Trivia Browser
![Kien](/media/boxart/5/5094.png)
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Kien was originally developed between 2002 and 2004 by AgeOfGames, a group of five Italian developers who had no prior experience making video games, aiming to be the first company in their country to develop a game for the Game Boy Advance. The game's release would end up being cancelled three separate times when multiple publishers picked up the game and then decided that releasing it would be too risky for sales. At the time, the game was completed and sent to gaming publications, with one known review appearing in the American magazine Nintendo Power in 2003. The game remained unreleased for over 20 years, but a prototype ROM of the game did leak online at one point. Game designer Fabio Belsanti would be the only member of the game's original development team to remain at AgeOfGames, who had shifted to developing educational games to stay afloat. Eventually, with the rising popularity in retro games and lowered cost to produce GBA cartridges, AgeOfGames was able to release Kien in 2024 both digitally and on physical cartridges through retro game publisher Incube8 Games. The game's release garnered attention for it possibly having taken the record for the longest delayed video game release in history, surpassing Duke Nukem Forever and Beyond Good & Evil 2 by taking 22 years to release.
DidYouKnowGaming video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RuAKtb2too#t=2128s
Assorted pre-release gameplay of Kien from the early 2000's on IGN's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPijGVE9G1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-opVqCKlYA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfRViZPwHAM
Incube8 Games trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti1Ul0y6ZcQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuuIAX-N2SQ
Nintendo Power Issue #173 (November 2003) (Page 154 in the magazine):
https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-173-november-2003/page/154/mode/2up
Destructoid article:
https://www.destructoid.com/thrice-canceled-gba-game-kien-is-finally-getting-released-22-years-after-completion/
Engadget article:
https://www.engadget.com/possibly-the-most-delayed-video-game-in-history-is-finally-available-on-the-game-boy-advance-205150837.html
RPGGamer article:
https://rpgamer.com/2024/06/game-boy-advance-title-kien-released/
The Guardian article:
https://www.theguardian.com/games/article/2024/jul/04/kein-the-most-delayed-video-game-in-history-released-after-22-years
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8RuAKtb2too#t=2128s
Assorted pre-release gameplay of Kien from the early 2000's on IGN's YouTube channel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZPijGVE9G1U
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-opVqCKlYA
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BfRViZPwHAM
Incube8 Games trailers:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ti1Ul0y6ZcQ
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AuuIAX-N2SQ
Nintendo Power Issue #173 (November 2003) (Page 154 in the magazine):
https://archive.org/details/nintendo-power-issue-173-november-2003/page/154/mode/2up
Destructoid article:
https://www.destructoid.com/thrice-canceled-gba-game-kien-is-finally-getting-released-22-years-after-completion/
Engadget article:
https://www.engadget.com/possibly-the-most-delayed-video-game-in-history-is-finally-available-on-the-game-boy-advance-205150837.html
RPGGamer article:
https://rpgamer.com/2024/06/game-boy-advance-title-kien-released/
The Guardian article:
https://www.theguardian.com/games/article/2024/jul/04/kein-the-most-delayed-video-game-in-history-released-after-22-years
![Mario Party: Fushigi no Challenge World](/media/boxart/5/5090.png)
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Although it was only released in Japan, there were plans for an international version of Mario Party: Challenge World slated for release in Spring 2018. A demo for an English-translated version was shown off at the 2017 Attractions Expo for the International Association of Amusement Parks and Attractions (IAAPA) using the Japanese version's six-player roulette design. However, this release date came and went with no further announcements. On May 30, 2018, the game's manufacturer Raw Thrills accidentally uploaded and quickly delisted a video on their YouTube channel showing the international version's boot-up process (using a Windows OS) with the game's title screen fully translated into English, before crashing. In October, photos were leaked to the arcade news blog Arcade Heroes revealing that the international version was still being tested, but sported a heavily revamped cabinet design that ditched the roulette and redesigned the game for only three players. This was most likely due to its original design as a roulette gambling game keeping it from being sold to most American arcades. After more radio silence and it missing IAAPA's 2018 Expo, Raw Thrills confirmed to Arcade Heroes in April 2019 that the game was cancelled, and its few prototype cabinets were sold off to select luxury entertainment centers. One confirmed location housing it as of April 2019 was the Tulsa, Oklahoma branch of Cinergy Entertainment.
Mario Party: Challenge World - IAAPA 2017 demo:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b9Fk7GKYUA
Reuploaded Raw Thrills bootup crash video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTee-1A5U28
Arcade Heroes articles:
https://arcadeheroes.com/2018/10/09/mario-party-challenge-spotted-on-test-almost-a-year-after-reveal/
https://arcadeheroes.com/2019/04/27/newsbytes-repro-star-wars-yoke-marble-carnival-cosmotrons-unboxing-exa-arcadia-mario-party-updates/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8b9Fk7GKYUA
Reuploaded Raw Thrills bootup crash video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TTee-1A5U28
Arcade Heroes articles:
https://arcadeheroes.com/2018/10/09/mario-party-challenge-spotted-on-test-almost-a-year-after-reveal/
https://arcadeheroes.com/2019/04/27/newsbytes-repro-star-wars-yoke-marble-carnival-cosmotrons-unboxing-exa-arcadia-mario-party-updates/
Collection: Ty the Tasmanian Tiger
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Following the release of Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 3: Night of the Quinkan, development started on a fourth entry in the series titled "Ty the Tasmanian Tiger 4: Gunyip!". According to series co-creator Steve Stamatiadis, this game would have expanded upon the aerial combat sections featured in Ty 3, featuring a variety of Bunyip-inspired aircraft and factions, as well as both new and returning characters. It was ultimately cancelled around 2007 due to Krome Studios focusing their resources on developing ports for Star Wars: The Force Unleashed. Stamatiadis would later release a test reel of the game on his Tumblr page, which was later included as a piece of bonus content for Ty 3's PC remaster.
![Deltarune](/media/boxart/3/3077.png)
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In Volume 5 of his Famitsu column "Toby's Secret Base", creator and director Toby Fox revealed that Ralsei's name came from a period in elementary school where he and his brothers constantly experimented with RPG Maker, having long had a shared interest in game development. Fox's oldest brother spent years working on a game called New Genesis, which featured a protagonist named Ralse; Fox simply appended an "i" to the name when incorporating it into Deltarune years later.
In the same column, Fox stated that the prolonged development of New Genesis discouraged him from making games for a long time. When he finally returned to the field in his teenage years, he sought to temper his expectations from the outset by making smaller-scale titles and preemptively planning out his approach to development to avoid biting off more than he could chew.
In the same column, Fox stated that the prolonged development of New Genesis discouraged him from making games for a long time. When he finally returned to the field in his teenage years, he sought to temper his expectations from the outset by making smaller-scale titles and preemptively planning out his approach to development to avoid biting off more than he could chew.
![Foodfight!](/media/boxart/4/4141.png)
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![Attachment](/media/thumbs/8/18784.jpg)
• The red, yellow, and blue M&M's carrying vitamin supplement boxes with muscular hammer-wielding arms coming out of them.
• The Keebler Elves firing bows and arrows with flaming Tootsie Pops.
• A team-up of the Green Giant, a muscular version of Poppin' Fresh the Pillsbury Doughboy, and a jacket-wearing Kool-Aid Man.
• Mr. Clean commanding an army of Scrubbing Bubbles.
• Cap'n Crunch shooting a bazooka made out of a Pringles can.
• Hawaiian Punch's mascot Punchy punching a soup can made by Brand X, a fictional brand from the movie.
The game scenarios seem to feature various mini-games among main game missions, including:
• An early human version of Dex Dogtective swinging with a grappling hook, finding shortcuts between products, being launched from Hamburger Helper's mascot Lefty in platforming sections.
• What appears to be a mini-game where Dex and a Brand X mascot would bump into one another on shopping trolleys.
• A mission where fictional mascot Daredevil Dan flies above the supermarket in his plane.
• The Green Giant rolling over tiny Brand X bots with either a barrel or a mango bowling ball. This mini-game has two pieces of concept art, one that presents it as akin to the game Tempest and another that shows the Green Giant stepping on robots.
• Dex commanding the M&M's in a shooting mini-game.
• A platforming mini-game with Cap'n Crunch jumping off of barrels.
• A mini-game where fictional mascot Polar Penguin must destroy pillars on the ice.
• A cow-herding mini-game featuring Twinkie the Kid.
• A food-fighting mini-game, like the climax of the movie, specifically themed around Chef Boyardee.
• A mini-game where Dex throws Lucky Charms at Brand X drones.
Of the licensed characters featured in this concept art, only Mr. Clean, Punchy, Chef Boyardee, and Twinkie the Kid would appear in the film when it eventually released in 2012.
![Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure](/media/boxart/5/5012.png)
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In June 2012, game director Shun Nakamura expressed interest in making a port of Rhythm Thief & the Emperor's Treasure for the Wii U and a sequel for the Nintendo 3DS, revealing that he wanted "to create a virtual play version of the "Looting the Louvre" part because moving the body really fits into rhythm games." However, the plans for these games never materialized.
![Five Nights at Freddy's: Help Wanted](/media/boxart/4/3492.png)
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In December 2020, Steel Wool Studios announced that the "Curse of Dreadbear" DLC originally released for the game in 2019 would be ported to Xbox consoles and Nintendo Switch. While the DLC would be released for the Switch version of the game on September 28, 2021, development on the Xbox version appears to have been abandoned as there have been no updates on it since the initial announcement in 2020.
Port announcement:
https://twitter.com/SteelWoolStudio/status/1339038204125536256
Nintendo eShop page with release date:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/five-nights-at-freddys-help-wanted-curse-of-dreadbear-70050000023397-switch/
https://twitter.com/SteelWoolStudio/status/1339038204125536256
Nintendo eShop page with release date:
https://www.nintendo.com/us/store/products/five-nights-at-freddys-help-wanted-curse-of-dreadbear-70050000023397-switch/
Company: Kane Carter
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![Attachment](/media/thumbs/8/18745.png)
"You play as a murderer, trapped in a rainy purgatory parallel world, after almost dying in a car crash that happened while you were fleeing the scene of your third victim. [...] It's home to a single, bizarre villain named Drain Face - a creature who was once human, turned into a mutated monster that survives only off of the rainwater that falls in the rainy parallel world. [...]"
Carter also stated that the goal of the game was to travel through three large areas while dodging Drain Face.
The original programmer was going to be Nikson, known for his work on The Joy of Creation fangame series and Glowstick Entertainment games. Nikson replied to the post offering to continue work on the game if Carter ever decided to go back to it, saying that he loved the idea and the enemy design proposed for it.
Floodbound reveal:
https://twitter.com/kanethecarter/status/1689427287425302530
Full Floodbound development summary:
https://twitter.com/kanethecarter/status/1690527136119984129
Nikson programmer reveal:
https://twitter.com/kanethecarter/status/1689450445519941634
Nikson reply:
https://twitter.com/nikson_dev/status/1690635505363296257
https://twitter.com/kanethecarter/status/1689427287425302530
Full Floodbound development summary:
https://twitter.com/kanethecarter/status/1690527136119984129
Nikson programmer reveal:
https://twitter.com/kanethecarter/status/1689450445519941634
Nikson reply:
https://twitter.com/nikson_dev/status/1690635505363296257
![Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance](/media/boxart/5/5006.png)
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Disgaea 5: Alliance of Vengeance was originally considered to have a multi-platform release, including a release on the PlayStation 3. According to Nippon Ichi Software president Sohei Niikawa, this was scrapped as this would have made the PS3 version the standard version of the game, whereas the development team wanted to "offer something that could only be done with the PlayStation 4.”
Platform: DVD Player
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Bubble, a failed DVD game console that exclusively had licensed games based on preschool TV properties, had 6 cancelled games:
•Angelina Ballerina
•Bob the Builder
•Dora the Explorer
•The Koala Brothers
•Pingu
•Postman Pat
•Angelina Ballerina
•Bob the Builder
•Dora the Explorer
•The Koala Brothers
•Pingu
•Postman Pat
![Super Paper Mario](/media/boxart/1/207.png)
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![Attachment](/media/thumbs/8/18706.jpg)
Two of these maps, kri_04 and kri_05, additionally feature various cat NPCs, all drawn in substantially different art styles compared to not only each other, but also the final game. Each one is named after a developer from the Super Paper Mario staff: yamada_neko02 (Koichiro Yamada), koba_neko (Sayuri Kobayashi), tuka_neko (Naoko Tsukamoto), and kawa_neko (Chie Kawabe).
Of these four, kawa_neko is the most unique, and was apparently designed as a player character. Firstly, the cat's name is only given to its mesh, with its sprite instead being named bc_all.1. Additionally, kawa_neko features an animated tail and a mesh that is centered on the ground rather than the middle of the room. Furthermore, new_neko_18, a redesigned version of kawa_neko with white fur instead of black, can be found in kri_08, kri_09, and kri_10; new_neko_18's mesh is explicitly labeled "PLAYER" in the data for these maps.
Taken together, all of these elements imply that these early rooms were created as a proof-of-concept for an original project by Intelligent Systems that ended up cancelled for unknown reasons.
Franchise: Sonic The Hedgehog
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![Attachment](/media/thumbs/8/18682.png)
In September 2003, Penders pitched his own concept for a Sonic the Hedgehog movie, titled "Sonic Armageddon". Four pieces of concept art were produced, and even a homemade pitch video was made to show to Sega executives. From what is known about the pitch (which seemed to borrow elements from both the 1993 series and the Archie comics), it would have involved the planet Mobius being destroyed and changed the depiction of the roboticization procedure to something much more gruesome than what had been previously seen. Notably, several major characters (such as the Freedom Fighters sans Sonic, Tails and Sally) are not shown in either the pitch video or the concept art, and the characters that are shown are given major redesigns. A common belief is that DreamWorks Animation was Penders' choice to produce the film, but Penders would later state in 2019 that he had pitched the idea to Sega only, and that DreamWorks had no involvement. The film never materialized; Penders would later claim on separate occasions that the idea was dropped because of "massive corporate upheaval", as well as the development of the animated series "Sonic X" affecting talks regarding the film.
Attempted pitch:
https://web.archive.org/web/20201111200242/http://www.sonicsatam.com/information/the-lost-3rd-season/
Hurst's dismissal:
https://web.archive.org/web/20201113070038/https://www.saturdaymorningsonic.com/features/ben_hurst/
Penders on Sonic Armageddon:
https://web.archive.org/web/20201213205554/https://twitter.com/kenpenders/status/1105647131438673920
Penders on the attempted pitch controversy:
https://kenpenders.com/sonic-armageddon-or-what-a-long-strange-journey-its-been/
Pitch video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNteN_qlHp0
https://web.archive.org/web/20201111200242/http://www.sonicsatam.com/information/the-lost-3rd-season/
Hurst's dismissal:
https://web.archive.org/web/20201113070038/https://www.saturdaymorningsonic.com/features/ben_hurst/
Penders on Sonic Armageddon:
https://web.archive.org/web/20201213205554/https://twitter.com/kenpenders/status/1105647131438673920
Penders on the attempted pitch controversy:
https://kenpenders.com/sonic-armageddon-or-what-a-long-strange-journey-its-been/
Pitch video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNteN_qlHp0
![Baldur's Gate 3](/media/boxart/4/3491.png)
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Baldur's Gate 3 was originally revealed with a CGI trailer at a conference for the Google Stadia cloud gaming service in June 2019 as part of an Early Access exclusivity deal that would ultimately be cancelled when Stadia was shut down in 2023. The game's director Swen Vincke touted the service at the time for its purported accessibility, and the potential for in-game community feedback to directly affect the game's development and playthroughs via Stadia's Crowd Choice feature. However, Vincke later expressed regret over having the game be revealed this way, calling it "a really stupid deal" due to the challenges of releasing an Early Access build to a second platform, but that "it allowed me to pay for the CGI."
Baldur's Gate 3 Stadia Announcement:
https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/06/06/baldurs-gate-3-officially-announced-for-pc-and-google-stadia
Stadia-Exclusive Features:
https://www.ign.com/articles/baldurs-gate-3-stadia-exclusive-features-early-access-contents-release
Stadia Reveal Regret:
https://www.ign.com/articles/larian-founder-on-working-with-google-stadia-for-baldurs-gate-3-it-was-a-really-stupid-deal
https://www.ign.com/articles/2019/06/06/baldurs-gate-3-officially-announced-for-pc-and-google-stadia
Stadia-Exclusive Features:
https://www.ign.com/articles/baldurs-gate-3-stadia-exclusive-features-early-access-contents-release
Stadia Reveal Regret:
https://www.ign.com/articles/larian-founder-on-working-with-google-stadia-for-baldurs-gate-3-it-was-a-really-stupid-deal
![Drawn to Life: The Next Chapter](/media/boxart/5/4212.png)
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![Attachment](/media/thumbs/8/18651.jpg)
![X](/media/boxart/4/3338.png)
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![Attachment](/media/thumbs/8/18641.png)
The Lunar Chase name was retained for a planned English localization of the game, which was ultimately scrapped due to fears from Nintendo of America that international players would find the game's presentation and design too complex for a handheld title. Creator and programmer Dylan Cuthbert additionally blamed the cancellation on a presumed lack of interest from retailers in the United States. A prototype of the English version would eventually surface in 2020 as part of the Gigaleak, a massive leak of internal server data from Nintendo. The Eclipse pitch, meanwhile, was released to the public by the Video Game History foundation three years later.
Video Game History foundation article:
https://gamehistory.org/eclipse-the-demo-that-sold-3d-to-nintendo/
US Gamer article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190210151024/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/dylan-cuthbert-star-fox-game-boy-hacking-feature-interview
ArsTechnica article:
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/exclusive-legendary-star-fox-coder-on-series-history-surprise-sequel-launch/
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Proto:X/Lunar_Chase
https://gamehistory.org/eclipse-the-demo-that-sold-3d-to-nintendo/
US Gamer article:
https://web.archive.org/web/20190210151024/https://www.usgamer.net/articles/dylan-cuthbert-star-fox-game-boy-hacking-feature-interview
ArsTechnica article:
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2017/10/exclusive-legendary-star-fox-coder-on-series-history-surprise-sequel-launch/
The Cutting Room Floor article:
https://tcrf.net/Proto:X/Lunar_Chase
![Bubsy II](/media/boxart/4/3441.png)
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![Attachment](/media/thumbs/8/18620.png)
Company: Cyberdreams
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When the company first started, their original first project was intended to be a side-scrolling action game for PC called "Evolver". However, the game was never actually finished, likely due to the company having very few staff members at the time (the company itself only consisted of president Patrick Ketchum, programmer John Krause, game designer Mike Dawson, and graphic artist Joby Otero).
Company: Cyberdreams
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"Reverence" was one of the last announced projects by Cyberdreams, but never made it past the Alpha phase before the company's closure. The game saw the player being chosen by the gods themselves to help determine the future of the human race, whom the gods believed to have grown too apathetic and unjust to live. It was intended to be a first-person shooter game, with the player wielding a variety of guns and spells as they traveled through four different realms to decide the fate of humanity. Each realm was modelled after a real life mythological god, those being Osiris (Egyptian god of the underworld), Kokyangwuti (Hopi goddess of life), Freyja (Norse goddess of love), and Manjursi (Tibetan god of wisdom). While the game itself was cancelled, a playable prototype was leaked in 2015.
![Wes Craven's Principles of Fear](/media/boxart/5/4922.png)
subdirectory_arrow_right Cyberdreams (Company)
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"Wes Craven's Principles of Fear" was a planned collaboration between Asylum Entertainment and Cyberdreams for the PC meant to release in 1997 during the Halloween season, but this never happened. As its name implies, the game was based on a concept by film director Wes Craven (best known for films such as "A Nightmare on Elm Street," "The People Under the Stairs," and "The Serpent and the Rainbow"), and would have been his first time working on a CD-ROM game. Described as "the ultimate test of nerves", players assumed the role of an individual trapped in a house of darkness and forced to confront the "Seven Mortal Fears": Fear of the Bad Parent, Fear of the Predator, Fear of Immobility, Fear of Falling, Fear of Drowning, Fear of Loss of Self, and Fear of Chaos. Each fear was tested through various challenges, both real and imaginary. For example, spider webs would hinder the player's mobility, nightmares and hallucinations would feed into the fear of chaos, and supernatural stalkers would lead to a death match with the predator. The player's ability to reason with and come to grips with their inner demons would have been crucial to escaping the house.
According to David Mullich, a creative director for Cyberdreams, the goal was to create an action-adventure game that "encompasses all levels of human fear and conflict within a challenging game scenario,", adding:
According to David Mullich, a creative director for Cyberdreams, the goal was to create an action-adventure game that "encompasses all levels of human fear and conflict within a challenging game scenario,", adding:
"Many games today do justice in rendering ferocious combat, while others take great care in presenting a psychological challenge, but few successfully combine both elements. 'Wes Craven's Principles of Fear' does just that."
Principles of Fear game page:
https://game-nostalgia.com/darkseed/games/principles_of_fear.html
Article about the game:
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamers-get-a-taste-of-fear/1100-2466823/
https://game-nostalgia.com/darkseed/games/principles_of_fear.html
Article about the game:
https://www.gamespot.com/articles/gamers-get-a-taste-of-fear/1100-2466823/
![Hunters of Ralk](/media/boxart/5/4921.png)
subdirectory_arrow_right Cyberdreams (Company)
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During the 1995 Winter Consumer Electronics Show, Cyberdreams announced "Hunters of Ralk", a role-playing game designed by Gary Gygax, the co-creator of "Dungeons & Dragons". Not much is known about the game, other than that it was meant to be the start of a series and would have featured 3D combat in a first-person perspective and texture-mapped graphics. It was slated for Fall of that year for Windows platforms, but was never released.