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Unseen News

Blood Will Tell (Dororo) — Beta [PS2]

FreeckyCake
05-02-2025
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Blood Will Tell: Tezuka Osamu’s Dororo (known in Japan as Dororo) is a fantastic hack-and-slash game based on the timeless Dororo manga by renowned author Tezuka Osamu. The game was released exclusively on the PS2, and it sold very well compared to North America and Europe.

The game was originally titled Dororo before being released as Blood Will Tell in America and Europe, as shown in footage from E3 2003. Below are videos that show some differences between the 2003 build and the final release.

The first trailer with the working title Dororo:

The second intended logo and title for the game:

TGS 2003 Gameplay:

Key Differences:

  • Different attack animation for Hyakkimaru
  • Different HP HUD
  • Different attack animation for Dororo
 
Unseen News

Dead to Rights [PS2] — Beta

FreeckyCake
22-01-2025
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Dead to Rights was a fantastic third-person shooter inspired by many Hong Kong and action noir thrillers. The game sold more than 500k copies in its prime and was well-received by critics and players alike. This article takes a trek back to the past, covering some of the changes as seen in the E3 2001 footage.

Some of the changes are the following:

  • Different running animation
  • Different combat moves
  • Different clothes
  • Different environment
  • Special finishing moves are absent from the final game
  • Different HUD for both your HP and weapons
  • Different aim pointer

Images:

Video

 

Unseen News

Kill.Switch [PS2, Xbox, PC] Beta and Cut Content

FreeckyCake
31-12-2024
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Kill.Switch is a third-person shooter developed by Namco Hometek and published by Namco in 2003 for PC, Xbox, PS2, and the Game Boy Advance. The game revolutionized the TPS genre by introducing several groundbreaking concepts that ultimately influenced high-profile titles like Uncharted, Gears of War, and Rainbow Six Vegas.

Despite its influence, Kill.Switch sadly didn’t receive any nominations or awards. However, its legacy is deeply embedded in the DNA of modern third-person shooters.

Before its release, the game underwent several changes, as seen in E3 and beta footage. One striking difference is the HUD, which was originally green instead of blue. In another clip, Nick Bishop—the game’s protagonist—had a different running animation. Additionally, early concept art reveals plans for a female lead character, though this idea was ultimately scrapped.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much information about Kill.Switch’s pre-release development beyond E3 and demo footage, as well as a few bits of trivia. Fun fact: Kill.Switch was supposed to have a follow-up titled The Adversary: City Under Siege. Unfortunately, the project was cancelled around 2004 and never saw the light of day.

Images:

Videos:

A documentary about the inception of Kill.Switch and the cancelled sequel

 

Unseen News

Altered Beast [PS2] – Beta

FreeckyCake
09-12-2024
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Project Altered Beast (commonly known as Altered Beast) was a remake of the legendary game originally released in arcades and on various consoles. The game underwent numerous changes, many of which remain largely undocumented. Luckily for you, this article on Unseen64 attempts to shed light on some of the changes I noticed from both the E3 2003 and 2004 footage.

The HUD (HP and Energy Bar) went through two distinct designs before the final version. The attack animations for the Werewolf and Luke were noticeably different in the E3 2003 and 2004 footage. Additionally, the design of the Wendigo was different in the E3 2003 footage. It seems that much was reworked between the E3 2003 presentation and the game’s 2005 release. However, without access to earlier builds, it’s impossible to determine exactly what was improved and what remained unchanged.

Fun fact: the game was originally developed by SEGA WoW, as noted in both the E3 2003 and 2004 trailers. However, by the final release, there was no trace of the developer’s name. While the exact details are unclear, it’s possible that SEGA WoW was quietly disbanded, and development was transferred to an internal team within Sega of Japan, working in collaboration with Sega Shanghai.

Below are some videos and images of the differences.

A video documenting the making of the game.

 

Unseen News

Sphinx and The Cursed Mummy 2 [PS2] — Shelved

FreeckyCake
25-11-2024
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Sphinx and the Cursed Mummy is a fun 3D action-adventure developed by Eurocom and released by THQ back in 2003 for Xbox, Gamecube and PS2. The game was a critical success with many praising its art style, gameplay, music and story. However, the game didn’t do well sales-wise. Eventually, the game’s sequel was never greenlit by THQ. There were several attempts to make the sequel happen by making a J2ME mobile game, and work on an Xbox 360 port was in development back in 2006-2007 before it was cancelled altogether. Eight Pixels Square, which is comprised of ex-Eurocom employees, tried to make an infinite runner-type game for iPhones, but that one was also cancelled.

Sphinx 2 never got past the concept phase as THQ was not interested in greenlighting the sequel after the game’s disappointing sales. A few sketches were made and that was it.

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Video:

Credit: the Sphinx Community