Beta + Cancelled PC / MAC Video Games - Page 132 of 139

On July 21, 1999, during the Macworld Conference & Expo, Steve Jobs announced that Halo would be released for Mac OS and Windows simultaneously. Before this public announcement, game industry journalists under a non-disclosure agreement had previewed the game in a private showing during E3 1999, and were reportedly amazed. Bungie Studios later stated an even earlier development build of the game centered on real-time strategy and was “basically Myth in a sci-fi universe.”

At E3 2000, the first trailer of Halo was well-received. The version shown there differed greatly from the one exhibited previously, marking the first major overhaul in the game’s development. At this point, Halo was a third-person action game, in which a transport starship crashlands on a mysterious ring world that orbits a star. Early versions of Covenant aliens appear in great numbers and loot what they can, and war erupts between them and the humans. Unable to match the technologically advanced alien race, the humans on the ring world resort to guerrilla warfare. This version of the game featured Halo-specific fauna, which were later dropped because of design difficulties and the creatures’ “detract[ion] from the surprise, drama and impact of the Flood.”

In accordance with rumors, Microsoft announced on June 19, 2000 that it had acquired Bungie Studios. Halo became an exclusive game for Microsoft’s Xbox video game console, and Bungie Studios rewrote the game’s engine, heavily altering its presentation and turning it into a first-person shooter. Originally a key element, the game’s online multiplayer component was dropped because Xbox Live was unfinished at the time of Halo’s release. While a playable demonstration of the game at Gamestock 2001 was well-received, critics had mixed reactions to its exhibition at E3 2001. The game was released in North America simultaneously with the Xbox, on November 15, 2001. [info from Wikipedia]

In 2007 the studio recorded a play through of the game and reveled additional quips from its development and differences from the beta version. The Silent Cartographer was once about murdering a Prophet (who do not appear in this game) in order to prevent him from acquiring a map of the ring. The level went through many revisions and its codename was “B-30”. In the scene where the marines are listening to a song original music by Bungie is used, but this was not always the case. Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones was intended for that segment.

Cortana was written with a British accent in mind, hence why says words like “toady”. The trusty A.I. went rouge and attempted to take control of the Halo Array in a discarded script. The Seraph ship was an old concept for a Covenant tank, and the Scarab debutted in this game instead of the sequel.

[Thanks to Randy 355 for some of the images!]

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Microsoft, Others, PC / MAC, Xbox

Shining Lore [XBOX/PC – Cancelled]

U64 Staff & Contributors

16-04-2008

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Shining Lore is to the very majority of people a cancelled MMORPG originally to be released early 2003, before it fell into development limbo. However, what most people are unaware of is that Shining Lore Online, as it was to be called, was originally a dating RPG called, simply, Shining Lore. This was, obviously, a -very- different game from Shining Lore Online, which shared some elements, but in many ways it was very different. (A dark plot instead of a lighthearted one, for example.) (Supposed to be released in 1999 or 2000) Many of the characters you were to meet in Shining Lore Online were based on designs of the girls you could date in Shining Lore, although obviously, some of them had seen slight redesigns, or in some cases even sex changes […]

The original game sound track was composed by Noriyuki Iwadare of Lunar and Grandia fame, so it’s really quite good. You can download it from here!

For more infos: Shining Lore Project Analisys

Thanks to Saga Darvulia for all these informations!

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Microsoft, PC / MAC, Xbox

The Y-Project [PC,XBOX – Cancelled]

IGOR

15-04-2008

1 Comment

The Y-Project (announced in summer 2000) is a cancelled FPS that was in development for the original Xbox by Westka Interactive (later known as Joy Labs), conceived as something like a german version of Deus Ex. It would mix shooting action with role-playing elements and many different devices, from guided missiles to magnet boots for walking on ceilings. The game used the Unreal 2 engine, so the graphics looked pretty good at the time:

“Players assume the role of a hero who must keep a genetically altered race of insects from destroying the human population. The game is set in and around a huge city infested with dozens of different kinds of insect enemies. Players can join a military faction and blast their way through the game using 16 different types of upgradeable weapons, or they can join a scientific faction and reason their way through the game by solving puzzles. Players can also freely switch factions at any point during the game.”

Unfortunately VIVA Media Germany (owners of Westka Interactive) refused to give more money to complete the game: in spring 2003 the team had to be closed and Y-Project was officially cancelled. Former Westka Interactive developers then opened another company called “Joy Labs” and started a new game titled “Das Reich 2005” (announced in early 2004). It was set in an alternative history in which the Nazis not only won World War II, but also seized power over the entire world. The only hope of all mankind was a small group of those who clandestinely resisted the Nazis (among them was the game’s protagonist). Like in The Y-Project, the graphic in Das Reich 2005 was quite impressive for its time.

Unfortunately no publisher was found for Das Reich 2005: Joy Labs could not finance development and their new project was also abandoned.

Thanks to Josef for the contribution! Details from «Игромания» magazine, 02 (113) 2007

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Microsoft, Others, PC / MAC, Xbox

Loose Cannon [PC XBOX – Cancelled]

U64 Staff & Contributors

15-04-2008

10 Comments

Loose Cannon is a cancelled sandbox style action game that was in development in 1999 / 2000 by Digital Anvil for PC and rumored to be ported for the XBOX. When Microsoft bought Digital Anvil, Loose Cannon was canned and as reported by GameSpot, it seems that the game’s concept was sold to Ubisoft (?) but the project was never completed.

Microsoft’s first move after buying Digital Anvil was to sell off two of its projects–Frontier Wars and Loose Cannon–to Ubisoft. It also took the previously PC-only Brute Force and turned it into an Xbox exclusive, released in 2003.

In the original Loose Cannon press release we can read some of the unseen features of this interesting project:

“Loose Cannon” is a next-generation action-adventure game that offers intense mercenary-style combat on foot and in vehicles. The player takes the role of Ashe, a bounty hunter in a country overwhelmed by crime. The year is 2016 and free-lance law is the preferred brand of justice. Understaffed law agencies are forced to use unregulated bounty hunters to supplement their ranks.
“Loose Cannon” combines an intricate story line supported with stunning visual effects and intense action, Taking the role of Ashe, the player travels across the US making a broad range of choices, from which vehicle to travel in to which missions to accept.
• Action on foot and behind the wheel. “Loose Cannon” seamlessly blends realistic driving physics with fast-paced action on foot. When players choose to leave their vehicles (or are forced out), they may fight on foot, steal other cars, repair their vehicles or even pursue an escaped fugitive into an enemy compound.
• Realistic combat. Stunning graphics, fully animated advanced motion capture technology, numerous units and dynamic characters create an ever-changing interactive environment. More than 15 customizable vehicles, numerous weapons and armor, a working police force and realistic traffic provide for amazing realism and intense combat action.
• Detailed US cities. “Loose Cannon” is set in nine accurately detailed US cities and visually stunning countrysides. Cities such as San Francisco, Los Angeles, and New York provide color and atmosphere to the missions and storyline. The cities are alive as civilians cross the streets at crosswalks, cars follow traffic laws, and police investigate crimes.
• Multi-layered mission structure. “Loose Cannon” features more than 20 intricately detailed missions laced with Hollywood-quality cut scenes. Progressively challenging missions motivate the player to progress from the West to East coast. Missions include car chases, hostage rescues, escorting convoys, and attacking enemy bases. In addition, optional missions and tasks allow a player to make money to afford better vehicles and weapons.
• Easy to play, difficult to master. With its straightforward, easy-to-learn interface, “Loose Cannon” ensures that everyone from the novice player to the seasoned action veteran can quickly engage the game. Early missions acquaint players with all the tools they will need for even the most advanced levels.
• Multiplayer capability. Support is available for up to eight players via a local area network or the MSN™ Gaming Zone

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Microsoft, Others, PC / MAC, Playstation 2 (PS2), Sony, Xbox

Jurassic Park Survival [Cancelled – PS2 XBOX PC]

yota

15-04-2008

4 Comments

Jurassic Park: Survival (also known as Jurassic Park III: The Videogame, Jurassic Park 3: The Videogame) is a cancelled third-person action adventure developed by Savage Entertainment that would have been published by Universal Interactive and Konami. It would have been released for PS2, Xbox and PC but it was cancelled before its expected release in the summer of 2002.

Inspired by the events in the Jurassic Park III motion picture, Jurassic Park: Survival puts players in control of a research team that’s charged with investigating a remote dinosaur inhabited island. Unbeknownst to the game’s lead character David Vaughn, however, an armed security team is smuggling dinosaur DNA off the island and have attracted the attention of its enormous lizards as a diversion. From here, it’s up to gamers to battle both the terrorists and the dinosaurs in a Resident Evil-style adventure that boasts more than 12 huge environments and a multitude of hungry creatures.

Thanks to News for the contribution!

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