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Inevitably, some videogames are conceived, announced, developed, and demoed before being sent to the chopping block. Publishers go under, development teams get fired, and ideas are scrapped because they're too risky or too mundane. But some games we hardly knew about at all. The press never got to try a preview, and in some cases the ideas only existed on paper. Here are 10 canceled games that barely existed:
Six Days in Fallujah
http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2009/04/fallujahgamekonami.html
After they were approached by a few Marines, Atomic Games set out to tell the story of the soldiers who fought in the bloody Second Battle of Fallujah in a medium that could reach younger audiences. The developers reportedly spoke to Iraqi insurgents as well. Six Days in Fallujah looked like a typical first-person war shooter for the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3, but whether the game would simply entertain or strive for a deeper impact was up for debate.
Evidence: Two news stories popularized the game's existence, but no hands-on time was available.
What Happened: A videogame about the Iraq War is bound to stir controversy. No matter how noble the game's intentions, it was hard for some veterans to see it as more than simple entertainment. Konami caved to the pressure and dropped its support.
Consolation: Atomic Games still wants to make the game, so there is still a chance that another publisher will pick it up.
Winter
http://au.wii.ign.com/articles/946/946492p1.html
Alone on the outskirts of a snowy town, Mia wakes up in the back of a wrecked ambulance with no idea how she got there. As she moves towards civilization, she becomes aware of monsters that seem to be traveling with a brutal winter storm. In fact, the weather is just as dangerous as the evil lurking alongside it, threatening to freeze her to death and transforming her surroundings with snow and ice. Winter took a detour from the typical family-friendly fare of the Wii.
Evidence: The development team, n-Space, Inc., has concept art and gameplay footage, but no one in the press has played the game.
What Happened: It's the classic story of a unique concept getting crushed by a risk-averse industry. Winter's developers claimed that publishers showed interest until their marketing groups weighed in.
Consolation: Wii owners will have to wait for something this compelling, but Silent Hill is a decent alternative for isolationist frights.
Stormbirds
http://www.videogamenews.com/Home/tabid/36/ctl/ArticleView/mid/625/articleId/1184/THQs-canceled-game-stormbirds-concept-art-and-trailer-leaked.aspx
Aerial combat games, rare enough as they are, tend to get bogged down in the technicalities of flight and fail to convey the thrill of tearing through the air. Stormbirds' futuristic setting looked like a playground for fast action with unique-looking planes, skies filled with the enemy, and colorful environments to play through.
Evidence: A CGI trailer and concept art leaked after the game's demise and before it was even announced.
What happened: In a since-removed blog post, Juice Games artist Greg Calvert said THQ had "deemed the project too high risk" and laid off the whole development team.
Consolation: The recently released H.A.W.X. does away with some of the dominant Ace Combat series' technicalities, but as a game it's decidedly average.
Cry On
http://www.1up.com/do/gameOverview?cId=3146499
The fingerprints of Final Fantasy creator Hironobu Sakaguchi and music composer Nobuo Uematsu were enough to give Cry On street credibility. This action role-playing game for the Xbox 360 starred a young heroine named Sally who befriends one of the giant sand creatures that also populate the game's world. Players would experience the game from both characters' perspectives.
Evidence: Cry On appeared to exist on paper only. It was announced at the AQ Interactive conference in 2005 and some artwork was shown (http://www.rpgamer.com/news/Q4-2005/122105a.html). There are no screenshots or videos, and nothing to play.
What Happened: AQ Interactive canceled the game last Christmas "after analyzing the current market environment and forecasts for the future."
Consolation: Two other Xbox 360 ventures from Sakaguchi, Lost Odyssey and Blue Dragon, managed to see the light of day.
Fear and Respect
http://www.gamespot.com/ps3/action/fearrespect/index.html
This multiplatform shooter was supposed to star the rapper Snoop Dog as he fought rival gangs in South Central Los Angeles. John Singleton, director of Boyz N the Hood and 2 Fast 2 Furious, got involved as well and had planned to make a movie based on the game. Features included a reputation system and faithful representation of Compton, Watts, and Crenshaw.
Evidence: Some scarce details and a feature list were sent out before the game's cancellation, followed by screenshots and a trailer after it got the axe.
What Happened: Midway canceled the game in 2006 because the genre was crowded. A venture with Snoop and Singleton was said to remain in play, but that was three years ago, and Midway is now bankrupt.
Consolation: There's always Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas and 50 Cent: Blood On the Sand.
American McGee's Oz
http://www.gamespot.com/pc/action/americanmcgeesoz/index.html
Simply put, McGee wanted to darken L. Frank Baum's world of witches and munchkins in the same way that he turned Lewis Carroll's Alice into a macabre horror show. The game would have been a prequel to the original Land of Oz stories, taking place in a fantasy world torn apart by war.
Evidence: Oz never made it past conceptualization. Only a couple of rough images exist.
What Happened: Publishers weren't willing to take the risk, so the game never went into development. McGee once announced that he would try to make a movie first, but that didn't pan out either.
Consolation: McGee is working on a sequel to Alice. Also, Gregory Maguire's novel Wicked reimagine's Oz's early days with a mature flare.
Factor 5's Superman Game
http://kotaku.com/5167143/what-factor-5s-superman-once-looked-like
Videogames based on the Superman franchise do not have a stellar track record. The latest, based on the movie Superman Returns, was bad, and Superman 64 is regarded as one of the worst games ever made. Factor 5's version, which was supposed to see an Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 release, at least looked good.
Evidence: A couple of screenshots and a 15-second concept trailer hinted at what might have been.
What Happened: The game's publisher, Brash Entertainment, went out of business, taking Factor 5's Superman with it.
Consolation: Taito's arcade version of Superman from 1988 was kind of fun, even if it features two Supermen and little resemblance to the comic books.
Aliens RPG
http://www.giantbomb.com/aliens-rpg-working-title/61-20473/
Like many of the games on this list, there's little information available regarding Aliens RPG. However as the name suggests, players would presumably fight the Xenomorph (or perhaps play as one) while building experience and skills. The game was scheduled for a 2009 release for the PC and "next-generation" consoles.
Evidence: An announcement in December 2006 said Aliens RPG would "build upon the distinctive look and feel of the original films while utilizing next-generation technology to create an entirely different and unique Alien experience."
What Happened: Sega never officially confirmed the game's demise, but an employee at developer Obsidian Entertainment listed a "canceled third-person action Aliens RPG" in his LinkedIn CV.
Vectorman 64
http://ps2.ign.com/articles/441/441671p1.html
A response to the high-tech renderings of Donkey Kong Country for the Super Nintendo, Vectorman found success as a challenging run-and-gun platformer starring a character constructed of adaptable spheres. A version of the game for the PlayStation 2 was to feature shooting, jetpacks, and throwable objects.
Evidence: A gameplay demo showed the eponymous character blasting enemy robots and knocking crates around.
What Happened: The exact reasons why are unknown, but Sega disclosed to IGN in 2003 that the game was not to be.
Consolation: For a last-generation shooter involving inter-robot conflict, try Metal Arms: Glitch in the System.
Sim Mars
http://pc.ign.com/articles/132/132191p1.html
http://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/07/sim-mars-pc-unreleased/
Maxis, the developers of the iconic Sim series of games, convinced NASA to help create a game allowing players to colonize Mars. Using high-tech landers along with scientists and engineers, a small bubble on the Red Planet could be converted to a sustainable habitat for humans.
Evidence: An interview-based IGN story, complimented by some concept sketches, paints only a vague picture of this futuristic simulation game.
What Happened: Maxis' wild success with The Sims killed Sim Mars, as the studio converted all its efforts into capitalizing off Will Wright's golden franchise, along with other yet-unnamed projects.
Consolation: An arcade game in The Sims: Vacation is called Sim Mars. Plus, there's always Spore's Space phase.
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