Games with released demos, but cancelled?

Just something I was wondering recently, but couldn't find information on it. I'm not talking about games with leaked demos, but officially released playable demos. I can't think of any myself, with the possible exception of that zombie killing game that can be played as a bonus in Metal Gear Solid 3 (Snake's "dream"). I've heard it was apparently a cancelled game, but I haven't read too much into it. I know games like Kameo: Elements of Power had trailers released on compilation discs for Gamecube (and possibly the original Xbox?), but no playable demos.

Anyway, I just thought about it because so many demo discs exist on consoles like PS1 and PS2, and although I own quite a few of those discs myself, I'm fairly certain that none of them include games that didn't see the light of day. Does anyone know of any cases like this? Doesn't matter which console.

 

Titan AE had a demo for the PS1 that can be easily found.

 

There's a playable demo of Reloaded for the Sega Saturn available on a multi-title Gremlin sampler disc, yet the final game was never released for this platform (despite review copies evidently being sent to various magazines). Fighting Force also exists as a rolling demo within a similar compilation from Core Design, though in this case an early prototype was leaked online.

 

Lamborghini for XBOX has a demo, but the fully finished retail build never got released.

 

NBA Elite 11 famously had a real train-wreck of a demo released shortly before the game was supposed to come out. The game was cancelled at the 11th hour, after some retail copies of the game were already printed.

 

Bounty Arms:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHqqnBSbKtE

 

Although not technically cancelled once it was all said and done, I have an OXM demo of Timeshift before they change publishers and changed most of the game, I also have the original Sierra sleeve for it with shots from the game it was meant to be.

 

Putty Squad has playable demos for both Amiga and PC (MS-DOS). Neither of these versions were released.

 

Time Cop for the Mega-CD/SEGA-CD

 

Corridor 8 and Fate, both used build engine.

The Red Star for the Xbox had an demo in 2004 in a OXM magazine, at the time Acclaim was developing it before going bankrupt, I think the same demo was on a OPM too, wasn't there a full version of this port leaked?

Interesting, i remember that i've played the first demo, and then the second demo and final game and i've noticed that it was different, i didn't know that there was an Xbox 360 demo, xbox live doesn't have this one.

 

Correct the full build leaked for XBOX back in the day. Years later the game did get an official release on PS2 and PSP!

 

In DS Download Station 9 USA there is the demo of an unreleased game, Gauntlet DS.

 

The xbox 360 kinda had a demo of Crimson Dragon released, the spiritual sequel to Panzer Dragoon. It was only out in Japan and was very quickly pulled. The game is now an xbox one exclusive. Frustratingly no one who was able to download it has made it available to the public (as a demo it most likely could have been burned to CD-R / DVD-R and run on a non-modded xbox 360).

 

Correct me if I am wrong, but didn't Glover 2 have a demo on 64 before it was cancelled?

 

Is that for the original XBox* or the XBox 360? If it's for the original XBox, then is the demo downloadable anywhere (my XBox is modded) as I'd like to see it, please.


* I hate the new "XBox One" name for the upcoming XBox, as it means we can't say "XBox 1" when we mean the original XBox, in case it confuses anyone. And how stupid is it, calling the third XBox the "XBox One"...

Were there ever any demos for N64 games? How were they passed on to the user, I never saw a cartridge on a magazine, for example (too expensive, I always thought), or do you mean shop/trade fair demo, that you could only play on the official premises?

 

It's for the X360, Timeshift was meant to be released back in 2006, but got delayed and they changed the plot.

 

The Glover 2 was a prototype, two versions of which have been released.

 

The original demo was on Xbox LIVE, but got taken down when publisher rights shifted, but you can find it readily available for playing still on one of the first OXM demo discs. You can also still find the PC version of the demo by doing a quick google search.

The levels between the two versions of TimeShift appear to basically be completely identical. Only things that really changed was the art direction (along with a massive tech update to the game engine) and a major stripdown of the main character's background story and personality.

 

I see. Thanks.

I quite like the game. Actually, I really like parts of the game, and really dislike other parts, so overall it's an OK but nothing great game to me.

When the game is good it is really good. Fighting the enemies can be good, not just with the time powers, but the gun-play can be great too. The time reverse does look great, and is refreshingly different, even nowadays, when compared to the "me too" copycat attitude of most modern first person shooters. Fighting against the enemies who also have time powers is a lot of fun, and I love the rain effects; the rain really makes the world feel alive, and makes the time powers seem even more pronounced. And I did like the overall art 'feel', it has a sort of Bioshock alternative-history atmosphere about it.

On the minus side, the game has some very dull level design (though other levels are great), it feels too linear (alright, so most FPSs are linear, but the best ones manage to fool you into thinking YOU are the one deciding which path to take), most of the time puzzles feel really contrived, the game world often doesn't feel real (the NPCs just don't make it feel like a real world, as they do in most good FPSs), the game is too easy (as long as you're patient, I mean, it's not a go in with all guns blazing type game, you have to pick your moments and use the time powers on occasion), there are some trial-and-error sudden death sections (these should not exist in games), I'm no fan of recharging health or a weapon carrying limit (especially not the weapon carrying limit), and the story is a mess.

Actually, calling the story a mess is an understatement. It's appallingly done. Granted in most FPSs the story is simplistic and not too well told. But in Timshift it's beyond badly done. I've completed the game maybe four or more times, and I'm still not absolutely sure about the story. I mean, none of the characters are memorable, the story is told very badly (it really feels like parts are missing), you have little feeling about anything (we don't see much about the new history, or why the enemy are so bad compared to the resistance), and you go through the whole game expecting to see a final battle that involves you and the villain-come-dicator, suit + hero vs. suit + villain, a massive showdown, and it doesn't happen. How anti-climactic is that? It's like the entire ending is missing from the game.

I do like this game, but I want to like it much more. That's why I keep going back to it, even though it has flaws that would put me off almost every other game that was as flawed.

One more criticism, though this is less justified, is that there aren't enough impressive instances where you can change the game. Fair enough, they didn't have to do this (and it must be difficult to program), but a few more big in-game occasions where you could reverse time to save people, or prevent a building/vehicle/whatever from blowing up, would have been great.

Actually, that leads me to two more complaints I have about the game (sorry...).

First, the game would be so much better if you could upgrade your powers. It would add an RPG element, if you occasionally found something that would allow you to upgrade your suit, and you could choose to add the points to any of the following;

1. Overall shield strength of your suit,
2. The speed your suit regenerates it's shield,
3. The length of time you can pause time,
4. The length of time you can slow down time,
5. The length of time you can reverse time.

this would be great, as I think it would really add to the re-playability of the game. I've always wished the game allowed you more time for your powers, and this way you could increase the powers how you like.

Secondly, the game does not allow the user to mod it. This is very disappointing, as it's a game that really needs mods. But (like the Bioshock games, sadly) the SDK was never released, so we never got to see any mods for it. A real pity, as modders could have added so much to this game.

Anyway, sorry to go on for so long!

BTW, what was changed about the plot, and the main character's personality and background?

 

I'll see if I can upload a photo of the original 2006 sleeve we got sent whilst I worked at GameStation before it was reworked