Unreleased & Cancelled Video Games across many platforms.
Welcome to Games That Weren't!
We are an Unreleased and Cancelled Video games archive with prototypes, developer history and assets for many computers and consoles of all ages. A non-profit large archive dedicated to preserving games that were never released to the public. Sharing history and stories from the developers, assets and more before it is too late. GTW has been preserving video game history since 1999.
Creatures 1 and 2 were two fantastically cute, but violent titles from Apex Computer Productions, and published by Thalamus during the early 1990s. So popular, it was decided to convert Creatures to the the Amiga and ST, with a a ZX Spectrum version muted and never released.
The first game was converted to the 16-bit platforms by Wayne J. Smithson Design (or W.J.S for short), coded by Philip Watts, with graphics by Noel Hines and music by Tim Bartlett. Unfortunately the game didn’t fare as well as the C64 original, and had just above average reviews in general. Continue reading →
Only recently has GTW made a surprise recovery of an abandoned Commodore 64 development of Denton Design’s classic Wreckers, though more famous is the ZX Spectrum 128k edition which was promised in 1991, but would never see the light of day.
This is odd considering that the game was fully reviewed by Crash magazine in May 1991, but then something seemed to happen behind the scenes which prevented a release. And it was a decent review too – perhaps a swan-song for the platform from the Denton Design greats.
A few issues later, Crash were reporting that the game hadn’t been released yet. Your Sinclair also gave a preview of the game in May, but oddly no review at all. It wasn’t until much later in October of 1991 that Your Sinclair were reporting that the game was due out in September now. Continue reading →
Also known as: A.T.A.C: Advanced Tactical Air Command – The Secret War Against Drugs
MicroProse’s flight sim, A.T.A.C: Advanced Tactical Air Command was previewed for the Amiga in various magazines back in 1992, but was sadly only to get a DOS release in the end. It seems that the PC edition was released first, and an Amiga conversion was following. The developers were none other than Argonaut, who had a rich history with 3D developments.
Described as a simulation/strategy game, the title sees you as a Supreme Commander of an entire anti-drugs campaign. At your disposal are an entire army of undercover infiltration agents, two fully armed attack helicopters, four F22 stealth fighter/bombers and a secret base tucked away in South America. Continue reading →
Not a massively early version as such, but contributor Bruce Coates has highlighted that the Commodore User review of Target Renegade seems to have the baseball bat as a weapon in the other levels in the game.
In the version released, it seems that you can only pick up a baseball bat on the first level – and such pick ups don’t exist from that point on. In the CU review, there is even suggestion of being able to pick up a stick as a dropped weapon. Continue reading →
OK, so not as big an update as last month, but still a sizable one none-the-less, and with two very important additions. A total of 14 completely new entries too to further increase the size of the C64 archive, along with 11 updates overall and two very special findings! Many of the new entries are for titles which may well be out there, just not yet preserved. Can you help us find them?
Total Recall V1 and Wreckers recovered!
The big news of the month was the recovery of both the long lost first version of Total Recall from Active Minds (missing for 33 years), and a surprise start of a conversion of Wreckers by Denton Designs. Download both for yourself!
Considered vapourware, Denton Design’s Wreckers for the Commodore 64 has been recovered in its final build state.
Before you get too excited, sadly the game was only in development for a very short period of time – and essentially what we have is a tech demo showing a navigable game map. There are no playable elements and there is limited map collisions.
Though considering that just a year ago we were doubtful that a C64 conversion ever existed, this is a lovely surprise.
Following on from the recent recovery of Total Recall V1 – we today take a detailed video look at the prototype, the story of its search and how it was found.
Including highlighting of differences from the original Zzap!64 preview screens.
It is perhaps unsurprising that a game as ground breaking as Lemmings would inspire a series of other inventive puzzlers, which seem to share some DNA in places. Diggers was one such title, where you control a mining team trying to get precious minerals.
Scoring well with magazines at the time, it comes as no surprise that a sequel was put into motion. The same developer, Toby Simpson would get to work once again to try and improve on his original success.
Many issues that were found with the original were set to be resolved for the sequel on the Amiga CD32, including have more reigned in level map sizes, so that most users would get to appreciate most of the game. There would also be better defined goals as well. Continue reading →
Platforms: Apple II, PCjr and potentially Commodore 64 (TBC)
Planned as a sequel to Sherlock Holmes: Another Bow, which was released by Bantam Software in 1984 on a variety of 8-bit platforms. Sadly it was never to be.
In an interview with Scott Stilphen, artist Michael Becker revealed that the sequel was using the same engine as the original game, and featured Al Capone, Babe Ruth, and the mob as Sherlock visited Atlantic City in the 1930s and solved some crimes whilst in his 70s.
Mark Hardisty spoke with Peter Golden in issue 11 of Classic Adventurer, where Peter recalled having completed his work on the title, though Bantam would leave the market before it could be fully released to the world. Continue reading →
DISCLAIMER: We are a non-profit digitisation project, aiming to digitally preserve software and history which would otherwise be lost for good. If for any reason there is anything that you do not wish to be on the website, please contact us for removal.
Games That Weren't® is the registered trademark of Frank Gasking.
