History of Cancelled and Unreleased Video Games - Part III

Donkey Kong Racing
Platform(s): GameCube
Developer: Rare, Ltd.
Publisher: Nintendo
Cancelled: 2002

What was it?: No, that isn’t a typo, there was indeed to be a successor to the popular 1997 Nintendo 64 racer Diddy Kong Racing. It was, however, to be a significantly different game than its predecessor. Instead of carts or mini-planes, characters would saddle up on the backs of the series’ popular animal friends such as rhinos, swordfish, and ostriches to race through lush jungle environments as well as races in the sky and the sea. The animals could consume food and other items during the race to evolve into fierce, unstoppable brutes of force. Players would need to strategically choose their animal to race with, as each track offered branching routes that only certain animals could utilize. Furthermore, Rare hinted at the possibility of switching animals mid-race. Obstacles like swarms of bees or a school of piranha were added as challenges to slow down competitors during the race. A full roster of characters was never revealed to the public, but Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Tiny Kong, and Taj the Genie were shown as competitors. It seems likely that the rest of the roster was fleshed out primarily by members of the Kong family and other characters familiar to the franchise.

What happened?: When Microsoft purchased developer Rare for a record $375 million in 2002, Donkey Kong Racing was left in limbo. While Rare’s other GameCube title in development at the time, Star Fox Adventures, was permitted to be released on Nintendo’s purple box after the purchase because it was already near completion, Donkey Kong Racing was still early in development and was thus left unfinished. Nintendo retained the rights to the Donkey Kong IP so Rare was unable to shift development over to the Xbox as was done with Perfect Dark Zero.

Will it ever come out?: Very little was shown or even said about the game prior to its cancellation, indicating it was probably still very early in development. If Donkey Kong Racing is ever to be resurrected by Rare, it would have to be on a handheld, due to Microsoft’s ownership of the company that restricts console releases exclusively to Microsoft platforms. Otherwise, a different development studio would have to re-envision the project. Both scenarios seem highly unlikely.

Earthbound 64/Mother 3

Platform(s): Nintendo 64
Developer: HAL Laboratory
Publisher: Nintendo
Cancelled: 2000

What was it?: Intended to be the sequel to the 1995 SNES game Earthbound, Earthbound 64 was going to be a rare breed on the Nintendo 64: a first-party turn-based RPG. Set a decade after the events of Earthbound, the plot followed a cast of 10 playable main characters as they confronted the Pig Army who was attempting to enslave mankind. With fantasy, medieval, and futuristic settings, Earthbound 64 followed a familiar formula of most other RPGs in the gameplay department, with the turn-based battles experienced from a first-person perspective. The game was intended to provide a unique experience for each player, offering multiple methods of conquering obstacles and different consequences for dropping items. Developers claimed the game would take over 40 hours to complete for experienced gamers. It was originally intended to be released for the Nintendo 64 hardware add-on called the N64DD in order to maximize the utilization of technology in the game, but was eventually moved back to the Nintendo 64 cartridge format.

What happened?: Press who were able to see and play early builds of Earthbound 64 were actually thoroughly impressed with the RPG. While the gameplay and story seemed to be progressing well, problems in development may have first been encountered when development was forced back to the Nintendo 64 cartridge after the N64DD hardware was cancelled. The development team was also inexperienced at making 3D games and allegedly struggled with the steep difficulty of developing for the Nintendo 64. The game was delayed several times, causing fan interest to wane due to the excitement for the forthcoming GameCube console. It was finally cancelled in the summer of 2000.

Will it ever come out?: It did already, albeit in an altered form. There was significant interest from several Nintendo executives to salvage Earthbound 64 after its cancellation, including Shigeru Miyamoto and Satoru Iwata, as well as a sufficient appetite from fans to see the title resurrected. Mother 3 was eventually released for the Game Boy Advance in 2006, utilizing many of the gameplay and design features of Earthbound 64 retrofitted for the handheld, albeit with a drastically different visual style. Creator Shigesato Itoi has apparently stated that the GBA version of Mother 3 is vastly different than its N64 counterpart, but details on the actual differences are unclear. Obviously we will never see Earthbound 64 in its original form.

Fear Effect Inferno

Platform(s): PlayStation 2
Developer: Kronos Digital Entertainment
Publisher: (none)
Cancelled: 2003

What was it?: Inferno was to be the third instalment in the critically-acclaimed Fear Effect series and the first on the PlayStation 2. Few details were ever released, although Inferno was said to be based on the best ending one could achieve in the original Fear Effect. One of the series’ sexually-promiscuous protagonists, Hana, is captured by demons disguised as doctors and nurses and taken to an asylum where experiments are performed on her, triggering hallucinations that force her to complete ancient tasks while her friends attempt to get her out. Completion of these challenges would grant Hana the power to escape from her demon captors and rejoin her fellow bounty hunters Deke, Rain, and Glas. The four would later find themselves fighting off the remaining minions of Hell. Based on images and videos of the game, several gameplay changes and additions could be noticed, although the core action-heavy, run-and-gun gameplay remained from previous entries. Players could map separate firearms to the circle and X buttons, allowing for a huge variety of weapon combinations. In addition, evasion moves would be improved, characters could use environmental objects for cover, quick-time events would be utilized during cut-scenes, and a “Fear” meter was added, although its functionality is unknown. Inferno would obviously be the best-looking game in the series, utilizing the cel-shaded technique and pre-rendered backgrounds common to the series, all with a fresh coat of next-gen PlayStation 2 paint.

What happened?: Inferno was first shown at E3 in 2002 and was intended for release later that same year, but details remained scarce throughout its brief lifespan. Eidos Interactive published the first two games in the Fear Effect series, but around the time Inferno was being developed the publisher adopted a more strict quality assurance stance. Rumours suggest that Inferno was one of the first victims of the program, as Eidos initially stated that it wasn’t satisfied with the quality of the game and told developer Kronos to keep working on it before eventually rejecting the game altogether. Kronos pitched the game to other publishers but surprisingly was unable to find any takers. The title was cancelled in 2003 and soon after the developer met the same fate, as all of its other game ideas were rejected by publishers as well.

Will it ever come out?: With developer Kronos long gone and Fear Effect Inferno never having gained any interest from publishers, it is obvious that the project is dead. That being said, Eidos Interactive, now a subsidiary of Square Enix, still has the rights to the Fear Effect franchise so perhaps there will one day be a new Fear Effect game.

This is Vegas

Platform(s): PC, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Developer: Surreal Software
Publisher: Warner Bros. Interactive
Cancelled: 2010

What was it?: Contrary to popular belief, not everything that happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. This is Vegas was to be an open-world game designed to allow players to indulge themselves in the immoral offerings of Sin City, minus the real-life consequences. Players fill the shoes of a man who arrives in Las Vegas with almost no money to his name and looking for a one-night bender to forget his woes. Afterwards, the protagonist decides to build connections and make money to advance his social status while completing other missions to prevent a corporate big-wig from fulfilling his goal of making Vegas a completely family-friendly destination. Obviously gambling would play a major role in the game, offering slots, blackjack, and poker for players to try their hand at. There was even a system that allowed players to cheat in order to gain an edge, although careless use of such a system could warrant a visit from casino security thugs. Beyond the casino floor players could head into clubs where they could go dancing, serve drinks, control the hose for wet t-shirt contests, get into bar fights (featuring an in-depth combat system), or just throw back a few wobbly-pops. Each of these activities was a mini-game of sorts, with various payoffs rewarding your success or punishing your failure. It was even rumoured that players could partake in a male-stripping mini-game. Outside of the casino resorts, driving was another major aspect of the gameplay, although specific details are unknown. Collectibles would be scattered throughout the city along with various side missions in a vast world to explore, featuring many of the real-life Vegas resorts slightly re-imagined due to licensing rights. Initially your character would be staying at sleazy motels, but progression would graduate the player to penthouse suites and luxury cars to cruise the Strip in.

What happened?: It has been reported that initial publisher Midway Games spent up to $50 million on development for This is Vegas. This probably contributed to the company’s crippling financial woes that forced them to file for bankruptcy in 2009, with Warner Bros. Interactive purchasing most of Midway’s assets shortly thereafter, including developer Surreal Software and their title This is Vegas. The game initially had a release date of late 2009, but after the takeover news on the title became extremely scarce. Early in 2010, Warner Bros. announced that there would be significant layoffs at several of their development studios, including Surreal Software. Although This is Vegas has not yet been officially cancelled, the layoffs at Surreal Software combined with the fact that nothing new has been shown in more than a year have led most to believe that the project is dead.

Will it ever come out?: Given that there has never been an official cancellation, there remains a small sliver of hope that This is Vegas may yet resurface, especially given the vast amount of resources that were sunk into its development. However neither Surreal Software or This is Vegas have been heard from since the layoffs in early 2010, suggesting that that the title has either been cancelled or is far from completion.

Thornado

Platform(s): GameCube
Developer: Factor 5
Publisher: (none)
Cancelled: 2002

What was it?: Thornado was intended to be a spin-off of the Turrican game series (although it didn’t utilize the Turrican brand because of legal issues), a 3D shooter inspired by genre leaders like the Metroid, Contra, and Bionic Commando games. Development began for the Nintendo 64 but was later shifted to the GameCube, headed by Rogue Squadron developer Factor 5. Players would be able to play as one of two selectable characters, one a man named Thor and the other a woman, defending the Earth from a destructive invasion from a repulsive and aggressive alien force. While the title relied primarily on heavy action elements, exploration-based gameplay would be present as well. The protagonists could use wind-based attacks, such as tornadoes, that could blow enemies and obstacles out of their way, and also had a grappling hook and an arsenal of other massive guns and weaponry at their disposal. Environments were said to be enormous and richly detailed, ranging from futuristic urban Earth environments to battles in outer space. Thornado was expected to be an early showcase for the power of the GameCube.

What happened?: Thornado was in development for a very a long time, although little was ever shown to the public. A significant amount of development was performed for the Nintendo 64, but Factor 5 decided that its high ambitions for the game would be better suited for the much more powerful GameCube. It is unclear how much development took place on the GameCube, but it is suspected that Thornado was put on the backburner while the studio focused on getting Star Wars Rogue Squadron II: Rogue Leader out in time for the Cube’s launch, and Rogue Squadron III shortly thereafter. Thornado was quietly put on indefinite hold but was never really heard from again.

Will it ever come out?: Press that got to see the brief demo in 2000 were blown away by the game’s intense action and incredible visuals (at the time), so it is a shame that we never got to experience Thornado. It is surprising that so much development would go into a game without ever seeing release, although some elements were said to have been borrowed for the future Rogue Squadron games. Thornado seemed to be forgotten and the US studio for Factor 5 has since closed its doors. The Turrican franchise is hardly relevant anymore, so any kind of resurrection is very unlikely.

Winter

Platform(s): Wii
Developer: n-Space
Publisher: (none)
Cancelled: 2009

What was it?: Winter was a Wii-exclusive survival-horror title from developer n-Space, perhaps best known for their work on the supernatural GameCube shooter Geist. Players step into the shoes of a woman named Mia, who wakes up finding herself in a wrecked ambulance and in the midst of a violent snowstorm in a small town in the Midwest that has effectively cut the town off from the outside world, with no recollection of the events that led her here. Mia would be forced to find warmth and shelter from the frigid temperatures by finding ways to light fires, finding methods to start vehicles and run the heaters, or cut open the belly of dead creatures to utilize their remaining body heat. The rapidly accumulating snow dropped by the storm would present another obstacle, blocking doors and other routes. This isn’t any ordinary severe snowstorm either, as she notices strange creatures stirring within the storm. It is this combination of natural and supernatural elements that would create an exceptionally desperate situation for players. Winter was an attempt by n-Space to give real meaning to the term “survival-horror,” avoiding the recent shift in focus toward action-heavy gameplay in horror titles such as Resident Evil 4. n-Space was also committed to making Winter the best-looking game on the Wii graphically speaking, and to make full use of the Wii’s motion controls.

What happened?: Despite having a small team of barely a dozen people working on the title and only six weeks to get a demo up and running, Winter was met with extremely high praise from publishers and media alike when presented at the Games Developer’s Conference in 2007. Despite the enthusiastic reception, n-Space worked tirelessly for months to find a publisher to support the title, but no one was willing to get behind the project despite its high quality, simply because the Wii was not considered to be a strong platform for games targeted at mature audiences combined with the always-risky proposition of releasing an original IP. Early in 2009, some of the lead talent working on Winter told IGN in an interview that the title was being halted due to the lack of a publisher.

Will it ever come out?: n-Space maintained as recently as 2009 that the team still had a strong desire to finish the game if they could find a publisher. A small team was even assembled in 2009 to improve the old demo with updated graphics and visual effects and to add WiiMotionPlus support, but little other progress has been noted in the past two years or so, leaving prospects looking relatively bleak. It would be a shame to see Winter fall by the wayside, as all early reports indicated that the title featured very solid gameplay and impressive visuals, and the developer was obviously very committed to bringing a rare mature-themed title to the Wii.

Read the other parts of our unreleased games feature:
Part I
Part II
Part IV (Coming Soon)
Part V (Coming Soon)

Written by: Mike Glubish

View the original article here