going to make that like, that's just going to be like, I'm going to make a bot on discord, just the dude, Meyer. That should be your nickname. Just when you go into work, be like, guys, call me the dude Meyer from now on.

[00:20:55] That's going to be my burner account on X now. Dude, Meyer. If you see, lady, all only fans girls, if you see a dude Meyer subscribing to you, you know who it is.

[00:21:07] Yeah. It's just going to feed that the image is going to be just a pyramid on its side. Is this the illuminati? No. Yeah. It's far worse than that. And yeah, in the back, it's actually kind of community. They have like a who's who and what's what?

[00:21:24] So they give you there's all these different colored pyramids as they had said. And the game actually has a pretty nice tutorial section as well. So before you even jump into any levels, they're like, oh, here's like all the main colored ones.

[00:21:38] So the main ones are blue, which are the ones you run into, you ram them. And, and they shatter and they make a nice glass sound effect when you, when you shatter them.

[00:21:47] And then the reds are the ones that you shoot, but you can't touch them or you will die. Or is the game goes you will, uh oh. I love that intro in the script and cut scene in the opening cut scene by the way.

[00:22:01] Yeah, it is fascinating. And then the green ones are the ones at the seekers, which are the little yellow ones that come after you.

[00:22:09] You have to kind of guide them to in order to like eat the pyramids is the best way to describe it so that, you know, they can come at you.

[00:22:19] And then there's like, you know, the purple ones which if you shoot them, they turn to a pit and it gets further detail, but those are kind of like the basic ones essentially.

[00:22:28] And I think yeah, the game does a decent job of introducing them when you start playing the game. And then you find out as you play, um, they can change colors.

[00:22:39] So like if you hang around long enough a green will turn to a red one, which helps a little bit. And yeah, the four difficulty selectors, the big differences they will change.

[00:22:52] How many seekers show up because I think it's easy. It's only like two, but in sane it's like, is there? Yeah, and then, and also the the color of the pyramids will change more rapidly in the difficulties as well.

[00:23:07] So it doesn't change a huge amount, like the core of the game is still the same, but on easy it is a much easier experience to have overall.

[00:23:18] So yeah, like gameplay wise, it is very simple to control like just deep had moves you up down left right diagonal. Would you call this a puzzle game?

[00:23:29] It's like a puzzle strategy action game hybrid that's kind of what it felt like to me because there is some strategy to it where you kind of have to like strategically take out the pyramids in a certain way to kind of clear space because the red you want to really.

[00:23:46] You want to take out the blue ones to make space and then you want to make sure you get rid of the red ones, you don't accidentally hit a red one when you're moving around. How many times did you accidentally run into a red one?

[00:23:57] Well, I skipped the tutorial and you believe in because I didn't have the menu because I did play this on an emulator. I ran right into the red one and it was just like, oh, it was like, fuck that I did.

[00:24:08] So it took me a few minutes to figure it out that I realized, oh, if there should be the red ones and take out the blue ones.

[00:24:15] I'd hit him occasionally because like sometimes you're like not paying attention, you just bump into one and it's like, yes, yeah, like that was my experience was it was so easy to just like you look away for a second and you just fuck up.

[00:24:27] Like the hit boxes aren't bad. It's just it feels like every once in a while. It feels like it's picky and very specific circumstances, I guess because with the game being isometric and you only having a deep had it makes.

[00:24:43] Being able to control it not the best because when I was playing it my whole. I couldn't stop thinking I would really like to play this with an analog stick because I could only imagine it would play so much smoother and better. But unfortunately we never got that.

[00:25:01] But yeah, it's very simple for what it is and I don't know how many levels of it you played. I played like 20 and I kind of felt like that was enough.

[00:25:11] Okay, I played about 10 and you know to to remind the audience a hundred and fifty which is a lot and because when you first start playing it you think oh this is going to be simple there might not be that much to it.

[00:25:23] But as the game says the further in you go they ramp things up and change things quite a bit there's a surprising amount of content in this game. It never gets boring like it's always interesting.

[00:25:37] Yeah, because you're always like what are they going to do next and you just sort of have to accommodate what the game does you know.

[00:25:43] And I mean, I'm curious to what happens if you beat all hundred 50 levels like is there a little ending because there are some cutscenes. Yeah, trying to have like a story or something not a deep one if there is. This deep is those pits over there.

[00:26:00] This game I joke with like playing this game the whole time I was playing I'm like, is this like made on drugs because like this feels like a drunk like drunk kind of game. What did that I went to that LSD game come out.

[00:26:12] That was a couple years later because I was a game. I mean, this is like competent you know like I think it's kind of good for what it is.

[00:26:22] It's well made it's just like when you get super frantic you you start really thinking about it like you're like I'm playing as a pyramid smashing other periods and there's like other periods running around like crazy people. And I'm just like what is happening but.

[00:26:35] And it's like, why is this called icebreaker? Yeah, that's that's another thing the ice only appears in like a handful of levels and it's came.

[00:26:43] Yeah, like is it that like when you run into the blue ones and it shatters is that's supposed to be like you're breaking the ice. But like maybe.

[00:26:52] But like even still you see all the different colors and some of them you you shoot and and the seekers and I.

[00:26:59] I honestly I honestly don't know if no idea it I wouldn't be shocked if when they were like developing this game one of the devs was like he was like oh I don't know how to break the ice with bubble. Somebody went.

[00:27:13] Great for you ice break the ice ice I so icebreaker ice that's what we should call this game he's like no that's that wasn't what I was talking about he's like no no no no. We're calling it icebreaker.

[00:27:23] They were trying to figure out they're trying to figure out sound effects for the game and one of the intern's dropped a plate in the back when they were like genius. I should have called it plate breaker but there's no plates here. Yeah, it's.

[00:27:39] The name is catchy I guess that's probably the reason why they chose it. Yeah, yeah it feels like it's a like if that if this was like a like as like a puzzle game on steam or something. This game would be perfect for mobile phones nowadays.

[00:27:56] Yeah, it has kind of like a slight modern feel to it you know what I mean that as I said if you put this on like steam is like a puzzle game for like five bucks it would generate like a little bit of a call following.

[00:28:09] Honestly, I better there's I swear there's a reason why this game is like one of the three deal games that gets mentioned the most. I think because it's it's a rare case of an original game for the 3DO that doesn't that's not F and V.

[00:28:25] It's not gimmicky it's just a game or it's not based off of another series it's not based on other series it's an original IP. I'm saying that an original IP and it's kind of good.

[00:28:39] And it's also for the most part still exclusive to 3DO yeah there's a PC version out there but there's also a PC version of Plumberstone where ties so keep that in mind. Yeah, yeah if we've learned anything especially in our current generation of video gaming PC doesn't count.

[00:28:56] Yeah, when it comes to when it comes to exclusivity like who cares right like PC is its its own beast you know exactly.

[00:29:07] Yeah, so gameplay wise it's very fine and competent it's funny because you think there would be more to it but it's it's not a super deep game but actually I think that's part of its benefit is that it's very simple.

[00:29:18] Yeah, I think that's where I get the puzzle vibe from this game is that you know like with most puzzle games or at least the good ones there isn't a lot to it as far as what the game is trying to be.

[00:29:30] It just does what it does very competently and just kind of tries to come up with as many variations as it can of the same sort of idea to keep you keep you engaged essentially.

[00:29:43] And yeah, I think it does that pretty well like yeah, it's not it's not deep but it doesn't need to be deep you know like Tetris and deep and not Tetris is nominal.

[00:29:54] It stimulates the brain and that's kind of like one of the best aspects of a game like this. Yeah, yeah and I could imagine in 95 if you had this game for the 3DO you'd be set for a good while.

[00:30:08] Yeah, if you wanted to do all 150 levels on all the difficulties settings if you if you want to 100% this game it would probably take you a while. Yeah, honestly.

[00:30:18] The only other thing I want to ask is what did you think of like the snappiness of like the deep head or movement.

[00:30:22] I didn't mind it actually it was nice because some 3DO games I've played have not been responsive with the controls at all so to see a game like this be much more snappy and precision.

[00:30:35] I really appreciated it was a nice change of pace it's just the shame that's lining up shots can be difficult because it's all isometric yeah and it doesn't do the.

[00:30:45] Like some isometric games do where the deep head you essentially have to turn it in the isometric direction to sort of get it right it still operates how you would assume.

[00:30:57] But the diagonals were not the most responsive or like I don't think you can sit diagonally and shoot you have to move diagonally like say like in contra when you're like shooting people you have to run shoe diagonally upper down you can't stop and do it.

[00:31:13] Yeah, it's kind of unfortunately just a product of its time like I feel this is made on modern platforms that controls it probably be a little bit they be a little smoother. Yeah, like I'd be curious if this game.

[00:31:27] You know had an analog stick if you did more analog controls because I think it would it would definitely improve it I don't say I don't think it would make it any easier but it would probably just make it. Much more simple to control I think.

[00:31:41] I'm loving the background where you're just getting swammed by all those triangles down there.

[00:31:46] I like that this is why the few 3D or demos that actually like there's enough going on you know because some 3D or demos are just like 10 seconds of footage and it just repeat over and over and over or it's a full motion video clip that doesn't show gameplay at all.

[00:32:01] Yeah, this at least it generally looks like what they would probably have up in the in the store at the 3D ohs action. Like this is the game I would have running because stuff is happening and it looks interesting you know.

[00:32:14] And speaking of that this is a good time to transfer over to graphics and sound. Graphically I appreciate this game a lot because it's colorful.

[00:32:24] It is and it isn't trying to be more than it is it's very much so it's strictly a 2D game there's no the only 3D you'll see is in the pre-rendered cutscene. Yeah, which those are interesting. They're very educational trippy in my way I see it's.

[00:32:43] Yeah, yeah and it's like you know that meme where it's like the stick figure and he doesn't have a face but they're like being able to convey a motion with like no face you know.

[00:32:58] Yeah, yeah, like this bit of a glance it feels like what the cutscenes here that's what they're trying to do.

[00:33:03] But you know what this is a really obscure reference but you know what they remind me of what you ever been to like a bowling alley and whenever you get like a strike there's like little animations on the screens.

[00:33:15] That's the body of mention that because I keep getting in my YouTube recommendation this video of it's it's when you get a strike at the bowling alley and it's some intro to like I like a finished TV series from like the early 2000s or something.

[00:33:30] And it is the weirdest shit where it's like a guy's a column and then it like turns into like a coffee cup and then the coffee cup turns into like little ball or no she turns into a doctor and then the doctor explodes and somebody sweeps it up.

[00:33:44] And it is the most weird shit I've ever seen yeah, like I could see that with this. Like I remember like so I'm from New England and we have candle pin bowling I don't ask it's weird. You both out.

[00:33:56] No, they're not real bowling pins. They're like they're the pins aren't shaped like the traditional bowling pin. They're like straight up just like candles just cylinders it's weird it's a New England thing.

[00:34:07] But the animations whenever you get a strike would always be ridiculous like you have the bowling ball come and just blast them on and it just shows them going up to heaven like the heavenly gates it's like what.

[00:34:18] The unbridled creativity of bowling alley strike video screens is amazing like like if like if our viewers have never seen it just like YouTube like bowling alley videos or whatever you'll see some crazy shit.

[00:34:32] Yeah, it's like the most hilarious pre rendered CG like you'll ever see it literally looks like 3DOMV like they made it on a 3DOM. Yeah, yes, it a lot of.

[00:34:44] Yeah, the graphics for the gameplay I think or you know it's certainly fine but we got to talk about the music. It's nothing I'd like it's nothing that I'd say is like musseless and too, but it's all very catchy and memorable.

[00:35:01] It really helps I think if this game was like dead silent it would kind of be boring but like. So here's the glass breaking and an occasional.

[00:35:11] Yeah, the composer Marcus Williams like he was kind of cooking a little bit you know again I agree it's not must listen but if you sit down and play the game I think you'd be amazed.

[00:35:24] And how like that's like oh the music's really good you know it felt like this guy was really trying to show what he was capable of. As far as like making this music and it's pretty it's very of the time. You know sounds like a 3D game.

[00:35:38] Yeah, yeah, it's like it feels like it's part of that 90s kind of electronic scene you know like it has maybe a teeny bit of like an effects twin influence it ain't that good.

[00:35:49] You know it's it's this isn't no selected ambient works 85 to 92 but it has sort of that kind of like almost ambient techno.

[00:36:00] Slight house kind of thing going for you know with a little bit of like 90s funk kind of thrown in you know it sounds like I'm really hype it up but I just remember being like this music pretty solid you know I was amazed.

[00:36:12] If you look it up like say like look a gameplay footage you'll listen to the music and see the gameplay and you'll be like yeah that's exactly what I'm thinking when I'm looking at this game.

[00:36:24] Yeah, yeah and it's just nice to know that it's good because the music like a game like this with bad music would probably just render it on playable.

[00:36:32] Yeah, like I'm trying to think of a good example of that like where like it's say like any sort of game where the music sucks but like Yoshi's new island. Yeah, that's one Oh God. That's even worse because it's a platformer. Yeah.

[00:36:49] Because like I mean, it's like a similar game like in style would to me is something like marble madness which is like another isometric puzzle ish site kind of game. Marvel madness has a fucking phenomenal soundtrack.

[00:37:00] Yeah, yeah it's hard. It's hard to because we don't think about games when they have bad music. Think about it. If music isn't great you can just like mute it and put on like podcast or something you know.

[00:37:14] I think a game like this though music's important because like when it's when your brain's being stimulated with like a puzzle ish kind of design you really want something in the background to like keep it distracted at the same time which is like I think white head.

[00:37:27] White Gameboy Tetris work so well as it had that iconic song. Oh yeah, yeah, even columns on the Genesis I always like that like do do do do do do do do do you know that kind of song. Well like Dr Mario the like did it.

[00:37:45] Yeah, yeah, which one do you prefer I forget the names of the songs because there's two of them. I think favors the one that I like favor and chill. Yeah, yeah, favors the one everyone knows.

[00:37:57] Do do do do do do do do do yeah, and then chill is a completely different song I like chill a lot more. I like a lot. I've been playing a lot of miracle cure. I'm 3DS lately.

[00:38:09] Yeah, well one game I always go to when I just kind of need some of the play is a hexag HD on the Xbox and I mean the soundtrack in there is very just like ambient noises essentially you know it's nothing much but Tetris guy make that.

[00:38:24] Yes, he did okay and they made a sequel to it hexag 2 which I don't like as much you know it adds not to get up to off topic but it adds a bunch of different like you can swap certain pieces there's like a challenge mode and you can get you know there's there's more to it but I like hexag HD because it's very simplistic.

[00:38:45] You know like I'll just play the survival mode forever and ever so. But yeah, yeah sounds a sign not too shabby and the sound effects the sound effects are hilarious but not like but not like in a bad way.

[00:38:59] They're like much like they have a very good punch to them like as we break through the blues that the glass shattering sound. Yeah, and the sound of the plasma cannon.

[00:39:08] Yeah, like it like they're not stock sound effects it sounds like they actually or or they kind of dug for like a shatter sound effects. I'm sure there's like a million different shocks shatter stock shock like shatter sound effects that was hard to say.

[00:39:24] And so I could imagine they probably dug to find one that wasn't really used. Even the, uh oh like how much you want to bet that was just like someone who worked at the company they were like hey say uh oh real quick please.

[00:39:37] And might have been Marcus Williams the composer of the game could have been it's funny though that that sound it pierces you when you're playing because like with your like really into it and you actually hit a red pyramid and that just like obscures you're like whoa.

[00:39:51] Yeah, yeah and then and then the dude myr like gets his little ghost and it stands up and he looks up in the heaven. Yeah, because he just got us because I just got a strike. Dude myr. Yeah, it's a good to myr. They should have copyrighted it.

[00:40:09] Yeah, no, imagine someone like bringing that up like in like a court case for copyright violations. They've infringed on my copyright for the dude myr.

[00:40:20] Yeah, yeah, ooh, it's like that Mickey Mouse case we got to throw it out but this this is important this is still within our uh you know our copyright IP. So. Um extra points to bring up what exactly were you thinking here. Um I don't have anything.

[00:40:43] Specific though when I was looking through the manual and the credits I found something a little interesting that I wanted to read and it says a special thanks to Michael amr abr a mmar so amr. For permission to use the name icebreaker.

[00:41:02] Uh, Magnet interactives icebreaker has no relation to Michael amr's icebreakers magic training videos. Oh. Yeah, that was just thrown in at the bottom and I'm like.

[00:41:15] Okay, you know, and had I known this beforehand I probably would have searched the YouTube and tried to find some that see if there's any pyramids in the background. Maybe there are maybe it's interesting that they actually went out of the way to get permission to that section.

[00:41:33] For icebreaker which like I mean yeah, it's probably not a standard colloquialism but I feel like that's not unique enough you know what I mean. Uh, I guess because I give one in every episode to there's no memory manager so if you're not.

[00:41:50] No, no, no, you won't. Sorry. No, but it does have but it does save your progress which is really nice I mean when you have so many levels need to be able to save them. Yeah, the fact that it saves at all is pretty nice too. Absolutely absolutely.

[00:42:11] Um, I think also we should probably go into reception here like from like the official critics. Yeah, but I find fascinating is this game got a lot of like critical praise.

[00:42:23] But a lot of reviewers gave it not great reviews which I find interesting like EGM was like scathing towards it or whatever reason. They like flame the concept was cool but the graphics look like shit according to them.

[00:42:36] Well, as they probably wanted like like D style like 3D graphics or you know F and V of like sea level actors, you know. Like I'm thinking here and I'm like, I love the 3D over 3D was not its strong point like now.

[00:42:54] The fact that the fact that need for speed looks as good as it does is kind of a miracle because like when I think 3D like we'll probably get to this game at some point but like when I think like 3D puzzle I think of Patong and.

[00:43:06] Yeah, I said about the talk that better we'll get to it one point. We'll we'll talk all about Patong.

[00:43:13] I obviously like that they didn't try to be more than they were with this game so I get for the time they were probably like this game doesn't showcase next gen. It's just a little old looking game but it's like kind of.

[00:43:25] Yeah, because there's not it like there's not a lot of textures you know what I mean it's just it's very kind of basic looking. But I think in that basic look it makes it kind of universal and almost borderline timeless.

[00:43:38] It was also the time though like the time they really weren't this like that simplistic style wasn't big like now if this game came out today like this fits perfectly and with the indie scene of like these like minimalistic looking games that just have like a weird style to them that should approach the people.

[00:43:55] Or even if this came out during like the Xbox live arcade days like this game I think would have been a little bit of a hit in that era as well like imagine us on we were for like 500 we points.

[00:44:09] People would be going on and on about this game I think just like a cheap little game that like stimulates the brain and has an interesting look to it.

[00:44:17] Yeah, if I bought this on the Wii for 500 we points and said a sonic four you know I probably wouldn't be as mentally damaged as I am now. Oh, excuse, I have a plate sonic four in the long.

[00:44:32] The the we I have if you can see it down there it's the one with it on it with my 100% game file. Oh, pain pain I should play episode two one of these days just to just to complete that but it's better.

[00:44:51] It's like worse at the same time yeah it's amazing it's like do I want to revisit that trauma or it's like do I get both on my Xbox and then get all the achievements for what you know just to put that on my tombstone you know.

[00:45:04] I don't know no I don't get buried I want to get cremated so I'll put it on my earn that that might that might whoever my just whatever descendants I have.

[00:45:18] Like do have one but like you know what I mean like they they have to see that on the earn be like oh that's no that's him you know. He got all the points in sonic four that was his true accomplishment.

[00:45:32] Yes, I beat the boss and I was like I did it out of move on. I did it yeah I beat the boss and got all the chaos animals that was enough of the cheap and for me.

[00:45:46] I was like I in sonic for specifically not any the others no it's not a four you can you can cheese all of the. All of the special stages by just hitting pot like pause and restart before you fail but it still is a challenge.

[00:46:02] I thought especially just super easy in that game some of them had it was the time limit really more than anything that yeah. Was annoying yeah I like her with that we'll save that for another sonic discussion at some other point.

[00:46:18] We did that we did two of them we did and there's still more to talk about. We went three hours of the 3D games alone but that's if anyone's wondering go to G and C sonic we visited part two.

[00:46:31] If we do this again we'll get dry just so we have another just so we have another suffer. We'll get your able find rock the swordsman somewhere all the sonic heads will just pull out of it nowhere. Yes we'll get the fine time.

[00:46:45] Yeah, I didn't let the reception wise. For real generally positive there were a few reviewers that give it shit reviews because I it wasn't next to I guess. Yeah, I'm not they said like the game play quickly gets repetitive and like kind of but.

[00:47:03] You know, I've often felt like every game is repetitive you know like when it's good it's the gameplay loop and when it's bad it's repetitive.

[00:47:13] Yeah, you know what I mean it's just finding you know something that you like do I want to do this for the next like you know eight hours of my life or do I want to do something different you know. This would be a great hand help.

[00:47:29] Yes like a GBA version of this or like our no a DS version where you kind of like drag your guy around like imagine you control you control with the pet with the touchscreen and then you use say like.

[00:47:42] The first thing that I'm talking about in the shoot or whatever like those old Call of Duty DS game controls. On something that kind of makes sense for it. Yeah, obviously. I can see my offense may swear they do. They're no longer in business. They moved on.

[00:47:59] All right. Yeah, for people hopefully aren't dead. The company is though and that's all that. Yeah, I don't actually think they were owned by anybody. I think they just visual thought. Yeah happens. They made that Duke new game on PlayStation though the one that was just Tomb Raider.

[00:48:22] Oh, I was it was I won't call time to kill well they made to them. Time to kill and land of the babes time to kill was actually okay. I'm going to the babes. So the babes. Yeah.

[00:48:35] All they made American actually sweet 16 license to drive okay there they're yeah they're good. They also made geist you know that the other emrated we can't or game. I mean, I have it over there. It's it's it's a game. It's a game. They tried.

[00:48:55] If you want to stir review it let us know. Maybe as a bonus. I think it's a game. So I guess under the mad um. To summarize it I guess this kind of ties into Musplay okay stay away. Um. I'd say this is a Musplay. Yes.

[00:49:17] I think it is a Musplay. It's like one of the least offensive 3D games we've ever played like there was legitimately nothing really bad about this game other than it's. The other thing is that the game is not really bad but it's not really bad.

[00:49:33] But it's not really bad. It's not really bad. It's not really bad. Yeah. Yeah. It's kind of goes into that like this time like any game that wasn't fully 3D was criticized.

[00:49:49] When we look at that this error now and go like oh those 2D games are actually incredible like because those games have a just in like the best. Like like a like a stall on the Sega Saturn that game is aged gracefully. Oh yeah.

[00:50:05] It's still like a super fun time you know. So I think critics were kind of that one at the time, at least I hope so. I do it because it was traditional it was a traditional 2D game not like a.

[00:50:15] I mean I love clockwork night by clockwork night use of that pre-rendered stuff that doesn't age nearly as gracefully. I do not like clockwork night. It's not a game perfect. That game is a pain for me.

[00:50:27] It reminds me of the the toy story like Genesis super Nintendo game. Yeah, you know where it's like it's it's almost good but and it's almost goodness it doesn't work. Yeah, obviously.

[00:50:41] Or um probably another like simply the night I think that game got criticism back on the day for being a 2D game. Yeah even though it's considered one of the greatest games of all time.

[00:50:51] Now yeah now back then I guess people weren't as kind to it or I think they were wanting a 3D one and then they got it with the N64 one and went oh shit never mind.

[00:51:03] Well I think what's funny is critics were mad that it wasn't in 3D but it's still sold fucking phenomenally something like. Yeah. So yeah, Castlevania never quite figured out 3D. No like the PS2 ones were okay.

[00:51:19] But they still I like curse a darkness curse a darkness is good limit of and it's fine you can clearly tell the Konami gave. Ega the same budget he would have given him for a GVA game to make a PS2 game there but.

[00:51:33] Yeah, see that and and they probably were saying like hey D are you know Capcom's making that game about like devils and stuff try to make it like that. Yeah.

[00:51:45] And to me and I think it's better than probably like say maybe DMC one but you know on into but that's not hard. Yeah exactly anyways.

[00:51:57] But yeah I think this game for its era for what it's trying to do isn't bad and it's as I said I think it's age surprisingly well this is an I came that I think came out too early. Yeah, because it doesn't feel old.

[00:52:11] It just this weird but it feels weird not in like a like these are gen X or is making this game it feels weirder is like it's like millennials made this game you know what I mean. You know, almost the head of its time.

[00:52:25] This game actually reminds me I'm thinking of it just now but like it was all PC like browser games you'd find online like sort of wants me a lot of cube runner for anyone who remembers cube runner.

[00:52:36] Yeah like this could be you could like compress this and put it on like a dicting games. With like you know like WAST controls and they would probably work just fine.

[00:52:46] Yeah, I mean it works for the D pad for perfectly fine so I could yeah working very well. Yeah and it's like it's aesthetically I think kind of pleasing has a pretty neat soundtrack and is a very simple kind of game that I think anybody now would still.

[00:53:02] Would appreciate and you have some good time with you know like yeah me like that that's the I mean you know not that crazy isn't you know it just looks fun trippy is how like the pyramids running the running pyramids to me is still my favorite part because it's so like what the fuck am I watching right now.

[00:53:21] Yeah, like there's no wheels there's no like rocket propulsion it's just moving by it's in my sheer will they're just like lantern it's a green lantern as not a will power they're just kind of like. I'm just going around like what they're like.

[00:53:35] She wants like there's aren't legs it's just got a big old bottom yeah the yellow the way the rock and the world go around. Yeah, the way the yellow one moves is just amazing to me that's so funny to watch.

[00:53:49] Yeah, oh and I turned they turn green later you know when you're in the when you're in the the factory where the ooze was the turn turtles into mutants. Yes, everything comes back to the turtles exactly. So interestingly, we've actually now had two double musplanes in a row.

[00:54:10] Yeah, yeah, three do's got so kids. So should we ask is this will we put this above road rash I put it above me.

[00:54:24] I'd put it above need for speed not because I just like need for speed but just because in all honesty as as amazing as need for speed is on 3d I'd still prefer to play it on PlayStation.

[00:54:36] For a game called need for speed it is lacking a need for speed yeah it's yeah it's the 3d is legacy. I mean, I think we can safely say that at this point but yes the despite some pushback from from our from our friends on that.

[00:54:54] Yeah they just don't want to admit it. It's fine with me yeah this game is definitely like one of the best games we play probably yeah the second best game we've played.

[00:55:06] Broad rash still tops it I don't know if it'll ever be topped it might but I mean we there's some iconic games coming up no time soon because we're still planning out but.

[00:55:19] We got some winners on the 3d that will get to eventually so I don't know road rash is just a surprisingly really good game yeah yeah it is. This this though.

[00:55:33] This is the interesting one that I think yes more people need to play I agree and if you're looking to own a physical copy of it say if you're a collector it is one of the cheaper games to find like I found the CD the dual case version that was shown you guys for.

[00:55:49] I think 20 bucks max okay. Yeah the long boxes expensive but for most 3d games the long boxes expensive so don't worry much about that.

[00:56:02] This is unfortunately one of those 3d games where the long boxes just a piece of cardboard that wasn't super durable it wasn't like one of those fancy like. Like lachi ones that like yeah or or the one that Jurassic Park interactive comes in.

[00:56:17] Which is a nice sturdy thick cardboard one or like way of the warrior as this weird one that like it. Yeah so and unless you want this artwork expanded which why wouldn't you there's really no need to hunt down that so yeah you're okay kid.

[00:56:37] So I was thinking for next well not next week I think we'll take another. Break next week to talk about something else but I was thinking the next game kind of like we did for. The last vote we do the second. Winner which was incredible machine.

[00:56:54] Oh yeah yeah I'm I'm down for that I have some I have some opinions on this one. Yeah so we'll do incredible machine I was actually thinking though for next week we do. Another detour and I was actually thinking.

[00:57:10] We should talk there was some prolific developers on the 3d that made a lot of games for it. I was thinking maybe we highlight one of those and I was thinking where what's the better place to start then let's talk about EA.

[00:57:23] Yeah let's do that you know I I tend to be in EA defender so. I mean they're making a comeback right now I will say there they've been surprisingly pretty awesome.

[00:57:34] Yes yes and I think it's for me it's like I grew up in the PS2 era and I'm sure and you agree with me as well in the PS2 era EA were phenomenal. Yes well I can constant constant bangers.

[00:57:48] And I mean as we've seen on 3d all like pretty much everything they made on 3d it was pretty good pretty solid yeah so.

[00:57:56] Yeah and how hell when I was you know the haunting starring Polter guy that was in EA game on the Genesis I don't know if any of you really know.

[00:58:05] But probably like Burger Champion knows but it's it was a game on the Sega Genesis where you played as a ghost and your go and your goal was to like haunt people and like scare them out of the house.

[00:58:15] And you and you can use like all the different parts of the house to freak them out and it's a really cool game and it was on the Genesis and then EA they did like a random PSP compilation of games.

[00:58:28] Just like some random ones you may remember that and the haunting was on there and that's actually how I discovered it and it's like this is a real cool game.

[00:58:37] Yeah yeah it gets a lot of shit for admittedly some shitty business practices over the years but well deserve it. You can't deny they make really good games when they care.

[00:58:50] Yeah yeah and I think as you said these days I think they're starting to realize oh single player games are important. So we need to put a little bit more of an emphasis on that. And as far as I know what's their big live service game.

[00:59:05] Apex Legends that's the one. That's still active. Oh yeah. Oh yeah as far as I know it hasn't had any major controversy. And it has a steady following in a fan base so I think in live service case that's pretty good.

[00:59:23] Okay, I know it's no Fortnite but nothing a lot for beef that is biggest Fortnite is. I think Fortnite is on a downturn actually like it started in a dip a little bit.

[00:59:31] I've heard it's going up just because like recently like they've had like the Lego mode which was surprisingly really good. There's like a guitar here when there now. I heard nothing but bad things about the Lego mode.

[00:59:43] I don't know, I heard I must have just seen different people's opinions. I guess because like the people I know IRL who play Fortnite. I have something about the Lego mode and they're like I don't like this because I think it's just more like Minecraft than Fortnite.

[00:59:56] Yeah yeah that's what I've heard. Yeah.

[00:59:58] So it's like this play fucking Minecraft full full full of full transparency I've never never actually played any of Fortnite so I don't have any serious like in that game but I've just saying like from what I've heard it's pretty popular right now.

[01:00:15] It's actually getting a research with older people from what I've heard. Yeah, I think I put like an hour or two into Fortnite quite a few years ago and if we when I remember it's perfectly true. It's fine, it is what it is.

[01:00:30] It's just I'm not in like at this point of my life I'm not I'm past the whole wanting to do on my multiplayer all the time. I know like competitive games like that so I've just kind of always it's a good thing.

[01:00:44] I did for a bit and indulged maybe a little too much but these days I tend to prefer single player stuff or you know I'll do multiplayer with other people occasionally but it's usually like setting it up.

[01:00:57] But like the last time I did anything kind of spontaneously was when I beat Titanfall 2 which is a great game.

[01:01:04] I played around the multiplayer in it and it was fun it was pretty good you know I'd like to you know maybe organize a game with people I think it would be a fun time but but yeah other than that I just you know I typically do weird shit like this guy like this guy.

[01:01:20] See like when it comes to multiplayer online multiplayer games I prefer like racers just because I that's kind of my more my thing like I love like Mario Kart.

[01:01:29] That's fair I haven't played Mario Kart online a long time I haven't either actually I've been meaning to get a like a like a land party or land parties that's the lord going at some point but yeah. Yeah so.

[01:01:43] I think that's our plan our next game is going to be the incredible machine but next week we're going to talk EA. EA sports in the game. Damn it. But yeah so.

[01:01:54] Other than that though guys once again thanks for joining us on the 3D experience so you can find 3D experience on all the major podcasting platforms.

[01:02:03] All links are at link tree slash the barbecue games and we're going to be on YouTube pretty soon as soon as all that uploading jazz goes through hopefully we also have the live video versions of the podcast from here on out.

[01:02:18] And other than that you can find us over on the. Gency podcast network discord server if you want to chat. Gency 3DO or geek addicts or just talking gaming anime anything really and until next time guys we will see you all later. Bye bye.