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New Cancelled Games & Their Lost Media Added to the Archive

The Unseen 64 Podcast is only in Italian, sorry!

U64 Podcast: Episodio 1.4 – Sonic Xtreme 3° parte [32:37] Eccoci finalmente all’ultimo episodio della podcast dedicato alla leggenda di Sonic Xtreme, per concludere la discussione sul progetto e mettere un po’ di ordine alle tante informazioni di cui abbiamo parlato nelle scorse puntate. Una mezzoretta in compagnia dello staff ormai stanco e poco sveglio, per ascoltare la triste storia del team impiegato per 16 ore al giorno nel tentativo di finire Xtreme, la richiesta dell’engine 3D di Nights, il rifiuto di Naka, la malattia di Coffin, la fiducia di Sega Of America, la cancellazione definitiva del progetto Sonic Saturn, i collegamenti con il cartone animato, la sostituzione con Sonic 3D Blast, i misteriosi livelli bonus di Sonic 3D Poll, le palle di Sonic, le lezioni di economia aziendale del sig. Bakka, la filosofia giapponese dello sviluppo videoludico, Sonic e la lotta contro il tempo, l’eredità del progetto Xtreme, il rilascio online del prototipo giocabile, le crudeli lotte fra i Sonic fans, la rinascita di Xtreme nel Project S, l’utopica questione delle beta rilasciate su WiiWare e le aggiunte a Pokemon Snap, le rivelazioni segrete di un Nintendaro fallito e il cambio di personalità di un giovane Segafan. Un degno finale per una podcast con poco ordine. >> U64 Episodio 1.4 – Download Versione in MP3

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Playstation, Sony

Crash Bandicoot 2 [PSX – Beta]

monokoma

21-07-2008

4 Comments

Crash Bandicoot 2: Cortex Strikes Back is a platform game and the sequel to Crash Bandicoot. It was developed by Naughty Dog and published by Sony Computer Entertainment for the PlayStation video game console and released in 1997. [Info from Wikipedia]

In the beta screens and videos there are some interesting beta stuff that were removed or changed: 3 levels that are shown (one with snow, the space one and another one in the sewer) are not used in the final version, while the warp room was really different from the one that we played. Even the HUD was changed (similar to the one from the first game), there was a Jetpack enemy (removed), a couple of animations and the design of some of the levels (like in the Turtle Woods) were not like the final version. For more informations you can check the Crash Mania website, that has donate these images for the U64 Archive! Thanks a lot to HPZr :)

In the second video below, OKeijiDragon noticed some more differences:

From what can be made out, the video shows vast differences compared to the final. Most of the levels layouts shown don’t resemble anything we know, except maybe the Jet Pack levels. Details include Crash 1’s HUD, and Easy / Hard poll in the middle of a Road to Ruin-like level, suggesting alternate routes were planned for levels.

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Nintendo, Nintendo DS

Lunar Knights [DS – Beta / Concept]

monokoma

20-07-2008

No Comments

Lunar Knights, known in Japan as “Bokura no Taiyō: Django & Sabata” and abbreviated Boktai DS, is the fourth title in the Boktai series of games developed by Kojima Productions. The ultimate goal in Lunar Knights is to destroy a number of boss vampire enemies, in which the basic mission is to defeat each of them in their respective dungeons. [Info from Wikipedia]

In some of the old screens, we can see a couple differences in the beta-HUD: the feather and the energy bar (for Lucian) had a different color than the final version. In the original artwork, we can even see some unused or different character design. In the video, there are some odd parts: the sword of Lucian looks smaller than usual and the transformations dont have a time limit (probably it’s just not showed on-screen).

Beta HUD:

Final HUD

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Videos:

Others, PC / MAC

Ultima Worlds Online: Origin [PC – Cancelled]

U64 Staff & Contributors

19-07-2008

2 Comments

Ultima Worlds Online: Origin – originally titled Ultima Online 2 – was to be the first sequel to the popular 1997 Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Game Ultima Online. Origin Systems revealed that they were developing Ultima Online 2 in September 1999 for release within a year or two, but development was cancelled in March 2001.

The game was to be set in Sosaria but in an alternate timeline where a cataclysm has collided the past, present and future of Sosaria into a single world, thus bringing Industrial Revolution and steampunk elements to the medieval fantasy world. Players would be able to choose from three playable races. Ultima Online 2, billed as a “2nd generation MMORPG”, was to improve upon Ultima Online and previous MMORPGs. The most noticeable advancement was the competitive 3D engine that replaced Ultima Online’s aging isometric view. The design also changed several aspects that players voiced dislike for in the first one. In Ultima Online 2, player vs. player combat was to be disabled by default (except in special areas, such as arenas). The title also would have emphasized grouping, including groups of 20-30 players, and reduced the ability of single players to become all-around grand-masters (i.e., prevent the notorious “tank-mage” characters that appeared in Ultima Online).

In March 2001, Electronic Arts, the parent company of Origin, announced that development on Ultima Worlds Online: Origin would cease in order to provide additional support for Ultima Online. Shortly after, EA announced it had laid off 200 employees including some at Origin Systems. EA feared that it would compete for subscribers with Ultima Online, which was still profitable and not showing signs of slowing down. About one-third of the team that worked on Ultima Online 2 joined Destination Games to work on Richard Garriott‘s MMORPG, Tabula Rasa.

Just a few years later, history repeated itself when EA cancelled Ultima X: Odyssey in 2004.

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Unseen News

[Unseen Interview] Ruud Van De Moosdijk

U64 Staff & Contributors

18-07-2008

1 Comment

Marshall Leslie has recently played the incomplete release of Corn Buster, but there is very little information available about the game, and few people know of its existence. Marshall has sent a mail to Engine Software to ask if someone who was involved in the development of Corn Buster would have been willing to provide more information concerning the game’s development history, any planned elements for the game, and the reason for its cancellation. Ruud van de Moosdijk, current VP of Development at Engine Software who had an integral part in the development of Corn Buster, was nice enough to answer some of the questions! [Interview by Marshall Leslie] Read the rest of this entry »