Unreleased & Cancelled Video Games across many platforms.
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.
The final Fun School game in the series on the C64 has finally been saved from obscurity after a recent online store finding of the game by GTW64.
The game has now been fully preserved and submitted to Gamebase 64 – but you can check things out for yourself here in the meantime with the tape images added:
https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/fun-school-special-paint-and-create/
And there will be more findings to come very shortly! … watch this space!
Well, it’s pretty much coming up to 15 years soon since GTW64 first went online and began to recover many a lost title. One thing we haven’t really done is sat back and reflected on some of the best findings and recoveries from that time, so here below are a list of the top 10 recoveries that we have made over the years (from 1999 to 2013).
The choices do not necessarily reflect the quality of the game, but also in the manner in which the game was found or how sort after at the time. And it is a huge thanks to all of you for all of your help over the years, as well as those who have helped fix up various titles in a form that can be released (many of which we mention in the titles below).
This list is in the author’s opinion at least! Please feel free to comment below if you feel we have missed anything from the list or maybe got any of the list wrong! :)
Something a little different for GTW, but Jonathan Kendall was a C64 developer who worked for Zeit Corp back in the 1990’s and played a major role on the Fun School titles – developing the database system for it. He was also involved on the C64 conversion of Darius + for The Edge.
At present, Jonathan has been in the process of preserving his work, which includes a variety of demos and snippets of code – some in particular very cool bits of work, which seem a shame not to get hosted.
Another update for August and yet another finding, this time of a full game thanks to Wilfred Bos! But also the very very very early remains of Darius+ have been added (in source code form!) thanks to Jonathan Kendall…
Yet another magazine showing screenshots of one of our favourite titles, but with graphics not ever gracing the final game.
Take a look at the screenshots in November 1987’s edition of Commodore User magazine below (scans thanks to Mort!) and in particular at the shots which have no clouds, a different wooden structure and a different tree on the opposite side. There are the words “On” next to the Player one status area instead of a fist – suggesting that Commodore User cheated and used some early screens to fill their review page.
Even the screens with clouds in have a slight difference, where there is a purple haze around the sun setting.
Probably not much difference to the final version – but who knows if Archer may dig out some different builds of his work in the future…
Another GTW64 update with some more new titles and updates, including the finding of Pimple Panic, which you can now download!
Look out also for another long lost Rainbow Arts title which we are about to bring in its final state. Watch this space!
Coloris, Laser Disc to C64 interface, Olli & Lissa II: Halloween
Arsenal FC, Benidorm, Blast, Cyber Attack, CyberCore, Dromedia Software, Fairlight 2, Graham Gooch World Class Cricket, Horror Atoll, Key to Success, Mag Max V1, Mole Squash, Pimple Panic, Solaris, Unknown Educational game, Warlock
We are already currently aware of a very early version of RISK, which can be downloaded from here… http://www.gamebase64.com/game.php?id=10980&d=18&h=0
However, the first issue of The Games Machine showed some preview shots of RISK, which have a slightly different panel, scanner position – but also what looks to be a set of graphics that may not be in the final game.
Here are the shots (click for bigger version). Possibly more assets to save in the future?
Well, in late 2013 we were very pleased to actually find a preview on Cory Kin’s disks which contained the graphics you can see in the screenshots.
It’s pretty early, with a earlier ship build and not really much game play in place. But we also have added the very early build of the game where you just currently walk around on the ground, which depicts a very different game overall. It seems the game went over some major evolutionary phase!
A quick post relating to what seems to be a rather different (and missing) section from Epyx’s G.I. Joe licensed game from 1985. Thanks to Karl “Trantornator” Kuras for the heads up! Click onto the image for the full version.
Looking at the 1984 Epyx brochure, it seems that originally the game was due to have a equipment/dressing up scene which seems to have been crucial to kitting out your guy for doing battle. Pretty much looking like the same system that was used in Barbie (also on the same page).
For whatever reason, the idea it seems was dropped and never quite made it. Was this merely a scene that was dropped from the game, or does it suggest that a rather different game was in production? Considering the game was produced by the same team as Barbie anyway, we doubt there was a different coding team… suggesting the final game was just tweaked. Maybe the game had the feature dropped to meet a Christmas deadline for big sales?
It is hoped that maybe we can get to see this unused feature in proper form.
More for July with the following titles added and updated:
Dromedia Software, Dune Buggy, Jeeps, Muncher, Sophisticated games
Attack Of The Killer Tomatoes, Curse Of The Mushroom People, Judge Death, Kid Saviour, Old Scores, Plan 9 Outer Space, Rhyme Land, Super Scramble, Unknown Educational game, Wild Women Of Wonga
A big thanks to Andreas Wanda for his very kind donation, which has completed our hosting costs for 2013/2014.
Many thanks to all our contributors who have helped to keep GTW going! :)
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.
