History of Cancelled and Unreleased Video Games - Part II

Castlevania: Resurrection
Platform(s): Dreamcast
Developer: Konami
Publisher: Konami
Cancelled: 2000

What was it?: A good 3D title has always been been difficult to come by for the Castlevania series, although last year’s Lords of Shadow was a strong effort. After the legendary Symphony of the Night was released on the PlayStation in 1997, Konami naturally expressed great interest in bringing the series to 3D in order to catch up with the rest of the industry. After a couple of mediocre attempts on the Nintendo 64, Konami decided to try their luck on the Dreamcast with Resurrection. Very little is known about the title, other than that the story was to focus on vampire killers Sonia and Victor Belmont prior to the events of the original Castlevania, summoned to fight off the evil countess who has paved the way for the return of Dracula. It was to be very objective-driven with little or no free-roaming adventuring, attempting instead to emulate the success from the action-oriented gameplay of the traditional side-scrolling titles.

What happened?: Art director Greg Orduyan is the only person to shed any light on the doomed fate of the project. He claims that Resurrection was nearing completion when it got the axe in early 2000. There are conflicting reports on just how good the build of the game was: early reports expressed disappointment with the initial demos, but later builds seemed to show some promise. Orduyan gave his own opinion on the project, stating that he felt that the game looked and played better than most Dreamcast titles at the time. Several reasons are cited for the cancellation, such as conflicts between Japanese and American teams that hindered development progress. It seems most likely that Resurrection came under the guillotine due to the impending death of Dreamcast and the imminent launch of the PlayStation 2. In fact, Resurrection was cancelled on the same day that the PS2’s release date was announced, prompting Konami to shift its focus to Sony’s juggernaut.

Will it ever come out?: There isn’t much reason to try to bring this one back to life, although perhaps there is a small chance that it may someday surface as a downloadable game since it was apparently near completion anyway. Konami chose not to port Resurrection to the PS2 because of the steep difficulty in porting a game to another console late in development. Konami has since repeatedly failed at making a solid 3D Castlevania, but 2010’s Lords of Shadow finally offered a worthwhile experience.

Dead Phoenix

Platform(s): GameCube
Developer: Capcom Studio 4
Publisher: Capcom
Cancelled: 2003

What was it?: GameCube owners may recall publisher Capcom’s bold announcement in 2002 that they would bring five exclusive titles to the little purple cube (branded the “Capcom Five”): P.N. 03, Killer7, Resident Evil 4, Viewtiful Joe, and a mysterious flight-action game called Dead Phoenix. Capcom gave very scant details on Dead Phoenix and showed only a single, albeit impressive trailer showcasing the game. Players would control a winged man armed with some heavy weaponry in a huge, open world over a dynamically-changing floating island, battling through hordes of creatures resembling dragons and demons. The protagonist’s arm cannon would continually evolve into different forms of an energy cannon during gameplay, eventually transforming him into a phoenix, hence the title.

What happened?: Nintendo faithful may also remember the disappointment that followed the elation of the Capcom Five announcement: only P.N. 03 remained a GameCube exclusive (and it wasn't very good) while Resident Evil 4, Killer7, and Viewtiful Joe were all eventually ported to PlayStation 2 and Dead Phoenix quietly vanished into vapourware. People were shocked and dismayed when Dead Phoenix failed to appear at E3 in 2003 after the debut trailer created so much buzz a year earlier. As months drifted by with no mention of the game, rumours of cancellation began to circulate. While Capcom would never officially acknowledge that the project was dead, its fate appeared to be sealed by the end of 2003. Further rumours suggested that the title had evolved into the next iteration of Kid Icarus, but such rumours were unfounded.

Will it ever come out?: Dead Phoenix developed a cult following in its short time in the spotlight, many of whom held hope for quite some time that the game would still be released since Capcom never officially cancelled the title. The reality is that with so few details ever being revealed, development probably never progressed very far, and the concept has been long forgotten with no hints of a resurrection.

Sonic X-treme

Platform(s): Saturn
Developer: Sega Technical Institute
Publisher: Sega
Cancelled: 1996

What was it?: Just as every Nintendo console needs a Mario game (or thirty), every Sega console needed a Sonic game. After the success of the Sega Genesis and the subsequent launch of Sonic the Hedgehog as its primary mascot, Sega launched the ill-fated Saturn console, and in 1996 Sonic X-treme was announced as the blue hedgehog’s flashy 3D debut. Gameplay shifted away from the traditional side-scrolling method toward free-roaming 3D environments mixed with fast-paced tube-like areas for Sonic to cruise through. Sonic X-treme was supposed to utilize a “fish-eye” camera style in order to provide players with a more complete view of the surroundings. It is also alleged that there were to be four playable characters: Sonic, Tails, Knuckles, and a new character named Tiara; each with his or her own unique gameplay styles and abilities. There were apparently to have been six new stages and a final boss stage, and Sonic was to be equipped with an arsenal of new moves that allowed to him throw rings as weapons and execute a downward dash.

What happened?: X-treme actually began development on the Genesis, but then moved to the Sega 32X add-on and eventually to the Saturn for its more powerful technology. There is a long and complicated history of drama and technical difficulties for the development of Sonic X-treme. The game changed platforms and underwent a change in game engines, key members of the development team were either removed from the project or left, and a lack of manpower strained the development team. Add in the fact that there was a lot of miscommunication between Sega executives and the development team, Sonic X-treme had quite a stressful development cycle. Aiming for a Christmas 1996 release, game designer Chris Senn became seriously ill while pushing exceedingly hard to complete the title before the deadline, causing further delays. Inevitably the game would miss the December ’96 release date. Sega decided to nix the project early in 1997, opting to port Genesis game Sonic 3D Blast to the Saturn instead. An attempt was made by an ex-member of the team to make Sonic X-treme into a PC title, but this idea was also shot down.

Will it ever come out?: Obviously it is much too late for a commercial release, and the game was never completed to a point where it is likely to ever become a downloadable title. There are internet bootlegged versions available for download off the internet, although they are only very primitive versions of the game.

StarCraft: Ghost

Platform(s): PlayStation 2, GameCube, Xbox
Developer: Nihilistic Software, Swingin' Ape Studios
Publisher: Blizzard Entertainment
Cancelled: 2006

What was it?: Rooted in Blizzard’s StarCraft universe, better known as the setting for the 1998 strategy title, Ghost aimed to please console gamers as a third-person action title, giving players a more intimate experience with the creatures and vehicles featured in StarCraft. Players would take control of protagonist Nova, a young woman whose family is murdered, triggering a violent eruption of her mental powers that kills hundreds. She is then taken in and broken down into a ghost agent, but little else was ever made known about Nova’s motivation in Ghost. The gameplay was to feature plenty of gunplay with a variety of unique advanced gadgets and weaponry, hand-to-hand combat, some vehicular combat, and stealth elements. Nova also had psionic abilities at her disposal, as well as an athletic prowess that allowed her to perform acrobatic manoeuvres like traversing ledges, hanging and swinging from pipes, and sliding down ziplines. Ghost was to feature an ambitious multiplayer component that focused on team-based gameplay through traditional game types like deathmatch and capture the flag, as well as original game modes. The aim was to give players an on-the-battlefield perspective of the StarCraft battles experienced in the strategy game.

What happened?: Development of StarCraft: Ghost began way back in 2001, and was revealed to the public in 2003. The title made appearances at E3 in both 2003 and 2004, garnering high praise from the majority of the press lucky enough to get their hands on it. To everyone’s surprise however, after several delays developer Nihilistic Software was pulled off the project in 2004. Blizzard put newly-acquired developer Swingin’ Ape Studios on the project and it reappeared at E3 2005, but failed to impress attendees due to its general lack of polish. The GameCube version of the game was canned, with the console’s lack of acceptable online capabilities cited as the primary reason for the cancellation. Xbox and PlayStation 2 versions would soon meet the same fate however, as the game was put on indefinite hold in early 2006. The game has never been officially cancelled, but little has been heard about the project in the last five years.

Will it ever come out?: While StarCraft: Ghost has never actually been cancelled, most gamers and gaming media have written off the possibility of the game resurfacing. However, as recently as a couple of years ago Blizzard outright refused to acknowledge the death of the once highly-anticipated title, so it seems there might remain at least some appetite from the company to make Ghost a reality someday. It would certainly require a complete makeover since technology has evolved greatly since its last appearance in 2005, so don’t expect it anytime soon if you’re still holding out hope for a revival.

The Lost

Platform(s): PlayStation 2, Xbox
Developer: Irrational Games
Publisher: Crave Entertainment
Cancelled: 2002

What was it?: The PlayStation 2 was a haven for horror games, and The Lost was supposed to be one of the headliners (it was also supposed to come to the Xbox). Players would control protagonist Amanda, a distraught young woman who has lost her only daughter in a tragic car accident. Amanda makes a desperate deal with the devil that would permit her to descend into hell to retrieve the soul of her deceased child. Influenced heavily by Dante’s The Divine Comedy (Dante’s Inferno), players could transform the main character into different playable “Entities” (Light, Shadow, Instinct, Corruption), each one of which would offer unique abilities and distinctive physical appearances that aid her in traversing the dark corridors of hell. Shadow offered special stealth abilities, Corruption enabled the use of powerful damaging magic, Instinct turned Amanda into a close-quarters combat specialist, and Light allowed her to use defensive and healing spells.

What happened?: Developer Irrational Games seemed to struggle with The Lost throughout its development. It has been suggested that the concept proved too ambitious for the inexperienced team’s abilities, which may seem surprising when considering the studio’s more recent work on classics like BioShock and SWAT 4. The game changed graphics engines during development, and while media were impressed with the direction the title was headed, demos of the game often sported shaky framerates and clunky controls. Publisher Crave Entertainment also changed its publishing model from a traditional model into a budget model mid-development, which caused more friction in the development. Some legal issues began to arise until the plug was finally pulled before the game could be completed.

Will it ever come out?: In a strange twist of fate, a company from India called FXLabs bought the rights to The Lost, and actually released a completed build of the game in India on the PC. The title was changed to Agni: Queen of Darkness and the art style was changed, but the core story and gameplay elements remained relatively intact. Sparse reviews seem to indicate that it is actually a pretty decent game. FXLabs has another version of the game titled Inferno on their website, perhaps indicating a western release might be in the cards, but there is no indication of when or if the game will ever become available in other territories. Meanwhile, developer Irrational Games has gone on to bigger and better things (including the upcoming BioShock Infinite), so don’t expect them to have any further involvement with this project.

True Fantasy Live Online

Platform(s): Xbox
Developer: Level-5
Publisher: Microsoft Game Studios
Cancelled: 2004

What was it?: There were two Holy Grails for the original Xbox: a massively-multiplayer online RPG, and a game that would bring attention to the Xbox in Japan, a region where the big black box was selling miserably in comparison to the rival PlayStation 2 and GameCube. True Fantasy Live Online was meant to provide an answer to both. Set in a cel-shaded fantasy world, players would assume roles as both common citizens and grand adventurers. After creating your own unique character and heading online to join thousands of other players, you would be able to choose from different professions, join guilds, buy and decorate your house, and interact with other players’ characters. While there would always be plenty of activities to indulge in around town, players could also join up with up to nine other people and go out adventuring. Classes and professions could combine to give each character unique abilities, allowing for numerous gameplay options (ie. Mage/Chef vs Mage/Shop Owner, etc). The goal was to create an experience that emphasized both basic lifestyle aspects as well as classic RPG adventuring in an MMO environment.

What happened?: TFLO was among the most highly anticipated Xbox titles from the time it was announced in 2002 until the project was cancelled in 2004. Despite high praise from those who had the opportunity to get their hands on the game, development was allegedly plagued with difficulties. Developer Level-5 apparently had difficulty implementing vital online elements like network coding and voice chat. Level-5 and publisher Microsoft apparently had severely conflicting fundamental aspirations for the game that ultimately spelled its demise: Level-5 struggled to meet the intense demands of Microsoft, and Microsoft became frustrated with the developer’s lack of progress. Initially slated for release in late 2003, it was quietly delayed into 2004. Shortly after the E3 conference in 2004 where the game was suspiciously absent, Microsoft officially announced its cancellation despite allegedly being near completion.

Will it ever come out?: Six years have passed since TFLO was cancelled, and much has changed within the industry over that time. MMOs are becoming increasingly popular and more feasible than in the early days of online console gaming, and Microsoft continues to search for ways to increase their presence in Japan. Both Level-5 CEO Akihiro Hino and former GM of Microsoft Game Studios Shane Kim have expressed interest in realizing TFLO, perhaps even on the Xbox 360. While the original project is definitely dead, it is not unlikely the concept may be revisited, especially considering that it is among the most highly-anticipated games ever to fail to reach store shelves.

Read the other parts of our unreleased games feature:
Part I

Written by: Mike Glubish

View the original article here