Zelda: Twilight Princess [Beta / Unused Stuff]

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Twilight Princess is the second Zelda released for GameCube (and the first for Wii), it had a long development cycle of nearly four years and the final game turned out to be a lot different from what was first revealed in 2004. Some areas and dungeons were removed, while the surviving sections were heavily modified.

The game was developed by the same team that created the cel-shaded Wind Waker, and as a result some things were re-used, such as the games battle and movement systems. It’s possible to find some unused items in the game-code, like the original Wind Waker baton and the Spoils Bag from WW.

As we can read from an interview with Aonuma on GameInformer:

I should point out that this is something we actually considered during the development of Twilight Princess. We had an early iteration of the wolf transformation where you couldn’t transform when in front of other characters that could see you. We thought this would be an interesting way to address exactly the thing you’re bringing up here, but what we found in practice was that it was simply too troublesome. So for purely practical game reasons we decided to avoid that.

Gabrielwoj discovered that probably all the WindWaker items were to be used in the game, but only the models have been found. (see them below).

For more infos, check the Zelda: Twilight Princess Beta Analysis

Thanks to Jay for the english corrections! Thanks to KEK8, Jamie, Z3LER, gabrielwoj and Shadowdorothy for the contributions!

You can find more info about The Legend Of Zelda: Twilight Princess in the Zelda Wiki!

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Update Images: Wind Waker Items (click on them to open on a new tab)
(there actually some 4 copies of the same bottles)

It’s possible to see some of them on the videos on below, example? The Bomb Plants, it uses the same model…

The unused items:

The Hookshot (The only 3D Zelda that don’t have Hookshot [there is only a Clawshot, similar to Hookshot, but not the same)]

Elixer Soup from the Wind Waker

The Mirror Shield (the Only 3D Zelda that doesn’t have Mirror Shield)

Probably, Navi on a Bottle

Poe on a Bottle (Just like Zelda Ocarina of Time)

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Super Mario Sunshine [Beta / Test Room / Unused Stuff – GameCube]

Among the first Gamecube games revealed at Space World 2001, along with Zelda: Wind Waker, was a new Mario. In the presented video, Mario seems to stop to rest in the shade of a tree – that combined with the new sun/water HUD led many fans to believe the HUD was a thermometer that could detect real world temperature and report when the player should take a break. This was wild speculation. Now that we have all played the final game, it is clear that the HUD simply states the amount of liquid present in the “spray”.

After playing the final version of Mario Sunshine you may notice that this early beta shows a level that was not used in the final game. The city in the beta was probably just a test-level to try all the new elements: cables, swimming pools, spots to clean, balls (later become fruit), palms, new enemies and other objects that appeared in different areas throughout the game.

English translation by 8PM – Thanks to Jay for the english corrections!

The beta also reveals that humans were initially intended to be citizens of the plaza. FLUDD was going to be skinnier and Gooper Blooper was going to be dark blue and fought on top of the bridges of Ricco Harbor instead of in the market and helicopter area. There were some abandoned sprites as well, including Yoshi vomiting any water he may have swallowed.

There was also going to be a brown Pokey, and they were going to have white flowers. A test level is playable through an Action Replay. There the player can see Rock Blocks that were edited out, possibly in favor of Watermelons. Also, a small book can be found in an alcove of a cave in the bottom of the bottle in Noki Bay’s third episode. In one of the screens, Mario stands with Boos in the background, but their models are completely different. [Infos from Mariowiki]

In December 2009, Zeek from the X-Cult Forum posted some interesting models that are hidden the code, but unused in the final game, as a skull mask, the big beta enemy from the Space World video, called the Tramplin’ Stu, and a cardboard box with a “goal” text on it. As we can read at Rusted Logic Wiki, Super Mario Sunshine contains a test level which can be accessed with the Action Replay code JKGN-DDJZ-D58XJ FYUM-N4P3-QJUPC. A Tramplin’ Stu is in the test level, but it’s graphics are screwed up.

There is an enemy in the test level called “Hinokuri” that spawns, walks into a pit, then walks through a wall and disappears. You can kill it, and it drops a coin. This was probably a test enemy. This is the same enemy that was shown stomping around in early Super Mario Sunshine footage. One of the models in the game and its accompanying animations imply that some versions would have worn a large skull helmet.

Hinokuri spawns two types of enemies, dubbed “Swoopin’ Stu” and “Strollin’ Stu”, from a cone-like nozzle on its back end. One of these two enemies is spawned before the creature walks away. Swoopin’ Stus are spawned via a striped egg, while Strollin’ Stus simply appear.

Goomther noted that the model has a special property, which prevents the Tramplin’ Stu from displaying properly in both the test level and in model viewers.

italian_flag.jpg [spoiler /Clicca qui per la versione in Italiano/ /Nascondi la versione in Italiano/]Il primo video del gioco apparve insieme a quello di Wind Waker allo Space World del 2001, e indubbiamente lasciava presagire molte novità. Se il logo in basso a sinistra infatti stava a segnalare con ogni probabilità il numero di stelle (o chi per loro) raccolte, quello in alto destra era del tutto ignoto al pubblico. Il contorno con dei raggi di sole e l’acqua nel mezzo, unito al fatto che Mario durante il video sembrava fermarsi a riposare all’ombra di un albero, indusse molti a pensare che fosse una sorta di termometro capace di rilevare la temperatura dell’ambiente e segnalare conseguentemente all’idraulico il momento in cui si sarebbe dovuto riposare e rifocillare. Pura fantasia, poiché, visto il risultato finale, è evidente che quel logo indicava semplicemente la quantità di liquido presente nello ‘spruzzino’ di Mario.

Ora che è uscito il gioco non possiamo far altro che notare che questa demo non mostrava un livello vero e proprio, nemmeno la città di Delfinia, ma piuttosto un contenitore dove testare i nuovi elementi inseriti in Mario Sunshine: cavi, piscine (le fasi in acqua hanno un controllo molto diverso rispetto a quelle di Mario 64), macchie da pulire, indigeni, palloni (poi divenuti frutti – da segnalare che nel 2002 si disputarono i mondiali di calcio in Giappone), palme, nuovi nemici e altri oggetti apparsi poi in diverse zone nella versione definitiva.[/spoiler]

[Thanks to sba sb3002 for some of these images!]

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Super Mario Sunshine Spaceworld 2001 Trailer

 

Eternal Darkness [GC – Beta]

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This game developed by Silicon Knights was released in June 2002, only after a long and troubled development. Full of unseen like few other games, Eternal Darkness was first announced for the Nintendo 64 at E3 1999, then moved to the GameCube. The project was changed many times during its development: in addition to the transition from one console to another, at least a couple of chapters were removed and the story was distilled when Silicon Knights realized that it would not be possible to finish the game before the release date.

At that time, the developers announced that Eternal Darkness would have been a trilogy, so that it could have been possible to explore the complete story, mitigating the impact of cuts to the game’s plot. The game’s subtitle, “Sanity’s Requiem”, was added for this exact reason, to distinguish it from the (unreleased) sequels.

Karim was not in the early builds of the game. Silicon Knights had originally placed a Templar Knight fighting against Muslims in the scenario, but later changed this in 2001. The only remnants of this character in the finished game is a cutscene before Roberto’s story showing him being taken by Pious in disguise as the “foundation” for the Pillar of Flesh, since he is able to see Pious in his true form.

Silicon Knights stated in an interview with Nintendo Power (volume 164): “At one point, the story even included one of the other, stronger characters (note: presumably Michael) taking his own life in Edward’s presence rather than face the Ancients. This scene was eventually removed because it was considered far too grim.”

The game originally included a United States Special Ops commando who falls into the pit near the pillar of flesh. Presumably this chapter was an early version of the Michael one, whose finalized intro scenes and character model show him as a Canadian firefighter who was fighting an oil well fire in Iraq. His original equipment, such as the rifle and uniform, was placed a small ways off in the same chamber, on the body of a Marine. [Info from Wikipedia]

In a couple of screens from a cinematic removed from the final game, we can see an MC-130 cargo, a real-life plane that was developed in the early 1960s and was heavily used in “Operation Desert Storm”. This plane was probably used in the early version of the Gulf War chapter in the game – likely it was the airplane that the removed Special Ops commando would have used to land.

From a series of concept art we can even notice some unused ideas for different game endings, with a zombie apocalypse after the Ulyaoth god takes over the world, a flood of people that follow Chattur’gha’s orders and a city with trees under Xel’lotath influence.

Other smaller differences in the beta version are Alexa’s shirt color (red instead of black), the removed “real time shadows” and Maximillian Roivas had still his “hairs” in the cell cutscene.

For more info, check the Eternal Darkness beta analysis!

Thanks to Jay for the english corrections!

italian_flag.jpg [spoiler /Clicca qui per la versione in Italiano/ /Nascondi la versione in Italiano/]Il gioco Silicon Knights uscì nel Giugno del 2002 dopo uno sviluppo che definire travagliato sarebbe un eufemismo. Ricco di unseen come pochi altri, questo titolo venne annunciato su Nintendo 64 all’E3 del 1999, per poi essere spostato su GameCube. Il risultato fu buono, tanti lo odiano, altrettanti lo amano, certo è che il gioco venne modificato tante volte durante lo sviluppo: oltre al passaggio da una console all’altra vennero eliminati interi capitoli, la storia venne distillata, tutto faceva presagire che sarebbero arrivati dei seguiti a completare l’idea del progetto originario. Finora comunque non se ne sa nulla (escluse le vacue speculazioni), il tutto a favore degli appassionati degli beta.

Per maggiori informazioni: Seghe mentali su Eternal Darkness Beta [/spoiler]

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The Legend Of Zelda [GC – Space World 2000 Tech Demo]

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This video was shown at Space World of 2000, and exceeded every Zelda fan’s expectations. The same tech demo was shown in May, at E3 2001. Rumors say a playable demo was even introduced behind closed doors at the same event. By now you know that the graphics in this video were scrapped for a cell-shaded style. While Wind Waker (the GameCube Zelda title) did not display these detailed graphics, Twilight Princess had a more similar style.

Thanks to Jay for the english corrections!

italian_flag.jpg [spoiler /Clicca qui per la versione in Italiano/ /Nascondi la versione in Italiano/]Questo video venne mostrato per la prima volta allo Space World del 2000, e com’era prevedibile riuscì ad entusiasmare ogni appassionato della serie di Zelda. Lo stesso filmato venne riproposto a Maggio all’E32001, e a sentire alcuni addetti ai lavori sembra che una demo giocabile con questa grafica fu realmente presentata a porte chiuse durante la stessa fiera. Come ormai sappiamo questo filmato non portò a nulla di compiuto: il primo Zelda per GameCube fu Wind Waker, dallo stile completamente diverso, mentre Twilight Princess, seppur più simile a questo vecchio video, non ne è comunque una derivazione.[/spoiler]

[Original intro in italian by Bakke, english translation by Sba sb3002]

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Halo [Beta – Xbox PC]

Halo [Beta – Xbox PC]

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On July 21, 1999, during the Macworld Conference & Expo, Steve Jobs announced that Halo would be released for Mac OS and Windows simultaneously. Before this public announcement, game industry journalists under a non-disclosure agreement had previewed the game in a private showing during E3 1999, and were reportedly amazed. Bungie Studios later stated an even earlier development build of the game centered on real-time strategy and was “basically Myth in a sci-fi universe.”

At E3 2000, the first trailer of Halo was well-received. The version shown there differed greatly from the one exhibited previously, marking the first major overhaul in the game’s development. At this point, Halo was a third-person action game, in which a transport starship crashlands on a mysterious ring world that orbits a star. Early versions of Covenant aliens appear in great numbers and loot what they can, and war erupts between them and the humans. Unable to match the technologically advanced alien race, the humans on the ring world resort to guerrilla warfare. This version of the game featured Halo-specific fauna, which were later dropped because of design difficulties and the creatures’ “detract[ion] from the surprise, drama and impact of the Flood.”

In accordance with rumors, Microsoft announced on June 19, 2000 that it had acquired Bungie Studios. Halo became an exclusive game for Microsoft’s Xbox video game console, and Bungie Studios rewrote the game’s engine, heavily altering its presentation and turning it into a first-person shooter. Originally a key element, the game’s online multiplayer component was dropped because Xbox Live was unfinished at the time of Halo’s release. While a playable demonstration of the game at Gamestock 2001 was well-received, critics had mixed reactions to its exhibition at E3 2001. The game was released in North America simultaneously with the Xbox, on November 15, 2001. [info from Wikipedia]

In 2007 the studio recorded a play through of the game and reveled additional quips from its development and differences from the beta version. The Silent Cartographer was once about murdering a Prophet (who do not appear in this game) in order to prevent him from acquiring a map of the ring. The level went through many revisions and its codename was “B-30”. In the scene where the marines are listening to a song original music by Bungie is used, but this was not always the case. Paint it Black by the Rolling Stones was intended for that segment.

Cortana was written with a British accent in mind, hence why says words like “toady”. The trusty A.I. went rouge and attempted to take control of the Halo Array in a discarded script. The Seraph ship was an old concept for a Covenant tank, and the Scarab debutted in this game instead of the sequel.

[Thanks to Randy 355 for some of the images!]

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