Penn and Teller
Cancellation
The compilation was announced in 1994 for a release at the end of the year, which was later rescheduled for April Fools' Day 1995. Although the Sega CD version was finished on time and review copies were soon sent out, the financially stricken Absolute Entertainment could not afford to ship the game.
Contemporary reviews were mixed and highlighted Desert Bus as the best feature in the compilation. Absolute Entertainment ceased operations in late 1995, such that Penn & Teller's Smoke and Mirrors, including planned PC and 3DO versions, was canceled. Review copies were rediscovered several years later, and the archivist Frank Cifaldi shared one online in September 2005. The Desert Bus minigame then became the subject of Desert Bus for Hope, a charity livestream held in 2007 and subsequently turned into an annual event, which raised its popularity. The minigame was unofficially remade several times, including through paid Android and iOS versions that benefit charity in 2011 and a free virtual reality version from Gearbox Software in 2019.
References
| Type | Name | Date | Country | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Magazine Article | 3DO Magazine Issue 4 | Jun Jul 1995 |  |
Page 7 – E3 News |
| Magazine Article | GamerPro(UK) Issue 1 | July 95 | |
Page 56-63 – E3 Report Article |
| Magazine Article | Video Games(DE) Issue 7-95 | July 95 |  |
Page 28-29 – E3 Report Article |
| Magazine Article | Video Games(DE) Issue 8-95 | August 95 | |
Page 43 – Article showing the E3 3DO release list |
| Retail Advert | 3 3DO Magazine(US) Oct 1995 | Oct 95 |  |
Page 48-49 – 4th Dimension Advert |
| Magazine Article | 3DO Magazine Live Issue 13 | Jan/Feb 96 |  |
Page 110 – Coming Soon |
| Magazine Article | 3DO Magazine Live Issue 14 | Mar/Apr 96 | |
Page 110 – Coming Soon |
| Magazine Article | 3DO Magazine Live Issue 15 | May/Jun 1996 | |
Page 96-97 – Coming Soon |
Media
-
3DO Magazine Issue 4 Jun Jul 1995 - E3 Mega Games News -
GamerPro(UK) Issue 1 Jul 95 - Absolute Entertainment E3 Feature -
Video Games(DE) Issue 7-95 - E3 Report - 3DO -
Video Games(DE) Issue 8-95 - E3 Report - 3DO Release List -
3 3DO Magazine(US) Oct 1995 – 4th Dimension Entertainment Ad -
3DO Magazine Live Issue 13 Jan/Feb 96 - Coming Soon -
3DO Magazine Live Issue 14 Mar/Apr 96 - Coming Soon -
3DO Magazine Live Issue 15 - Coming Soon News
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_Oct_1995_Ad_-_4th_Dimension_Entertainment.png)
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_Issue_14_Mar_Apr_96_Coming_Soon.png)
