Just like its music and film stable mates, the videogames industry is rife with cancelled gems and long forgotten projects that ended up on the cutting room floor, never to see the light of day. From well-documented outings such as the legendary Resident Evil 1.5 to more recent efforts such as Redwood Falls, Sony’s hardware endeavors have seen their fair share of titles that have ended up going the way of the dodo, and it’s the PS3’s array of cancelled projects that PSU has subjected under the microscope for our latest feature.
Join us now as we take a look at the Games from the Crypt and decide whether or not we think they should be revived or condemned to eternal rest.
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Name: Pigeon Drop
Developer: Sony
This quirky PlayStation Network title had players, unsurprisingly, controlling one of our feathered friends throughout a sprawling and bustling metropolis. From the look of the screens and videos released on the game, players could upgrade their pigeon with an array of armaments to increase its effectiveness in carrying out its primary objective – which, from the look of things, largely involved crapping on everyone and everything to cause maximum mayhem and destruction. Lovely.
Status: Pigeon Drop was shelved early on in development.
PSU Thinks: An intriguing little gem, Pigeon Drop is perhaps one of the most idiosyncratic PSN offerings we’ve laid eyes on, and even out of morbid curiosity, we would have loved to take our feather friend for a test flight.
Revive or Rest In Peace: Revive!
Name: Titan
Developer: StormFront Studios
Little information exists on Titan, though from what we can gather from the artwork released, it appears to have been an amalgamation of the adventure/third-person shooter genres. One conspicuous feature is the inclusion of what appears to be huge robotic-type characters (hence the name Titan, we assume), which acts as support during battles. Aesthetically, Titan appears very much in the futuristic vein, with the archetypical gleaming skyscrapers and laser-based weaponry you’d expect to see in the latest sci-fi movie romp.
Status: Titan perished as a result of the closure of StormFront in March 2008.
PSU Thinks: It’s hard to make verdict based on the small amount of info we know, but if nothing else, Titan contained some intriguing elements and should have proved a visual feast for the eyes. Having said that, there are far more compelling offerings out there that we feel should have been given a chance to get off the ground.
Revive or Rest In Peace: Rest In Peace!
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Name: The Fixer
Developer: Climax Studios
A third-person RPG, The Fixer was among the first PS3 casualties to end up on the cutting room floor prior to the machine’s launch in November 2006. Judging from sneak peeks, the game took place in a dusty African locale of some description, with players controlling the eponymous hero as he attempts to manipulate the lives of the people around him. From the look of things, The Fixer contained a healthy dose of exploration in addition to stylish shoot-outs, the latter featuring some particularly extravagant maneuvers.
Status: The Fixer died-off following the termination of Sony Computer Entertainment Europe’s publishing contract with Climax in 2006.
PSU Thinks: Now this beauty would have been a treat – awesome shootouts, outrageous acrobatics and a lush environment to explore. We’re pretty miffed that the game never saw the light of day to say the least.
Revive or Rest In Peace: Revive!
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Name: Lone Wolf: Flight From the Dark
Developer: Ksatria Gameworks
A planned multi-format release helmed by Singapore-based studio Ksatria Gameworks, Lone Wolf was an RPG/first-person romp ala The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion based on a series of novels of the same name. Masterminded by Joe Dever, the game offered a quintessential tale of good vs. evil, with players hopping in to the shoes of the Lone Wolf as he sets off on a journey to inform his King of the loss of the Kai Lords, who were brutally slain by a group known as the Darklords.
Status: Lone Wolf: Flight from the Dark was unfortunately canned after Ksatria was forced to close its doors in February 2009 due to the global financial crisis.
PSU Thinks: We’re big fans of RPG’s here at PSU Towers, and Lone Wolf was looking mighty fine indeed. While not acquainted with the novels, it doesn’t take a genius to deduce that Lone Wolf had all the makings of a classic.
Revive or Rest In Peace: Revive!
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Name: The Lord of the Rings: The White Council
Developer: Electronic Arts Los Angeles
A sprawling RPG set in J.R.R Tolkien’s evocative landscape of Middle-earth from the Lord of the Rings trilogy, The White Council boasted a mammoth world to explore, allowing players venture wherever they pleased. Furthermore, the game apparently featured an incredibly meaty simulation AI based on the same tech utilized by the developer’s behind the likes of The Sims 2. Naturally, gamers were allowed to hop in to the shoes of one of many creatures synonymous with Tolkien’s works, including beings from the race of Men, Elves, Dwarfs and Hobbits. Little else is known on the game, though the core narrative was based around a series of Story Quests, and your ultimate objective was to progress to become a hero allied with the White Council.
Status: According to a statement issued by EA on February 2, 2007, The White Council has been delayed indefinitely. Apparently, management problems within the company were to blame for the decision (and unfortunately, us gamers were stuck with the rather shoddy Lord of the Rings: Conquest in its place)
PSU Thinks: Pardon us for a second, as we’re still a little preoccupied attempting to lift our jaws off of the desk in sheer disbelief. To put it simply, The White Council was shaping up to be what Tolkien aficionados had been waiting for – a chance to explore each and every nook and cranny of Middle Earth in the shoes of an iconic race of our choice. To add further insult to injury, we’re lumbered with the abysmal LotR: Conquest instead. Thanks EA.
Revive or Rest In Peace: Revive!
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Name: Superman
Developer: Factor 5
Originally going under the moniker of ‘Blue Steel,’ Superman was in development a few years back over at Factor 5 for the chaps at Brash Entertainment. Needless to say, the game pitted players in the role of the eponymous super hero as he attempted to rid Metropolis of evildoers in what was shaping up to be an impressive looking action/adventure ripe with sumptuous visuals. Leaked concept art offers an intriguing glimpse at some of the foes our caped friend would have been up against, and further shots reveal some of Superman’s iconic abilities – such as the laser eyes –were indeed present in the game. Unfortunately, Superman has had something of disastrous reputation when it comes to videogame adaptations of the Man of Steel and his various escapades, though we can only speculate as to how competent this shelved effort would have panned out.
Status: Superman ended up on the cutting room floor following the disintegration of Brash Entertainment in November 2008.
PSU Thinks: As mentioned previously, Superman hasn’t the best track record when it comes to his videogame outings, so we’re not exactly losing sleep over the loss of Factor 5’s adaptation.
Revive or Rest In Peace: Rest In Peace!
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Name: Darkwatch 2
Developer: High Moon Studios
The ill-fated sequel to the original PlayStation 2/Xbox shooter, Darkwatch 2 was destined for release on Sony and Microsoft’s next-gen platforms and was debuted for the first time at GDC 2006. Although the only glimpse we have of the game is in its infancy during the beta stage, details confirmed that High Moon was utilizing the same gameplay mechanics and scenario as its predecessor, only this time the visuals would have been improved considerably thanks to the increased graphical oomph of PS3 and Xbox 360. Presumably the game would have signaled the return of vampire hunter Jericho Cross, though from the concept art released he looks a little worse for wear, having apparently succumbed to the vampire bite inflicted upon him before the first game.
Status: High Moon Studios was in the process of pitching the title to a new publisher at GDC 2006 – however, four years later, the game has yet to materialize. We can assume it has been cancelled.
PSU Thinks: The first Darkwatch was something of a cult classic and we’ve every reason to believe that High Moon would have come up with the goods for a sequel.
Revive or Rest In Peace: Revive!
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Name: Crude Awakening
Developer: Pseudo Interactive
Billed as the modern day equivalent of cult classic Carmageddon, Crude Awakening featured a vibrant and stylized aesthetic in the vein of Team Fortress 2, featuring a cast of over-the-top characters and sprawling city to traverse. The basic concept remains the same as Carmageddon, where players have to race against the clock and a series of competitors, racking up points and bonuses along the way by mowing pedestrians down and wrecking your opponent’s motor. However, Crude Awakening added a decidedly macabre twist on the proceedings, as mission objectives sometimes required the player to cut down a certain type of pedestrian only, while avoiding the rest.
Status: Crude Awakening was cancelled after the game’s publisher Eidos decided to shelve the project. Consequently, its demise had serious repercussions for Pseudo, as the project was a major investment for the firm, and as a result the studio later plunged in to economic difficulties before finally shutting up shop in April 2008.
PSU Thinks: Not that we’re a sick bunch of malevolent sods here at PSU, but the thought of burning through city streets while racking up gory combos by plowing over innocent civilians in a modern day version of Carmageddon makes us rather miffed this ended up on the cutting room floor.
Revive or Rest In Peace: Revive!
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Name: Unnamed shooter
Developer: Croteam
It certainly says something when a game is canned without ever obtaining an identity. In this case, we’re referring to an untitled FPS developed by the house of Serious Sam, Croteam, which was unceremoniously shelved early on in development. Details are virtually non-existent, though Internet speculation has suggested that the title may have combined the arcade-style gameplay of Serious Sam with a more mature visual template (going by the few screens released, this seems to be the case). Apparently, game was to be published by GameCock Media Group and also utilized the Serious 3 Engine.
Status: Croteam’s mysterious FPS was cancelled after GameCock decided to pull the plug due to economic reasons.
PSU Thinks: Call us miserable old gits, but we’ve seen enough first-person shooters to last a lifetime, so the fact this never got off the ground isn’t the worst news we’ve ever heard.
Revive or Rest In Peace: Rest In Peace!
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Name: Cops: The Police Experience
Developer: Pyro Studios
Cops was an action romp where players witnessed the action from the perspective of the local Old Bill in a bustling metropolis of unknown origin. From the look of things, players were destined to experience a variety of objectives, from taking down gun-toting scumbags to adrenaline-fuelled police chases. The game adopted a third-person, over-the-shoulder style aiming system ala Resident Evil 5, and by all accounts foot mission weren’t simply limited to shoot outs, with your character required to give chase when criminals decide to make a dash for it, which usually involves some fancy acrobatics on your part such as hopping over fences and ducking under obstacles.
Status: Cops was canned after Pyro Studios was forced to lay off some 30 staff just before Christmas holidays back in 2008. Following this, Pyro turned its attention to working on Planet 51.
Verdict: Based on the TV Show of the same name, Cops looked the business but we’re a little skeptical as to whether or not it would have delivered the goods based purely on how other TV show – game adaptations have fared in the past.
Revive or Rest In Peace: Rest In Peace!
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Be sure to let us know what games you’d like to see revived or left to rest in peace in the comments section below!