Games That Weren't^®

GTW Highlight No.11: Switching focus to the #SNES in April, we preserved the unfinished Mechanoids 2: The Final Conflict. An early side-scrolling mech fighter planned for 1993. We recovered two prototype builds you can check out and play:

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/04/mechanoids-2-the-final-conflict/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.10: No April Fools when we recovered a full game for a console that never was. Magician’s Apprentice (1993) was for the mythic Multi-System 2 (successor to the Konix Multi-system), and is now emulated + playable thanks to SavourySnaX !

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/04/magicians-apprentice/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.09: In March, we also had a massive discovery with the release of the long-lost god sim Populous for the #NES. A full conversion lost for 33 years – which now you can finally play.

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/03/populous/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.08: A huge surprise in March, when we recovered a previously unknown #NES conversion of Sensible Soccer. A complete conversion that had been missing for 32 years, and which you can now finally play. Go be a goal-scoring superstar hero! ⚽

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/03/sensible-soccer/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.07: In February, we were honoured to give a talk at Retro Collective about Games That Weren’t and 25 years of uncovering unreleased, cancelled, and forgotten games. Here is a link to the full talk: Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.06: One of our final December updates saw unseen screens from the lost Dropzone 2 on the Atari + Commodore64, along with a strange Arcade edition of Dropzone. Also various International Karate protos and IK+ graphical assets too:

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2024/12/archer-maclean-a8-prototypes-and-unused-assets/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.05: Also in December, we revealed early prototypes of Jimmy White’s Whirlwind Snooker, including early PC tests, Atari ST protos. Also showcasing concept artwork + icons from the game – created by the late and great Archer Maclean: Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.04: Last year’s Commodore 64 Christmas update saw the recovery of the unreleased Wacky Races V1, Aladdin’s Cave, Apprentice and 666 games and a lot more. More is on the way for this year’s update – so watch this space! Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.03: Not unreleased, but we took a look last December at rare, never seen IK+ development documents from the late Archer Maclean’s archive, including ideas + graphical concepts that led to creation of the famous fighting game. Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.02: Last December, we released Team SAS prototype for the original #Xbox. 1st person arcade shooter with 4 different characters and several levels to check out. Due for release in 2003, it didn’t make it after issues with the PS2 edition. Continue reading →