Dinosaur Planet [N64 – Cancelled]

Dinosaur Planet [N64 – Cancelled]

Dinosaur Planet was going to be Rare’s swan song on the Nintendo 64. However, the game was finally released in 2002 only on the Gamecube, and the title changed to Star Fox Adventures. According to many, in the porting Rare dropped some of the most interesting features, so we may never know if the Nintendo 64 version was better. Certainly much has been changed in the porting process: the main character, Saber, became Fox Mc Cloud, Crystal’s role was heavily cut (she should have been a fully playable character), and many scenes from the old Dinosaur Planet build are missing. Even more interesting are the pre-production artworks, which shown a more adult version of the characters, maybe because Saber was required to grow up during the adventure, or because there was a time traveling device like in Ocarina of Time.

For more info, check the Starfox Adventure GameCube Beta page too.

[English Translation by yota]

Thanks to Karrunaniara and Ducky Wensel for the contributions! Huge props to IOnEIFalcon for sharing more than an hour of gameplay from Dinosaur Planet’s E3 1999 / 2000 (?) demo!

Images:

Videos:


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37 thoughts on “Dinosaur Planet [N64 – Cancelled]

  1. Chrad

    Very weird seeing this…it really is exactly like Starfox Adventures but on N64. The hero even looks like Fox! Considering that this was a straight conversion from N64 to Gamecube reusing most of the visual and level designs, I’m surprised the final game looks so good graphically, as these sorts of projects often wind up with a dated look that reveals the history of their development.

  2. person

    Also I just found out that at one point in development Tricky had a brother named Rocky that would accompany Krystal during the first part of her adventure

  3. some1

    There was a cart on the e3 2000… anyone have one or know someone?

    if the game was near complete means that, If one gets the demo, could get more that the demo gives….maybe??

    Im goin to talk with the doc, get his time-traveling car and steal a cart 11 years before I post this

  4. LiKrySo

    Whew… i just finished reading ALL of the comments and i really wanted to point something out:

    it seems that krystal and sabre were in different areas of the planet, and the player could swap to any of them only with the “swapstone” (Not sure if that´s the name) for krystal, and his twin brother “Rocky” for sabre…

    I got this file, from some webpage of krystal fans (Krystal-archive… i think). It´s basically a bunch of dialogues from star fox adventures, but it also has a LOT of Dinosaur Planet dialogues, including:

    “Now, now … Don’t be scared. Krystal’s friend, Sabre, is on the other side of the planet. To complete the adventure you will have to guide both characters. To do this you must visit me, or my twin brother Rocky. Do you understand? Good, now let’s swap to Sabre.”

    there was also this one:

    “I wouldn’t do that. Give me the SpellStone Wait! Did the king earthwalker not tell you? If you shut down this temple how do think you are going to get back to your planet. The moment that it is placed, the power in the Communication Chamber will stop. You’ll be trapped here forever. Don’t listen to him he’s lying. You may speak the truth Scales, But I’d rather remain here and save this wonderful planet than watch you destroy it! NOOOOOOOooooooo! Close your eyes Kyte.”

    Notice that Kyte was the Cloudrunner (Pterodactyl) partner of krystal.

    The game Also needed the expansion Pak to work properly.

    Also, this one, it´s a bit long, and i don´t even know if it´s from Dinosaur Planet or SFA (I never Played SFA… T_T).

    “I can taste your fear animal It is very sweet Do not believe everything the Krazoa have told you. We Kamerians did not start the Great War. But now it is time to end it. But by defeating the Krazoa You will destroy Dinosaur Planet. Why should I, Drakor be concerned With the fate of a pitiful race of dinosaurs? I will not stop even If I must obliterate this planet and all that live here. Nothing is more important!
    Even though the Dinosaurs believe in the Kamerian Dragon? They worshipped this heart as a god AAahh ..Yes, The great Kamerian Heart Though haven’t you just destroyed their God? Even If I believed that the Krazoa were an evil race, Why would the Quan Ata Lachu be asking us to complete the alignment? They talk only of peace in the universe.
    You are more foolish than I thought The Quan Ata Lachu are a rare life form of pure evil Each individual spirit holds no powers But when combined they become The most deadly weapon in the Universe It will be focused through Warlock Mountain, creating the ultimate weapon of destruction
    You talk of destruction and evil without once mentioning yourself My Father lies dying of wounds inflicted by you You do not understand! I understand the Krazoa have done nothing to harm us They built everything on this world Which the Dinosaurs use for peace The Quan Ata Lachu are not what you say
    The alignment will finally bring peace to this Universe Your only wish is to continue the Great War The Krazoa only started the war to stop YOU from destroying us all As you wish If you will not see the truth then you must DIE!

  5. Geneviève

    Bonjour! I bring some awesome news from DeviantaART! An fan group of Dinosaur Planet found the old voice recording of the first (probably) cutscene of Dinosaur Planet (When Krystal first meet General Scales) deep between StarFox Adventures. The scene was seen in a extended trailer in E3, but the sound was cut after the two first dialogues. So we can finally heard the mysterious dialogue that where taking place between the two! Let me just say it’s not at all like the one we heard in StarFox Adventures!

    http://imageshack.us/clip/my-videos/828/tl0w.mp4/

    Here’s a writing of what we can heard! Sorry if it’s not completely accurate (my English is not perfect, but feel free to correct!

    (GS = General Scales, Kr = Krystal and K = Kyte)
    ” – (GS) General Scales, ruler, tyrant and dictator of the SharpClaw tribe. And who might you be animal girl?
    – (Kr) My name is Krystal and I’ve come for the princess!
    (End of the dialogue we usually heard in trailers, but here it continue!)
    – (GS) You seem a long way from home, Krystal. I can’t believe the wizard asked a girl to do it’s dirty work.
    – (Kr) Who do you know the wizard?
    – (GS) Let’s just say, we had a nice little chat. And he’s agreed to take a rest for a while. At least, until I’ve taken over the planet.
    – (K) You coward Scales! My mother will send an army against you!
    – (GS) Ah! Yes, princess Kyte. Your mother. Once I’ve deal with this… animal, then we’ll pay your mother a visit. (Krystal try to interfere between the two by engaging General Scales) Haha. Nice try. But you’ll have to kill me before you could save the princess. (The lighting hits General Scales because his claw/hook was stuck on the metal cage, as seen in the extended trailers.) Ahh!! ”

    Voilà! We also ust bought Starfox Adventures… and my gosh it’s… erm special? Well, you really have to ignore it’s past to enjoy it haha!

  6. Gilgamesh

    Hi

    I made this clip because I recognized this dialog galleon. There are many others.

    I research a tool that could do a better division of voices.

    I am looking for someone who had the tools to dissect GC files.

    There must be data that I can not see. Perhaps part of the data is compressed using a particular method of the game developer.

  7. Camille

    Hi! I follow Dinosaur Planet very closely and this morning, this tumblr Fyeahdinosaurplanet made an uptade with a other deleted dialog.

    It’s incredibly interesting because it make the time device true; in the conversation a person tell Krystal if she wants to save Sabre, she must get back into past and change the current time line.

    http://fyeahdinosaurplanet.tumblr.com/post/18127406084/conversation-between-randorn-and-krystal-from

    I can work out to write it out, but my English isn’t the best. ^^

  8. Geneviève

    Here’s the transcription of the unused dialogue! Oh my, this is so exciting! :> Though this is not a dialogue between RANDORN, because the mysterious character mentions RANDORN, that’d be surprizing RANDORN speaking in a third person manner. x) Maybe this is one of the sidekicks SABRE had to help him fight the KAMERIAN DRAGON? (Though probably not KRADOR since he’s the final boss, but I could be wrong here!) Like the dinosaur he ride with KRYSTAL in the E3 expo or a Earthwalker?

    ” – (?????) […] T’was the dragon. After you entered the TIME RIP, he completed his task and then unleashed the power of the ANCIEN KAMERIAN HEART — (deep, elaborate breathing) SABER had tried to stop him, but he was… destroyed.

    – (Kr) SABER is dead?

    – (?????) We fought our final battle here — The palace — The KRAZOA are — no more. The — dinosaures are no more… Dinosaur Planet has been destroyed. Somewhere within the remains of the palace, RANDORN left a SPELLCAGE. Find this, return to the past and stop the SPELLSTONES from ever being taken. Maybe then, this future will never happen. Find the SPELLCAGE and return to the past…

    – (Kr) I must […] ”

    Also, on SFA forums, theses discoveries where also found:

    (Unused dialogue?)

    ” I Can Feel Something Strange !
    Randorn… Are You There ??
    Be Careful..Skeetas Everywhere !
    Stay Close to a Torch!
    Light Kills Them
    Krystal! How Is My Son?
    Sabre Is Just Glad Your Alive
    When His Brother Died I blamed Myself
    I Couldn’t Face Being A Father
    Until I Found You My Dear Girl
    He Understands Why You Left Him
    He Is A Good Son
    I’ve Yet To See Him To Apologise
    He Has Already Forgiven You
    When This Is Over You Shall Be Reunited!
    What’s happening to you Randorn?
    There’s not much energy left in this Mountain
    I’m dying..I need food
    Do You Remember How We Got Here?
    Of Course I Remember…
    Back On Our Own Planet We Found A
    Strange Room In The Lost City..
    There We Uncovered A Message From The
    King EarthWalker, Begging Us To Help Him.
    And Then I Entered A Wormhole
    And Arrived On Dinosaur Planet
    You Followed Later With Sabre
    Yes, We Ended Up In A Chamber Beneath
    One Of The Earthwalker Temples
    Unless You Can Find A Cure For Me
    I’m Not Going To Last Much Longer
    But What Can We Do
    There Must Be A Similiar Room Here
    That Will Allow Us To Return
    Either You Or Sabre Must Find It ”

    (Dinosaur Planet WAS Diddy Kong Racing II at some point)

    STEREO
    MONO
    HEADPHONES
    SFX VOLUME
    MUSIC VOLUME
    RETURN AUDIO OPTIONS
    MUSIC TEST 00
    ENTER YOUR INITIALS
    BEST TIME
    BEST LAP
    SILVER COIN
    GOLD COIN
    CHALLENGE
    ENTER CODE
    CLEAR ALL CODES
    CODE LIST
    MAGIC CODES
    Sorry, the code was incorrect
    All cheats have been deleted
    MAGIC CODES LIST
    ON OFF
    TRY AGAIN
    SELECT TRACK
    RETURN TO LOBBY
    SELECT CHARACTER
    SAVE GHOST
    QUIT LAP
    TIMES OVERALL
    TIME RACE
    ORDER RECORD
    TIMES RANKINGS
    ENGLISH
    CONTROLLER PAK
    OPTIONS CHANGE
    VEHICLE
    HELP
    CHALLENGES VEHICLE
    SELECT CAR
    HOVERCRAFT
    PLANE
    MAIN MENU
    CHALLENGE
    SELECT CAR
    CHALLENGE HOVER
    CHALLENGE PLANE
    CHALLENGE
    BETTER LUCK NEXT TIME!
    EXIT
    HI, I’M TT.
    YOU CAN ASK ME ABOUT YOUR GAME STATUS OR SELECT MY TIME TRIAL MODE TO PRACTICE A LEVEL.
    I CAN ALSO SAVE YOUR BEST GHOSTS.
    PAK ERROR
    TIME TRIAL ON
    TIME TRIAL OFF
    NO CONTROLLER PAK
    CONTROLLER PAK FULL
    BAD CONTROLLER PAK
    TROPHY RACE STATUS
    GAME A
    GAME B
    GAME C
    NEW GAME SELECT
    SELECT GAME TO COPY
    CHOOSE GAME TO COPY
    TO SELECT GAME
    TO ERASE COPY
    ERASE GHOST DATA
    NO GHOSTS SAVED
    ERASE GHOST CANCEL
    CONTROLLER PAK 1
    CONTROLLER PAK 2
    CONTROLLER PAK 3
    CONTROLLER PAK 4
    CONTROLLER PAK ~ IS NOT PRESENT.
    REPLACE PAK AND RETRY CONTAINS CORRUPT DATA.
    ATTEMPT TO REPAIR IRREPARABLY DAMAGED.
    REFORMAT PAK FULL.
    CONTINUE DOES NOT CONTAIN THE REQUESTED FILE.
    RETRY CANNOT STORE ANY MORE GHOSTS.
    SORRY, BUT YOU CAN’T LOAD GAMES FOR THE SECOND ADVENTURE UNTIL YOU HAVE COMPLETED THE FIRST.
    PAK NOTES
    DELETE NOTE ~ ?
    DELETE
    CANCEL
    FREE PAGES: ~ NOTE
    FILENAME
    PAGES
    MORE
    GAME PAK
    TIMES GHOSTS
    EMPTY SLOT
    VIEW GHOSTS
    PLEASE WAIT
    GAME ERROR
    RESTART RACE
    RESTART CHALLENGE
    ABANDON CHALLENGE
    QUIT TROPHY RACE
    QUIT TROPHY RACE?
    QUIT GAME
    QUIT GAME?
    PAUSE
    OPTIONS
    OK
    PLAYER
    SELECT NUMBER OF RACERS START
    ROUND ONE
    ROUND TWO
    ROUND THREE
    ROUND FOUR
    ADVENTURE
    ADVENTURE TWO
    TRACKS TROPHY
    CEREMONY ADVENTURE
    ADVENTURE TWO
    CLEAR ALL CODES?
    OK
    CANCEL
    NO CONTROLLERS
    CAUTION
    Rumble Pak Detected
    Insert any Controller Paks you wish to use now!
    If you wish to use any Rumble Paks then please insert them now.
    If you wish to use the Controller Pak the Rumble Pak insert it now!
    Switch off the N64 and remove the controller pak.
    SAVE OPTIONS
    Please do not change Rumble Pak or Controller Pak during gameplay.
    Controller Pak is required to save and load ghost data in Time Trial mode.
    If Controller Pak has limited capacity, you will be unable to save ghost data.
    If you wish to change Controller Pak or Rumble Pak, please do so now.
    Cannot save Ghost Data
    ENTER TROPHY RACE
    GAME PAK BONUSES
    SUBTITLES ON
    SUBTITLES OFF
    CORRUPT DATA.
    TRY AGAIN!

    (Levels and various events found)

    LEVEL NOT AVAILABLE

    NEW GAME
    LOAD GAME

    SWAPSTONE HOLLOW
    SWAPSTONE CIRCLE

    DARKICE MINES
    DARKICE MINES TWO
    WALLED CITY
    DRAGON ROCK
    CLOUDRUNNER FORTRESS
    KRAZOA PALACE
    BLACKWATER CANYON

    NORTHERN WASTES
    EARTHWALKER TEMPLE
    WILLOW GROVE
    DIAMOND BAY
    DISCOVERY FALLS
    MOON MOUNTAIN PASS
    CAPE CLAW
    GOLDEN PLAINS

    TEST OF COMBAT
    TEST OF STRENGTH
    TEST OF FEAR
    TEST OF CHARACTER
    TEST OF KNOWLEDGE
    TEST OF SACRIFICE
    TEST OF SKILL
    TEST OF MAGIC

    DARKICE BOSS
    GENERAL SCALES BOSS
    BLACKWATER BOSS
    CLOUDRUNNER RACE
    KAMERIA DRAGON BOSS
    DRAKOR FINAL BOSS
    ICE MOUNTAIN

    DESERT FORCE POINT
    VOLCANO FORCE POINT

    EARTHWALKER ACT TWO
    ENERGY DEMO

    WARLOCK ACT ONE
    WARLOCK ACT TWO
    WARLOCK ACT THREE
    WARLOCK ACT FOUR
    WARLOCK ACT FIVE
    WARLOCK ACT SIX

    CONTINUE SWAP TO WARLOCK

    And finally a interesting bit of an interview:

    ” Could you tell us a little bit about the differences between Dinosaur Planet and Star Fox Adventures?

    We ported DP from the N64, cut about 1/3 of the levels, and then changed the main character to make SFA. The biggest difference was that Krystal was intended to be as prominent as the male character Sabre. The game was divided equally between them. 1/2 the game was Krystal, 1/2 the game Sabre. But when it became Star Fox, all Krystal’s levels were either switched to Fox or cut. There was a beautiful level called “Discovery Falls.” I was very sad to see it go. There were originally two Swapstones “Rocky and Rubble” (not Warpstones) and you swapped between the two characters. The very earliest pitch for the game was for an adventure/racing game. Each level was intended to have a race track. You can still see this on the ice level track and the mines race track. The last project the director had worked on was “Diddy Kong Racing” so its not that surprising really. ”

    Voilà! Oh god this is so fantastic! I’d really wish even more DINOSAUR PLANET came out! This would have been one heck of a game! Cheers and a big thanks for everyone that found new and interesting infos!

  9. Martin

    Yuriofwind released this video two weeks ago, not much new information but it could be worthwhile to add. This is a very minor note of no big importance but a user called “Shaun Read” (http://uk.linkedin.com/pub/shaun-read/7/7b2/b10) posted this:

    “Very well informed video, from someone who spent 5 years of his life making the bloody thing! :)”

    If nothing else the research done by the community/internet have been “confirmed” by people in the know. If it’s the genuine guy, we may never know. ;)

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gfQbUWLKje0

  10. Karruna Niara

    KarrunaNiara/the artist formerly known as diablosIntellect/that bloke who runs FYeahDP here.

    I’d like to point out that the hour-long footage of DP might be from an early alpha build of the game (could be from 1999, I dunno), seeing as there’s some changes from the E3 version (some of which including Sabre having Krystal’s sounds and interface, Warlock Mountain’s textures/modeling being less defined, and the Sharpclaws’ ship in Ice Mountain). Still a good deal of info noneoftheless.

  11. Mike Mint

    I forgot who posted this or replied but they helped attain info of a Game Designer on the game and SFA. I happened to message him and he replied quite quickly stating this:

    Me: Hello Shaun, I appreciate you taking your time to read this message. I am basically representing countless of thousands of fans across the world that wants to know one thing related to this title… Dinosaur Planet We understand how it was scrapped, the story, etc. but we’ve managed to find a person who was on the team that may answer this question that people have been wondering since like, ’03… Is there an attainable cartridge or ROM of Dinosaur Planet? Or even a file locked up somewhere. If so, can the file be dumped? Any information on top of an answer would be a blessing. I thank you for all you have done and to please have a blessed life. Thank you, -Mike Mint + 1000’s of cult fans
    3:04 PM

    Shaun: “Hi Mike. As I’m sure you’re aware, Dinosaur Planet was an N64 game and was only ever 30% a complete game at most. Rare archive all unreleased work so I’m sure there may be a development cartridge locked up in a cupboard somewhere. I left Rare in 2012 so obviously don’t have regular contact with the studio. Sorry I can’t be anymore help. Regards, Shaun.”

    I don’t know how much this helps guys but knowing the game wasn’t even half done makes me feel at ease.

    1. CK

      How can a game be 30% complete and still be considered late in development like it’s mentioned so many times? Still, it’s good to know, though i still want my hands on what was done…

      Thanks for the effort, Mike. I got Starfox Adventures a couple of days ago, and i find the story of its beta a beautiful tragedy :/

      1. Gilgamesh

        It is likely that the game is very advanced in its development, several levels were achieved. We can have confirmation with the one hour video.

        If you watch this video, you will see a CHAPTER SELECT I already compared to the long list located in the DLLS.bin file.
        https://tcrf.net/images/1/17/Dino_Planet_Levels_select.jpg

        But we must remain lucid, Rare used physical medias, which are the demo cartridges shown in 2000 at the E3 in Los Angeles (USA) and ECTS in London (UK).
        Four levels were playable:
        GALLEON BATTLE
        ICE MOUNTAIN
        T-REX BOSS
        DARKICE MINES BOSS

        Game development was on an SGI system (Silicon Graphics) between 1999 and early 2001.

        Finally, I have a user page that I devoted to Star Fox Adventures Kiosk and Dinosaur Planet leftovers.
        https://tcrf.net/User:Gilgamesh

  12. iZohamn

    Hi

    That great and great work must not have been lost, someone has to have it and Dumpear the rom to share with the world. It is one of the Holy Grail of N64. Any ideas? Thank you.

    1. DieHardjagged

      No one in this world actually privately owns the prototype Cart of Dinosaur Planet expect for Rare themselfs.. and i doubt they will EVER release it.

      1. Ryan Rousseau

        It is possible Nintendo could convince Microsoft and Rare to let them (Nintendo) release a playable build of Dinosaur Planet on a classic console, on the Virtual Console, or through a physical means in a compilation of unreleased, unfinished, or prototype games. But, it is very unlikely Nintendo would want to do that.

        1. DieHardjagged

          There is a interesting comment on the 55 Minute video of the N64 build of Dinosaur Planet, where someone stated the game was about 90% finished right before it got cancelled.

          “I was actually the lead software engineer for this game. From what I can remember, we were about 90% finished with this game before Shigeru Miyamoto requested us to make it into a Star Fox game. The sudden change was not really accepted willing by the team. Our relationship with Nintendo was a strong one with trust and respect. I’am proud that I worked on Adventures and we pushed the Gamecube’s hardware to it’s limits. I still feel bitter sweet that Star Fox Adventures got released instead of Dinosaur Planet. We were all so attached to the original project. Also it’s a shame we got bought out by Microsoft. The Rare that I worked for in the 90’s doesn’t exist anymore and the new Rare is a highly evolved form of Rare. I left the company in 2010 after my last game Kinect Sports.”

    1. Blaze Heart Panther

      These look more like fan art. such a drastic difference in the style compared to the original art by Nick Southam

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