Hi everybody, today I'm starting up a new topic about earthworm jim 3d, the bad sequel of the serie on the n64 and PC. Specially about the prototype rescued from VIS interactive before their bankruptcy. If you didn't know, there is only one know prototype of this game, someone actually dumped a footage here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UjhK39c5x1U The development of earthworm jim 3d had suffered from lack of time, as we know that the game have change radically about 2-3 times, according to the images and video footages of the early year before publishing the game. In fact, they maded an early ad where the game was mainly different than what is it now, thus proving that major changes were done to the game. footage: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nyBVLoYtlKk In the early news, we learnt that many publishers were interested with this title, so it happened a little war between a few companies until Interplay had the final word on it. I create this topic because I very liked this game despites the bad opinions people have about this game, and also because it would be the game I want the most in prototype/beta version. VIS interactive ( the developer), had a bankrupt back in the days; I recently learnt that there was items owned by VIS that were sold/give ( i dont know ) to potential people, notably the earthworm jim 3d prototype shown in the video. I still wonder if there could be some remnants prototype of games by VIS, hide and don't know so far to the public. If anyone of you have infos about VIS interactive company, their assets sale or anything to make me progress, just let me know. thank you
Arg. I never understood why I didn't look into this stuff much in the past. If memory serves me correctly, Dc Studios bought out a portion of what remained of Vis before it's closing to finish off Sate of Emergency 2. I wonder if by chance they ever obtained data to some of their older stuff. Sadly it would be hard to check now since DC Uk turned to Firebrand and DC Canada went belly up. =/
I found out after bankruptcy, they were sold to BAM! entertainment: http://www.gamespot.com/news/vis-entertainment-files-for-bankruptcy-6121910 also tried couple of weeks ago to contact a ex-member of VIS, but he didn't answer.... surely because he wouldn't want to share infos with anyone
http://www.gamespot.com/news/dc-studios-acquires-state-of-emergency-2-6123467 I worked for Dc Canada at the time this went on. While my memory might be fuzzy i'm pretty sure we took on some of Vis staff & equipment to finish the game (our UK studios were pretty much only doing handheld projects, a few we had to even rescue at the Canadian studio).
I can't offer much info other that I own 5'ish n64 protos that supposedly came from some VIS auction and were resold a few times before I got my hands on them... I own the EWJ proto (first video), 2 Tom & Jerry and 2 Powerpuff Girls protos if I remember correctly. I have some EWJ design stuff I promised to "upload" to my website years ago... hrmmm
You worked in Montreal ? I live there.. what a funny hazard So, VIS closed, have sold some of their assets ( and they had certainly sold everything that they won't use again..( some protos could have been kept by some ex-members of VIS as a souvenir)) and the companies they merged with had only kept the new stuffs and game they would made ( state of emergency 2, maybe tom and jerry, but not the older games). ____________ Nesworld, that's very interesting. All those games were developed by VIS, and it could be very possible that they came initially from the auction by VIS.
Your quite right on that mate! Nesworld bought those proto's from me and I got them from the guy wo bought around 90% of the items auctioned from VIS. I originally had 3 different builds of EWJ 3D. I think I sold 2 to Nesworld and 1 to another member. All 3 builds were very different! Nesworld is a good friend of mine and I think if you ask him nicely to pull his finger out he might get round to scanning in all the tech docs I gave him for it too! ;-)
are you kidding me :O ? no way .... ! Like I said earlier, this game prototype is the most important videogame's ''grail'' I would like to have my hands on. Notably because VIS made about 2 or 3 differents builds of the game until they came up with the final version... and early builds looked nice ! MAgazines sources showed what the game looked like early 97-98: http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/8642/ewj3gamepro109oct97.jpg http://img574.imageshack.us/img574/3805/earthwormjim3d1ng33sept.jpg Would be very interesting to discover exclusive contents of this wacky game. Would extent the database information of this sequel as well.
