I finally finished my english translation of the Zelda: TP beta article, originally written a long time ago by monokoma in italian language. I’m sorry if there are some errors here and there.. if you find any mistakes, just leave a comment and i will edit the text. Thanks!
The second Zelda for the GameCube (and the first for the Wii) had a long development of nearly 4 years, and the final game turned out to be a lot different from what originally appeared in 2004. Some areas and dungeons were removed, while the surviving sections were heavily modified. In this article we will try to analyze the history of the development of TP with the screenshots and the videos available. Read the rest of this entry »
[Warning: this article is just a translation from the original one in italian, there are some “lost in translation” parts, so the original version was more complete, but at least now we have an english version too. If you find some errors or some weird use of the english language, please send us a mail so we can fix them, thanks!]
[original article in italian by monokoma, english translation by Yota]
[Thanks to Evan & Sba sb3002 for the english corrections!]
Beta twilight enemies from the 2004 trailer. Their polygonal models are still inside the game, and you can see them using some GameShark codes.
Beta design of the Gale Boomerang. Also, in the beta you obtained the boomerang inside a chest. In the final version, you get it after beating the monkey boss.
A beta Moblin enemy, completely removed from the game.
The HUD was changed during the development of the game. In the beta version, it seems that it was possible to crouch and possibly crawl using the R button.
A beta cutscene from the 2005 trailer, where Colin crawls through the secret passage that leads in the village’s spring. You can still go through that passage, but the scene was removed from the final game and the player needs to find it by himself.
A beta sumo match from the 2005 trailer. This area was completely removed from the final game. In the occasions in which Link fights the Gorons, none of the battles match the one in this scene. In the final version, the rooms where the old Gorons are found have sumo looking platforms. Perhaps in the beta a sumo battle was necessary to win the key parts.
In this screen from the CDG 2005 video, we can see another interesting scene: Links is escaping from a giant spider, through a dark cave. This scene was removed from the final game, but it was probably just a different Armoghoma Boss Battle from the Temple Of Time. This could even be the boss battle for the removed beta temple, that it was later changed and reused as Armoghoma; infact, in the same video we can see a lot of parts were Link explores the removed dungeon.
The magic bar was still in the game in the pre-release build, as you can see in this screenshot taken from the backcover of the final package. The bar is similar to the one found by using the lantern, only in green. It’s strange that in Twilight Princess there is no magic system to limit how much magic you can use. This image is a proof that in the beta version there was one, or at least they wanted to implement it. As you can see below, there are even more proof of the removed magic system from the game:
A green chu chu jelly. As those who finished the game should know, you can mix the chu chu’s jelly in order to make potions with various effects. The green one is completely useless since the developers removed the magic system from the game. Normally, the green chu chu would recharge some magic. Unfortunately, Nintendo removed the green jelly in the PAL version of Twilight princess.
With the GameShark, you can unlock the magic potion item. It was probably ment to be for sale in the Hyrule stores. [Source: SnakeGuy Album]
Another beta item unlockable with the GameShark: the fire arrows, that could have been enabled with the help of the removed magic system. [Source: SnakeGuy Album]
Black chu chu jelly, unlockable with the GameShark but removed from the final game. [Source: SnakeGuy Album]
Another strange beta item unlockable with the GameShark. It’s very similar to the blue fire of ocarina of time. [Source: SnakeGuy Album]
Yet another beta enemy. it was unused in the game but was left in the memory code. It’s unlockable thanks to the GameShark. It was probably used in the temple of time or in the Twilight palace.
Another strange beta enemy, it could be a different version of the flamed snails. Thanks to Funkymicio for the contribution! [Source: Youindia @ YT]
This is certanly the strangest beta object still in game’s memory. A really odd-looking giant that was probably used just to test the dimensions of the various characters. [Source: Youindia @ YT]
With the gameshark we can even use the beta design of the bombs. They’re much more simple and similar to the ones used in previous games.
A really odd scene, where many gorons create some sort of a super goron. This enemy was removed from the final game. Maybe in the beta this boss blocked the access road to the Death Mountain. [Source: Quartoxuma @ YT]
TimeSplitters 2 is a first-person shooter available for the PlayStation 2, Xbox, and GameCube. The game was published by Eidos and developed by Free Radical Design, a company founded by some ex-Rare members. In February of 1999, 20 months before the release of Perfect Dark, several members of Rare who had worked on GoldenEye 007, including Steve Ellis, Karl Hilton, Graeme Norgate, and David Doak, left to form their own company called Free Radical Design. After they developed the first TimeSplitters, Free Radical Design began work on TimeSplitters 2, with the goal of creating a more fulfilling story mode alongside the Arcade and MapMaker modes. [Info from Wikipedia] In the beta version of the game, there was a different HUD and different design for some of the weapons. You can see a comparison below:
Thanks to Danny33 for the contributions & to Jay for the english corrections!
[Warning: this article is just a translation from the original one in italian, there are some “lost in translation” parts, so the original version was more complete, but at least now we have an english version too. If you find some errors or some weird use of the english language, please send us a mail so we can fix them, thanks!]
[original article in italian by monokoma, english translation by Yota]
[Thanks to Evan & Sba sb3002 for the english corrections!]
This dungeon, first showed in 2004, was either removed or became the Arbiter’s Grounds. Or maybe it was an area created just for testing.
In this screen taken from the 2004 video, we see Link fight a Moblin in the beta dungeon. But the most interesting thing is the fallen fire tourch on the floor. Maybe in the first builds of the game it was possible to interact more with the environment ?
This is the beta Link’s house. As we know, in the released game it is on a tree, as in Ocarina of Time.
It seems likely that it in the beta it was possible to exit from the window of Link’s house, to find a chicken on the roof (maybe to fly to a secret place?)
In an old demo, it was not possible to enter the Link’s house basement without the oil lantern. In the final version you can enter even without any light, but you can not see much in there.
In the demo it was even possible to explore the Ordon river with the canoe.
Another beta screenshot of the Ordon Village, where we can see a scarecrow in the background, that it was later removed, and the lack of the watermill in the Jaggle & Pergie’s house.
In the 2005 demo, the cat that Link needs to catch was spotted on the roof of the shop and not near the river as in the final version.
In another demo, we can see a removed cutscene where Hanch Falls in the river trying to escape from the bees. Update: thanks to Drew we found out that this scene with Fado isnt removed: if you dont hit the hive and wait for the last day, Hanch hits it with a rock and you are able to see this scene!
Originally in the beta hive there were some rupies, while in the final version there are some worms in it.
In the beta Ordon Village there was another hive on the tree near the village chief’s house
In the old demo of the Ordon Ranch minigame, the text for when the goats enter in the barn was different: it said “Yee-Haw” while in the final version it says “Goat In!”.
The final Castle Town has clear differences from the beta. The structure of the houses were very different, and the characters who populated the area were not the same as the final game. Castle Town has undoubtedly had many makeovers before the final version. Nintendo probably improved the look and feel and better organized the space. We did not have reason to believe, however, that any important details were erased; it seems to simply be at an early stage without important features.
Beta Castle Town. We can see that the characters and the houses were different, even if the organization of the streets was almost the same as the final one.
In the Zelda video from the E3 2006, we can see a later beta version of the south part of the city: it is more similar to the final version, but the Goron is in a different position and even the street on the left was moved down.
In the E3 2005 trailer, there were many more ghosts than the final version. We can even see rat’s souls in the Hyrule Castle underground, which in the completed game are showed only much later in the game.
In the E3 2005 trailer, Link seems to escape from the prison through a grate in the wall. In the final game instead, Midna tells Link to dig the prison floor.
Virtual Ocean is a cancelled game from AndNow, the developers team of Ed Annunziata. It was in development for the PC and planned for a Playstation 2 port. In the original press-release for this game we can read: “Leave your human body at the shore when you enter the Virtual Ocean. Mankind is long gone, and the once noisy seas are now alive with the power of whale song. Whales and dolphins have become the new masters of a flooded world, filled with interesting behaviors, artifacts and terrain features to “fly” through and explore. Read more
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