New Cancelled Games & Their Lost Media Added to the Archive

Microsoft, Playstation 3 (PS3), Sony, Xbox 360

Axeman (Pipeworks) [Cancelled – Xbox 360, PS3]

monokoma
22-12-2021
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Axeman is a cancelled musical on-rail shooter that was in development around 2011 by Pipeworks Software and ImaginEngine, planned to be released on Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. Players would follow a linear path in the city, using a guitar as a “weapon of mass distortion” to take out enemies, bosses and recruit girls into their crew of fans. While there is no gameplay footage available, we imagine Axeman as a mix between REZ and Guitar Hero: by playing different songs, following the rhythm and taking down enemies, you would complete each level and improve your scores.

Axeman was meant to be part of an advertisement campaign for AXE Body Spray, something similar to what Burger King did with Sneak King and Big Bumpin. As far as we know Pipeworks and Axe did release an Android version of Axeman, but the Xbox 360 and PS3 games were canned for some reasons.

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Saturn, Sega

Fanzuforumu / Fansform [Sega Saturn – Cancelled]

monokoma
22-12-2021
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Fanzuforumu / Fansform / Funsform (ファンズフォルム) is a cancelled action adventure / 3D platformer that was in development by Nihon MMI Technology around 1996, planned to be published on Sega Saturn. The protagonist was a polar bear with a red scarf, exploring a fantasy world inhabited by fairies, in which players could also enjoy many different mini-games.

The only screenshots available seem to be from a pre-rendered mockup, so we don’t know how it would play or how much of the game was done before its cancellation. We speculate Fanzuforumu could have been similar to other 3D platformers of its time, but unfortunately there are not many details about this lost game, just a short preview published in Saturn Fan magazine (issue 22 – 11/1/1996), translated with Google:

“The main character, Adobe Penchade, is a bear drawn in Polygon. The giller manipulates the cartridge, roaming over the field and adventuring into the world of fairy tales. In addition to the main story, you can also enjoy playing with mini games such as exercises and shooting.”

Playstation, Sony

Hot Wheels Driver (Midway) [Playstation – Cancelled]

monokoma
17-12-2021
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Hot Wheels Driver is a cancelled Micro Machines – style racing game that was in development by Midway Games around 1994, planned to be released on the original Playstation. Players would have been able to race their little Hot Wheels toy-cars in different rooms of the house, using power-ups to win against the AI and friends. As far as we know this game was never officially announced by Midway, but some images were published online many years ago by a former developer on his old website (now closed).

In 2001 THQ released a Hot Wheels game for PS1, but it was a different project than this one.

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Others, PC / MAC

Wind Racer (Nadeo) [PC – Cancelled]

monokoma
17-12-2021
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Wind Racer is a cancelled sand yachting racing game that was in development for PC by Nadeo around 2001, before they became a favorite team among fans of arcade racers, thanks to their release of TrackMania in 2003. At the time Nadeo was still trying to find their niche, working on many different prototypes such as Cyberdrive and Lanfeust of Troy to pitch them to different publishers. Wind Racer looked like a fun, sunny beach racer (with items to collect?) and we assume gameplay could have been like a simpler version of TrackMania.

Some fans randomly found out about the prototype projects in 2011, saving a few images before they could have been lost forever. In the end Nadeo was lucky enough to get hired to work on Virtual Skipper 2 and 3, something that helped to keep them alive while waiting to find real success with Trackmania.

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Others, PC / MAC

Armor (Kixeye) [PC – Cancelled]

monokoma
16-12-2021
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Armor is a cancelled tank combat game that was in development for PC by Kixeye between 2013 and 2014. The company is mostly known for top-down MMORTS such as War Commander: Rogue Assault and Vega Conflict, but for Armor they planned a third-person real time online shooter similar to World of Tanks.

Players would have been able to choose between many different tank models, shooting down other players in online battles in huge maps with destructible buildings. In the end Armor was never completed, maybe because it was too different from what the team was used to developing.

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