100 Meter Dash

Commodore 64 - Unreleased - 1999

Simple 2 player game where you use 1 & 2 and & keys to compete in a 100 meter dash. This Olympic game was unpublished.

10-Pin Bowling

Nintendo Game Boy - Unreleased

Previously undiscovered Game Boy Version. Included in the September 2020 lot check leak was an unreleased monochrome Game Boy version of 10-Pin Bowling. The released game was only compatible with the Game Boy Color. Besides the additional detail, the games are identical in gameplay. https://tcrf.net/Proto:10-Pin_Bowling

3-D Zapper

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1982

Unreleased game programmed by Todd Marshall. Within existing internal documents the given title is "3-D Zapper," though the prototype cartridge itself has an end label that reads merely "3-D Demo," while the PCB within features a sticker reading "3D Space" and a date of December 13, 1982. Internal documents describe the game briefly as follows: "This game contains the elements of a typical shoot-em-up spree game. The unique elements of this game are: (1) that the invaders perform erratic randomized dances in a three-dimensional field. (2) The 3-D operation of the gun. (3) The invaders themselves are particularly tailored to provide an exciting 3-D effect on the ATARI VCS."

Acolyte

Sinclair ZX Spectrum - Unreleased

Acolyte is an unreleased (but since recovered) maze adventure game for the Sinclair ZX Spectrum. It was developed by David Bradley and Dean Hickingbottom. The game was initially supposed to be published by Video Images, but the company went under before the game could get an official release.

ACSYS

Commodore Amiga - Unreleased

ACSYS: Autonomous Cybernetic System is an unreleased Amiga platformer shoot'em up game.

Air Strike

Mattel Intellivision - Unreleased - 1982

[Unfinished 1982] You're piloting a biplane through enemy territory. Drop bombs on factories and ammunition depots. Engage enemy planes in dogfights to the death! Due to the popularity (especially with APh and Mattel programmers) of the Biplanes game in the Triple Action cartridge, APh proposed this one-player version. A prototype was shown to Mattel with scrolling mountain terrain and targets that could be bombed. The plane graphics, sound effects and flight control were lifted directly from Biplanes. (Enemy planes, which would have presented an artificial intelligence-programming challenge, were not included in the prototype but promised for the finished game.) An unfinished but playable version was released in 1998 on the Intellivision Lives! CD.

Air Walkers

Arcade - Unreleased - 1997

This is an unreleased prototype 3D 5-on-5 basketball game running on Sega Model 2A hardware, developed by Data East. The last known software compile is dated November 1996.

Alchemy

Commodore Amiga - Unreleased

Alchemy is an unreleased game that only has a few demo levels. Apparently it was supposed to be published by Psygnosis, why that didn't happen nobody knows. The graphics and the sound make a very good impression, maybe Psygnosis could have created another cult platformer with it. Despite the colorful graphics, the game is satisfied with the OCS/ECS chipset.

Älg Invaders

Windows - Unreleased - August 23, 2016

Älg Invaders: Return of the Gädda is a simple shoot 'em up, similar to Space Invaders. Blast away at the moose marching in from the top of the screen, dodge their shots and aim for a high score. You only have three lives, so make them count. Älgens! Take a minute to blast Älgs.

Alien Arena

Arcade - Unreleased - 1985

Player 1 (Thor) and Player 2 (Zespar) are battling it out in the Alien Arena. The game is timed, with 2 minutes for every 25 cents inserted, regardless of your choice of 1-player or 2-player. More time can be purchased at any time before the timer reads ':00'. In a 1-player game you are Thor, with controls on the right, and the computer plays Zespar, on the left. In a 2-player game each of you chooses a set of controls. When time runs out in either game, it reverts to a "play as long as you can keep alive and possibly winning extra lives" 1-player game. If it started as a 2-player game, whoever is winning when time runs out is the one who gets to battle the computer. The basic theme of the game is "capture the flag (while protecting your own)". You can assemble offensive and defensive aids by picking up 'pieces' strewn about your half of the playfield. The pieces are color-coded, randomly created and distributed, and different objects require different numbers of pieces to assemble. Once you start assembling an object, you must finish assembling it (pick up enough pieces for it) and place it... or 'flush' the pieces you've picked up so far. Flush is mostly used for when you accidentally picked up the wrong color piece... or when you don't have the required pieces to assemble the rest of the object. A status bar shows what object is under construction, and how many more pieces are needed. Only one object can be assembled at a time. Once it is assembled, you must carry it to where you want to place or launch it and press the 'place' button. There is a delay at the beginning of each round before the flags appear, and then a further delay before the midfield barrier comes down. Use this time to start assembling an offense or defense or both (this keeps the opponent from just starting each round by making a suicide dash for your flag). When the flags do appear, their placement is random, but within a small distance from the back wall of your half of the arena. A round ends when an opposing flag is captured by a player, or when a player is destroyed by one of his opponent's offensive or defensive objects. There are all sorts of nuances to how the objects behave, how they score, etc.

Ameisenbär

Commodore 64 - Unreleased - 1987

Help the anteater get the ants and all the dots, but avoid the poison bits.

Animated Puzzle

Atari 800 - Unreleased - 1984

Animated Puzzle is a slide-puzzle game. The player can choose between 3 different puzzles and has to put the pieces back to the original places. The game was developed by Hal Canon and scheduled to be released by Atari themselves, however, the game ended up getting shelved.

Another World

Atari 800 - Unreleased - 1992

Another World is a preview version of an unreleased conversion of the Delphine Software classic of the same name. The full game was never finished, and Delphine decided to only focus on 16 Bit platforms.

Antispyrel

Commodore Amiga - Unreleased - 1989

Antispyrel is an unreleased platformer that was done all the way up to the final level until the developer Stefan van de Horst of 1001 Software Developments abandoned the project. While a working version exists, there's no intro available and therefore no context on who you are or why you are there. Graphics tell you that you're a scientist inside a factory of some sort and you aim to move on by either jumping and cllimbing or by solving small puzzles.

Aquaventure

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1983

Aquaventure (which also had the title Sea Sentinel) is a bit of a mystery in the prototype world. It was never mentioned in any Atari press releases nor does it show up on any internal part lists. Aquaventure seems to have popped out of the woodwork one day without any public fanfare nor any history behind its mysterious origins. In any case, Aquaventure seems to be complete and ready for release, we can only speculate as to why it was shelved.

Arena Football '95

Atari Jaguar - Unreleased - July 15, 2006

Arena Football '95 is an unreleased arena football video game that was in development by V-Real Interactive and planned to be published by Atari Corporation on a scheduled August 1995 release exclusively for the Atari Jaguar. If it had been released before Midway Games' Kurt Warner's Arena Football Unleashed, it would have been the first officially licensed indoor american football game by the Arena Football League. Adopting the more faster and frantic style of play from the sport compared to american football, players would have the choice of playing across any of the game modes available against with either CPU-controlled opponents or other players, while including all the rules and teams from the 1995 Arena Football League season including the Miami Hooters, who make their only game appearance in the title and were not included in Electronic Arts' Arena Football. Originally conceived in 1993, the game was announced in early 1994 and showcased at SCES '94 but the project would be later cancelled in 1995 after various delays and expenses, despite being close to completion. Although unreleased, a playable prototype has since been released and sold online by independent groups such as the defunct Jaguar Sector II website and later B&C Computervisions.

Asteroids

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - May 11, 1982

Trapped in space somewhere between the planets Ortanus and Earth, your ship is suddenly surrounded by a field of massive asteroids. And, as if that weren't enough excitement for one day, a group of alien saucers stage a surprise attack. Quickly you take over the controls to save your ship from imminent doom. You must thrust away from the path of the oncoming asteroids. Put up shields to protect the ship. Hyperspace into thin air. Flip over and get the asteroids attacking from behind. It's all in your hands now. Good luck! Thought to have been planned to be a launch title for the Atari 5200 system due to the catalog number of CX5201. However it was never officially released but the prototype was found eventually. It's very similar to the Atari 8-Bit version of the game but unfortunately the controls are pretty poor with the 5200 joystick. There was an official controller that was planned to be released along with the game but sadly this was not to be. This is a homebrew port of the 8-bit computer series and was never officially released on the Atari 5200 platform.

Atari Mini Golf

Arcade - Unreleased - 1978

Atari Mini Golf is an unreleased prototype game from 1978. It is a miniature golf game in shades of grey and black and white.

Atmosfear

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased

Developed by Beam Software, the same company responsible for Radical Rex, Shadowrun, and Tom & Jerry: Frantic Antics. It was canceled for unknown reasons. The game is relatively unknown, having only been mentioned in media a few times in late 1993 and throughout 1994 in name only. No magazine has been known to have given the game a preview. The goal of the game is to complete each level while avoiding the Gatekeeper's unfair rules, which occur randomly. Bathory's Castle appears to be the least finished, as it doesn't seem like it can be completed.

Atom Smasher

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1983

A BATTLE TO THE LAST ATOM! The Atomic Arena is where all sorts of nasty, burly life-forms come to contest each other in the galaxy's deadliest game! Armed with a regulation Atom Smasher Blaster, you must blast unstable atomic particles past your opponent and out of the arena, but if one hits you, it degrades your very atomic structure, and the results aren't pretty. But remember, someone else has the same goal...

ATV3: Lawless

Microsoft Xbox - Unreleased

A prototype of the unreleased ATV3: Lawless for the Microsoft Xbox, Developed by Acclaim Studios Manchester. Offroad racing adventure awaits!

Babylonian Twins

Commodore Amiga - Unreleased - 1994

This was the first ever 'Made in Iraq' game! The game was written on an Amiga 500 (512KB memory, no HD) connected to a TV. Written fully in MC68000 assembly. Conditions: Sanctions, Wars and Heat (sometimes over 50 degrees C!) Development was completed in 1994 but remains unpublished due to the demise of the Amiga.

Baldur's Gate

Sony Playstation - Unreleased

This is the unreleased Playstation version of Baldur's Gate leaked to the internet in 2009. It is considered to be very close to a finished game, although not completely.

Bandit

BBC Microcomputer System - Unreleased - 1983

Bandit is an unreleased title from Acornsoft. It is a clone of the 1979 arcade game Cosmic Guerilla from Universal.

Batman: Revenge of the Joker

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased

An unreleased port of the same game that was released for the Nintendo Entertainment System and Sega Genesis. Though those versions were known as Return of the Joker and not Revenge of the Joker. The seedy underworld is crawling with criminals. Even worse - the JOKER is back on top of 'em all! Law and order means nothing... until now! Because BATMAN is here - and the action is hotter than ever! Ear-crunching sound effects. Pulse-quickening music. Graphics that are as hot as 16-bit. And this time, BATMAN hits fast and hard. Flying, leaping, and sliding to attack! And striking at the heart of the JOKER. The CAPED CRUSADER has a totally new arsenal at his command: Batarang, Crossbow, Sonic Neutralizer. He's even got a superfueled jetpack. And even more powerful weapons at the touch of a button. BATMAN has got to use all of his power. Because this world is a very dark place, and you never know where the JOKER is hiding!

Battlezone

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - September 15, 1983

An unreleased port of the arcade game Battlezone for Atari 5200. Like the arcade game you drive a tank around and shoot enemy tanks while trying to avoid their fire in a 3d environment. It was unfortunately never released and only exists in prototype form. The prototype seems mostly finished but the hit detection seems off at times and not perfected. It also replaces some of the vector based graphics of the arcade with raster likely due to limitations of the Atari 5200. You can also play this with two joysticks which is said to help with controlling the game versus single if you get used to it.

Biff Boardin

Commodore Amiga - Unreleased - 1994

The system includes a board (snowboard or surfboard) that connects to the joyport and 3 games: BIFF BOARDIN, URBAN SURFIN, & BIFF SELECT. Originally intended to be released on the Amiga CD32 and the Amiga line. It is unclear if this was an unreleased prototype or just had a very limited local North American commercial release.

Black Belt

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1983

This unreleased, unfinished game is similar to Broderbund's famous game, Karateka. Select your black belt level (difficulty level) and fight your way through eight rooms. The keypad is used to execute a variety of karate moves, although the game has no collision detection so you can't really fight your enemies. While the game looks promising, you cannot progress beyond eight rooms because you can't defeat your enemies.

Black Out

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased

Black Out (also known as Sleep) stars an unnamed sleepwalking character who walks forward steadily, with the player utilizing various tools to guide the "sleeper" throughout the level. The game uses the SNES Mouse, and is essentially an enhanced version of Game B from Gyromite (which also involved guiding a sleepwalking character); while Gyromite simply had the player raise or lower pistons, Black Out has a number of tools for the player to use. Aside from being promoted by a flyer included with the Japanese version of Mario Paint (which mentions a release date of late 1992), the game seems to have remained mostly unknown until a build was found as part of the July 24, 2020 Nintendo leak. Notably, the idea of an SNES Mouse game about guiding a steadily-walking visually-impaired character eventually saw the light of day as Mario & Wario.

Blaster

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1984

Blaster developed by Vid Kidz for Williams was released for the arcades and is quite obscure. What is interesting however is that the Atari 5200 version that was not released was actually made before the arcade game. An unofficial sequel to Robotron 2084 (As it takes place in 2085) Blaster is a 3d style shooter with impressive graphics for the time. In it the player takes the view from a spaceship cockpit so moving in the different directions shifts the entire screen. There are four levels you will play through avoiding obstacles, saving humans, and defeating alien enemies. Upon beating the four levels the game loops but will be more difficult.

Block Out

Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased - 1990

The game is the logical extension of Tetris into the third dimension. In regular Tetris, the player manipulates a set of tetrominoes which fall into a two-dimensional pit (seen from the side). The aim is to solve a real-time packing problem by forming complete rows, which then disappear and score points. Poor play leads to incomplete rows, caused by inefficient arrangements of tiles; these rows do not disappear, giving the player progressively less space and less time to play subsequent pieces. Similarly, in Blockout, the player manipulates a set of polycubes which fall into a three-dimensional pit (seen from above; the pieces appear in the foreground and fall away). The pieces can be rotated around all three axes, and moved horizontally and vertically. The aim is to form complete layers The NES version of Block Out is nearly exactly the same as the versions released on other platforms, however was based on Technos arcade rendition of the original, which offered features like a two-player co-op mode. The controls are a little different this time around, when you take into consideration the number of keys on a computer keyboard when compared to the buttons on an NES controller. But if you have ever played the version for the Atari Lynx or the Sega Genesis, you know how the controls can be. It just takes some time to learn them.

Bloid Bros

Commodore 64 - Unreleased - 1988

Bloid Bros is an unreleased 2 player co-operative side scrolling shooter for the Commodore 64. It was developed by Paul Rogers (who also worked on the C64 versions of Double Dragon 3, Time Soldiers, and Return to Oz) Bloid Bros is a 2 player split screen scrolling game which was written by Paul Rogers who did Time Soldier and Double Dragon 3 on the C64. You control two blobs which look rather like the character from Head The Ball and scroll across a basic landscape whilst shooting things. It’s nothing spectacular, but Paul mentions that it never was that great and was just merely being done in his spare time. The game was never fully finished.

Bloody Human Freeway

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1981

Prototype for Freeway. According to David Crane, he got the idea for Freeway from watching a man trying to cross Lake Shore Drive during rush-hour traffic while attending Chicago's Consumer Electronic Show. Freeway originally featured people crossing the road instead of chickens since that was the scenario that inspired David Crane. However some people at Activision complained that they didn't like the idea of people being struck by cars, so chickens were substituted for people before the game was released.

Blow Out

Mattel Intellivision - Unreleased - 1984

[Unreleased 1984] Two roller-skating dancers drop darts from a scaffold onto rising balloons. An easy enough task, except these rude guys keep bumping into each other and knocking each other off the scaffold. When the music stops, that’s the signal for the next players to take the controllers. Programmers at Mattel Electronics came up with a series of casual games meant to be played at parties. The "Party Line" cartridge was shown at the 1984 CES but never produced

Bobby's World

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased

A game developed by Siedel Software Productions and was to be published by Hi-Tech Expressions that was completed but never released. Based on the Howie Mandell cartoon of the same name. There are five levels in the game. Each level represents one of Bobby's imagination inspired adventures he goes on as he is cleaning his room. Bobby is to make it safely to each course and defeat the boss at the end of each level to proceed. The more lollipops Bobby collects in each stage, the more points Bobby gets. Bobby's health meter consists of six hearts. In order to make it through successfully Bobby must get through with at least on heart remaining. Bobby can defeat enemies throughout the stages by throwing objects at them and can use Webbly to hang on and climb across wide pits.

Boggle

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1978

Boggle is an unreleased game for the Atari 2600 programmed by David Crane while he was still working at Atari. In Boggle, which is based on the popular word game of the same name, you must form as many words as possible from a random 4x4 grid of letters. The 2600 version of the game is for two players only, and each player can form a maximum of eight words (likely due to memory constraints of the 2600). The game appears to be fairly close to completion, although there are some glitches, such as all the letters not appearing in the grid right away when you start the game. Still, it's an interesting prototype and it's unknown why Boggle was not completed and released.

Bouncin' Baby Bunnies

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1983

Zounds! Coco the crazy monkey is in quite a pickle this time! Dr. Storkus Z. Hopperdropper (Storky, to his friends) has gone a bit mad, and is dropping baby bunnies from the sky! In fact, it's raining bunnies! What's a crazy monkey to do? Get help, that's what! Coco and his brother Haggis are out to catch the bunnies and bounce 'em to safety. It's monkey business, for sure, and they need your help, so grab that trampoline, and start Bouncin' Baby Bunnies!! A copy of the nearly complete game surfaced in the collection of a former Telesys employee in 2007. According to programmer Alex Leavens, Bouncin' Baby Bunnies is based off the old Bugs Bunny cartoon, where the stork mistakenly delivers Bugs to a gorilla family and they think he's their baby. The only known prototype of Bouncin' Baby Bunnies seems to be fairly complete, but still needs some tweaks and bug fixes. The game didn't get released because of the collapsing game market of 83/84. According to the former Telesys employee: 'Bouncin' Baby Bunnies came too late in the 2600 cycle and, at the time, wasn't worth releasing. The market was saturated.'

Brick Kick

Atari 2600 - Unreleased

Brickout!

Mattel Intellivision - Unreleased - 1981

[Unreleased 1981] An alien force field has blocked your only means of escape, preventing you from returning home. Your only hope is to use your supply of proton balls to try and destroy the field, one block at a time. Use your deflector to bounce proton balls against descending rows of energy layers. When a ball contacts the force field, it will neutralize that part of the barrier. But just when you think you're making some headway, more layers appear to seal you in. Just how much damage can you do to the force field before running out of proton balls? Features A one player action game. Blast your way through the mysterious force field. Take control and rack up a huge score! Wave after wave to blast through! Stay focused as endless layers descend upon you.

Bug Blasters: The Exterminators

Sega CD - Unreleased - January 1, 1995

Bug Blasters: The Exterminators is an unreleased Sega Mega-CD game developed by Digital Pictures. It was an on-the-rails shoot-'em-up game paired with many full motion video cutscenes, set for release in 1995. Though the game was not officially released, it was completed and a prototype has since emerged. It was distributed commercially by Good Deal Games in 2001.

Bugs Bunny

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1983

This game was never released and can be found only as a prototype. Pick one of the levels, steal a carrot, then jump Bugs into his hole before Elmer shoots him. Although this prototype is playable, it looks to be not quite finished. Bugs Bunny was probably supposed to be part of Atari's Children's series, but was shelved in favor of Snoopy and the Red Baron. The initials BP AJM (for Bob Polaro and Allen J. Murphy) are hidden in the game. On level 11, get shot while jumping to the right. The cart, box and manual are reproductions from 2002 with permission of programmer Bob Polaro.

Bugs Bunny: Private Eye

Commodore 64 - Unreleased - July 26, 1993

You never should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque! If you did you wouldn't have followed the clues that took you to the abandoned mine. But you can dig your way around and find all the clues...and the carrots! Avoid the spiders and birds and critters and dig down to where things might be hidden. The game consists of Bugs Bunny making his way through a scrolling set of 4 levels, where you had to collect items and carrorts, jumping around platforms. The aim is to find items of evidence on each level, then finally a key to unlock a door at the end of the level. At the end of each level you must catch the culprit on camera using a photograph flash. You also have photo flash abilities to fend of and freeze enemies. Bugs can also dig underground in true Dig Dug style and go into caves, which is quite neat!

Cabbage Patch Kids: Adventures in the Park

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1984

Ahh Cabbage Patch Kids. Who could forget those chubby little dolls that started fist fights between middle aged housewives in toy stores? For some reason every kid had to have one of these creepy little kewpie dolls back in the 80's, although the fad eventually faded. Since Cabbage Patch Kids just happened to be manufactured by Coleco, it was only natural that they would create a video game tie in. While the Colecovision version of Cabbage Patch Kids was released to much success, the Atari 2600 version never materialized. If you're scratching your head as to how someone could create a game based on a line of dolls, you're not alone. Dolls don't exactly inspire video games. However Coleco got around this by taking an existing game for the MSX line of computers called Athletic Land and adding the Cabbage Patch Kids into the game. Since the MSX computer was never released in the US, people were none the wiser. This is also why a game that was supposedly aimed at children seems so damn hard. Cabbage Patch Kids: Adventures in the Park (which will be henceforth referred to as CPK) is a side scrolling action game. According to the Colecovision version's manual, Anna Lee has decided to go out for some exercise in the local park and is soon caught up in a wild adventure (hence the subtitle Adventures in the Park). The game is separated into several different screens (referred to in the game as scenes), each with a different obstacle for your kid to overcome. Obstacles include bouncing balls, water filled pits, floating platforms, bees, and even fires. Each level consists of ten scenes which must all be overcome before the time limit runs out. Along the way Anna may also collect various objects hidden in the trees (using well placed trampolines) for points, but these objects are not necessary to win. CPK was known to exist for some time thanks to an interview conducted with another former Coleco programmer Ed English several years ago. Ed was thought to be in possession of the only known prototype, but he would not release it for unknown reasons. However in 2008 several Coleco EPROMs were found in a flea market, several of which contained various versions of CPK. These EPROMs were released to the public shortly afterwards. While it may not be able to compare graphically to the Colecovision version, the Atari 2600 version of CPK is an amazing feat of programming. Not only was all the gameplay retained in this conversion, but it even included a cute little background tune which was a rarity in 2600 games. It appears that CPK was simply a victim of the collapsing game market, and by the time the final version was ready in September of 1984, Coleco had stopped its 2600 operations.

Calcune

Arcade - Unreleased - 1996

Unreleased prototype puzzle game from Yuvo.

Care Bears

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1983

The game concept in Care Bears revolves around grabbing the "Tummy Icon" from each of the Care Bears as they slowly fell down the screen. Once all the icons were collected the player would have to arrange them in a certain order before time ran out. Although this may sound rather easy, one has to keep in mind that the game was geared toward young children, so things had to be kept simplistic. Care Bears made it to the beta testing stage before the marketing department decided to stop work on the game citing that the market for childrens games was diminishing, and the gameplay was too dull. Therefore it was decided that all further development on the game was to be stopped. According to programmer Laura Nikolich, part of the reason Care Bears was killed off, was that the marketing department really didn't know what they wanted. The Care Bears product line was aimed at the 8 and under age group, but marketing wanted a more action oriented game designed for older kids. Although Nikolich described the game as being almost finished, the only known prototype to surface is nothing more than a graphics demo.

Castlevania: Symphony of the Night (Game.com Prototype)

Tiger Game.com - Unreleased - June 17, 1997

A prototype of the unreleased Castlevania: Symphony of the Night port for the Tiger Electronics Game.com. Based on Castlevania: Symphony of the Night which was originally released around the same time on both the Sony PlayStation and Sega Saturn in 1997. Most of the text has been implemented. The game retains the castle and reverse castle, and can be played from start to finish. Alucard can collect his Bat and Mist forms, but not his Wolf form. Alucard can use one of two familiars: Bat or Ghost. Each level up. Canceled for unknown reasons.

Chase 1929

Arcade - Unreleased - 2004

An unreleased Sammy Atomiswave game that was created in 2004.

Chase 1929

Sammy Atomiswave - Unreleased - 2004

An unreleased Sammy Atomiswave game that was created in 2004.

Cooly Skunk

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased

A side scrolling platformer where the titular skunk has to rescue his friends from a mad wolf who is threatening to take control of the world. Like in other games of its kind the player has to make his way through the levels by running left and right, jumping and using a spray attack to take out the various enemies that stand in his way. To complete a level the player has to reach a flagpole and attack it. When hit by an enemy the skunk loses one of his green orbs (which acts as hitpoints) and when all out of these a life is lost. More orbs can be earned by taking out enemies. Collectable stars can be found all around the levels and by getting a hundred of these an extra life is earned. The player will come across various extreme gears that allow him to progress through the levels. Once a gear is equipped the regular spray attack can not be used. There are six gears but only one can be equipped at a time. These include the diggers which allow the player to dig through earth in a Dig-Dug fashion, the paraglider which allows him to use air currents to his advantage, the pogo stick that allows him to jump higher, the skates which allows him to move really fast and the snowboard which allows him to gain speed on downhill slopes. There is also a jetpack that is only available towards the end of the game.

Crack'ed

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 2002

This game was developed concurrently for the Atari 2600 and 7800, but only the 7800 version was released. The 2600 version only has three levels as opposed to six on the 7800, but those three levels are well utilized considering the limitations of the 2600. As an Ornithologist, you must protect the eggs of the South American Hornbill that are nested in your tree. Various predators attempt to steal the eggs from under your nose. Using your slingshot, you must defend the eggs until the timer runs out. If a predator steals an egg you still have a chance to save it, but you risk losing other eggs from the tree while you are distracted. Next you must protect the Hornbills that have chosen to nest in the sewers, where the gameplay is the same as the tree level. Finally you move onto a bonus round at the Rooster Ranch, here you must shoot roosters that pop out of windows. This version of Crack'ed was released at the 2002 Classic Gaming Expo, complete with a unique label, box and instructions.

Cubicolor

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1982

You know those cheap little tile puzzles, where you shift tiles one space at a time to try to reform a picture that has been mixed up? That's what this game is like. Move the tiles on the big square (5x5) one at a time, and try to form the pattern shown on one of the little squares (3x3) within the middle 9 tiles of the big square. The game is set up with two big squares for grueling two-player competition. Cubicolor was designed by Rob Fulop of Imagic fame. Supposedly, only 50 were produced, and each cartridge is numbered. The rarity and legend of this game make it potentially the most sought-after 2600 game in existence.

Cyber Storm

Arcade - Unreleased - 1993

Here is another Atari prototype that never made it to market. This is a fighting game with cool robot characters. The PCB is of a type that I have never seen before this hardware was rumored to have cost over $1,000,000 to design. No games were every released on this type of hardware. Another prototype called 'Bounty Hunter' also runs on similar hardware. This is supposed to be one of three dedicated units that exist. I know of one other boardset, but I have not been able to locate any of the other dedicated units. The other board may have come out of a dedicated unit that was converted to something else.

Daffy Duck Starring in The Great Paint Caper

Commodore 64 - Unreleased - 1992

“Daffy Duck – And The Great Paint Caper” was to be one of Hi-tec’s first new Premier Range titles, making great use of a recent licence agreement with Warner Bros. As a result, the title was to be bigger and better than previous Hi-tec titles – resulting with Daffy being a large multi-load based title. In development for almost 12 months across platforms such as the Spectrum, Amstrad, Amiga, ST, PC and finally C64 – there was very little actually mentioned about the game in the press. The Spectrum scene seemed to know the most, with magazines having news snippets and a preview in Crash magazine. The C64 scene was surprised with a review of the title out of nowhere in the August 1992 issue of Zzap 64. The game wowed the Zzap team, and the game scored the highest ever rating ever for a Hi-tec game, with a grade of 94% overall (Phil King himself gave the game 95%) – making the game very desirable for many readers at that time who were still with the C64. Featuring awesome graphics, including a incredible Daffy sprite, various different levels and other Warner Bros characters.. the game remained faithful to the cartoon in many ways. The game played extremely well, solving various puzzles and collecting objects, the only fault was the music not fitting in with the game (Even though Gerard did a great job anyway according to the Zzap crew.). When nothing appeared on the shelves, news later filtered through that Hi-Tec was no more – and Daffy didn’t quite make it to the mastering stage to sneak out (with only Turbo the Tortoise managing that feat). Rumour had it that WH Smith received 250 copies before Hi-Tec folded, all of which sold – giving speculation that the game was out there somewhere in original form. David Palmer however confirmed that it never got to the mastering stage. Although Turbo got picked up by Codemasters, the licence costs for other Hi-Tec titles were too much to bear, and so Daffy Duck was never to be seen on any of the promised platforms and slipped into legendary unreleased game status.

Dark Seed

SNK Neo Geo AES - Unreleased

Unreleased beta. There are 12 characters, though several are still very rougly drawn or unshaded. Some dont have hitboxes and some are missing frames of animation. Each character looks to have 3 classes: Chaotic, Neutral and Lawful. And depending on what class you pick your character's speed, stance, special moves, and special bar change. Even the character's win screen sprite changes depending on the class. Two characters have animal companions who can be used in attacks.

Dark Tower: Arioch's Well of Souls

GCE Vectrex - Unreleased - January 1, 1983

Enter the fantastic world of the Dark Tower -- a world filled with adventure, danger and all the mysteries of ancient times. You control a squadron of warriors as you search an adventure-filled forest for the magical keys that will unlock the entrance to the Dark Tower. Guide your warriors to the enchanted chests scattered throughout the forest -- each will contain a new puzzle, adventure, terror or treasure. Use your warriors wisely and beware the evils of the forest! Dark Tower is a fully playable unreleased prototype role playing game programmed in 1983. It was inspired by the 1981 Milton Bradley board game of the same name. The game was considered only a rumor for many years until it was finally made available for download and is now available for play on most multicarts.

Days of Thunder (Mindscape)

Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased - June 2, 2020

IT'S DAYS OF THUNDER AS YOU'VE NEVER SEEN IT BEFORE! This is the original Days of Thunder for the NES! This game was created internally at Mindscape and was quietly cancelled in 1990, replaced by a completely different version of the game made at Beam Software in Australia. This version of the game was never seen by the public, never shown at a trade show, and never previewed by a magazine. Outside of the staff at Mindscape, it's likely that nobody has ever played this game before. In 1990, the game was archived by its late co-creator, Chris Oberth, on a set of floppy disks kept in his personal archives. 30 years later, those disks were discovered by his family and, using Mindscape's original development tools, the game was rebuilt!

Depth Charge

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1983

Planned as a pack-in cassette title for Amiga's never released Power Module peripheral and described as 'the first machine-interactive video game', offering head-to-head play, with one player the submarine commander and the other the destroyer captain. Each player would have had their own screen display and set of commands. The Power Module was dropped in favor of the Power Play Arcade carts, and the game’s development only went as far as this version. Catalog description: 'You know he's down there. But where? Your sonar is picking up indiscriminate blips. Then a pattern emerges. You've found him. You launch a round of depth charges over the side, and the explosions rock the ship. You smile confidently and check the scanner: completely blank. Suddenly, there's a blip. And another. Or... You know he's up there. But where...' The cart, box and manual are reproductions from 2010 with permission of Jerry Lawson.

Donkey Kong

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1983

In Donkey Kong, Jumpman must rescue a damsel in distress, Lady, from a giant ape named Donkey Kong. The hero and ape later became two of Nintendo's most popular characters. The game is divided into four different one-screen stages. Each represents 25 meters of the structure Donkey Kong has climbed, one stage being 25 meters higher than the previous. The final screen occurs at 100 m.

Donkey Kong Racing

Nintendo GameCube - Unreleased - 2002

Donkey Kong Racing was a sequel of the classic Nintendo 64 racing game Diddy Kong Racing. It was going to be released on the Nintendo GameCube sometime in 2002. Known playable characters in Donkey Kong Racing included Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Tiny Kong, Kiddie Kong, and Taj the Genie from the trailer; plus Crankey Kong and Lanky Kong (which were shown in an internal render for the game). It is rumored that some of the original cast from Diddy Kong Racing could have returned as Taj was a playable character in the game. The world of Donkey Kong Racing was going to include jungles, plains, and seas that were going to be stitched together into one seamless overworld. The tracks and scenery are blurred so much, " It was up to you to decide where the track met amidst marauding rhinos, schools of darting piranha, swarms of agitated wasps and other roaming wildlife bent on mischief "Donkey Kong Racing was going to have a lot of realistic features, like fading sunlight and swaying trees. The game was also going to have Dolby Surround Sound, even to go as far as to put together an orchestrated soundtrack. One of the main differences from Donkey Kong Racing to Diddy Kong Racing was that instead of riding in various vehicles, the player would be riding on the backs of different animals from the Donkey Kong Country series. The animals that could be ridden on include Rambi (Rhinos), Enguarde (Swordfishes), Ellie (Elephants), and Zingers (Wasps). Expresso (Ostriches), Chomps (Sharks), Flitter (Dragonflies), Glimmer (Anglerfishes), Necky (Vultures), and Army (Armadillos) was shown in the trailer, which could mean those animals could also be ridden in-game. Each animal would have a different size and color, with special abilities according to how big the animal was. Bigger animals could destroy objects, while smaller animals could maneuver around obstacles easier The player could also be knocked down from their animal, in which they would have to do a " Track and Field " inspired button-mashing activity to get back on said animal. When competing in races, the player could pick up fruits and prizes for their specific animal. Giving the user's animals enough could make them become "true thoroughbreds." In other words, the user can collect fruits to upgrade the user's animal to max potential. There was going to be a multiplayer mode in the game. Up to 4 people would be able to play at a given time. However, not much else is known about the specifics of this mode. Donkey Kong Racing made its first (and only) appearance at E3 2001, where a teaser trailer for the game was shown off and said to be released somewhere in 2002. The game was anticipated to be shown at Space World 2001 or ETS 2001, but that unfortunately never happened. During that time, Rare Ltd. was not getting enough money from Nintendo to fund any of its projects. Knowing this, Tim and Chris Stamper (the heads of Rare Ltd. at the time) went to Nintendo to offer the rest of their company, but surprisingly, Nintendo refused their offer. Tim and Chris Stamper went looking for a buyer until 2002 when Microsoft beat out Activision and bought them for $375 million. Effectively, people thought Donkey Kong Racing was over, due to the fact that Rare doesn't have permission to use the Donkey Kong trademark anymore. This was not the case though, as when, in 2004, it was asked if the game was still being developed, the Rare team said "Well yes and no. It's not called Donkey Kong Racing anymore, it's not on the GameCube anymore, and by this point, I'd imagine so little of the original art and code remains that it's barely the same game anymore, but yes it's still coming out in some form" The game that was to be replacing Donkey Kong Racing was to be known as Sabreman Stampede, which would be also cancelled in late 2005.

Drac's Night Out

Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased - 1991

An unreleased video game developed by Mark Lesser and Rex Bradford of Microsmiths that was produced for the NES. The game featured the sponsorship of the Reebok Pump shoe. In the game the player controls the infamous Count Dracula who, while wearing Reebok Pumps, has to first work his way down his castle while avoiding the hostile villagers. This can be accomplished by hypnotizing the villagers with your vampiric gaze, or by pulling a lever to spring one of many Rube Goldberg-esque hidden traps.

Dukes of Hazzard 2

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1980

This is another prototype with the Dukes of Hazzard name. However, this is a modified version of Stunt Cycle, another unreleased game, eventually released in small batches by Hozer Video Games. In this case, the graphics have been changed to a Dukes of Hazzard theme.

Dumbo's Flying Circus

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1983

Dumbo's Flying Circus was scheduled to be part of Atari's children's series (which included characters from Peanuts, Sesame Street, Disney, Muppets, and Garfield), but for one reason or another it never saw the light of day. Atari advertised Dumbo in European Atari catalogs and even had a prototype box made, so the decision to shelve it must have been made quite late. Even though Dumbo was developed as a children's game, the gameplay is quite difficult which may be the reason why it was never released. The object of the game is to guide Dumbo around the screen and catch or shoot balloons before they reach the top of the screen (sort of like Kaboom in reverse). Some balloons have bombs attached to them and are deadly to the touch, so they must be shot down using peanuts from your trunk. Every now and then you will see a balloon with a clown riding it, you must shoot these balloons and catch the falling clown before he hits the bottom. If the clown makes it to the top of the screen he'll stay up there and begin to drop things on you. Every time three balloons reach the top of the screen the ceiling gets slightly lower, this gives you less and less room to grab the incoming balloons. The ceiling can be raised a bit by safely catching clowns or by winning the bonus round. Scoring exactly 10,000 points (or multiples of) causes the balloons to turn into the initials PcN (for Peter C. Niday).

Dune

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1984

Based off the 1984 movie, Dune was to be an action/adventure game along the same lines the classic 2600 game Adventure. Dune was originally started by veteran programmers Bruce Poehlman and Gary Stark before they began working on the 5200 game "The Last Starfighter" (which also went unreleased). Unfortunately Gary and Bruce had only gone through the brainstorming process when work was stopped. However it appears that another programmer may have been assigned to pick up and continue work on Dune. Unfortunately only preliminary coding had been started before Jack Tramiel shut down 2600 game development and fired most of the staff.

Elevator Action

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1983

Elevator Action is an unreleased prototype that is about 95% complete. There are some issues with collision detection, but overall it is quite playable. At Classic Gaming Expo 2001, CGE Services Corp. released Elevator Action with an Atari-style box and label. Around 200 copies of the game were available at the show and they were sold out by the day's end.

Elf Adventure

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1983

A sequel to Adventure? Yes it appears that Warren was tinkering with a sequel to his smash hit Adventure in his spare time while working at The Learning Company which he founded in 1980 after leaving Atari. It’s unknown if Atari actually ordered a sequel or if Warren was doing this on his own and hoping to sell it to Atari. However since Atari was considering calling SwordQuest: Earthworld Adventure II (and Fireworld Adventure III) the later scenario sounds more plausible. Either way, this prototype has an air of mystery about it.

Elk Attack

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1987

Silly name aside, Elk Attack is really a Pac-Man type game but without a maze. You control a Yo-Yo type machine, which must use its string to latch onto and destroy all the colored blocks on the screen. Along the way you'll encounter strange worm like creatures (sorry no elks), which will attempt to disrupt your Yo-Yo. To help you fight the worms there are power squares scattered around the board which when grabbed will render your Yo-Yo temporarily invincible and increase your speed. However unlike Pac-Man touching a worm while invincible will only net you points, and will not destroy of them. Because of this its best to just go about your business and clear the maze instead of hunting down the worms. Elk Attack is a port of the obscure Taito arcade game Electric Yo-Yo! Programmer Mark Hahn named the game Elk Attack as a joke, and probably would have changed the name had it been published. The game was left in its current state. The following is hidden in the code: ELK ATTACK (c) 1987 Mark R. Hahn

Escape from the Mindmaster

ColecoVision - Unreleased - 1983

The player's goal in the game is to solve the maze consisting of a series of hallways and rooms. The rooms either were empty, contained puzzle pegs, or has a bonus game that allowed the user to collect more points. Each level had its own individual bonus game.

Eurit

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased

Eurit is an action game that was being developed by Radical Entertainment. It eventually was retooled and released on various 32 bit platforms as Grid Runner. The game is basically a souped up version of childhood games of Tag and Capture the Flag. The game features a split-screen and is an ideal two player game. The story behind the game is that the ruler of the galaxy decides that he will retire. In order to find a suitable replacement, he sets up a tournament where wizards and warriors compete to determine who shall be ruler. Throughout the game, you travel to many worlds across the galaxy to prove your might. There are four characters to chose from at the start of the game. Each has their own strengths and weaknesses, based on their speed, spellcasting agility, and magic capacity. Through my playthrough, I used the average character. The gameplay is very addictive, and relatively easy to get into. Basically, one of the characters starts off being "it". The person who is it cannot capture flags, so they must chase down the other character and touch them. Once you are not it, you can collect flags necessary to win the stage. Complicating the game is the obstacles you face. To proceed through the level, you basically have to build platforms. There are many levels with enemy creatures that usually require a number of blasts with your gun to kill. Speed tiles send you running really quickly, which can either make you quickly escape your foe, or send you far away from him. Probably the most compelling gameplay feature for experts is the magic system. Before each level, you learn a new magic spell. Some spells are mundane, like destroying a platform, but others can devastate your opponent, like the spell that causes all the creatures in the level to attack your opponent. Power-up balls throughout the level allow you to charge your magic meter. The music is pretty typical "sci-fi game" fare, comparable to games like Blackthorne, B.O.B., and The Lost Vikings. The sound effects are somewhat muted, though the voice that tells you "player 1 is now it" is really well done. The graphics aren't anything too special, but they do the job.

Fall Guy

ColecoVision - Unreleased - 1984

Based on the hit television series staring Lee Majors and Heather Thomas. In the warehouse screen, when you land on the second floor, go all the way to the LEFT. Then run RIGHT and JUMP. Now you should be on top of the first crate, so run RIGHT. You should fall through the hole on the right, when you fall adjust it so that you land on your feet. The last floor you should be able to handle.

Firearm

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased

Firearm is a cancelled 2d action game developed by Malibu Interactive which was planned to be released for SNES and Genesis. Nothing much is known about it, apart that it was based on the eponymous comic. In 2010 what it looks to be a test build of Firearm was uploaded on the internet. This version includes only two stages and it is barely playable. It seems that the game was dropped very early.

Firefighter Mario

Commodore 64 - Unreleased - 1983

Firefighter Mario is a Vanguard clone, with Mario in a firetruck – having to put out fireball enemies, and then destroy a large flame on top of a building. The game scrolls in a variety of directions, just like Vanguard. It’s not the best game in the world, but for 1983 and 4K, you cannot really complain! The game was developed by Jeremy Thorne and scheduled to be published by Mr. Computer Products in 1983, but was cancelled due to concerns over legal action from Nintendo.

Fireteam Rogue

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased

Fireteam Rogue is a cancelled action adventure game that was developed by Accolade for the Super Nintendo and Sega Genesis, set for release sometime between 1994-1996. It seems that the project had to be canned for economic isssues. A couple of Alpha of this project were leaked online

Freeze (Atari Prototype)

Arcade - Unreleased - 1996

The following info comes from the "Unreleased Atari arcade games" web site: Freeze! is an unreleased 1996 Atari game that was on display at the 1998 and 1999 [California Extreme] show. It's a puzzle game where the goal is to match at least three same-colored fish in a row. The twists in the game are as follows: You throw one fish at a time up into the playfield, which is pressed back down at you until the field is completely full. If you are "attacked" from the other player making a horizontal match, pieces towards the top are frozen and cannot be matched. To thaw a piece you need to make a match that borders the frozen piece from any side. Finally, each of the six characters has a special weapon that occasionally appears to thaw ice, or create automatic matches. There's also a one player puzzle mode where you are given a limited number of fish to clear the playfield. The game has terrific whimsical artwork, with great voice and sound work as well as fluidly moving characters and puzzle (fish) pieces! It was polished enough that I had trouble determining whether the graphics were computer generated or claymation (or maybe a combination of both). The characters are funny, each with their strange story for one player mode. In this mode you hop from island to island in search of a treasure, battling the computer at each stop. The characters are: a monkey in search of a crown (he's skipping Dr. Freeze's swimming lessons to get the crown so he can be the bigshot instead of Dr. Freeze); a Racoon searching for a shiny mirror because he likes shiny things; a cow wearing a skirt searching for a special dye so she can be noticed in a movie audition ("all us girls look the same"); a slow-witted aardvark searching for fireworks; and a helipak-wearing fox searching for spring shoes to get the attention of a lady fox. Each of the six characters pops out of their frame during play to gloat when they are attacking the opponent, or cry streams of tears when they lose. There's also a strange looking chicken with dark eyebrows that hosts the puzzle mode. My favorite character is Zap, a bug-eyed cat who happens to wear snorkling goggles. He keeps missing dinner so a fellow cat reccomends using an alarm clock. Zap says, "I have trouble sleeping because my eyes are so big. Regular alarm clocks do not work for me." His friend tells him about a rumored 64-bit alarm clock which would surely wake him, so Zap goes off to search for it. The gameplay is solid and fun, especially if you are a fan of puzzle (Tetris/Columns) games. It's a shame this game never made it to general release because it's fun to play, completely finished, obviously had a lot of work put into it, and does not really have any flaws. The test mode even allows play of a Japanese translation! I may not be representative of the market, but I definitely would have sunk in some quarters while I never played other Atari games of the time like S.F. Rush or Mace the Dark Age. At least a home version would have been nice."

Gateway to Apshai

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - 1983

Turmoil rocks the land and the only salvation lies in the magic of the Temple of Apshai. Unfortunately the location of this temple has gotten lost in time. Furthermore, many heros dispatched to seek it have been slain. A legend speaks that only the blood of the greatest hero of Apshai's greatest hero will be able to reclaim the lost Temple of Apshai. Unfortunately this "greatest hero" has also perished. But all hope is not lost, for the wise man, Merlis has found the hero's son, whose blood is still able to fulfill the prophesy. With great haste, Merlis brings the youngster to the dungeon pits and leaves him to fend for himself. It is this youngster's destiny to find safe passage through the 8 levels, each of which contains passage to 99 different areas, Gateway to Apshai is a top-down action-RPG. As the descendant of a hero, the player starts with basic stats in 4 areas, Strength, Agility, Luck and Health. and basic equipment, a dagger and leather armor. Then it's time to choose a number between 1 and 99 to generate the dungeon. Once begun, the player must explore the dungeon, hidden until explored and revealed. The player can move in four directions and has standard abilities, each mapped to a different control. There are several different actions available to the player. These include: fighting with the equipped weapon, a LOCATE spell to discover traps in the room, a SEARCH spell to discover hidden doors inside of room which would otherwise look like ordinary walls. Players may also use many of the items and scrolls that can be picked up in the dungeon. The treasure can be picked up which include weaponry (swords, bows and arrows), healing slaves, precious items and magical scrolls. Most items are only good for a single use. The Gateway to Apshai is guarded by an assortment of creatures including snakes, swamp rats, bats and many more. These enemies are only visible when they are in the same room as the player and are otherwise hidden. After 6 minutes and 30 seconds has passed, the player is teleported to the next dungeon, many versions of the game also offer the option to manually leave the dungeon at any time. Dungeons get progressively more difficult with faster and more vicious enemies.

Golf Daisuki! O.B. Club

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased - April 27, 1997

A fun, four-player isometric mini-golf video game that will present the expected challenges of perfectly hitting the ball at the exact power and precise angle. Released as digital download using the satellital modem Satellaview device. Unlike other lower category downloads, it is a complete game that despite its high quality was not distributed on a cartridge. It has recently had a complete localization in English.

Good Luck, Charlie Brown!

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1984

Good Luck, Charlie Brown should have been the last of the Children's Work Shop releases, but never saw the light of day. Although the game was found a long time ago, the rom had not been dumped until quite recently so the game is still a bit of a mystery. The only known version is very incomplete with little gameplay implemented, but rumors persist of a far more complete version in existence. The game only consists of one screen in which you control Charlie Brown as he flies his kite around the screen. At the bottom of the screen there's a wind gauge which shows the speed and direction of the wind. There's also a timer a the bottom of the screen which slowly counts up which may be part of the scoring system (based on total time instead of score). You goal is to fly your kite as long as possible while avoiding birds, balloons, rockets, and of course the deadly Kite Eating Tree. According to the catalog description, if Charlie Brown lost his kite he would have to earn another chance by raking leaves (what fun!). Obviously, this part of the game was not implemented yet. Pushing the joystick left and right moves Charlie Brown around the screen. Pushing up and down will let out or pull in the kite string, thus making the kite move up and down. If the kite hits an obstacle the game will freeze for a moment and Charlie Brown will have to start again, but if the kite hits the Kite Eating Tree, Charlie Brown will actually flip over and all the balloons will turn black due to the fact that they share a color pallet with Charlie Brown and gets glitched up when he flips over. Occasionally what appears to be lightning will flash in the background, but doesn't seem to have any adverse effects other than scaring the player (I actually jumped the first time this happened). The lightning only appears if you move your kite into the clouds and it increases if you move into the higher layer of clouds. Interestingly, it appears that by using the second joystick, the player has some limited control of the room of balloons. This could be the start of an unfinished two player variation of the game (code hints at four possible variations), but it is very preliminary in this prototype. There are no sounds or music in this version of the game, but this isn't surprising since sounds and music were usually one of the last things to finished. The graphics appear to be top-notch, but are slightly glitchy. For example, the clouds appear to randomly disappear and reappear at various times during the game. The row of birds also appears to suffer from this, but not to the same degree as the clouds. This is obviously a sign that the game was still early in development.. According to the catalogs Good Luck Charlie Brown was supposed to be to released Summer of 83, and since this prototype is dated April of 84 we can assume development was taking longer than expected. By 1984 Atari had canceled the Children's series so Good Luck Charlie Brown would have been cancelled with it. It's a shame though, because what was finished looks rather interesting.

Hard Head

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1983

Along with UAG#1 this mysterious prototype was found in a salvage yard in 1998 by Ben Liashenko. For many years we did not know the name of this game since the label that once existed had long since fallen off. However in 2017 another copy of this game appeared on Ebay UK complete with a label. We now know that the game is called Hard Head. Hard Head plays somewhat like Atari's Save Mary. However this time instead of building a tower by dropping bricks from the top of the screen, you must bump blocks from the bottom of the screen. Before you start screaming about Activision copying Atari's idea, keep in mind that this game was programmed about seven years before Save Mary. I'm sure the similarity of the concepts is just a coincidence.

Harem

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1982

At the start, there's sniper machine gun fire from the bushes. When the shooter stops briefly to reload, you can run past. To reach the 2nd woman, you have to jump over the lake. Run until the last moment (your heel is on the edge), then press the button to jump. If you jump too soon, you fall into the water. After the woman on the island, you move to the level above, where you have to run by a fire-breathing dragon. You have to time it right to run by when he pauses blowing fire. You can only make it to the hole in the ground. Push the button to drop in, and a woman appears. If you get too greedy here, she turns into a snake and... Ow! Time leaving the pit to avoid the dragon, and run off the screen to the left. You will then be on the top level, where you have to chase a woman. Meanwhile, gargoyles appear in random positions and drop molten lava. If a gargoyle appears over you when you are "scoring points" with her (listen for the warning sound), you must push the button to release her and run. You can catch her again, and continue indefinitely, except that the gargoyles speed up each time you catch her. When you get to 69 points you get another life (you start out with 3).

HeroQuest

Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased - 1991

HeroQuest, the best-selling role playing game has now been developed into an absorbing fantasy adventure game for your Nintendo Entertainment System. Take up the challenge to become a Hero and enter the underground realm of the evil wizard Morcar. But beware, the unlit tunnels hold many dangers - terrible monsters, deadly traps and mysterious rooms. Prototype leaked in 2009.

Hit the Ice: VHL: The Video Hockey League

Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased - 1993

The game is a one- to four-player game based on the game of Ice Hockey. It takes place on the Official "VHL" (Video Hockey League) ice rink pitting the Reds (left side) against the Blues (right side). Each team is made up of three players -- two forwards and a goal tender. The object of the game is to shoot the puck into the other team's goal. The game offers fights, trips, body slams, shattering glass, blazing shots, head-over-heels bone crushing hits, hacking, slashing, spearing, elbowing and all out knock-down, punching, crunching action. You don't need to know any rules about hockey to enjoy Hit The Ice -- the ultimate red-blooded sport. There is fast paced end to end action, heart stopping incredible saves, booming slapshots, impossible in-the-air 360 degree cartwheel supershots all with some good natured humor thrown in. Players can purchase Power Drinks in the locker room between periods for an additional credit. The drink promises "Skate Faster, Shoot Harder, It really, Really works!" At the start of the next period the player will undergo a wild cartoon-like transformation that turns the character into a maniac for the next minute of play. The game was briefly reviewed in Nintendo Power Volume 47 and was scheduled for release in April 1993. Conversely, it was reviewed again in the next issue and slated for a May 1993 release. It then received a full review in Volume 49. Ultimately, the game was never officially published.

Home Alone 2: Kevin's Dream

Nintendo Game Boy - Unreleased

Kevin's Home Alone again - and this time he's dreaming up an incredible adventure! At least this time Kevin's safe asleep in bed, but he's dreaming of... AAAHHhh! Harry and Marv! Those two bumbling burglars keep showing up in the darndest places. In this wild and wacky trip through slumberland, anything can happen - and it will! Kevin dreams of being up in the air, at the circus, inside his favorite video games, in outer space, in some crazy mechanical contraption, and somewhere you've never even dreamed of! Can you help Kevin keep his dreams from becoming a nightmare?

Insector (Prototype)

Arcade - Unreleased - 1982

Insector © 1982 Gottlieb. You are a can of bug spray. Collect the jewels on the screen and destroy all the bugs. This was Skelly's second game for Gottlieb, but it was never released. Number produced estimated at 1 or 2 units. This game represents Skelly's own answer to "Robotron - 2084". The cool thing about Insector is the three-letter code in at the start. Tim Skelly used this value as a seed for each player's pseudo random number generator. That way, if you want exactly the same game every time, you enter the same three letters. If you wanted to handicap yourself, you would enter different letters and let the other player enter their usual letters, etc.

It Came from the Desert

Sega Genesis - Unreleased

It Came from the Desert is an unreleased Sega Mega Drive game developed by Cinemaware, and was due to be published by Electronic Arts in 1992. Though it shares a similar intro, it is in fact an entirely different game from other versions of It Came from the Desert released for the IBM PC, Amiga and TurboGrafx-CD, being a top-down action game rather than a point and click adventure.

Ixion

Arcade - Unreleased - 1983

This is a shoot 'em up game where the player has to collect letters for points. All the letters must be collected to reach the KAILO round. The player receives 500 to 8000 points for collecting gold letters. Enemies are worth 200 points & crystals are worth 1000 points. The KAILO ball heals tiles while the OLIAK ball destroys tiles. A bonus ship is awarded every 100000 points. Trivia: Released in January 1983.

Ixion

Atari 800 - Unreleased - 1985

Ixion is an unreleased arcade game based on Sega Zaxxon hardware, developed by Sega Electronics set to be published by Sega in 1983. Ixion is presumed to have failed its location test, i.e. it was largely finished and put into use in small quantities, but poor consumer feedback and/or low profit margins stopped Sega from producing more units. The arcade game has been dumped and is fully playable. Plans for Ixion appear to have been quite significant. As well as working on an arcade version, Sega Electronics created versions for the Atari 2600, Atari 8-bit line of computers and the Commodore VIC-20, each of which were subsequently cancelled. Two versions of the 2600 port exist, one by Jeff Lorenz (subsequently released online) who was responsible for several arcade-to-2600 ports for Sega Electronics, and another by Stance Nixon under contract. The 2600 and VIC-20 ports were set to be released in 1984. The Atari 8-bit version, developed by Fred Mack has also been released online - this version, copyrighted 1985, credits U.S. Gold, suggesting it was to be published after Sega's temporary pull-out of the US market.

Ixion

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1984

Ixion is a port of the unreleased 1983 Sega coin-op of the same name, Ixion is an interesting game that doesn't seem to play like anything else in the 2600 library. Your goal in Ixion is to grab the five white squares scattered across the screen and spell the word Ixion before your time runs out. At the start of each level only certain squares are visible, and to get around more easily you must first reveal the missing squares. To reveal the missing squares, the player must move a brown sphere over an empty square. This sphere is normally stationary, but it can be moved by shooting or ramming into it. This sends the sphere bouncing around the screen, revealing squares and destroying enemies in its travels. After a short time of bouncing around the sphere will stop, requiring the player to move it again to reveal more squares. Learning how to move the sphere where you want is the key to mastering Ixion. Also moving around the game grid are enemy drones, which will attempt to destroy your ship. Unfortunately, their shots destroy tiles, making your path much more difficult to traverse. Enemy drones only take one shot to defeat, but will take out the tile they are on when they explode. It is unknown why Ixion was never released by SEGA, but it was around this time that SEGA Enterprises (the American arm of SEGA) was sold to Bally. After this sale, all of SEGA's 2600 titles were Bally/Midway arcade games (Tapper, Spy Hunter, and Up 'n Down). It may have been felt that only well known arcade game would sell well enough in the overly competitive 2600 market, or perhaps Ixion simply got lost in the transition shuffle.

Jawbreaker

Atari 5200 - Unreleased - January 1, 1982

You're loose in a candy factory! Quickly move the chomping set of teeth to eat up all the candy bars. Be careful, the happy faces may get you! Clear the screen and it's time for some quick hygiene - a tooth brush will clean your teeth to get you ready for your next romp through the candy factory.

Jeff's Shoot'Em Up

Super Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased

This Jeff’s Shoot’Em Up is a tech demo for a top-down shooter in the same vein as Smash TV or Alien Breed, that was developed by Iguana Entertainment (Aero the Acrobat and Turok) to test the SNES capabilities. The demo was titled Jeff’s Shoot’Em Up probably after Jeff Spangenberg, Iguana (and later Retro Studios) founder. In this prototype enemies can’t harm the main character, every path lead to a dead end and sound is absent. Also in the introduction the spaceship that is zoomed in/out and rotated don’t appear correctly.

Jump Kun

Arcade - Unreleased - 1984

Jump Kun is a 1984 prototype run and jump platform game developed by Kaneko. The game has up to two alternating players.

Jyanshin Densetsu: Quest of Jongmaster

SNK Neo Geo AES - Unlicensed - June 29, 1994

A RPG-themed strip mahjong game and the spiritual sequel to Taito's "Mahjong Quest"

Kampf der Mächte

Commodore 64 - Homebrew - 1993

A one or two player strategy trading game created by Michael Härtig & Frank Weinhold and released to PD in 1993.

Kapitan Planeta

Atari 800 - Unreleased

Kitty's Catch

Nintendo Entertainment System - Unreleased - 1989

Kitty's Catch is a cancelled NES game created by GameTek employee David Wiebenson in his spare time. Wiebenson pitched Kitty's Catch to several publishers, all of which refused to publish the game. Eventually, several prototypes were discovered and purchased in a lot by the Nolan brothers, who released the most complete ROM to the public. Kitty's Catch is a two-player game where players control cats named Pitter and Patter, and have to catch fish with their tails. The first player to fill their bucket with fish gets a shell, and the player with the most shells at the end of the time limit wins. There are also several power-ups obtained by collecting tin cans, such as larger hooks.

Knight Orc

BBC Microcomputer System - Unreleased - 1987

Knight Orc is a text adventure with graphics. The protagonist, Gringleguts the Orc, swears revenge on all humankind for the treatment of his race. The game flows in real time; each person and creature goes on about their daily lives and follows their schedule. So, if the protagonist revisits an area and finds a person that was previously there gone, it may mean that the person in question is in another location. The player's decisions and timing play a key role to the game's outcome. The BBC Micro version was never officially released even though it was completed, however around late February of 2021 a scener named Dave Moore (known by the name Arcadian) discovered a copy of the game existed, which was found at the Centre of Computer History.

Kyphus

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1982

Over the years Apollo has released some strange games. From the airline luggage simulator Lost Luggage to the egg throwing antics of Wabbit, Apollo was never afraid to release something different. Therefore it's no surprise that when a new unknown Apollo prototype surfaced, it featured some interesting gameplay. However Kyphus may be the strangest game from Apollo yet... Looking a little like a cross between Racquetball and Space Cavern, Kyphus is an odd game in which the player must maneuver a dumpy looking guy through a pseudo-3D maze of rooms avoiding what appears to be a glowing cloud that shoots lasers, while being followed by a multi-colored robot that just might be a monkey in disguise. Like I said, this game is weird!. Unfortunately, this prototype is very incomplete. There appears to be no collision detection, few sounds, and almost no gameplay. The only thing one can really do in this prototype is to move run from room to room, although with no collision detection implemented there is no threat from the robot or cloud. Each room of the maze appears to have a different color, and has three to four exits (two on the sides and one at the top and bottom). The maze is made up of 64 rooms, but doesn't appear to have a set pattern. As you move through maze, you may notice the score and life counters start displaying odd letters and numbers. These number and letters are actually variable values in hex decimal notation. The programmer used these numbers to help determine the values of various game variables while developing the game. The counters at the top of the screen display the players position coordinates, the left two digits in the score are a timer of some sort that is continually counting down, while the right two digits appear to be the room number. It is unusual to see these in game unless it is very early in the development cycle. Although the prototype isn't very playable, by taking a look in the game itself we can puzzle out some planned gameplay. Hidden in the code are three words: Protect, Destroy, and Invoke. It is thought that these are commands the player would give the robot to make it do certain things. Also hidden in the game code are graphics for what appears to be a large monkey that would have replaced the robot. It is currently unknown how the monkey would be used in the game, and there is no way to trigger it (without hacking the code) in the current prototype. Although Kyphus is unplayble in its current state, it shows quite a bit of promise. Getting the 2600 to display anything that looks remotely like 3D is an amazing feat. It is thought that in the final version of the game the player would have a weapon of some type to shoot at the cloud and robot, but the object of the game is still unclear. Hopefully a more complete version of the game will turn up someday, but for now we can be happy in that another lost prototype has finally been found. Only one prototype of Kyphus is known to exist. It is thought that in the final version of the game the player would have a weapon of some type to shoot at the cloud and robot, but the object of the game is still unclear. A picture of the box was shown in a few Apollo advertisements. It appears to show a wizard battling evil clouds in a temple which is fairly close to the gameplay in the current prototype. Hidden in the code are three words: Protect, Destroy and Invoke. It is thought that these are commands the player would give the robot to make it do certain things. Also hidden in the game code are graphics for what appears to be a large monkey that would have replaced the robot. It is currently unknown how the monkey would be used in the game, and there is no way to trigger it in the current prototype.

Landscape

Atari 800 - Unreleased - 1984

Preliminary version of Stealth.

Laser Gates

Atari 800 - Unreleased - 1984

Laser Gates is a side scrolling shoot-em-up in the same genre as Scramble. You must blast through gates before you hit them as well as fight enemy ships and installations. The game was an unreleased prototype developed by imagic.

Lasercade

Atari 2600 - Unreleased - 1983

The first thing you're bound to notice upon booting Lasercade is how nice the graphics look. It's hard to believe that the 2600 can do a 3/4th perspective shooting game, but Lasercade is the proof. The goal of the game is to shoot all the targets in the upper section of the screen before time runs out (that's original). However, while you can just start shooting willy nilly, you should probably take a second to look at the funny little targets in the middle section of the screen. In the middle section of the the screen there are three rotating mirrors. As you may have guessed, these mirrors can play havoc with your laser if you're not careful. If you shoot a mirror while it is facing you, it will reflect the laser back at you and you will lose some time and be momentarily stunned. However if you shoot the mirror while its back is to you, you can destroy it so it won't bother you until the next round. While this may sound a bit complicated, it's often best just to ignore the mirrors and shoot at the targets themselves. The number of mirrors can be controlled with the left difficulty switch.

Lawkeeper

Atari 800 - Unreleased - 1984

Unreleased prototype. The game involves a square "jail" in the middle of the screen, with characters running around the edges. You patrol the inside square, always linked to it, and can extend a line to the edge of the screen to capture the characters, putting them inside the jail. Eventually parts of the jail are broken down and you need to repair it (by rolling over the destroyed segments).

Leisure Suit Larry: Pocket Party

Nokia N-Gage - Unreleased

Leisure Suit Larry: Pocket Party is a cancelled point and click adventure that was in development in 2004 by TKO Software and it would have been published by Vivendi Universal for the ill-fated N-gage. The game was going to be the first original mobile title in the Leisure Suit Larry series, but it was never finished, probably because of the failure of the Nokia console / phone. As we can read in Wikipedia, in Leisure Suit Larry: Pocket Party, players would have been able to explore a college campus, while solving puzzles and engaging in risque activities. As they search for the ultimate good time (having sex), gamers bump into Rosie Palmer, the head cheerleader at Larry’s college and he is determined to do anything to be with her. In addition to single-player gameplay, there were four different turn-based multiplayer mini-games. The game was supposed to be a big title for the N-Gage due to its raunchy language and humor, and also for the cell-shaded graphic, a brand new feature for the N-Gage. It seems that Leisure Suit Larry N-Gage was developed twice: there are two completely full versions of the game. One that was deemed too raunchy and another that was redesigned by TKO-Dallas from the ground up. So there are two full, complete working versions of Pocket Party in Alpha form.