Different HUD & more?
Thanks to MathUser for the scan!
Beta:
Final:
Ninja Gaiden [Mega Drive / Genesis – Beta / Cancelled]
This is Ninja Gaiden for the Genesis. It is (in theory) a conversion of the 1988 coin-op, but basically the only thing that it is similar to the original is the HUD, because everything else was completely reworked. It was never released (even if some websites claims the opposite) in any region, and since it is available online and we can play it, it is not hard to understand why. Apart from being still bug-filled, it is one of the worst beat’em up on the console, featuring a really bad graphic engine even for the time (1992), a moveset pratically inexistent and some of the most less creative enemies ever.
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Videos:
Mortal Kombat [MD/G – Beta]
MathUser has made us notice that he has posted lots of scans with beta and cancelled games in the Hidden Palace Forum and between those, there are these screens from an early version of Mortal Kombat for the Genesis, with a strange color palette and a exhibition mode that was removed in the final version. Thanks to MathUser and sorry for the delay!
Also in a video documentary that you can see below, Ed Boon talks about the early development of the game, with some interesting unseen info!
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Video:
Mission Impossible [SNES MD GEN – Cancelled]
Before being released on the Nintendo 64, Mission Impossible was in development for the Super Nintendo and Mega Drive / Genesis, but soon the 16 bit versions were cancelled, to shift resources to the Ultra 64 one. The game was going to be similar to Flashback by Delphine Software, as a side-scrolling action game with puzzles and gun fights. Currently we dont know which studio was working on Mission Impossible 16 Bit, but it should have been published by Ocean, as the N64 version.
If you have more info or screens about this lost game, please let us know!
Thanks to Robert Seddon and Celine for the scans! (Magazines: Joypad #44, Top Consoles #4, Console Plus #45)
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Golden Sun [GBA – Beta / Unused Weapon / Debug]
Golden Sun is the first installment of a series of RPG games developed by Camelot Software Planning and published by Nintendo. It was released in November 2001 for the GBA, with a sequel, Golden Sun: The Lost Age, in 2003.
Golden Sun underwent a development cycle of between twelve and eighteen months by Camelot, which is considered quite a long period of time for the development of a handheld video game, and was described as a “testament” to the positive results a long development cycle can bring to a game. It was shown in early, playable form at the Nintendo Spaceworld Expo in Japan on August 2000. North American previewers received the game a few weeks before the release, and IGN noted that the experience of developing Shining Force for Sega helped Camelot develop a gripping RPG for the handheld.
Originally, Camelot planned to create a single title instead of a series, and in the extremely early stages of their project they had created a game design document for the one Golden Sun game to be on the Nintendo 64 console. When it became apparent the N64 was on its way out because the Nintendo Gamecube was coming in, Camelot shifted their focus to making a game on the handheld Game Boy Advance. [Info from Wikipedia]
In these old screens we can see a beta version of Golden Sun, with differences in the graphic style, in the characters design and in some weird places. The Kusanagi is a Light Blade that is found in the Debug Menu of the original Golden Sun. This weapon is impossible to access during normal play and can only be seen using a hacking device. Ironically, this weapon’s graphic is officially used in Golden Sun: The Lost Age for the Light Blade artifact Masamune. If it had been in the original game it would have been the most powerful Light Blade surpassing even the Kikuichimonji. You can find more info at The Adepts of Weyard website and at GoldenSun Wikia!
Thanks to Robert Seddon for these links!
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