Here at Defunct Games, we love Nightdive. Over the last few years, they've managed to breathe new life into a lot of outdated first-person shooters through expertly-made remasters. This includes loving updates of the Turok games, Blade Runner, Dark Forces and even The Thing. With so many classic games getting the Nightdive upgrade, I thought it might be fun to give the Atari-owned company the Review Crew treatment, starting with two 3DO games that were recently re-released – Killing Time and PO'ed. That's genuinely cool news and I love that these lesser-known shooters are getting a second-life on modern consoles, but were these games worth playing back in 1995? To answer that question, I decided to flip through the pages of Electronic Gaming Monthly, GamePro, Next Generations and more classic magazines to see what the critics said back when these games first came out. I sure hope you brought a swimsuit, because this is the debut episode of Nightdive Review Crew.


By 1995, Doom had already made the jump from PC to game consoles, with ports on everything from the Super NES to the Sega 32X to Atari's Jaguar. More importantly, Doom's influence was starting to be felt far and wide, thanks to an influx of developers who wanted to make their own first-person shooters. One of those was Killing Time from The 3DO Company for their fledgling 32-bit console. Similar to Doom, Killing Time was a horror-based shooter where a character has to fight their way through a series of increasingly complex mazes. It stars a former Egyptology student who is trapped with a bunch of ghosts and monsters in the estate of a wealthy heiress on a small island off the coast of Maine. What sets this game apart from Doom and most of the other first-person shooters of the era is the way it incorporates full-motion video into the action, helping us understand the storied history of this secluded estate. With a genuinely compelling mystery and a lot of fast-paced first-person action, Killing Time was seen as a killer app for the 3DO system at a time when it needed it the most.

When it comes to the critics, the reviews are remarkably close, with pretty much everybody agreeing that a score of 80% was more than fair. Even the lowest score is only a point away from that that magic number, as Computer & Video Games gave Killing Time a score of 79%. “The novelty of both full-motion video adventure games and Doom rip-offs has worn off, though Killing Time manages to catch your interest by combining the two genres into one. The graphics aren't quite as smooth as Space Hulk, but they're really detailed, and the excellent sound combined makes for a great atmosphere. Still, there are a few annoying problems: Though the playing area spans lots of locations, there are only 16 different enemy types. Another problem is that the game's very frustrating. This is probably because the designers have tried to make the game hard by not giving you much ammo, though this just leaves you sprinting away from people until you die. For all that, if you want an interesting challenge that's quite different from anything else, Killing Time is the one to go for.”

While most of the reviews were in the 80% range, there was one outlier who went high. Really high. A short-lived UK publication known as 3DO Magazine gave Killing Time a perfect 5 out of 5, calling it “a true mega game. In its plot, its realistic sets, the digitized and superimposed full-motion video supporting characters, Killing Time acquires many of the best features of movies without suffering the penalty of a linear plot and simplistic gameplay. In the future, this is how all games will be.”

Now that we've looked at the extremes, it's time to really focus on that 80% score I keep bringing up. That's what GamePro gave it when they went with a score 4 out of 5. This was also the average among the Game Fan critics, who were impressed with the mix of first-person shooting and full-motion video. Game Players did go a little higher with an 83%, but the magazine I want to focus on is Next Generation. Giving the game a score of 4 out of 5, they summed it up this way: “The joke goes like this – ‘It's just like Doom, except [insert difference here].' And in this case, the difference is substantial enough to make our staff sit up and take notice. There's an actual mystery to solve under all the action, which includes enemy zombie chefs and ducks – that's right, ducks. It's the same thing, only different, since you get a chance to use your brain as well as your reflexes. In short, Killing Time is the bastard child of Doom and 7th Guest, and it works.”

While it might not be as well known as other Nightdive remasters, Killing Time was a great choice. It was well-received at the time, despite its limitations, and the modern facelift will help remind people that this game was full of fresh and unique ideas. This was a real highlight on the ill-fated 3DO.

Released just days after Killing Time, PO'ed is another stab at bringing the Doom formula to the 3DO. The gimmick here is that it has a sense of humor and swaps out the horror theme with science fiction. It tells the story of what happens when a chef's spacecraft crash-lands on an alien world, forcing him to fight through level after level of maze-like stages. Given the tongue-in-cheek approach, a lot of this game doesn't take itself too seriously, as you'll see when you smack aliens away with a frying pan and drill. While humorous, the game did offer some unique ideas, such as giving the player a jet pack, allowing the level designs to be more vertical than other first-person shooters. There are some fun ideas in PO'ed, but was it enough to win over the critics?

Once again, it all comes down to which magazine you were reading at the time. For example, GamePro gave the game a 3 out of 5 and complained about the controls. “PO'ed is a great Doom clone, but not as much fun because of the obvious control problems. If you have a 3DO, you don't have Doom (yet), so PO'ed is the next best thing. Although the control will get you PO'ed, the rest of the game is okay.”

As we move up the scale, we see Edge give the 3DO game a 7 out of 10, which, if we're being honest, isn't that bad for them. Video Games & Computer Entertainment went one point higher, giving PO'ed a score of 8 out of 10. That's, more or less, the same as Next Generation, who went with a 4 out of 5. They summed it up this way: “This game had its genesis, quite literally we're told, in someone's garage, as a labor of love by a handful of programmers. It certainly has the hallmarks of being someone's obsession, which is both a blessing and a curse. There's a decidedly twisted attitude behind it all. It moves very smoothly, and you aren't limited to walking – this cook can jump, fly and even do back flips. However, many of the levels are so intricate, with textures and color schemes that tend to blend in with one another, that it's also extremely confusing and often more frustrating than enjoyable. It's well done, very well done, but too tricky for its own good.”

Now, before we look at the highest scores, it's worth mentioning that this 3DO game was also ported to the PlayStation. For the most part, the magazines that liked the 3DO version gave the PlayStation port a lower score, mostly complaining that it didn't take advantage of the more powerful hardware. Instead of going through all of the reviews, I am going to focus on Electronic Gaming Monthly's Mark, who sums up the problems succinctly: “One would think that when a game is ported over to a technically more advanced system, it would be vastly improved. This isn't the case with PO'ed. There is a slight graphic and speed increase, but overall, it's the same old cheesy PO'ed. If you've never played the 3DO version, that's okay. I'll give PO'ed one thing – it is funny. Sometimes on purpose, sometimes not. There's plenty of weapons to find and various puzzles to complete, but overall, it's a sloppy game that lacks precision in detail.” They gave the PlayStation version an average score of 6.1 out of 10.

Contrary to this incredibly negative reaction, there were quite a few magazines that genuinely loved PO'ed. For example, the editors at Game Fan ended up giving the game an average score of 89%. Over in Australia, Hyper went even higher, giving it a score of 93%. That's easily one of their highest scores for any 3DO game. But if you're looking for the very tippy top of the scale, then we're going to need to go to the UK and check in with our good friends over 3DO Magazine. Giving it a perfect 5 out of 5 (the same score they gave Killing Time), the editors at 3DO Magazine argued that “PO'ed really is something genuinely new. It has neither the elaborate problems of Killing Time nor the comparatively straight-forward, highly confined action of Doom. It offers far more freedom of movement and tactics than either of those games. To a certain extent, it's very openness works against conventional addiction. It's not immediately obvious how you play this game and the designers have avoided forcing you down a single route. Yet, for more open-minded players, particularly Doom-fans looking for the next leap forward, this eerily beautiful, quite ferocious blast ‘em up is a dream come true. This is without a doubt one of the very best 3DO titles around, quite something considering the hot titles coming through, and on a personal level, quite the best game I've ever played. Check it out.”

Wow, now that's a recommendation. It's not one I fully agree with, but I'll admit, 3DO Magazine almost had me convinced. Much like Killing Time, this is another great candidate for Nightdive. It's more than just a clone, adding humor, open levels and new types of gameplay to the formula. I bet those indie developers slaving away in a garage to make their passion project are in shock that we're still enjoying PO'ed three decades later. Now that's something to celebrate.