Cancelled video games project
This project concerns cancelled games in the range of 1995-2005.
Section: D
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D-Jump
D-Jump is a cancelled PS1, N64, Dreamcast, and PC game by Ubisoft.
It was to be third-person action adventure game.
Expected release date: November 1998, then early 1999, then 2000
PC Zone issue 68 (September 1998)
You would play as D., who suddenly finds himself transported to an ancient time.
You also turn into a wooden puppet. Hmm. Your job is to find out why.
Ultimately your quest is to explore this Egypt-like land and find a way back home.
There was to be 20 levels with around 60 NPCs to interact with.
Beffore entering conversation with the NPCs you can set your mood.
This affects the dialogue and perhaps the gameplay.
Combat would involve ranged attacks and unlockable magic powers.
The Gods of this world sometimes drop you off into minigames.
There was also to be a love mode where you track down your love interest via a heart beat.
D-Jump is a kid-friendly game with an emphasis on non-violence.
You can explode and recompose various segments of your body.
You can also manipulate your body, such as becoming thin or sliding like paper, to get by.
The game was cancelled for unknown reasons.
It was probably canned so Ubisoft can work on Rayman 2.
E3 1998 trailer
https://web.archive.org/web/19981206055021/http://www.ubisoft.com/press/pr_djump.html
https://www.giantbomb.com/d-jump/3030-33652/
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/first-look-dreamcast-djump/1100-2541892/
https://www.unseen64.net/2010/11/20/d-jump-dreamcast-ps2-cancelled/
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Dark Guns
Dark Guns is a cancelled PlayStation game from 989 Studios, headed by David Jaffe.
It was basically Destroy All Humans! before its time.
Expected release date: December 1998
You would play as a UFO as it invaded Earth.
Blow up familiar landmarks and abduct humans for a probin' good time.
It was to be a top-down shooter like Raiden but with wacky humour.
Unfortunately the game was too simple for the casual market.
The game was likely cancelled for that reason.
https://twitter.com/davidscottjaffe/status/957013894798524416
Gameplay footage of Dark Guns
https://web.archive.org/web/20130424082448/http://www.ign.com/games/dark-guns/ps-762701
http://criminalcrackdown.blogspot.co.nz/2008_08_07_archive.html?m=0
https://assemblergames.com/threads/cancelled-psx-games.55662/
https://www.unseen64.net/2010/11/10/dark-guns-psx-cancelled
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Darknet
Darknet aka Dark Net is a cancelled PC, PS1, and Saturn game by American Softworks Corp.
It was to be a comic-inspired cyber version of Diablo meets Gauntlet.
Expected release date: Q3 1996
Darknet Video Games The Ultimate Gaming Magazine issue 91 (August 1996)
Electronic Gaming Magazine issue 83 (June 1996)
The game revolves around some students must help a scientist in trouble.
The students are sucked into the cyberworld and become cyberknights.
Wait... some news of the game in some magazines says three or four students...
... yet there are five playable characters as seen by the screenshots.
Hmmm...
Each playable character had their own unique skills and stats.
The enemies are all kinds of varieties of Cyboid viruses.
There was to be five worlds, with five levels per world.
Developing for an isometric point of view is tricky dicky.
Every model would need to be drawn in eight different directions.
Such a process is slow and costly, so ASC decided to drop the project.
http://playstationmuseum.com/video-game-graveyard/
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/09/12/darknet-saturn-cancelled/
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Das Reich 2005
Das Reich 2005 is a cancelled PC game by Joylabs.
It was to be an alternate history FPS game set in a Nazi era 2005.
Expected release date: 2005
PC PowerPlay issue 99 (May 2004)
Das Reich 2005 is set in the distant year of 2005.
Nazi Germany has won WWII and have taken over Europe.
You play as a reistance fighter. Sounds familiar *coughWolfensteincough*.
This game was to be brought to you by the team that tried to make The Y-Project.
When their company Westka went defunct, they got together and formed Joylabs.
Das Reich 2005 failed to find a published and was cancelled thereafter.
https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/05/12/from-the-ashes-of-westka
https://worthplaying.com/article/2004/2/13/news/15235/
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Day of the Mutants
Day of the Mutants is a cancelled PC game by Techland.
It was to be an FPS survivor horror game.
Expected release date: 2002/2003
PC Zone issue 101 (April 2001)
In a post-apocalyptic world, every day is a struggle.
You will need to constantly find food and fuel.
You will also need to find shelter before the radioactive rain falls.
There are enemies everywhere, mostly mutants.
There are over 35 kinds of guns and 40 types of equipment.
There was to be over 20 different locations covering 50 square miles of ruin and rubble.
The game was cancelled around 2003 for unknown reasons.
It might have been canned to focus on their other FPS at the time. Chrome.
https://web.archive.org/web/20020924141957/http://dom.techland.pl/
https://www.bluesnews.com/a/368/day-of-the-mutants-announced
https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/05/28/day-of-the-mutants-announced
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2002day-of-the-mutants-impressions/1100-2867994
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Dead Ahead
Dead Ahead is a cancelled N64 game by Optical Entertainment.
It was a very ambitious game. You know the rule by now: ambition kills.
Expected release date: Xmas 1997
Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 86 (September 1996)
Dead Ahead was a fighting game but with a twist.
Instead of 1v1 battles in various arenas, you will travel around a 3D world.
Random encounters start the fight scenes.
Dead Ahead had elements of RPG in it.
You can upgrade your fighter somehow. Not much else is known of this mechanic.
Multiple encounters will keep you on your feet.
Fancy fighting three enemies at once?
The camera angle doesn't change when you get an enemy encounter.
Concept art
Dead Ahead was cancelled before anything of note can come of it.
All that was implemented was some models, a few rooms, basic animations, and no fighting.
What killed the game was Optical Entertainment running out of money.
Some of the other developers chipping in on the game got absorbed or moved onto other projects.
No one had enough faith in the project to give it the cash injection it sorely needed.
A ROM is known to exist.
I don't know if it can be found anywhere to download.
Gameplay from aforementioned ROM
https://www.reddit.com/r/n64/comments/51ml8w/a_pic_of_concept_art_for_unreleased_game_dead/
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/04/dead-ahead-n64-cancelled/
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Dead or Alive: Code Chronos
Dead or Alive: Code Chronos/Cronus is a cancelled Xbox and Xbox 360 game from Team Ninja.
It was to be a spinoff of the Dead Alive series.
Expected release date: late 2003, then TBA 2004, then Winter 2005
XGamer issue 10 (December 2002)
Development began in 2002 for the Xbox.
The game was to be a rogue-like game.
Team Ninja wanted to show that they love the Xbox.
Code Chronos was to be a prequel, set before the first game.
The game would focus on Ayane and Kasumi's stories, especially childhoods.
Dead or Alive: Code Chronos was suggested to be the fourth Dead or Alive: Dead or Alive 4.
But when Tecmo saw how different it was it become its own stand-alone game.
This isn't to be confused with Dead or Alive Online, dubbed Dead or Alive 4 for a time.
Team Ninja stopped focusing on Code Chronos to work on Dead or Alive 4.
After doing that and Ninja Gaiden Black, the Xbox 360 loomed over the horizon.
Tomonobu Itagaki, Tecmo producer, decided to push Dead or Alive: Code Chronos to the 360.
Tomonobu Itagaki left Tecmo in 2008 and vowed to sue Tecmo for around $1.4m
More Tecmo employees joined the lawsuit, citing unpaid overtime work.
Tecmo president Yoshimi Yasuda stepped down over the legal woes.
Dead or Alive: Code Chronos was officially declared cancelled by Yousuke Hayashi in 2010.
As it turns out ZERO work had been done on the game since its Xbox 360 announcement in 2005.
Their resources were spent working on Ni-Oh, which would eventually come out in 2017.
Gaming Mysteries video
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/doa-code-cronus-coming-to-xbox-360/1100-6126884/
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/tecmo-loses-its-head/1100-6196372/
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/reports-more-staff-sue-tecmo/1100-6192629/
http://au.ign.com/articles/2010/11/05/team-ninjas-project-progressive-and-dead-or-alive-cronus-officially-canned
https://www.unseen64.net/2015/05/25/dead-or-alive-code-chronus-xbox-360-cancelled/
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Dead Phoenix
Dead Phoenix is a cancelled GameCube game from Capcom.
It was the black sheep of the Capcom Five.
Expected release date: Q2 2003, then Summer 2003, then 2004
NGC issue 77 (February 2003)
Dead Phoenix was announced as one of the Capcom Five.
These were five GameCube exclusive games from Capcom to recapture market share.
All of them, save for P.N.03, was a GameCube exclusive. Dead Phoenix was the cancelled one.
You would play one of the last of the birdmen, a near-extinct tribe.
To save your people you must fight off against a massive army.
Edge issue 119 (January 2003)
Nintendo Gamer issue 17 (March 2003)
The screenshots remind one of Panzer Dragoon and Dynasty Warriors.
You've got the in-flight controls, going up against a big army of copypasted enemy NPCs.
But Dead Phoenix goes a step further with allied team combat and charge attacks.
The game attracted little attention. It didn't appear at E3 2003.
Capcom felt it couldn't live up to its potential.
Dead Phoenix was cancelled in August 2003.
Since Capcom let the trademark expire, don't expect a release anytime... at all.
Trailer
Informative
https://web.archive.org/web/20121108205916/http://www.gamespot.com/news/capcom-cancels-red-dead-revolver-and-dead-phoenix-6073294
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capcom_Five#Dead_Phoenix
http://au.ign.com/articles/2003/05/12/e3-2003-dead-phoenix-absent
http://capcom.wikia.com/wiki/Dead_Phoenix
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/08/dead-phoenix-gc-unreleased/
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Dead Rush
Dead Rush is a cancelled PS2, Xbox, and GameCube game by Treyarch.
It's a zombie mayhem game involving looting and shooting.
Expected release date: Spring 2005
Game Informer issue 134 (June 2004)
You are Jake Walker. You wake up alone within the city walls with amnesia.
A massive earthquake has destroyed most of humanity.
Zombies walk the streets. Your flesh is mighty appealing to them.
Nearby you on the beach wake up on is a bag. Inside is a radio earpiece.
This puts you in contact with Cass, a chick in a part of a group of survivors.
Throughout the game you do quests for her and your relationship with her evolves.
Your quest is to find out what happened in Eastport.
You will need a vehicle to drive around.
Luckily, you can construct them with spare parts.
Salvage car parts from wrecked vehicles.
Then cash them in with a female mechanic (a wrench wench) to build a new car.
You must also salvage weapon parts to survive. Presumably you can build them yourself.
For weapons you have pistols, shotguns, machetes, grenade launchers, and more.
Basic zombie flick weapons.
You can also use your vehicle as a battering ram.
The city of Eastport is large and busy with zombies and various landmarks.
Yes, the game was to be a real marriage of Grand Theft Auto and Resident Evil.
Here comes the divorce...
Edge issue 138 (July 2004)
In mid-2004, Activision announced that Dead Rush was cancelled due to their high standards.
With barely enough time to catch their breath, Treyarch found themselves on another project.
That project? The next-gen Call of Duty games.
Trailer
https://web.archive.org/web/20040521090310/http://www.deadrush.com:80
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/dead-rush-e3-2004-first-look/1100-6098398
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/dead-rush-dead/1100-6103189
http://au.ign.com/articles/2004/07/22/dead-rush-kicks-it
http://whatculture.com/gaming/10-cancelled-video-games-that-would-have-been-awesome?page=8
http://ps2.gamespy.com/playstation-2/dead-rush/515362p1.html
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/15/dead-rush-xboxps2-cancelled
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Dead Unity
Dead Unity is a PS1 game from Aramat Productions.
It was to be like Resident Evil mixed with Sci-Fi elements.
Expected release date: Q3 1998, then December 1998, then March 1999
Total PlayStation issue 32
Gamefan issue 68 (August 1998)
You would play as am artificially-enhanced human.
The city of Unity is under the thumb of robots.
Your quest is to shut down a massive computer that powers the global mediation machine.
The game was cancelled due to the developers, Aramat Productions, being new. That ensured that progress was slow as sloth balls.
Progress was so slow that every image available on the internet is a mockup.
There are no playable demos as the game was barely playable.
The first E3 presentation was just a video demo.
The second E3 presentation was another video demo.
Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 107 (June 1998)
THQ lost faith in the project and pulled the funding, effectively killing the game.
After two years development all they had to show for it was an barely fleshed-out build.
This build needed special hardware to play. All that occupied it was a couple of rooms. Enjoy.
There are rumours that a member of the dev team is adapting the game's plot into a screenplay.
No idea what's going on there, or even if it's still a thing nowadays.
This video was 'stolen' from one of the developer's personal portfolio websites.
http://web.archive.org/web/20001215170100/http://www.thq.com/About/PressReleases/press-09.asp
https://www.ign.com/articles/1998/04/22/dead-unity-takes-on-capcom-zombies
https://www.artstation.com/artwork/RyENO
http://canoftherelics.blogspot.co.nz/
https://assemblergames.com/threads/dead-unity-for-playstation.28451/
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/11/dead-unity-psx-cancelled/
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Deadlands
Deadlands is a cancelled PS2, Xbox, and PC game by Headfirst Productions.
It was to be based on the tabletop RPG of the same name.
Expected release date: Q2 2003, then mid-2003, then 30/04/04, then Summer 2005
PC Zone issue 111 (January 2002)
The game was to be set in the year 1877 after a massive earthquake.
The Great Quake would both sink California and open a portal to Hell/some dimension.
All sorts of deadly creatures would be unleashed!
Not only that but it would lead to the discovery of Ghost Rock.
Ghost Rock is a super-fuel that burns 10x hotter and longer than coal.
It would certainly be handy to have.
Computer Gaming World issue 241 (August 2004)
You would play as the Stranger, a gunslinger resurrected via possession from an evil spirit.
A criminal gang known as the Seven Sins have teamed up with the Reckoners.
The Reckoners are the evil force that was unleashed from the earthquake. Gulp.
Deadlands was to be a 3rd person action game that combines Western with Horror.
You could play as different classes: Gunslinger, Huckster, Blessed, and Shaman.
You would have wacky weaponry, magic and hexes, and plenty of RPG development.
The game world was to dynamically created from fear.
The ambitious game engine was to create unique levels and missions on the fly.
Multiplayer via internet or LAN would allow posse-based gameplay.
Edge issue 139 (August 2004)
Deadlands was cancelled due to financial constraints.
Headfirst shelved the game to finish making Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth.
That game's development took so long that it put Headfirst into administration.
By February 2006 Headfirst became defunct, taking this game with it into the ether.https://web.archive.org/web/20040429004403/http://www.headfirst.co.uk:80/deadlands/
https://web.archive.org/web/20050204101019/http://www.headfirst.co.uk:80/files/content_files/games/deadlands.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20030810032135/http://www.headfirst.co.uk:80/files/content_files/games/deadlands.htm
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/deadlands-qanda/1100-2822080/
http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/deadlands/509182p1.html
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/15/deadlands-xboxps2-cancelled
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Deadlight
Deadlight is a cancelled PS2, Xbox, and GameCube game by Blue52 Games Limited.
It was to be a horror game based on a ship. Oh, like Cold Fear?
Expected release date: 2005
Nintendo Official Magazine (UK) issue 146 (November 2004)
You play as Dan McCormick, who was washed ashore on a trip to an offshore oil rig.
He is saved when he climbs aboard a nearby ship: the legendary SS Hyperion!
This ocean liner went missing twenty years prior. Now you'll see why.
Deadlight differs from the aforementioned Cold Fear in that it was to be in First Person.
The intention was for this game to be the opposite of their previous game Stolen.
In that game you hide in the shadows; in Deadlight you must avoid the shadows.
The sea monsters give off Bioluminescence, but yet are harmed by the light.
Lighting lanterns will ward them off. Restoring electricity to the lights will keep them away.
The main goal of the game is to get off the damn ship before you are damned to be eaten.
Deadlight was cancelled due to no publishers picking it up.
It was going up against Doom 3, so no publisher was eager to sign it and lose money.
Blue52 went out of business shortly after.
All that was made was a demo made in six weeks.
Video of it is below.
https://web.archive.org/web/20050816185529/http://www.blue52.co.uk/deadlight/deadlight.htm
https://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/JonathanBiddle/20091207/86073/Deadlight__Unsigned_and_Unseen.php
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/15/deadlight-xboxps2-cancelled/
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Dee Dee Planet
Dee Dee Planet is a cancelled Dreamcast game by Dori Dock.
It was to be a online multiplayer shooting game.
Expected release date: October 1999, then April/May 2000, then 2001
Gamer's Republic issue 19 (December 1999)
Website developer wanted to create a simple tank battle game for Dreamcast.
Sega wanted simple addictive multiplayer games to boost its market share and online players.
The game's cancellation was due to a big network bug after initial printing.
Probably just as well: the Dreamcast was on its last legs anyway.https://web.archive.org/web/20000816081526/http://www.sega.co.jp/dreamcast/software/deedee/
https://web.archive.org/web/20061208071539/http://www.shift.jp.org/040/ddp/index.shtml
https://segaretro.org/Dee_Dee_Planet
https://alchetron.com/Dee-Dee-Planet
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/10/dee-dee-planet-dc-unreleased/
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Demon Isle
Demon Isle is a cancelled PC game by Cat Daddy Games.
It was to be a massive first person RPG.
Expected release date: November 1997
Next Generation issue 30 (June 1997)
InterAction Magazine (Summer 1997)
On the demon-ridden Island of Mancara, it is your versus the creatures.
There was to be over 100 different weapons and over 25 spells.
It's got massive multiplayer too: up to 64 players at once!
The publisher Sierra Online signed a $750,000 contract with Cat Daddy to make this game.
In 1999 Sierra had a major reorganization. Many employees were laid off and games cancelled.
This just happened to have been one of them.
Teaser
https://web.archive.org/web/19971021122056/http://www.catdaddy.com/DemonLink/DemonLink.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/19990430043330/http://www.demonisle.com/page1.htm
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DenSen
DenSen, also called Den-Sen, is a cancelled PS2 launch title by Kiyoshi Sakai.
It was a weird game. Then again, most Japanese games are weird.
Expected release date: 2000
Official Russian PSM issue 20 (November 1999)
Gamers' Republic 1999 Video Game Buyers Guide and Y2K Preview
You would play as a little girl that would travel by swinging from power lines.
Get it? Densen is Japanese for power line.
It was one of the first PS2 games shown, unveiled at the Tokyo Game Show in 1999.
Unfortunately, the game was silently cancelled in early 2000.
Despite being cancelled, its influence was felt far and wide.
Katamari Damacy, Ico, Shadow of the Colossus, Rez...
This was the little game that couldn't (get released).
Gamers' Republic issue 19 (December 1999)
Video from Oct 1999 issue of Playstation 2 magazine プレプレPLUS (1st issue?)
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/games-that-define-developers
https://killscreen.com/articles/check-out-beautiful-unreleased-ps2-game-influenced-glitch-and-shadow-colossus/
http://fort90.com/whatever-happened-to/
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Deuce
Deuce is a cancelled PS1 game Point of View.
It was to be a quirky platformer to show that the PS1 still had life left in it.
Expected PS1 release: November 2000/December 2000/January 2001/February 2001
Expected PS2 release: 2001
You would have played as Deuce, the two of hearts.
You must save the royal family from the Jack of Spades and his dragon.
With the help of a wizard and a warrior you must travel far and wide.
With 12 levels and many side quests, it was a promising game.
For a PS1 game it would be impressive in the PS2 era of gaming.
Gamers Republic issue 23 (April 2000)
Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 131 (June 2000)
Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 136 (November 2000)
In December of 2000 the PlayStation version of Deuce was cancelled.
In June of 2001 the game was planned on being revived for the PlayStation 2.
Lack of confidence killed the game.
In 2006 a beta version of the game was released by ASSEMbler"
http://hiddenpalace.org/Deuce_(Jul_21,_2000_prototype)
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/first-info-on-midways-deuce/1100-2446594/
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/deuce-e3-2000-hands-on/1100-2569045/
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/deuce-is-no-more/1100-2660319/
https://assemblergames.com/threads/community-dump-deuce-unreleased-for-playstation.5515/
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/11/deuce-psx-unreleased/
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Dinosaur Hunting Xtreme
Dinosaur Hunting Xtreme aka DHX is a cancelled PC game by Legba.
It was FPS game that allowed third-person. The goal: hunt dinos!
Expected release date: 2002
Gameplay footage on foot
You would play as a park ranger in a dinosaur park (lawsuit territory there).
Your job is to keep the dinosaur population in check to ensure no dinosaur uprisings.
Your goal is to take out Old One Eye, the meanest most vicious T-Rex in the park.
The game would play like Monster Hunter, minus the crafting aspect.
Cull raptor populations to earn money for more specialist weapons.
Build up your arsenal with grinding to be the best.
The dinosaurs leave tracks, such as footprints and scents.
Use these clues to track them them.
Night time hunting is the worst as visible is nil, save for the evil red eyes in the dark.
The game had a lot of interesting technology going into it.
The dinosaur AI was adaptable. They can smell you and you can smell them. The wind affects this.
The dinosaurs' movement is impacted by damage. The island is huge. And there's water dinos!
There were to be two main modes.
Ranger: the main mode. Hunt progressive tougher monsters to power up and kill Old One Eye.
Mayhem: survival mode. Unlimited ammo and vehicle gas but the dinos are out to get you.
There was also going to be multiplayer mode, probably set only in the Mayhem gameplay mode.
Gameplay footage in vehicle
The game was quietly worked on with no official announcement.
Then along came Virtual TV, a shiny new 3D technology spearheaded by Jon Hare (Sensible Soccer).
DHX was then reworked into the game Dinosaur Movie Maker... which also got cancelled!
https://web.archive.org/web/20030410085115/http://www.legba.co.uk/game.htm
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Dinosaur Movie Maker / Talking with Dinosaurs
Dinosaur Movie Maker/Talking with Dinosaurs is a cancelled PC game by Legba and Kuju.
It was a movie making game by Jon Hare of Sensible Soccer fame.
Expected release date: Q2 2004
PC Zone issue 132 (September 2003)
The game started off as Dinosaur Hunting Xtreme (aka DHX).
That in itself is another cancelled game (see above). The ruins of that were built into this game.
Virtual TV was this shiny fancy new technology Legba was offering.
It involved live 3D rendered environment that can be filmed and is memory efficient.
Dinosaur Movie Maker is a game project based on this cutting-edge technology.
This game allowed you to create your own nature documentary.
You control the camera and the presenter accompanies you wherever you place him.
The goal is to film the best footage of the dinosaurs without getting killed by dinos.
Different TV companies use different presenters, each with their own personality.
You have various props like meat or fire crackers to attract or distract the dinosaurs.
You even get the vehicles, sich as jeeps and hang gliders to help you get footage.
Different dinosaurs have different personalities and different routines.
With time you will learn their habits and what interests them and what spooks them.
You only have a limited number of in-game days to film them dinos.
On the last day of work you're in the editing studio.
Now you must make a one-minute film that has as much of the presenter's script as possible.
If you impress your TV company you get money and new commissions. Score!
Edge issue 127 (September 2003)
Dinosaur Movie Maker got cancelled because Legba couldn't find a publisher for the game.
Because the game was so unique, accountants couldn't evaluate it, so they didn't take the risk.
The game, along with the Virtual TV idea, went defunct by late 2004.
https://web.archive.org/web/20030401151953/http://www.virtualtvonline.com/concept.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20030404092231/http://www.virtualtvonline.com/twd.htm
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/i_jonharevtv
https://talkingames.com/jon-hare-chapter-iii/
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Dinoz
Dinoz is a cancelled PS2 game by Oiko Entertainment.
It was to be a 3D Tamagotchi type of raise 'em and play 'em game.
Expected release date: Spring 2002
Official UK PlayStation2 Magazine issue 13 (November 2001)
Dinoz is a game that involves two things: raising and playing.
You raise cute little dinosaur creatures called Dinoz.
Then you play a game called DinozBall with your dino.
There was to be twenty-eight species of Dinoz across four distinct animal groups.
Each dino has three different behaviour types: aggressive, defensive, and speed.
PSW issue 27 (April 2002)
The DinozBall games were to take placei in 30 stadiums.
These are set in six different biomes, such as desert, ice, volcano, etc.
DinozBall is sort of like capture the flag, but there is only one of them.
Both teams of four each - so 4v4 - have to hunt for the egg.
Grab it and escort it to your base hole, defending it from the other team.
Dinoz was cancelled when Oiko Entertainment went defunct in 2003.
https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/p_dinoz_ps2
https://www.ps2home.co.uk/dinoz/
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Dirty War
Dirty War is a cancelled PlayStation game, developed by Sidhe Interactive.It was to be New Zealand's first locally produced PS1 game.
Expected release date: Q1 2000
Official New Zealand PlayStation Magazine issue 27 (October 1999)
The game looks like Vigilante 8 but solo. Multiplayer mode definitely Vigilante 8 or Combat.
I don't think the game was developed enough to have a story or missions.
Australian Station issue 11 (April 2000)
In early 2000 the project was put on hold to work on titles that could be released to market faster.'Commercial reality' tends to kill off lots of games.
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Dominion
Dominion is a cancelled Xbox and PC game from Pharaoh Productions.It was to be a beautiful RPG... and that's about it.Expected release date: late 2002/2003?
Official UK Xbox Magazine issue 2 (April 2002)
The game looks great. Too bad they mainly worked on graphics and not the gameplay.It was going to be a mainly multiplayer affair; the PC port doubly so.It was to be an action-RPG hybrid, kind of like World of Warcraft.Dominion was conceptualized on September 30, 2001 as 'PROJECT-X'.Later, on October 26, 2001, the project got its official name: Dominion.There was to be 6 races, 6 guilds, and lots of things to do and to use.
Multiplayer would be played in a consistent world.
Up to 128 players could be a world at the same time.
Different worlds can have different storylines, depending on who made it.
There was supposedly cross-play between Xbox and PC.
Progress was slow, as the team was new and getting to grips with the 3D HEKA engine.
Dominion was cancelled when Pharaoh Productions went defunct on April 25th, 2004.
https://web.archive.org/web/20011216181310/http://www.teamxbox.com:80/content.php?id=96
https://web.archive.org/web/20020609190457/http://www.voodooextreme.com:80/games/interviews/dom1/
https://web.archive.org/web/20020802154035/http://www.voodooextreme.com:80/games/interviews/dom2/
https://web.archive.org/web/20040602211305/http://www.pharaoh-productions.com:80/eulogy.html
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/dominion-heads-to-the-pc/1100-2824646/
https://www.unseen64.net/2010/03/25/dominion-pc-xbox-cancelled/
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https://www.unseen64.net/2010/03/25/dominion-pc-xbox-cancelled/
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Dominus Online
Dominus Online is a cancelled PC MMORPG by Regulator Studios LLC.
It was to be set in the 28th century in a medival fantasy world. Hmm.
Expected release date: 2003, then Christmas 2004
The world has no gods and dieties the worship. The Dominus race needs guidance.
Pick a race and conquer this world with your friends or you alone.
The land is divided into four main continents.
You travel between continents via boat or magic spells.
The many various dungeons are accessed by a magic spell that summons a portal inside.
There was to be eight races to choose from. All can be male or female, except Ishad (all female):
Doman // jack of all trades, master of none
Nean // archers
Sharik // thieves
Ishad // Divine Arts
Bodin // craftsmen
Renzok // knights
Loupin // dwarves
Toben // giants
Dominus Online was to be a PvP based game, whether it be 1v1 or guild vs guild.
For guilds it was going to use group-based combat skills and UI.
You obtain land and fight others for more land. So basically like Rust.
The game was combat orientated with a weapon generation system like Diablo II.
You can also learn magic. Here are the six types of magic:
Earth, Matter, Minstrel, Divine, Spirit, and Mind.
Outposts are important. These are purchased at cities by players.
Outposts protect your land but need a steady inflow of gold to afford the guards.
More outposts means more of an economic boost to yourland via cheaper goods.
At one point - 2003? - a more anime aesthetic was added.
This alienated the interested, turning away potential players.
By 2005 the game ceased development. Maybe WoW being released put them off.
image gallery: https://www.gamespot.com/games/dominus-online/images/
https://web.archive.org/web/20021124055929/http://www.dominusonline.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20021223013753/http://dominusonline.com/launch.asp?id=RACES
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/first-look-dominus-online/1100-2859645/
https://www.ign.com/articles/2003/01/24/dominus-online-interview-part-1
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Doom Absolution
Doom Absolution is a cancelled N64 game by iD Software.
It was to be a multiplayer-exclusive sequel to Doom 64.
Expected release date: 1997
Magazine 64 issue 5 (May 1998)
Doom 64 did not have multiplayer due to Nintendo not providing the resources to do so.
Goldeneye killed it in sales. There was plans for the desired multiplayer again.
As such, Doom Absolution was going to be strictly for two-player deathmatches.
The game was canned due to Quake being the hot iD franchise.
iD Software set the Midway Games San Diego dev team to work on Quake 64.
This diverted resources away from Doom Absolution, leading to its cancellation.
In 2003 a MegaWAD TC bringing Doom 64 to PCs was released, titled Doom 64: Absolution.
It adds new monsters and bonus maps.
If you're in Doom, you ought to check it out.
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Dragon Empires is a cancelled PC MMORPG by Codemasters.
It was to a PvP focused game featuring magic and dragons.
Expected release date: Christmas 2002, then Q4 2003, then Autumn 2004, then November 2004
Dragon Empires started of as an expansion to their previous MMORPG, The Realm Online.
Quickly they realized the size and scope meant it should be a new game.
And thus born Dragon Empires.
There was to be three classes.
* Humans // magic users
* Dragonblood // warriors
* Shadow // roguish arts
There was to be fifteen classes, five for each race.
Human classes:
Scholar // area-of-effect magic
Healer // heals self and others and revives allies
Enchanter // buffs teammates and curses enemies
Night Mage // powerful with illusion spells and small healing
Skirmisher // non-magic combat
Dragonblood classes:
Disciple // melee user with enchanting and healing
Raider // buffer
Duelist // strong fighter with shield skills
Hunter // ranged and two-handed weapons
Gladiator // switches weapons mid-fight and gives buffs
Shadow classes:
Conjurer // invisibility, can do melee and magic
Shadow Warrior // summons ally creatures and can remove curses
Shadow Mage // melee fighter, ideal for hit-and-runs
Scout // ranged fighter, can cast disguises to hide
Miscreant // can cast traps and disguise self
You would gain experience points upon completing quests and bounties.
Bounty hunters can kill you for your points if you tread into their lands.
There was to be over a hundred quests, spanning all sides of the moral compass.
This MMO was going to be huge.
Dragon Empires was cancelled citing "technical issues".
The game was costing a fortune to develop and could cost another fortune to overhaul it.
So the game was cancelled.
Timeline:
September 2001: game announced
September 2004: game cancelled
concept art: https://web.archive.org/web/20041020105243/http://de.compendious.net/gallery.php?gal=0
old screenshots: https://web.archive.org/web/20041020125524/http://de.compendious.net/gallery.php?gal=2
new screenshots: https://web.archive.org/web/20041020105852/http://de.compendious.net/gallery.php?gal=1
https://web.archive.org/web/20050617080903/http://www.codemasters.com/dragonempires/
https://web.archive.org/web/20040918132927/http://de.compendious.net/
https://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/18/codemasters-disasters-2-dragon-empires/
https://web.archive.org/web/20050106182835/http://pc.gamezone.com/news/09_13_04_11_07AM.htm
https://www.mmorpg.com/dragon-empires
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Empires
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Dragon Empires
Dragon Empires is a cancelled PC MMORPG by Codemasters.
It was to a PvP focused game featuring magic and dragons.
Expected release date: Christmas 2002, then Q4 2003, then Autumn 2004, then November 2004
PC Zone issue 109 (December 2001)
PC PowerPlay issue 74 (June 2002)
Dragon Empires started of as an expansion to their previous MMORPG, The Realm Online.
Quickly they realized the size and scope meant it should be a new game.
And thus born Dragon Empires.
There was to be three classes.
* Humans // magic users
* Dragonblood // warriors
* Shadow // roguish arts
There was to be fifteen classes, five for each race.
Human classes:
Scholar // area-of-effect magic
Healer // heals self and others and revives allies
Enchanter // buffs teammates and curses enemies
Night Mage // powerful with illusion spells and small healing
Skirmisher // non-magic combat
Dragonblood classes:
Disciple // melee user with enchanting and healing
Raider // buffer
Duelist // strong fighter with shield skills
Hunter // ranged and two-handed weapons
Gladiator // switches weapons mid-fight and gives buffs
Shadow classes:
Conjurer // invisibility, can do melee and magic
Shadow Warrior // summons ally creatures and can remove curses
Shadow Mage // melee fighter, ideal for hit-and-runs
Scout // ranged fighter, can cast disguises to hide
Miscreant // can cast traps and disguise self
You would gain experience points upon completing quests and bounties.
Bounty hunters can kill you for your points if you tread into their lands.
There was to be over a hundred quests, spanning all sides of the moral compass.
This MMO was going to be huge.
PC PowerPlay issue 85 (April 2003)
PC Zone issue 143 (July 2004)
Dragon Empires was cancelled citing "technical issues".
The game was costing a fortune to develop and could cost another fortune to overhaul it.
So the game was cancelled.
Here are various clips taken from an archive website.
Timeline:
September 2001: game announced
September 2004: game cancelled
concept art: https://web.archive.org/web/20041020105243/http://de.compendious.net/gallery.php?gal=0
old screenshots: https://web.archive.org/web/20041020125524/http://de.compendious.net/gallery.php?gal=2
new screenshots: https://web.archive.org/web/20041020105852/http://de.compendious.net/gallery.php?gal=1
https://web.archive.org/web/20050617080903/http://www.codemasters.com/dragonempires/
https://web.archive.org/web/20040918132927/http://de.compendious.net/
https://www.bruceongames.com/2008/03/18/codemasters-disasters-2-dragon-empires/
https://web.archive.org/web/20050106182835/http://pc.gamezone.com/news/09_13_04_11_07AM.htm
https://www.mmorpg.com/dragon-empires
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dragon_Empires
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Dragon Sword
Dragon Sword is a cancelled N64 game by Team Storm from Interactive Studios.
The game looks like a 3D Golden Axe.
Expected release date: 1999, then 2000
Nintendo Magazine System (Australia) issue 76 (July 1999)
Nintendo World issue 2 (August 1999)
Dragon Sword Nintendo World issue 8 (January 2000)
Dragon Sword started off as Dragon Storm in 1996 before being renamed.
The land of Avantaria has been taken over by the Darrc hordes.
The Dark God has trapped the Light God. You must save it from the Darrc Dragon.
You can choose to play between four different characters, each with their own stats.
Each character has their own strengths, weaknesses, and attack styles.
It was a mega mix of melee and magic.
There was to be 10 levels.
In the works was a two-player co-op mode, as well as deathmatch arena multiplayer.
Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 125 (December 1999)
MGM Interactive, the publisher, cancelled the game for being likely unprofitable.
The game had already been reviewed by 64 Magazine just prior to its cancellation.
Some playable prototypes have been leaked and shared online.
Links below, as always.
UPDATE: in early 2019 Piko Interactive acquired the rights to the game with the source code.
The game could finally be released after all this time.
Info with gameplay footage
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Dragonkind
Dragonkind is a cancelled PS2 and Xbox game from TriLunar.
It was the How to Train Your Dragon of its day.
Expected release date: 2004
Official UK PlayStation 2 Magazine issue 21 (June 2002)
Dragonkind was announced in April 2002.
TriLunar was created by Joe Madureira, Marvel comics illustrator.
He ended Battle Chasers on a cliffhanger to work on this doomed game.
Dragonkind takes places in Vermillion, a beautiful land of dragons.
You play as Grail. In trying to learn about dragon-related powers you begin a quest.
The quest... to find out your past.
The game was to be non-linear to give gamers freedom.
There are story objectives but you do not need to complete them in a set order.
How that would have worked would have been interesting.
TriLunar's goal was to make a comic book into a 3D action video game.
Not always a good idea. Remember Drake of the 99 Dragons?
Multiplayer was explored but details were not released any further.
Evolution issue 6 (July 2002)
Tri-Lunar went out of business in August 2002.
Since the company was 100% self-funded, the money ran out eventually.
Joe Madureira then started another company, which got acquired by NCsoft.
He was the creative director of Darksiders.
He then formed Airship Syndicate and wishes to make a video game of his comic, Battle Chasers.
Trailer from April 2002
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Dreadnoughts
Dreadnoughts is a cancelled Xbox and PC game by Xenopi Studios.
The game was to be like a Halo/Tribes mix of capture the flag.
Expected release date: 2002
Official UK Xbox Magazine launch issue (March 2002)
On February 25, 2001, Xenopi Studios announced a new game: Dreadnoughts.
It was to be a team-based first-person-shooter with many roles to play.
Teams can do simple missions, or more complex missions.
Each team is housed on a big ship: the Dreadnought.
The main goal of missions is to destroy enemies Dreadnoughts.
Outposts can be captured on-foot to outfit them with weapons to attack enemy Dreadnoughts.
The teams have various roles in them.
These are the typical: soldier, sniper, engineer, scout (TFC much?).
There is also the Captain class, who must steer the ship.
Controlling the ship isn't done like in a flight-sim.
Instead, the captain can just create a flight path on an interface.
There is also a voting system in place to demote shitty captains.
It is the role of the Captain to give orders to the crew.
It's a team effort to capture outposts, do repairs, and engage in combat.
As such, a single player mode wasn't considered but bots were.
There is also the ground combat aspect too.
The lighter classes would have jetpacks that have a short life but quickly recharge.
Heavier and slow classes would have grappling hooks.
There was to be many different 'species' to play as.
Different species have different Dreadnoughts, which in turn would have different weapons.
Presumably this would also affect the classes stat-wise and not just reskin them.
Official UK Xbox Magazine issue 2 (April 2002)
Dreadnoughts was Xenopi Studios' first (major) release, and it was a huge undertaking.
Their website stopped being updated around 2002, and went belly up in early 2003.
What happened? I don't know. Maybe the costs were too much and it was scrapped.
So whatever happened to Xenopi Studios?
From what I can gather, all they've done since then is the occasional iOS game.
That is, unless it is a different Xenopi Studios.
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Dream Team Basketball
Dream Team Basketball is a cancelled PS1, Saturn, and PC game from Anvil Incorperated.
It was to be a typical basketball sports game but with a dream team.
Expected release date: Fall 1996, then January 1997
Game Informer issue 41 (September 1996)
Gamefan issue 45 (September 1996)
The game, also known as Olympic Basketball: Dream Team, came about from Anvil.
Anvil was formed when Regal Productions split in two.
You were to guide the 1996 USA Men's Olympic basketball team to victory.
As such, the team you control is OP. Like for real, the game is easy... too easy.
GamePro issue 97 (October 1996)
So why was the game cancelled?
Maybe because it missed the 1996 deadline and was deemed not relevant enough to sell?
Maybe because you only control one team and they are beastly overpowered?
The game was cancelled before/by the end of 1997.
Whatever the case, the game might have been fun if released.
Gameplay courtesy of the PlayStation Museum
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DroneZ
Dronez was a (mostly) cancelled Dreamcast, PC, and Xbox game from Zetha gameZ.
It was to be a sports game like something out of Tron.
Expected Dreamcast version release date: Spring 2000
Expected Xbox version release date: Summer 2003
Sega Saturn Magazine issue 36 (October 1998)
The game started off as Drones (no letter z in sight).
It was Zetha gameZ's attempt at a modern Discs of Tron.
Later on title was updated to Dronez (lowercase letter z)
Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 123 (October 1999)
Next Generation issue 60 (December 1999)
Next Generation issue 77 (May 2001)
This version of the game was cancelled as late 2000 was a death spiral for the Dreamcast.
When the Xbox was announced that same year the game was shifted over to the new console.
The game was retitled to DroneZ XL (uppercase letter z).
DroneZ XL despite not having an original DroneZ released.
Development for the Xbox version was slow due to having to restart all over.
The concurrent PC version progress with its original model.
The French-made game DID have a release... in Japan as Dennou Taisen DroneZ in 2004.
Apparently Western markets do not have a thing for futuristic blood sports.
The PC game was already released in 2001 but mainly as a demo benchmark for NVIDIA GeForce 3 graphics cards.
It was released as DroneZ XL in Russia in 2004 though. Inferior West only gets the demo.
It took five years but the game finally came out in some capacity.
Zetha gameZ shut down shop soon after.
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Druid King / Dark Shores
Druid King / Dark Shores is a cancelled PS2, Xbox, and PC game from Sidhe Interactive.
The game went from Gaullic to Celtic to cancelled.
Expected release date: Q1 2002
Druid King was to focus on the battles waged between Vercingetorix and Julius Caesar.
Gaul vs Rome, France vs Italy, like Asterix but less humour.
Druid King was to be based on the upcoming historical novel of the same name.
The novel was based on an early version of the script for the 2001 film Druids/The Gaul.
Due to the failure of the movie and the delay of the novel, the game was postponed.
In October of 2001, the game was revamped into Dark Shores.
The setting was changed to Irish mythology.
The game was worked on for PC now as well as PS2 and Xbox.
Then all of a sudden development stopped.
How come? Maybe because the small NZ studio wanted to work on other games.
New IPs were risky and distracted resources from profitable ventures.
As such, the game's development was discontinued and cancelled.
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Duality
Duality is a cancelled stealth Xbox and PC game from Trilobite Graphics.
The game is like Splinter Cell but more puzzle orientated.
Expected release date: Winter 2002, then Summer 2003, then Q1 2003, then Autumn 2003, then Q4 2003
The plot is about playing a trio of characters: a mercenary, a hacker, and a scientist in the virtual world.
Your job is to do stealthy quests in both the real and virtual worlds.
In this future, The Corportation runs everything. Your job is to stop them.
The mercenary, Travis, does stealth missions to earn the money.
The hacker, Sam, has to hack into The Corportation's computers.
The virtual scientist, Cube, can manipulate the environment like he's in the Matrix.
Each of these character sees each other as the enemy.
Eventually they all realise they are struggling together.
They all have intertwined stories. Quite neat.
The game plays like an RPG, with lots of quests and sidequests.
There are around 30-40 quests, each 20-40 minutes in length.
The publisher, Phantagram, cancelled the game for being unlikely to sell enough.
Trilobite Graphics closed down without releasing a single game.
Now some graphics company owns the name.
Trailer
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/15/duality-xbox-cancelled/
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