I know what you are thinking - I really do. 3DO Kid got one hell-of-a set of grubby finger nails scraping the barrel for this one.
Some how and I'll be honest, I don't remember quite how it happened but I have two identical copies of this game. Perhaps I won them in a game of chance? Perhaps some other idiot abandoned it on me when I wasn't looking.
For what must 3 years this game has stared at me from across the room. 'Play me' it said. I chose, wisely, to ignore it. Never listen to cardboard boxes is my advice. It said 'Shanghai Triple Threat' on the box - in my mind it read 'Mahjong's'.
Don't get me wrong. It is not because it is a game from the orient. Good grief - I'm not racist. I loved Ridge Racer and Virtua Fighter - two damn fine traditional games from East Asia. Just these fussy, farty, irritable games with Chinese characters and little marble blocks - shuffling them around. I really cannot be bothered.
Shanghai Triple Threat represents the pinnacle to a particularly slippery slope that will culminate in you wearing brown slippers, reading the Independent Newspaper, owning a 'The Archers' calendar and listening to 'Folk Music'. As a rule - I have been in favour of shooting these people. So, I'm not about to throw away many years worth of valuable verbal abuse because Activision want to stack-up virtualised broken domino's with Chinese characters on them.
Unless of cause you are Chinese - then you have an excuse. But the other 5 billion of you - NO. EXCUSES. Do you hear me?
The Great Wall of China or not.
These are hippy games. And I'm no hippy.
I'll get moaned at if I don't explain the game in at least vague terms. Basically it is a game of pair matching. If a piece can move left or right (or either) it is considered 'free' and therefore can be paired. Once paired, the two pieces are removed from the board.
The pieces themselves are based on Mahjong's sets and included Chinese symbols for seasons, wind, dragons and flowers. There are 140 pieces in one game and the aim therefore is to remove them all.
There is a scoring system - but be damned if I could figure it out. Check Wikipedia if you are that interested.
Rare? RARE!? I have two copies. Do you want them? Make me an offer!
3DO Kid.
