Trip Hawkins, the founder of the 3DO company, was also the founder of Electronic Arts. After making EA one of the greatest software companies in the world, he left and set up 3DO.
It therefore came as no heart stopping surprise that a couple of things duly happened.
1) EA really put their full support behind the 3DO Multiplayer.
2) The 3DO Multiplayer flopped. Just because you know great software, does not inherently mean you can do the same with hardware. Although hardware and software are in stringently linked, they are quite, quite different.
Trip learnt this fact the hard way. 3DO's failure however was through no fault of EA.
EA was by far the greatest supporter of the 3DO multiplayer. If it hadn't been for EA, the FZ-1 would never have had Need for Speed, Road Rash, FIFA, John Madden, so-on and son-on, the list is quite impressive and features many of the best games available for the platform.
Not least amongst these is Space Hulk - Vengeance of the Blood Angels.
This game is nothing short of brilliant. It is a tie in with Games Workshop, which I admit to knowing nothing about. The story line isn't early commercial internet clichιd, so I'm guessing it was developed without the help of some over eager silicon valley types.
It contains all the ingredients of an epic story. Plenty of deep space, nasty aliens, brave pseudo-futuristic old time crusader types and gothic structures masquerading as spaceships. As they say in London for reasons beyond reason: 'sorted.'
The game itself is EA slick, sporting, and I don't say this lightly, possibly the best pre-rendered 3D introduction for the 3DO. That in itself is no mean feat.
There was some tough competition from Defcon 5, Creature shock, Wing Commander III and Shock Wave. In fact many 3DO games feature spaceships wafting across a star scattered space scene. As an aside, you don't see that kind of thing so much these days and frankly I kind of miss it.
The in-game graphics, in my honest opinion, put Space Hulk a head and shoulder above some early Saturn games and Playstation games. Yes they are that good. When considering the platform and its well documented weaknesses, they move along at an excellent pace too. As an example the second screen shot from the left on the top row is in-game, not pre-rendered. Bloody impressive for 1995.
Space Hulk came out in '95, two years after the 3DO system was released, the developers, apparently, were just getting to grips with the system and in this case in spectacular fashion.
The in game action is presented in two sort-of modes. The first mode is first person perspective and the the second mode is strategic overview.
The objectives you are aiming to achieve are outlined before the mission starts and you are supplied with a number of Blood Angel terminators to achieve them. The goals are things like: Burn here, hold here, shoot there, get this relic, get from A to B: that sort of thing.
Each terminator has a weapon with an ability and you can switch between the overview mode and the first person mode for each terminator. This can be done at will. Allowing you to guide them either strategically by remote or by personally controlling them via first person perspective.
There is, a little bit sadly, only one type of enemy which looks eerily like a Aliens alien. Its called a Gene Stealer. These Gene Stealers are reasonably intelligent. For example they wont wander stupidly into oncoming gun fire or walk into flames or get stuck or behave anything like the enemies in Driver 3. Strap on to that the fact they are beautifully animated and presented in the game and we have a winner.
Oh and all the action takes place in giant Hulks that float in Space. The interior of which makes a kind of maze, through which you guide your terminators, one way or another, to achieve their goals... Funny that.
There are more than enough levels to keep people happy and the level of challenge is brilliantly balanced.
The only other thing worth mentioning is the sound effects which again are outstanding and scared seven shades out of me.
People tend not to want to give up their copies so it is around but not every day.
Buy it, enjoy it!
3DO Kid.
Space Hulk was an AMAZING game. We would play it for hours and hours. That, and Star Control II, which was the best gave EVER.
Good Old Days!
By the way, the word from London that you were looking for is "Sordid" ... no "Sorted" ... hehehe.