System: 3DO
Release date: April 1994

Screech through a dystopian hellscape with Quarantine on the 3DO, the April 1994 vehicular action-shooter from GameTek that traps you in a taxi tearing through a crumbling city overrun by mutants and maniacs. As cabbie Drake Edgewater, you drive, shoot, and survive, but does it still roar in 2025? Let’s slam the accelerator and see whether this cyberpunk cruise is a turbo-charged thrill or a stalled wreck.

Gameplay: Drive, Shoot, and Survive

Quarantine puts you behind the wheel of a weaponised taxi, ferrying passengers through KEMO City while unloading firepower such as machine guns, flamethrowers, and mines. The controls offer tight handling, letting you steer, accelerate, and blast foes with precision as you dodge traffic, mutants, and hostile cabs. Missions blend taxi fares with destructive side tasks, while upgrades such as armour, weapons, and nitro boost your ride. The first-person cockpit view and open route choices keep the chaos frantic and unpredictable.

The wipeout? A clunky map and vague objectives can leave you lost, and relentless enemy waves drain health faster than a fare dodger. The steep difficulty punishes sloppy driving, and some missions demand tough reflexes. Still, the rush of mowing down threats while racking up cash hooks you like a bumper catching a mutant square in the face.

Graphics: Gritty Cyberpunk Chaos

Quarantine blasts ahead with grimy cyberpunk flair: cracked skyscrapers, neon signs, flickering billboards, and blood-streaked pavements form a gritty backdrop. Your taxi’s dashboard jolts with movement, while enemies such as chainsaw punks and explosive drones burst with exaggerated menace. FMV cutscenes dripping with 90s cheese add to the B-movie mischief. It may lack the polish of later 3D shooters, but its grim, immersive world sells the dystopian chaos convincingly.

Sound: Riffs and Roars That Rumble

A grungy rock soundtrack drives the dystopian tone with distorted guitars and industrial beats. Sound effects such as roaring engines, gunfire cracks, and mutant shrieks bring lively mayhem to each mission. FMV voice acting, from Drake’s sardonic quips to passenger outbursts, adds camp charm. Music loops can wear thin on long hauls, but the raw audio energy keeps your foot pinned to the pedal.

Replayability: A City Worth Recruising

With branching missions, multiple weapons, and varied upgrade paths, Quarantine offers plenty of reasons to revisit KEMO City. Exploring districts for secret routes and hidden items adds depth, though repetitive objectives and severe difficulty may deter newcomers. Without multiplayer, the appeal lies in open-ended chaos, high-score grinding, and fine-tuning your taxi terror for increasingly wild joyrides.

The Retro Looney Verdict

Quarantine on the 3DO is a gloriously grimy thrill ride that blends vehicular carnage with cyberpunk swagger. Its tight driving, punchy visuals, and roaring audio make it a gleeful blast, even if the harsh navigation and punishing foes occasionally skid like a blown tyre.