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.

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Outlander

Posted: , last updated: by fgasking

1992 Mindscape

Platform: Commodore Amiga

Released on Super Nintendo and SEGA Mega Drive, Outlander was also once due for release on the Commodore Amiga too by Mindscape in 1992. The game is described by our very own Karl Kuras as a “Mad Max meets Technocop” game, where there are driving sections with horizontal scrolling beat-em-up sequences.

outlander1

The storyline for the game is set in the not to distant future, where the world has been ravaged by a biological weapons experiment gone wrong. Psychopathic megalomaniacs kidnap a scientist, intending to force them to build an even worse weapon to hold the planet to ransom. Your job as a mercenary is to crash into the wasteland and try and save the scientist. Continue reading →

Posted in: Amiga, Reviews | Tagged: | 2 Comments

Super Ant Attack

Posted: , last updated: by fgasking

1992 Sandy White

Platform: Commodore Amiga

Back in late 1991, Commodore User magazine reported that Sandy White was back on the scene and working on a plan to bring back Ant Attack as a new spruced up title for the Commodore Amiga.

Even CU suggested not to quote them on the title, and that details were virtually non-existant, with the exception of some initial ideas for a larger, more detailed play area and the title of Super Ant Attack.

When more was to come to light, then CU were to report it – but of course, nothing did come of it it seems. So the big question is whether anything was ever started? Continue reading →

Posted in: Amiga, Reviews | Tagged: | 2 Comments

North and South 2

Posted: , last updated: by fgasking

1991 Infogrames

Platform: Commodore Amiga (+ potentially others)

A very short entry for a potential sequel that was planned to come from Infogrames in 1991/1992.

After the success of North and South, it is perhaps no surprise that thoughts were on a sequel. Though apart from a “on the grapevine” feature in Zero magazine, nothing else ever seemed to surface. Continue reading →

Posted in: Amiga, Reviews | Tagged: | Leave a comment

The Cliffhanger – Edward Randy

Posted: , last updated: by fgasking

1991 Elite

Platform: Commodore Amiga, Atari ST, PC (also C64)

We have covered this title already on our main C64 site, though this Data East arcade title was also due for release on other major 16-bit platforms too of the time.

Featured in a number of magazines as news items, no screenshots of any of the conversions were ever shown – suggesting that its possible nothing was ever started. Continue reading →

Posted in: Amiga, Atari ST, PC, Reviews | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night

Posted: , last updated: by fgasking

1999 Tiger Electronics

Platform: Game.com

You will have likely seen news in October 2022 of the new discovery of a port of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night for the failed Tiger Game.com platform courtesy of Time Extension and Hidden Palace.

castlevania gc attack large

Webmaster of The End of Game.com, Brandon Cobb got in touch not long afterwards to provide some screenshots and pieces to add an entry into the GTW archives and with the request to help spread the word of this amazing finding. Continue reading →

Posted in: Game.com, Reviews | Tagged: | 1 Comment

The Gadget Twins

Posted: , last updated: by fgasking

1992 Imagitec / Mirage

Platform: Commodore Amiga, Atari ST and PC

Many of you may recall this neat platformer that saw release on the SEGA Mega Drive and PC back in the day – but what of its long lost Amiga version? This was a game that got mixed reviews across the board, but looked pretty neat from its screenshots.

gadgetTwins2

You must navigate through six auto-scrolling levels in total with 1-2 players, consisting of areas such as Gadget Bay, Zeppelin Attack, The Lost City, Sub Attack, The Crystal Lake and Thump’s world. There is plenty of colour and cuteness on show, shops to purchase power ups and some heavy bosses to take on too. Continue reading →

Posted in: Amiga, Atari ST, PC, Reviews | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Brian the Lion early assets

Posted: , last updated: by fgasking

1994 Reflections

Platform: Amiga

Just a short post thanks to Grzegorz Antosiewicz, who has highlighted some screenshots showing assets that never appeared in the final game.

Firstly, Amiga Format and Amiga Joker magazines both showed earlier versions of the title screen, which you can compare to the eventual one:

In early version on the left, you can see lion claws and each word is written in a different colour and font (blue for “Brian”, white for “the” and yellow for “Lion”). The finished version has nice animated effects, such as rotation, scaling and pixelization etc. Continue reading →

Posted in: Amiga, Prototype, Unused materials | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Fire Fighter

Posted: , last updated: by fgasking

1994 Teeny Weeny Games

Platform: Commodore Amiga

Released on the Game Boy in 1992, Fire Fighter was to see an update 2 years later on the Amiga 1200 from Teeny Weeny Games.

firefighter 640 1

The plot would have you controlling a Firefighter who has to rescue a number of people and animals. The start of the game has you inside a house that is burning, where you must find the family hidden in the house and use your hose pipe to dowse the fire as you go. Continue reading →

Posted in: Amiga, Reviews | Tagged: | 3 Comments

Free D.C!

Posted: , last updated: by fgasking

1991 U.S. Gold

Platform: Commodore Amiga

A short entry for now on what was to be an Amiga conversion of a DOS title from back in 1991 from Cineplay Interactive.

Set on Earth, where robots are now in control and where all remaining humans are kept in a Zoo. The game was a mystery solving title, where you have to solve a series of killings that have been happening.  It’s an adventure game, where you must have conversations with other characters to obtain clues. Continue reading →

Posted in: Amiga, Reviews | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Illuminatus

Posted: , last updated: by fgasking

1989 MikroBitti Magazine

Platform: Atari ST

A slightly unusual post now, for a title that wasn’t really a game – but then almost turned into one!

Illuminatus was news to me, until I heard from contributor Janne Sirén, who highlighted this fictional game that was once reviewed as an April Fools joke for Finland’s gaming magazine Mikrobitti in 1989. It was perhaps similar to what Zzap!64 did with Mindsmear.

ill cropped1

Janne has essentially provided most of the text and information which you will read here, which has been invaluable for putting this page together.

Illuminatus was an Elite style trading game, which caused quite a bit of a stir back in the day, because for many weeks/months – people felt the game was real. It even appeared in printed mail order advertisements in later issues of MikroBitti (where traders even fell for it). Distributors would call the magazine, asking how to get hold of the game and many readers were desperate to find a copy in the shops. Continue reading →

Posted in: Atari ST, Reviews | Tagged: | Leave a comment