Konami

Sparkster [Genesis – Beta]

Sparkster is a platform game developed by Konami and released for Genesis in 1994. It is the sequel of the well-known Rocket Knight Adventures.

Below we can see some beta screenshots of the first and the second stage. In particular, originally the background of the wood section of the former was the sea and not the trees found in the final version. Sparkster’s portrait in the HUD was changed too.

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Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker [Beta – PSP]

Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker was developed by Konami and Kojima Productions, released in 2010 for the PSP. Few info about the beta version are available thanks to Ravi Singh of The Snake Soup:

Around April 8, 2010 Kinsoku Jiko from The Snake Soup forums used the program CodePR to dig data from the Metal Gear Solid: Peace Walker TGS 2009 demo. While weapons and items that would be seen in the final game were found such as Pepsi and Huey’s Letter, left-over artifacts from Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops Plus were found such as the Heart of Justice item.

Recently Ravi Singh has found material posted by Kojima Productions on their blog that is from a build of Peace Walker made prior to the first demo release. Of interest are the different HUDs (including one that is exactly the same as Portable Ops Plus), a different graphic damage meter and what looks like either an item or gameplay feature that allows the player to see the enemy more clearly. There is also a mock-up of what the beta graphic damage meter looked like in action as an animated gif image.

Blog posts are http://ameblo.jp/kp-blogcast/entry-10598028071.html and http://ameblo.jp/kp-blogcast/entry-10591306201.html

Thanks to Ravi Singh of The Snake Soup for the contribution!

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Contra Rebirth [Wii – Beta / Debug]

Contra Rebirth, a run ‘n’ gun downloadable game from Nintendo’s Wiiware service, released in Europe on September 9th of ’09, and America only 3 short days later, with one big difference. The European version has a code to access the games debug mode, allowing you to modify what weapons you have, give you invincibility, and access the game’s only remaining test level, which oddly enough, strongly resembles a level from Super Mario Bros. Unfortunatley, in just those short 3 days before the US version’s release, the debug mode was removed from the US version, while the European version kept it. Also odd, is that the Japanese version released first (05/12/09) and yet the European version is the only one to have the debug mode.

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Metalocalypse: Dethgame [PS3 X360 – Cancelled]

Metalocalypse: Dethgame is a cancelled action game / beat ’em up that was in development by Frozen Codebase and it would have been published by Konami for the Xbox 360 Live Arcade and the Playstation 3 PSN download service. As we can read on Wikipedia, Metalocalypse is an American animated television series, which was created by Brendon Small and Tommy Blacha, and premiered in 2006 on Adult Swim.

In the game players would have played as one of the band’s roadies, and the game was to be set in Mordhaus, where the player would fight mutant fans. The game would have included music taken from Dethklok’s albums. The game has been canceled, because “the creative direction of the game would not live up to the high standards…set for the project”.

As we can read on IGN:

You play as a nameless Klokateer, a minion of sorts for Metalocalypse, and the game opens with you standing in front of a urinal and peeing. Using the left analog stick, you can aim your pee and urinate to the left and right. This doesn’t actually do anything or even leave yellow puddles on the ground, but that’s how it starts. After you finish and zip up, which happens automatically after a while, you wonder through the barracks and into a training room where you start beating up punkster guys and gals. And that’s pretty much the entire game.

On July 28, 2010 (a year and 8 days after its announcement) announced the cancellation of  Metalocalypse: Dethgame

“Konami has confirmed to IGN it has parted ways with Cartoon Network regarding Metalocalypse: Dethgame, a downloadable title based off the Adult Swim series that was previously set for release this year.

A little while later, Cartoon Network issued this statement:

Cartoon Network Enterprises has indeed ended production on the previously-announced Metalocalypse: The Dethgame. After a lot of time and work, together with Konami, the decision was made that the creative direction of the game would not live up to the high standards we had set for the project and we did not want to release a less than outstanding game.

In other words… “It sucked, we aren’t releasing it.”

Thanks to ForWhomTheBellTolls for the contribution!

Videos from ZAMNman, superbiener and GamingWalktrough Youtube channels!

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Zone of the Enders 2 (ZOE 2) [PS2 – Beta / Concepts]

Zone of the Enders: The 2nd Runner is an action game with mechs that was developed and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2003. Most mecha were designed by Yoji Shinkawa, the character and mechanical designer for the Metal Gear Solid series, with the exception of Lloyd and Inhert who were designed by Kazuma Kaneko of Megami Tensei fame.

From the official Konami website we can read a series of interviews with ZOE 2’s developers and artists, in which to see early designs of the mechs (some of wich were designed by Shinkawa in his school days).

Please let us know if there were any obstacles you had to overcome when working on the animation look.

Shinkawa : What was tough was deciding in the very first days of planning in which direction we would like to proceed. Initially the models had clearer outlines and looked more 2D. The modellers came up with many test models and then we boiled them down.

Unique charasterics of the Orbital Frames are the flowing lines and the silhouette along the legs. How did you come up with these ideas?

Shinkawa : As for the silhouette, I looked over sketches I did as a student, and we were like “Why not go with this!” The energy lines were expressions of shadows used in those sketches. Then Mr. Kobayashi (modeller) and I chatted as said “Let’s make these into grooves!”, “Let’s make them glow!” When we incorporated this in the game, we made the energy lines change color to indicate how much damage you have incurred. It comes down to coming up with logical explanations to make everything work and enjoyable.

I would like to ask you things about “Anubis”.

Shinkawa : As I said last time, it is basically the sketch I did in my school days.

If we look at your old sketched, Anubis hasn’t really changed much.

Shinkawa : It did not have wings, but it always had its spear. (bozzetto)

I guess Anubis was evil since your school days. It now has a really intimidating face.

Shinkawa : The face was not intended to look like this. In my school days, it was a simple dog face. The face on the bottom (energy line face) was actually a bug of the texture screwed up when I viewed an early model of Jehuty. That screwed up texture face is what you see on the bottom. We were like, “Hey, this bug…looks cool!” (laughs)

This is the new Orbital Frame “Ardjet” whose motif is “Geisha”. Why “Geisha”?

Shinkawa : In the rough sketches for the previous gamewas a coffin-shape mech. Director Shuyo Murata wanted to include this in this game. And he wanted the heroine of the game to pilot it. The original sketch I did really looked like a coffin with a skinny fellow like a zombie or mummy inside. It just wasn’t a mech for the heroine. I tried to modify it and turn it into a girly mech. But then I didn’t want to turn it into something too girly. After some trial and error, I ended up with this design that looks somewhat like a Geisha. Its hairstyle and long cape — I hope this looks like a Kimono.

Thanks to John Doom for the contribution!

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