Cancelled: Top 10 Video-Games That Could Have Been

[NoUseMercenary]

Cancelled: Top 10 Video-Games That Could Have Been

Source

One of the downsides to the gaming industry is that not all visionary and unique games see the light of day. Many times developers have to shut down due to financial needs, move to other projects, or are bought out and have to shelve the idea or toss it completely. Some developers only needed a publisher to front retail and marketing dollars and in return providing something creative or visually advanced for its time. Other studios just met the dark-side of early PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 development costs and had to shut down entirely, selling IP's and technology to other studios at auction prices.

To highlight some of the best titles that "could have been," explore the vaporware graveyard compiling your favorites alongside screenshots, gameplay videos, and tech demos. These are all titles (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) that surpassed conceptual stage and had a chance at full development and release. What are some of your favorite cancelled games?



List Includes:

- Project Offset
- Battlefront 3 / IV
- Wardevil
- City of Metronome
- Elveon
- Road Rash
- The Getaway 3
- Final Fantasy Fortress

 

[Diamond.G]

Cancelled: Top 10 Video-Games That Could Have Been

Source

One of the downsides to the gaming industry is that not all visionary and unique games see the light of day. Many times developers have to shut down due to financial needs, move to other projects, or are bought out and have to shelve the idea or toss it completely. Some developers only needed a publisher to front retail and marketing dollars and in return providing something creative or visually advanced for its time. Other studios just met the dark-side of early PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 development costs and had to shut down entirely, selling IP's and technology to other studios at auction prices.

To highlight some of the best titles that "could have been," explore the vaporware graveyard compiling your favorites alongside screenshots, gameplay videos, and tech demos. These are all titles (PS3, Xbox 360, PC) that surpassed conceptual stage and had a chance at full development and release. What are some of your favorite cancelled games?



List Includes:

- Project Offset
- Battlefront 3 / IV
- Wardevil
- City of Metronome
- Elveon
- Road Rash
- The Getaway 3
- Final Fantasy Fortress

I totally forgot about The Getaway 3. One of the more jaw dropping reveals when the PS3 was first announced.

 

[assen]

...And that banner image is from Crytek's Kingdoms, not any of the projects mentioned above?

 

[Acert93]

...And that banner image is from Crytek's Kingdoms, not any of the projects mentioned above?

I am pretty sure that was Project Offset. Their site links in Google redirect to Intel now from the googles I did but sites that had announcements still have pic archives that have that among the pics:

http://www.psu.com/Project-Offset---g225.php

 

[assen]

You are right. Here are the Project Kingdoms ones I was thinking about:

http://maciejkuciara.com/professional.html

 

[Rodéric]

Outcast 2.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

You get my vote for Battlefront 3. Loved SWBF on PS2, and the leaked stuff for SWBF3 looked extremely promising and well progressed. What a wasted opportunity that was.

 

[I.S.T.]

In a way, Van Buren should be on this list if we're including PC...

 

[upnorthsox]

I'd add:

Eight Days

And for postponed beyond this gen:

Beyond Good and Evil 2

And I hate to say it, but until I see some real proof:

The Last Guardian

 

[Mobius1aic]

I remember Wardevil very well from E3 2005. It looked promising, but the idea of such graphics at 1080p on current consoles is just silly, knowing what we know now.

I've never heard of City of Metronome. Looks very French (and I assume it is), reminding me of the movie Triplets of Belleville.

 

[Laa-Yosh]

Wardevil was a farce, all the stuff seen from it pre-rendered (perhaps in-engine but definitely not realtime). There was no game behind it, just a small team of artists putting together a techdemo with - IMHO - totally uninspired visual design.

Project Offset had good tech and good artists, but I wasn't sure about the game underneath it either.

 

[Shifty Geezer]

I thoguht Project Offset looked very promsing. The idea of a fantasy FPS is at least original. The engine showed promise, althoguh how realistic it was I don't know. Someone probably should be creating a fantasy shooter if Offset is being canned!

 

[Billy Idol]

Well, imo eight days seemed to be the best game in the world...how said

 

[Laa-Yosh]

Well, imo eight days seemed to be the best game in the world...how said

Too bad it was all pre-rendered CG. Sorry to ruin your illusions.

 

[upnorthsox]

Too bad it was all pre-rendered CG. Sorry to ruin your illusions.

Actually their problem was not enough CG (for what they showed at least)

[YT]9eSoOZFyTmI[/YT]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9eSoOZFyTmI&feature=related

 

[Dominik D]

Wardevil was a vaporware from the very beginning. There are few games that are less real than this. Only Sadness comes to mind actually. ;> I loved the ideas behind both Project Offset and Elveon. Too bad these games have never came to be.

 

[Nesh]

What about Killing Day?

 

[AzBat]

Here are some Xbox 360 games that I was interested in but got cancelled:

Halo: Chronicles from Peter Jackson
Halo MMO
The Dark Knight game from Pandemic
Two Finger Heroes from Arkedo Studios

Tommy McClain

 

[Mobius1aic]

What about Killing Day?

I was about to mention that one

It's obviously a tech demo but next to Killzone I considered it as interesting. The guy they show close ups for is probably the best looking of all the CGI tech demo virtual characters shown at E3 2005.

 

[Akumajou]

I'm actually disappointed in how they just did not try to make sequels for the hugely selling Battlefront series of Star Wars games and just wasted theirs (and ours) time developing The Force Unleashed series with its hugely overhyped and awful story and even more god awful gameplay.