New Cancelled Games & Their Lost Media Added to the Archive

Mega Drive / Genesis, Nintendo, Sega, SNES + Super Famicom

The Mask [SNES – Beta]

monokoma
10-10-2010
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The Mask is a platform game (based on the film with the same name) developed by Black Pearl Software and published in 1995 by THQ for the Super Nintendo. Early in its development, the game was much different from the final version, as noticed by Mister Syd on the Lost Levels Forum:

Health meter is a series of facial expressions, while the health meter is numerical in actual game.

The Mask’s sprite is completely different in shape, color and design, almost as if this build was completely dismissed and recreated from the ground up.

Visually, I find this the most interesting because it looked like it was going to play more like a brawler than the platformer it turned out to be.

All of the screenshots’ backgrounds are not used anywhere in the final version of the game.

Unused abilities; The Mask has no low-kick, or a (strange-looking) gun that fires projectiles in the game and the mallet is a different color (and pose) but the tornado’s design might of been used in the game.

Some of the enemies in the screen shots I think are actually still in the game, but could be edited a bit in the release; the man with the gun by the bank vault is likely not in the final release though.

The Mask was also planned for the Genesis / Mega Drive, but this version was never released.

Thanks to Celine for the contribution! (scan from EGM #61)

Images:

Saturn, Sega

Free Runner [Saturn – Cancelled]

monokoma
09-10-2010
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Free Runner is a cancelled action adventure (?) that was in development in 1995 by Rebellion for the Sega Saturn. There are not many info about its gameplay, but a little background on the story and a couple of screenshots from a target render were found by Rod_Wod in an old Sega Power magazine. It seems that in Free Runner players would had take the role of a cyber hacker, who had to surf the net to investigate a brutal real-world killing. The game was shown (?) in some form at E3 1995.

If you know someone that worked on this game and could help us to preserve more info and media, please let us know!

Thanks to Rod_Wod for the contribution!

Images:

Microsoft, Others, PC / MAC, Xbox 360

Darkest of Days [PC X360 – Beta]

monokoma
09-10-2010
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Darkest of Days is a FPS developed by 8monkey Labs and published by Phantom EFX / Valcon Games in September 2009 for Microsoft Windows and Xbox 360. DCodes7 found some beta differences in the promo screen shots for the game:

The character “mother” is only seen in the game as a pair of eyes on screen. In the beta, mothers eyes are green; In the final her eyes are a grey type color. In the same screenshot the panel in front of the character – witch access mission briefings – is black in the beta but a silver-grey in the final.

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Playstation 2 (PS2), Sony

Splash Dive [PS2 – Cancelled]

monokoma
08-10-2010
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Splash Dive is a cancelled action adventure game similar to Ecco the Dolphin, that was in development in 1999 by SCEI  for the Playstation 2. The project was meant to be one of the first PS2 launch titles and it was even featured in the early console tech demos but something went wrong during the development and in the end Splash Dive was never released. From IGN we can read an interview with Splash Dive’s producer Kaoru Hagiwara:

HPPS2EX: First of all, what kind of game is Splash Dive?

KH: If you look at the screenshots, I think you’ll understand that its a game about the ocean featuring dolphins. We’re selling it as an action game. Not action-adventure, action. Players control the dolphin and try and make friends with other dolphins. Swimming at full speed, jumping above the water: I think it will have a refreshing sense of action to it. When you talk about games and the sea, adventure and simulations come to mind. There have been lots of games that feature floating or searching for fish, so we thought, “How can we create a new, refreshing kind of action?”

HPPS2EX: I see. The basic objective of the game is to become good friends with other dolphins, but what exactly do you do to accomplish this?

KH:The key will be what the player does, but the excitement of discovering what to do, is something that I would like to keep quiet.

HPPS2EX: In Splash Dive, you will be able to enjoy dolphins and their form of communication, right?

KH: Dolphins, have their own form of communication, which is very different from humans. One type is voice. Kind of like “Dolphinese.” We’re trying to put in all of these into the game as best as we can. We don’t want to have a dolphin specialist look at the game and say “That’s not right!” Therefore, we’re really working on the dolphins’ appearance and the way they sound.

Thanks to Celine for the contribution! If you are able to find that old Spash Dive video, let us know!

Images:

Game Boy (+ Color), Nintendo

Gremlins 2: The New Batch [GameBoy – Beta]

monokoma
08-10-2010
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Gremlins 2: The New Batch is a Game Boy side scrolling platform game based on the film with the same name and released in 1990 by Sunsoft. TheActionGameMaster noticed a small beta difference in an old screenshot, found in a magazine. You can see that the life counter is at 5 lives. This is not possible in the final version, because there are only two chances at extra men in the game, and Gizmo begins each continue with 2 men.

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