Cancelled video games project
This project concerns cancelled games in the range of 1995-2005.
Section: R
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RatHunt
RatHunt is a cancelled PC game by Mirage Interactive.
It was to be a FPS game with RPG elements (the style of the time).
Expected released date: June 2002
PC Zone issue 116 (May 2002)
You would play as Mason.
You are a wanted man, being hunted by the police and the Mafia that you ratted out.
Either duke it out with firearms or play it safe and stealthy.
The RPG elements come into how your character develops as you play.
The more stealthy you play, the better stealth stats you get. Same with weaponry.
Various weapons would have included the Glock 22c, S&W 625, M14, Sig 551, and Mossberg M9200.
There was to be four types of enemies to face against.
The cops (+ SWAT), and three Mafia groups: Russian, Italian and Chinese.
Each has their own stats, strengths and weaknesses.
RatHunt got cancelled by October 2002.
Mirage wanted to work on Sniper: Path of Vengeance instead.
https://web.archive.org/web/20020720180815/http://www.rathunt.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20021012103607/http://www.miragei.com:80/index.php?id=pc_rhunt
https://web.archive.org/web/20021022180147/http://strony.wp.pl/wp/dirtyoldrat/
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/rathunt-heads-to-the-pc/1100-2849090/
https://www.ign.com/articles/2002/03/15/rathunt-media
https://www.bluesnews.com/screenshots/games/rathunt/20020219/
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Rattlesnake Red
Rattlesnake Red was a cancelled PlayStation and Saturn game by Sculptured Software.
It was to be the Mario 64 of the Saturn and PS1.
Expected release: February 1997, then May 1997
Mega Fun issue 23 (October 1996)
Game Informer issue 64 (October 1996)
Rattlesnake Red was to be a 3D action platformer, with puzzles and critters to kill.
You would play as Red, who speaks softly but carries a big mallet. And lots of dynamite.
The game would have been like a Looney Toons cartoon.
The plot would have something to do with Red battling creatures to get access to gold mines.
And, judging by the storyboard, something to do with a scroll and ghosts.
GamePro issue 88 (November 1996)
Mean Machines issue 52 (February 1997)
There was to be five massive levels but only two were ever complete.
Acclaim had other ideas for the game...
Sculptured Software wanted to go in a different direction than Acclaim.
Executive meddling ensued that the game was watered-down and poorly managed.
A result of this meddling was a substandard game that was going nowhere fast.
PlayStation Plus issue 18 (March 1997)
Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 137 (December 2000)
Acclaim canned the game to cut costs and better their fiscal balance sheet.
Rattlesnake Red was cancelled at around 50% completion.
Despite the game being in production around 1996-1997, release dates for 1999 have appeared.
Maybe they gave the game another shot? Or maybe it's a mistake.
PS1 gameplay
http://segaretro.org/Rattlesnake_Red
http://www.sega-saturn.net/nr/rattlesnakered.php
http://playstationmuseum.com/video-game-graveyard/3/
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/11/rattlesnake-red-psx-cancelled/
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Raw Pursuit
It's like Spy Hunter but on the water.
Expected release date: 1998
You would chase down terrorist leaders and take them down before they reach the open waters.
There would be 10 levels, ranging from rivers in Amazon to the canals of Venice.
You could pilot 16 different kinds of boars and hover bikes.
You would have all sorts of gadgets and weaponry to aid you.
The game was probably cancelled because it kept getting delayed.
Computer and Video Games issue 178 (September 1996) says it has an August 1996 release.
The JVC website still listed the game as in development in January 1998.
The likely reason for such a prolonged development cycle was the inexperience.
The dev kits given to the team were not very good and were only partly translated.
In the end they probably gave up and worked on more realistic projects.
Or maybe the long development time was due to different publishers being opted in.
Maybe Regal Productions went out of business.
I don't know as I can't find any information about them whatsoever.
Gameplay, courtesy of the PlayStation Museum
http://playstationmuseum.com/review/raw-pursuit
https://assemblergames.com/threads/raw-pursuit-dream-team-basketball-psx.61198/
https://web.archive.org/web/19980127154731/http://www.jvcmultimedia.com:80/prod.htm
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Raze
Raze aka Realms of Valor, is a cancelled PS1, N64 and M2 game from Interplay.
It was going to be the first (& possibly only) Advanced Dungeons and Dragon game for the N64.
Expected release date: Q1 1998
Next Generation issue 29 (May 1997)
Raze was going to be a four-player fighting game based on the AD&D franchise.
It was to be set in the Forgotten Realms.
The game was going to be on the M2, but that game console never came to be.
Development then shifted to the Nintendo 64 and PS1.
Raze did not appear at the E3 1997 event. Something was up.
My guess is that the game's fate was due to money or lack thereof.
Interplay Entertainment was in dire financial states around 1998.
Raze was likely cancelled so that Interplay can work on Fallout 2.
Either that or they knew Raze wasn't going to be worth it, so they pulled the plug.
http://au.ign.com/articles/1997/02/11/interplay-gears-up-for-n64-games
http://playstationmuseum.com/video-game-graveyard/3/
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Razorwing
Razorwing is a cancelled PS1 by n-Space.
The game was a first-person space shooter, though not set in space.
Expected release date: December 1996
GamePro issue 71 (June 1995)
Razorwing was to be n-Space's first PlayStation game.
It would be another few years before they release their first PS1 game.
You would pilot an anti-gravity tank and shoot down alien scum.
The environment will wreak havok on you with earthquakes and volcanos.
There was to be four worlds to play on, four worlds to play in, and campaign missions.
Would there be a story? Some nonsense plot conjured on the spot to connect the missions?
No one knows... unless you know, in which case let me know.
GamePro issue 72 (July 1995)
GamePro Spring 1996 issue
A playable version was made available to the public at E3 1996.
Despite the positive reception it had, the game was cancelled three months away from release.
Why? Because Warhawk, a similar game, was released.
http://www.mobygames.com/company/n-space-inc
https://www.unseen64.net/2009/07/26/razorwing-psx-cancelled
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Reclamation
Reclamation is a cancelled PC MMORPG by Lyra Studios.
It was to be the sequel to Underlight.
Expected release date: 2005, then 2006
The game would be set in the Dream City of Underlight.
Be any class you want and fight the nightmares.
Or battle other players in PvP 'scenarios' that are basically duels.
The world is divided in around 50 zones, each divided into 10-30 regions.
Each server would be a different world with different zones and a different storyline.
Player's progress revolves around Personality points.
You get these for food roleplaying. Pffft.
You can even be a teacher, whose job is to give quests to other players and reward them.
Reclamation was going to be a first-person game with no NPCs.
Yes, the Fallout 76 of MMOs.
Reclamation was cancelled when Underlight went under in 2006.
Underlight has since been taken up by various studios and is still played today. Jesus Christ.
Reclamation was reworked into Underlight: Shades of Truth and played for a while.
https://web.archive.org/web/20090504080248/http://reclamationgame.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20040528115251/http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/518/518972p1.html
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/lyra-studios-announces-reclamation/1100-6099276/
https://www.gamezone.com/news/lyra_studios_announces_true_role_playing_mmorpg_reclamation/
https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/05/26/reclamation-interview
https://www.jeuxactu.com/lyra-annonce-reclamation-4792.htm
http://daviddichter.com/?page_id=663
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Redwyrm
Redwyrm is a cancelled PC MMORPG by Redwyrm.
It was to be a fantasy MMO set on a giant battlefield of sorts.
Redwyrm was to be heavily involved in player's ideas.
Submit your ideas to their website and your 3D models to their forum.
In May 2003 the lead artist suddenly left the project.
In November 2003 development was put on hold and was quietly cancelled.
Their website went defunct in late November 2004.
https://web.archive.org/web/20010410071134/http://www.redwyrm.com/
https://rpgdot.rpgwatch.com/localhost/rpgdot.rpgwatch.com/httpdocs/index5ae1.html?hsaction=10075&games=552
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Resonance
Resonance is a cancelled PS2, Xbox, and GameCube game by Neocell Factory.
It was to be an spooky action adventure game set in the dark past.
Expected release date: Q4 2004, then Fall 2005
Official US Xbox Magazine issue 36 (October 2004)
Resonance began life as a mod for Neverwinter Nights.
The project swelled into a proper game, requiring enough staff to start their own dev team.
You would play as Faye Wynter, a witch in service to the king.
You are unsure of how or why you how the powers that you do.
Faye is the daughter of a witch and royalty.
Your witch momma got burned at the stake. Your father, crestfallen, took his own life.
Faye was an orphan. She raised in the court to serve the king.
Then the king dies. His lazy son inherits the throne.
Your quest is to investigate his death, as well as learn of your parents and your origins story.
The setting: the Inquisition. Take care of business.
The Inquisitors are after you for being a witch. Typical witch business.
You begin at the village of Hollowglade, inside a dark asylum.
Other settings would have included a swamp, a forest, a mountainside, a sea port, and ruins.
There would be ten special powers, each unique and adding to the gameplay.
On top of that you have a sizable collection of melee and powder weapons.
Her witchy powers is the eponymous 'resonance'.
The game was to add a twist to the survival horror genre.
Rather than the stale old fixed camera angles, this game would let you have full control.
Adding to that is the creepy monsters and tense brooding atmosphere.
The Xbox was the preferred platform for publishing.
Not only for it's powerful specs but for DLC downloads via Xbox Live.
Development was not smooth.
In 2003 the team licensed the Gamebryo engine, necessitating the game development start all over.
Then the Xbox 360 launched in 2005, spelling trouble for sales forecast.
Neocell Factory went defunct in 2007.
Timeline:
September 2002: development begins
July 2003: switches to Gamebryo engine
July 2003: acquired new dev team. Work started all over from scratch
February 2006: game enters final beta
2007: Neocell Factory went defunct
https://web.archive.org/web/20040219180455/http://www.neocell-factory.com/resonance/resonance_site.htm
https://web.archive.org/web/20040708043045/http://intoliquidsky.net/site/articles/0404_resonance.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20040417112942/http://www.tothegame.com/interview.asp?id=13
https://web.archive.org/web/20040415022145/http://www.gamebanshee.com/interviews/resonance1.php
https://web.archive.org/web/20040304093245/http://www.homelanfed.com/index.php?id=18387
https://web.archive.org/web/20031102165708/http://www.teamxbox.com/article.php?id=669&t=i
https://web.archive.org/web/20040716054639/http://xbox.ign.com/articles/529/529618p8.html
https://www.ign.com/articles/2004/04/06/resonance-revealed
https://www.ign.com/articles/2007/02/02/missing-in-action-the-lost-games-of-xbox
https://www.gamezone.com/news/resonance_enters_final_beta/
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/15/resonance-xboxps2-cancelled/
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Rev Limit
Rev Limit is a cancelled Nintendo 64 game by Seta.
It was to be Nintendo's answer to Ridge Racer.
Expected release date: Q1 1997, then February 1997, Winter 1997, then May 1998
GamePro issue 99 (December 1996)
64 Extreme issue 1 (March-April 1997)
Rev Limit originally started life on the Nintendo 64DD add-on.
It was touted as a possible Ridge Racer beater.
It was also planned for the Aleck 64.
The Aleck 64 was a Seta-made arcade cabinet.
N64 Magazine issue 6 (September 1997)
The key to winning races is to upgrade your car and tone it for every track.
There is the oil temperature, turbo boost, fuel and water levels, and the rev counter.
There are also powerslides like in Mario Kart.
Being a rally game, there are endurance races aplenty.
Hope you like 50 laps of one track. I used to enjoy those in Gran Turismo games.
One thing to keep in mind is the car damage. Now it becomes a Destruction Derby game.
The tracks could be spiced up with weather conditions.
For the late 90s, that was a rarity believe it or not.
There was also a track creator in the works.
You could share your creators and try other's tracks via the online portion of the N64DD.
Gradually the game had to be cut back, until...
N64 Gamer (Australian) issue 23 (January 2000)
Rev Limit was cancelled due to Seta having financial issues and cancelled lots of projects.
This game was unfortunately on the chopping block.
In September 2016 a prototype of the game, along with a dev N64 console, was sold.
RetroGameTV purchased the game and has shared footage of it online.
Now if we can just get a ROM dump of it...
http://www.nintendo64ever.com/Nintendo-64-Game-Rev-Limit-Unreleased,479.html
http://www.expansionpakdetected.com/2013/05/the-curious-case-of-rev-limit.html
http://www.retrocollect.com/News/unreleased-nintendo-64-game-rev-limit-discovered.html
https://web.archive.org/web/19961221021301/http://www.n64.com:80/previews/12.html
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/04/rev-limit-unreleased
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Ring Age
Ring Age is a cancelled Dreamcast game by Takuyo.
It was to be an RPG.
Expected release date: Summer 2000, then 2001, then Spring 2002
Dreamcast Magazine (JP) issue volume 12 (March 26 1999)
Ring Age started life as ALU GU LATE in 1999.
The name was changed to Ring Life in 2000.
The name of the game was dungeon crawling as a party.
A group of eight would trawl a dungeon looking for a particular item.
Other parties are also hunting. The race is on.
The combat was turn-based and at an isometric perspective, like Grandia.
Consolemania issue 100 (October 2000)
Ring Age was likely cancelled due to the dwindling online playerbase.
https://web.archive.org/web/20021201164637/http://www.takuyo.co.jp/products/ringage/index.html
https://www.rpgfan.com/news/2002/1305.html
https://segaretro.org/Ring_Age
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RiQa
RiQa is a cancelled Nintendo 64 game by Bits Studios.
It was to be Nintendo's answer to Tomb Raider for the N64.
Expected release date: Autumn 1999, then April 2000
N64 Gamer issue 17 (July 1999)
In October 1998 Nintendo registered riqa.com.
Six months later Nintendo revealed it to be a new game in the works.
RiQa was intended to be a third person shooter with missions.
The intention was to have it be a killer app to combat the mighty PlayStation.
Progress, however, was too slow.
Knowing that by the time they release it will be obsolete and not sell well, it was canned.
The game missed its April 2000 deadline, thereby cementing the game's fate.
N64 Magazine issue 41 (May 2000)
Later on Bits Studios released Rogue Ops.
It was rumored to be based on the cancelled RiQa project.
It wasn't officially confirmed, but the similarity is uncanny.
http://au.ign.com/games/riqa
http://www.nesworld.com/n64-unr-riqa.php
http://www.cubed3.com/news/16584/1/n64-month-nintendos-missing-in-action-part-1-riqa.html
http://www.retrocollect.com/News/unreleased-nintendo-64-game-riqa-discovered.html
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/04/riqa/
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Robotech: Crystal Dreams
Robotech: Crystal Dreams is a cancelled Nintendo 64 game from GameTek.
It was to be based on the hit 80's anime Robotech.
Expected release date: Summer 1996, then November 1996, then December 1996, then January 1997, then May 1997, then June 1997, then 1998, then Q4 1999
GamePro issue 72 (July 1995)
Robotech: Crystal Dreams was announced in mid-1995 as a launch title for the Ultra 64.
Progress was slow, and as such the game underwent some name changes.
The gameplay also underwent changes.
The game was upgraded from simple arcade-style to mission based warfare.
30-40 missions of 3D action. Nintendo and the world was excited.
GamePro issue 98 (July 1996)
Ultra Game Players issue 90 (November 1996)
64 Extreme issue 1 (March-April 1997)
GameTek was a small company, known for making Jeopardy and Wheel of Fortune games.
Robotech: Crystal Dreams was too ambitious.
As such the game kept getting more and more delayed.
GameTek went bankrupt in December 1997 and went defunct in July 1998.
As such the game was cancelled.
Take-Two Interactive aquired the assets of GameTek after its closure.
A crude demo of Robotech: Crystal Dreams appeared at E3 1998.
No publishers were interested. The game was well and truly dead.
Computer & Video Games issue 191 (October 1997)
Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 137 (December 2000)
Some prototypes of the game have been dumped:
http://hiddenpalace.org/Robotech:_Crystal_Dreams_(Prototype)
https://hiddenpalace.org/Robotech:_Crystal_Dreams_(Aug_20,_1999_prototype)
A promotional comic was given out at the booth in E3 1998. Link below.
http://www.opusgames.com/games/rcd/rcdcomic.html
http://web.archive.org/web/19970215190910/http://www.gamefan.com/download/nintendo64/robotechcrystaldreams/index.html
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/04/robotech-crystal-dreams-tech-demo-proto-cancelled/
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Rogue Wars
Rogue Wars is a cancelled PC game by ReAllis.
It was to be a turn-based first-person strategy game.
Expected release date: Autumn 2000, then Q3 2001
PC Zone issue 90 (June 2000)
There are two nations at war: Terran and Brim.
Their war has ruined each other and almost the world.
The ultimate goal is to find the Transcendental Terraformer, to shape the globe back to normality.
You are the human Terrans who must fight off the alien Brims.
There was to be five types of mechs per nation.
The single player campaign was to be 12 missions for either side.
There was to be other mode as well.
War Mode is an arcadey mode where the first team to collect 100 Omega Crystals wins.
In the other modes you can play as either the Terran or the Brim.
Rogue Wars was cancelled when ReAllis went defunct in 2001.
https://web.archive.org/web/20010723190639/http://www.roguewars.com/
https://web.archive.org/web/20010807151714/http://pc.ign.com/previews/15948.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20010805093323/http://www.betabites.com/features/roguewars/roguewars.html
https://web.archive.org/web/20001009122458/http://www.ga-strategy.com/articles/firstlooks/rogue.shtml
https://www.gamepressure.com/games/rogue-wars/z418fe
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Rollcage
Rollcage is a cancelled PS1, Saturn, 3DO, and PC racing game by Team17.
It is not to be confused with the released game of the same name by Attention To Detail.
Expected release date: September 1995, then October 1995
PC Zone issue 28 (July 1995)
Games World issue 15 (September 1995)
Rollcage was to be a realistic stock-car racing game.
With ten cars and and twenty tracks, it was going to be a treat (for early 3D racing games).
Team17 likely cancelled the game as it likely wasn't very good, so they focused on Worms.
Trailer
http://dream17.abime.net/softography.php?id=96
https://www.unseen64.net/2010/10/07/rollcage-team-17-psx-saturn-3do-cancelled/
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Roller Vixens
Roller Vixens is a cancelled PS1 game by RedZone Interactive.
Sexy girls smashing the shit out of each other? A feminist's moist dream.
Expected release date: October 2000
The plot involves the Roller Vixen League, a professional women's roller derby sport.
Teams from around the world joined the tournament.
Together they compete in the World Vixen League.
Your task is to guide your team to victory by eliminating the other teams.
No information has surfaced pertaining to how the gameplay mechanics work.
I say that and yet the design documents are archived by the Brian Sutton Smith Library and Archives of Play.
RedZone Interactive was reacquired by SCEA in 2001 and added to the 989 Studios label.
The shift likely caused this game to become nixed as Sony wanted to focus on NFL.
The game was likely completed before getting canned, but by late 2000 the PS1 was being phased out..
www.ign.com/games/roller-vixens-134144
https://www.neogaf.com/threads/is-there-a-womens-roller-derby-game.396213/
http://edition.cnn.com/fyi/interactive/news/09/fall.fun.guide/games/october.html
http://www.mobygames.com/company/scea-sports-studio-red-zone
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Rubu Tribe
Rubu Tribe is a cancelled PS2 game from Outrage Games.
It's a case of 'little guy and big guy on an adventure'.
Expected release date: Winter 2001, then Q1 2002
Next Generation issue 79 (July 2001)
Edge issue 99 (July 2001)
You play as Mulu, a Rubus, who are little guys that look like a cross between a Hobbit and a lizardman.
You travel on a giant dinosaur called an Uut. Together you are on a quest that will take you across the world.
Your quest is to restore power to the life force that keeps your people alive.
Along the way you will uncover a bigger mystery...
Official UK PlayStation Magazine issue 10 (September 2001)
You must use Uut to move obstacles as you traverse the landscape.
You yourself have a weapon that looks like an octopus on a stick.
The game plays like a mix of Legend of Zelda and a Real Time Strategy game.
You must instruct various tribe members to perform tasks.
You can get off on foot to defeat enemies and solve puzzles.
Completing objectives will make your tribe happy.
Occasionally disputes between tribe members break out. You must solve these diplomatically.
The game is essentially combining micromanagement of your village and a platformer; kind of like Actraiser.
You must you must protect and care for your .Uut.
The Uut carries your village on its back.
You can get off on foot to do things on land, but you must use a green catapult to get back onto the Uut.
Next Generation issue 82 (October 2001)
Rubu Tribe was cancelled in April 2002 due to Interplay not being able to fund it.
No other publishers were willing to pick up the project.
Outrage Games was aquired by THQ around this time (April 2002).
Outrage Games was dissolved in March 2004.
THQ went bankrupt in January 2013. It's the circle of life.
Trailer from E3 2001
Gameplay
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/e3-2001-hands-onrubu-tribe/1100-2762422/
http://au.ign.com/articles/2001/04/30/an-outrageous-new-adventure
http://au.ign.com/articles/2001/05/07/cool-vibes-from-rubu-tribes
http://au.ign.com/articles/2001/05/19/e3-2001-rubu-tribe-impressions
http://au.ign.com/articles/2002/04/04/outrages-rubu-tribe-cancelled
http://www.ps2home.co.uk/rubu-tribe/
http://www.ladydragon.com/29rubutribe.html
https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/15/rubu-tribe-cancelled/
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