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Namco Hometek

Snake Plissken Chronicles (also know as Snake Plissken’s Escape), is a cancelled action game that was in development at Namco Hometek in 2003, for the original Xbox and Playstation 2. The game was based on Snake Plissken, the protagonist (portrayed by Kurt Russell) in John Carpenter’s films Escape from L.A. and Escape from New York. A playable demo was created, but the project was never finished for unknown reasons.

S0me videos from the game were shared online by Neurobellum:

This video shows a functional SNAKE PLISSKEN game built in 2004 by the remaining Dead to Rights 2 staff. Campaign design was complete, storyline was approved by Carpenter, Russell, and Hill, and concept was well underway. The game would have included full particpation by all three, including a completed cyber-scanned version of Kurt. This game was going to rock. Video produced and edited by Mike Kennedy. Music by KMFDM and John Carpenter, remixed by DJSkavenger.
A sequence of key events storyboarded for the campaign mode of the unproduced Snake Plissken’s Escape video game, by Namco. These boards were illustrated by Comic Book legend Chris Warner.
A compilation of Environmental concept art developed for the campaign of Snake Plissken’s Escape, developed for Namco in 2004 before cancellation. Contributing artists included Francisco Ruiz Velasco (Hellboy 2, Pacific Rim) and Tim Tao (Dead to Rights).

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Microsoft, Playstation 2 (PS2), Sony, Xbox

Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay [PS2 / XBOX / PC – Beta]

FreeckyCake

05-08-2009

5 Comments

Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay was originally planned as the direct sequel to Dead to Rights, continuing Jack Slate’s relentless fight against crime. However, Namco Japan’s abrupt shift toward outsourcing first-party titles to external developers led to its unfortunate cancellation. In its place, Namco Hometek brought in WideScreen Games to develop a completely different version of Dead to Rights 2, one that bore little resemblance to the ambitious sequel that was once in the works.

The impact was severe. Gameplay had to be scaled back, the story was rewritten—twice—and core mechanics that were meant to elevate Dead to Rights 2 were heavily downgraded to meet tight deadlines.

Initially, Hell to Pay was meant to follow Jack Slate and his loyal companion, Shadow, as they dove headfirst into a dangerous conspiracy to save Jack’s friend, Preacher Man Jones. As revealed in Game Informer’s November 2003 issue, this version promised a darker, more intense experience. But by the time Dead to Rights 2 resurfaced at E3 2004, something had changed. Jack was no longer on a mission to save his friend. Instead, the narrative mysteriously shifted to protecting a mysterious—possibly blonde—girl. His overall look was also altered.

Then, as the game neared completion, Dead to Rights 2 was no longer planned as a sequel. Instead, the game was rebranded as a prequel. Evidence of its troubled development was everywhere—unfinished combat animations, stripped-down mechanics, and missing environmental effects, all signs that Dead to Rights 2 had suffered from a troubled development cycle.

In the comments, Vincent was right to spot that Dead to Rights: Reckoning was, in essence, the remnants of Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay. It was Namco Hometek’s final attempt to salvage the original sequel’s concept and give players a glimpse of what could have been. Unfortunately, the effort fell short. Only fragments of the original vision made it into the game, while the rest was lost to time.

Below, you’ll find full images from the original Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay alongside those from the E3 2004 version shown separately, allowing you to see firsthand how the game evolved—and how much it changed—throughout development. A documentary video was also made to show you what went behind the scenes of the game’s development.

Thanks to Vicente and Evan Hanley for the contribution!

Edit: 9/2/2025

Images of the original Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay:

Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay (E3 2004):

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