Games That Weren't^®

GTW Highlight No.20: In June, we recovered The Grid – a canned 1995 space shooter by D3. We added an early #PC demo with Descent-like movement + a few ships to shoot. Plus Concept art too. Lots still unknown and to be discovered.

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/06/the-grid/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.21: In June, we recovered a very different version of World Class Rugby for the #SNES, dated July 1992 – some time before the final release. The engine was very different from the final version, with different sprites + faster pace.

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/06/world-class-rugby-snes-prototype/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.22: In June, we recovered an unknown surprise 3rd Dr. Franken prototype for the Game Boy, taking Franky into space! Explore an unseen early prototype with puzzles and areas within a rocket ship. More coming soon too we hope:

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/06/dr-franken-3/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.23: In June we preserved Carts of Fury, a missing Flash-based advergame recovered with the help of an anonymous contributor. A shopping-cart racer set in supermarket aisles — now finally archived after being inaccessible for years.

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/06/canadian-tire-carts-of-fury-flash-game-preserved/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.24: Kicking off July, we were stunned to recovered one of our holy grails missing for 33 years! We were proud to present Gremlin’s Nigel Mansell World Championship on the Commodore 64. A very advanced preview too that you can now play!

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/nigel-mansell-world-championship/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.25: In July, we recovered a fascinating mix of early & late builds of Micro Machines 1 & 2: Twin Turbo for Game Boy Color – with slightly different colour schemes, music demos, dev assets and more. Dive in and enjoy!

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/07/micro-machines-1-and-2-twin-turbo-gbc-prototypes/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.26: July saw our amazing recovery of several SNES prototype builds of Porky Pig’s Haunted Holiday (from 1993–1994), including 6 unseen subgames (PORKATHLON!), early sprites, and stacks and stacks of content cut from the final release.

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/07/porky-pigs-haunted-holiday-snes-prototypes/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.27: In July, we released a canned SNES development of Titus the Fox. Very early stages, with an animating fox sprite and test map that you can explore. There’s also a split screen mode. Likely a new Titus game, rather than a conversion.

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/07/titus-the-fox/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.28: July saw us recover a staggering 33 builds of the GameBoy Color version of Re-Volt, including the very final version. A game DC Studios and Acclaim were due to release in 2000, but was canned. Design docs, maps and assets also added!

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/07/re-volt/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.29: In July, we released two early protos of Kick Off 3 for the SNES with major differences with titles, menus and score panels. There are likely sprite differences too and a lot of glitches not yet fixed compared to the final release.

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/07/kick-off-3-snes-prototypes/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.30: In July, we had the surprise recovery of a lost and previously unknown unreleased NTSC build of Aladdin on the #NES. Not the greatest of games, but an important version saved which you can now check out:

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/07/aladdin-nes-prototype/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.31: In August, we added an unknown GameBoy Color prototype called “Some Metal Head” (working title), created during the early days of DC Studios. Seems to be start of a sort of Metal Slug/Turrican style game that sadly didn’t get far:

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/08/some-metal-head-working-title/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.32: In August we added a completely different development of Dave Mirra’s Freestyle BMX for #GameBoyColor from DC Studios. Sadly didn’t get far, before Acclaim gave the gig to another dev team. A very early prototype + GDD to check out:

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/08/dave-mirras-freestyle-bmx-v1/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.33: In August, we recovered a #GameBoyColor title called F19 Stealth Air (working title). A vertically scrolling shooter prototype with 1 level to play. Not yet sure of its origins, or the intentions for it and hope to learn more soon.

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/08/f19-stealth-air-working-title/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.34: In August, we added a set of early prototypes for Fulltime Soccer on the #GameBoyColor, which was eventually released by Datel Electronics. Interestingly, it seemed the game was built over the top of the #Gameboy version of Super Kick Off.

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/08/fulltime-soccer-gameboy-color-prototypes/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.35: In August, we released a lost and unreleased #PC build of X’Treme Roller by Neko. The game was released on #PS1, and was also cancelled for the #N64 too. We take a look at this very early build, which you too can now play:

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/08/xtreme-roller/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.36: September saw a huge #Commodore64 surprise with GTW adding the sadly cancelled playable prototype of the Indiana Jones 3 adventure. An unofficial conversion of the great Lucasfilm Games title with bags of promise, but wasn’t to be.

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/indiana-jones-and-the-last-crusade-adventure/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.37: In September, and after 42 years, Imagic’s Moonsweeper for #VIC20 was finally preserved. Painstakingly restored by Ken Van Mersbergen (+ help from Simon Rowe & Torsten Kracke), Ken kindly allowed release via Games That Werent:

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/09/imagics-moonsweeper-commodore-vic-20-saved-after-42-years/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.38: A nice September surprise was when Mark Kirkby (Code Monkeys) got in touch to share his impressive 1992 #GameBoy road engine prototype that later evolved into Road Rash. Now play the demo and check out the complete source code too!

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/09/game-boy-road-engine/ Continue reading →

GTW Highlight No.39: In October, we had been busy working on recovering a lost 1989 EA game – not for PC Engine, but for the Amiga. Path of the Little Dragon is an early proto beat-’em-up done PC Engine style, and we shared several builds here:

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/2025/10/path-of-the-little-dragon/ Continue reading →