The "Whatever Happened To...?" Thread

[Greywing]

We've all got at least one game we hear of but then never makes it to store shelves for one reason or another - here's a thread to see if any other AoD'ers know what happened to 'em.

OK, the easy answer to most of the questions to be raised in this thread will be "Because <insert company here> canned development of it", so the real question will be if anyone knows why a games' development ceased and/or it was never released.

My first one is Dead Phoenix. Announced as one of the 'Capcom Five' for the Gamecube <alongside Resident Evil 0, Viewtiful Joe, P.N. 03 and Killer 7>, it seemed to be a Panzer Dragoon-esque on-rails shooter in a fantasy world. It got delayed and delayed and eventually dropped.

Of course, it was the one I was most looking forward to. :sigh:

So, anyone know Whatever Happened To Dead Phoenix?

[BluWacky]

So, anyone know Whatever Happened To Dead Phoenix?

'twas cancelled back in 2003, although I don't think there was ever a reason given for it; I think the cancellation was kept quiet and no official announcement was made about it. However, it's interesting to note that Hiroki Kato, the game's director, moved to work for Clover on Okami and God Hand.

[Mateo_home]

I remember a lot of forgotten announced games. The first is Freak Boy for the N64. Supposed to be the new "Mario" according to Gamepro magazine, but it apparently wasn't.

I also read that Nintendo was going to re-release Metroid II and Kirby's Dreamland 2 for Game Boy Color. I held off from buying them because of this. Probably got canned because the big N decided to focus on GBA instead. Too bad GBC didn't last very long.

And last in the early Gamecube days Mr. Miyamoto announced a planned game called Marionette which he said wasn't going to be an online Mario game based on the pun. And of course a Gamecube version of Kirby Tilt 'n' Tumble which would have connectivity with the GBA adapter. There was also going to be a traditional Kirby game for the Gamecube, but I suppose that didn't come out because of Nintendo's bad habit of abandoning old consoles just to focus on the new ones. I'm still secretly hoping this got pushed to the Wii.

[Johnny]

Frame City Killer. Namco developed 360 game. Was a 3rd person shooter but looked really cool. It was actually one of the games that convinced me to buy a 360 and then, after months of nothing, it was canned :(

Sonic Crackers. Megadrive game which was cancelled but then reworked and released as the mighty Chaotix.

Streets of Rage 4 . Apparently a demo with Yuzo Koshiro music was created and shown so Sega America who rekected the idea as side scrolling fighters were out of fashion at the time. There were also rumours that it's early build is what eventually became Dynamite Deka. Which, as you can see from this clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4hs0omE4zg), seems to be pretty true.

Earthworm Jim PSP. Was looking amazing and then was cancelled for some reason.

No mention of Shenmue III or Duke Nukem Forever yet? :P

[Greywing]

And last in the early Gamecube days Mr. Miyamoto announced a planned game called Marionette which he said wasn't going to be an online Mario game based on the pun.

Isn't this the one that was based on the Gamecube tech demo, that eventually became Mario Galaxies?

Sonic Crackers. Megadrive game which was cancelled but then reworked and released as the mighty Chaotix.

And was this the one that originally had Sonic and Tails joined by a chain?

Streets of Rage 4 . Apparently a demo with Yuzo Koshiro music was created and shown so Sega America who rekected the idea as side scrolling fighters were out of fashion at the time. There were also rumours that it's early build is what eventually became Dynamite Deka. Which, as you can see from this clip (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4hs0omE4zg), seems to be pretty true.

Damn, that would have been awesome. :virgin:

Earthworm Jim PSP. Was looking amazing and then was cancelled for some reason.

Never even heard of this one... Wouldn't have been interested unless there'd been a save option anyway - stupid GBA version... :grr:

No mention of Shenmue III or Duke Nukem Forever yet? :P

Shenmue III is coming out on the 360! :P As for Duke Nukem Forever, a game has to have actually been in development at one stage for it to be cancelled. :D

[Mr. Spiffy-Pants]

I also read that Nintendo was going to re-release Metroid II and Kirby's Dreamland 2 for Game Boy Color.

There are still rumors that Metroid II will take a bow on GBA or NDS. Personally, I hope it's true. I'd like to at least see it on the Wii Virtual Console somehow. The only reason I still own a GBA is so I can play Metroid II.

[Johnny]

There are still rumors that Metroid II will take a bow on GBA or NDS.

Metroid Dread, yeah. 2D Metroid for the DS. You know it'll happen eventually ;)

[Kinomoto_Shinji]

Duke Nukem Forever? ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)

[Mr. Spiffy-Pants]

There are still rumors that Metroid II will take a bow on GBA or NDS.

Metroid Dread, yeah. 2D Metroid for the DS. You know it'll happen eventually ;)

Was Metroid Dread going to be a remake of Metroid II or was it going to be a whole new game? I was under the impression that it was the later.

[Johnny]

Was Metroid Dread going to be a remake of Metroid II or was it going to be a whole new game? I was under the impression that it was the later.


It's a completely new game. Sorry, that's what I meant to make clearer in the first place.

[Nyanyaan]

And another --

The Lost (PS2) -- Was to be an adventure/RPG hybrid game based upon Dante's Inferno. In it you played a young mother who had to decend through the layers of hell to rescue her kidnapped children. From the 01-02 timeframe; was far enough along to have garnered magazine coverage and even a reservable SKU through all the game stores. Then it just went vapor.

[BonifaceVIII]

I still want Full Throttle 2, dammit.

[Chacranajxy]

Was Metroid Dread going to be a remake of Metroid II or was it going to be a whole new game? I was under the impression that it was the later.


It's a completely new game. Sorry, that's what I meant to make clearer in the first place.

Based on one of the scans in MP3 though, yeah, it's going to be finished sometime soon. Which is exciting.

Metroid II though.... I remember that being cool when I was like 6, but... I can say pretty much for a fact that it hasn't held up well. It could be good if they give it a complete overhaul a la Zero Mission, but I can't imagine wanting to play that game as it is now.

I really want to play through Super Metroid now... sigh... it's been a little over 2 years since I last played it, so I s'pose it couldn't hurt to go for another playthrough. Yes!

[ADC]

Based on one of the scans in MP3 though, yeah, it's going to be finished sometime soon. Which is exciting.
Sadly, the folks at Retro Studios said they threw that in just as a nod to the fans, and that they have no true knowledge of Metroid Dread being anywhere near completion. Shame, that; I'd totally buy it even at the premium $34.99 price point.

As for Return of Samus, it would need an huge upgrade, even more than went into Zero Mission, to be a viable game today. But once that was done, I'd find another $34.99 for it.

[mifuneral2]

There was some PS2 title, I forget the name, but you played as a kid in an orphanage or something and you went into a secret fantasy world or something. I know that's incredibly vague so I doubt anyone remembers that. I was all excited about that game but then it never happened. It looked kind of like an adventure/platormer.

[Greywing]

There was some PS2 title, I forget the name, but you played as a kid in an orphanage or something and you went into a secret fantasy world or something. I know that's incredibly vague so I doubt anyone remembers that. I was all excited about that game but then it never happened. It looked kind of like an adventure/platormer.

Do you mean Evil Twin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_Twin:_Cyprien%27s_Chronicles)? Here in Europe, it was released on Dreamcast and PS2.

[Chacranajxy]

Based on one of the scans in MP3 though, yeah, it's going to be finished sometime soon. Which is exciting.
Sadly, the folks at Retro Studios said they threw that in just as a nod to the fans, and that they have no true knowledge of Metroid Dread being anywhere near completion. Shame, that; I'd totally buy it even at the premium $34.99 price point.

As for Return of Samus, it would need an huge upgrade, even more than went into Zero Mission, to be a viable game today. But once that was done, I'd find another $34.99 for it.

Oh, yeah, the design of Metroid II was horrible and always has been. They could make it into a decent game if they threw out the world that they had (perhaps keep the same general locations of the Metroids) and make it something almost entirely new.

This is bugging me. Everytime I think of Metroid now, I think of great moments from Super Metroid. I'm gonna end up playing through that in a single sitting. I knows this.

[HitokiriShadow]

I never got very far in Metroid II. Between the whole thing being shades of green and just everything being mediocre at best, I didn't have much motivation.

A remake would need to be re-done from the ground up with only the very basic storyline remaining the same. I don't recall any real bosses in that game, just a lot of metroids. So it was really repetitive.

[mifuneral2]

There was some PS2 title, I forget the name, but you played as a kid in an orphanage or something and you went into a secret fantasy world or something. I know that's incredibly vague so I doubt anyone remembers that. I was all excited about that game but then it never happened. It looked kind of like an adventure/platormer.

Do you mean Evil Twin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_Twin:_Cyprien%27s_Chronicles)? Here in Europe, it was released on Dreamcast and PS2.


That's it!!!

So, was it any good?

[Greywing]

There was some PS2 title, I forget the name, but you played as a kid in an orphanage or something and you went into a secret fantasy world or something. I know that's incredibly vague so I doubt anyone remembers that. I was all excited about that game but then it never happened. It looked kind of like an adventure/platormer.

Do you mean Evil Twin (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evil_Twin:_Cyprien%27s_Chronicles)? Here in Europe, it was released on Dreamcast and PS2.

That's it!!!

So, was it any good?

I liked it, from the DC version, but not many others did. It had a nice creepy flair to it but the controls were a bit sluggish. Never played the PS2 release though.

[ape2020]

I remember hearing about N.U.D.E.@ Natural Ultimate Digital Experiment (http://www.gamespot.com/video/562256/2882109/nude-natural-ultimate-digital-experiment-trailer-1) for the Xbox and being interested as it was different like Seaman was for the DC. I even remember talk about it coming to the states but then it seem to disappear. I know it got relased in the Japan and I even understand it not making the jump to the US but I did wonder if it ever was going to come here.

What I find most interesting is the fact everything in the trailer was in English and not a hint of Japanese.

-Ape2020

[porkchopexpress]

Fear Effect 3. Where have you gone? :cry:

[JeffDM]

I never got very far in Metroid II. Between the whole thing being shades of green and just everything being mediocre at best, I didn't have much motivation.

A remake would need to be re-done from the ground up with only the very basic storyline remaining the same. I don't recall any real bosses in that game, just a lot of metroids. So it was really repetitive.

Shades of green? It was a black and white game.

I have Metroid II and like the other 2D Metroid games, it seemed to require having access to a guide of some sort. I ended up just getting lost and I simply couldn't find the Metroid that I needed to kill to advance.

[JeffDM]

I remember hearing about N.U.D.E.@ Natural Ultimate Digital Experiment (http://www.gamespot.com/video/562256/2882109/nude-natural-ultimate-digital-experiment-trailer-1) for the Xbox and being interested as it was different like Seaman was for the DC. I even remember talk about it coming to the states but then it seem to disappear. I know it got relased in the Japan and I even understand it not making the jump to the US but I did wonder if it ever was going to come here.

What I find most interesting is the fact everything in the trailer was in English and not a hint of Japanese.


I was thinking of that a few days ago and wondered what happened to it.

[HitokiriShadow]

I never got very far in Metroid II. Between the whole thing being shades of green and just everything being mediocre at best, I didn't have much motivation.


Shades of green? It was a black and white game.


I recall the original Game Boy screens being kind of greenish, but its been a long time since I played one of those things. But I guess it was black and white.

[Mr. Spiffy-Pants]

Technically, it was monochrome. It was various shades of green, however... :) Playing it with a Gameboy Color, GBA, or the Super NES or Gamecube Gameboy adapters added a bit of color, however. About 4 colors total.

[pathos]

Duke Nukem Forever? ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)




When I saw the thread title, that was the first thing that jumped in my head.

The second was Team Fortress. Sadly, I saw where that is STILL being developed recently. Sadly, I don't care anymore.

[Mr. Spiffy-Pants]

The second was Team Fortress. Sadly, I saw where that is STILL being developed recently. Sadly, I don't care anymore.

Team Fortress Classic is my favorite online game. There are currently 2 projects in development - One from Valve, the other from a group of fans. Valve's project, "Team Fortress 2", is a more cartoon-like approach with the same character classes in an exaggerated form. Valve has released a series of mock interviews with characters from the game and it is set to release with Half-Life 2 Episode 2 some time later this year. The fan-made project, "Fortress Forever", takes a more realistic approach based off of the Source Engine. This project has been in beta mode for a while now and, as I've stated to some of my friends, I will not acknowledge it until I have a final copy on my hard drive. The screenshots from both games are very nice and I suspect they are both fun to play, so if you're still holding on to at least a tiny spark of hope, there you go...

[pathos]

The second was Team Fortress. Sadly, I saw where that is STILL being developed recently. Sadly, I don't care anymore.

Team Fortress Classic is my favorite online game. There are currently 2 projects in development - One from Valve, the other from a group of fans. Valve's project, "Team Fortress 2", is a more cartoon-like approach with the same character classes in an exaggerated form. Valve has released a series of mock interviews with characters from the game and it is set to release with Half-Life 2 Episode 2 some time later this year. The fan-made project, "Fortress Forever", takes a more realistic approach based off of the Source Engine. This project has been in beta mode for a while now and, as I've stated to some of my friends, I will not acknowledge it until I have a final copy on my hard drive. The screenshots from both games are very nice and I suspect they are both fun to play, so if you're still holding on to at least a tiny spark of hope, there you go...

heh, there are 2 reasons I don't care anymore. 1, I waited waaaay to long. And 2, I have a hard time playing any first person shooters. Tend to get motion sick if I play more than an hour or so. Sad, but true. I stick to rpgs and fighting games now mostly.

But, we played team fortress (quake) back in the day like there was no tomorrow. Even joined a clan, although I was the suckiest person in the clan :sigh:

Played the Half life version for a while too. Loved it too, although I'll always hold a candle for the original :D

[Chloe]

I still want Full Throttle 2, dammit.

AMEN BROTHER!!!

Damn, I thought I was the only one who liked that game. I mean, come on, it had exploding rabbits! I loved that game... :cry:

[ADC]

Dread's dead (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/06/nintendo-says-metroid-dread-is-dead-at-least-as-2d/). No more 2D Metroid for us in the near future, says the Mother Brain.

[Johnny]

Dread's dead (http://www.joystiq.com/2007/09/06/nintendo-says-metroid-dread-is-dead-at-least-as-2d/). No more 2D Metroid for us in the near future, says the Mother Brain.

Meh, that's what they're saying now. Wait until all the dust settles on Prime 3 and the 2D VC releases. Then they'll release it.

[WRX]

I keep hoping (in vain, I know) that Bungie will make another "Oni" game. It enjoyed the anime style and mix of hand-to-hand and projectile weapons. It even had a decent (for the time, and admittedly cliched) story.

"System Shock 3" would be nice too. There may actually be hope for that now that Bioshock is doing so well....

[Zorak]

I'm still hoping for another Monkey Island game one day.

[MKVarana]

One game that I remember being pretty excited about that never got released was Megaman Anniversary Collection for Gameboy Advance. It was supposed to be a collection of all 5 of the original Gameboy games, but in full color. The rumor going around was that Capcom lost the source code and so it was going to take a long time, then it seemed to disappear completely. Does anyone know any more details than that?

[ADC]

I never heard the rumors about why the MM collection never came out for the GBA, but I'm bummed out that it didn't. Those games were a little bit of all right.

[Mateo_home]

Weird, no mention of Sonic X-treme on the Saturn. Okay, it was canceled, but I forgot why. If this game got released, wonder if more people would have bought one.

Also not a game, but since it has Nintendo in it I thought it would be worth mentioning. Anyone remember reading that Nintendo was going to open their own animation studio a few years ago. If not, then I'm just imagining myself reading these things. :P

[Greywing]

One game that I remember being pretty excited about that never got released was Megaman Anniversary Collection for Gameboy Advance. It was supposed to be a collection of all 5 of the original Gameboy games, but in full color. The rumor going around was that Capcom lost the source code and so it was going to take a long time, then it seemed to disappear completely. Does anyone know any more details than that?

Seems an unlikely reason, since the Gamecube got a Megaman Anniversary collection a couple of years ago...

[Greywing]

Also not a game, but since it has Nintendo in it I thought it would be worth mentioning. Anyone remember reading that Nintendo was going to open their own animation studio a few years ago. If not, then I'm just imagining myself reading these things. :P

You're not imagining it, unless we're sharing delusions. Not sure what happened with the plans though, unless they took over on Pokemon or something.

[ADC]

One game that I remember being pretty excited about that never got released was Megaman Anniversary Collection for Gameboy Advance. It was supposed to be a collection of all 5 of the original Gameboy games, but in full color. The rumor going around was that Capcom lost the source code and so it was going to take a long time, then it seemed to disappear completely. Does anyone know any more details than that?
Seems an unlikely reason, since the Gamecube got a Megaman Anniversary collection a couple of years ago...
It's not a collection of the NES/SNES/PS1 games, it's a collection of the GB games. Completely different stuff. (Having said that, they should put the "set-top" collection on the DS.)

[Mr. Spiffy-Pants]

Team Fortress Classic is my favorite online game. There are currently 2 projects in development - One from Valve, the other from a group of fans. Valve's project, "Team Fortress 2", is a more cartoon-like approach with the same character classes in an exaggerated form. Valve has released a series of mock interviews with characters from the game and it is set to release with Half-Life 2 Episode 2 some time later this year. The fan-made project, "Fortress Forever", takes a more realistic approach based off of the Source Engine. This project has been in beta mode for a while now and, as I've stated to some of my friends, I will not acknowledge it until I have a final copy on my hard drive. The screenshots from both games are very nice and I suspect they are both fun to play, so if you're still holding on to at least a tiny spark of hope, there you go...

Speak of the devil...

Last Thursday, Fortress Forever was released. It's quite fun if you enjoyed the original TFC and I highly recommend it! :)

I especially love the new spy cloaking ability...

I = SNEAK :>

[Foxfossil]

I know a game I have not heard anything about in quite a long while is Starcraft Ghost. I keep wondering is it ever going to be released or have they just canned it for the console. The only vague thing I have heard is a PC release.

[broodwars]

I know a game I have not heard anything about in quite a long while is Starcraft Ghost. I keep wondering is it ever going to be released or have they just canned it for the console. The only vague thing I have heard is a PC release.

The game seems to have been shelved permanently, "indefinitely postponed" in Blizzard's own words.

http://xbox.ign.com/articles/698/698434p1.html

It's not like that's a huge loss anyway...all the media I've seen of the game points to the design team not really knowing what they wanted to do with Ghost.