3DO FZ-1 will reset in same place with multiple copies of specific game

I have an unusual problem when trying to play Road Rash on my 3DO FZ-1

-It always loads to the main menu fine
-The videos and music play fine
-The first level loads and plays fine
-All other levels do not finish loading and automatically reset the console instead of being playable.

Basically, if I choose any level other than the very first level, it will play an FMV just fine, go to a black screen, and then instead of loading the track with the driver at the starting line, there will be a half second blip of engine noise while the screen is still black, and then the 3DO will reset without any picture of the level ever coming up.

I looked at my retail pressed disc and there were some very minor surfacey scratches and no apparent signs of disc rot. I was all set to blame the problems on the minor scratches, so I got out my old CDR copy that I used to play on a different 3DO with no problems whatsoever.

Oddly enough, I have the EXACT same symptoms with resets happening in the same places. Not only that, but the CDR copy was from a random file on the internet, so it is unlikely to be some kind of odd issue with backing up a particularly flawed disc I might have.

This seems to me to point to an issue with the console itself, but what could possibly result in these odd symptoms with a specific game? Furthermore, all my other retail games, including Need For Speed, Crash and Burn, and other racing games that you would think might be at least as strenuous on the system or require a similar amount of data to be loaded into ram, all play with no problems.

Anyone have any ideas?

 

Get a FZ-10.

 

One of the RAM chips might be faulty. That console has 2MB of EDO RAM for the game processing and 1MB of dual ported ram for video. Could be either.

 

Just an update, I repaired a different FZ-1 today and tested my Road Rash copy on that. It works fine. So indeed there is something weird with my one console, even though this one console plays my handful of other retail 3DO games just fine.

 

Have you tried deleting all the saved games on the console using the system disc? I have vauge memories of this happening with a couple of games that have a different region save game stored on the machine.

With the 3do save game data being so hidden away it can be quite difficult to tell. Worth a try though?