De Blob [Wii – Beta]

De Blob is platform-puzzle game developed by Blue Tongue and published by THQ in 2008. The game was originally developed as a free downloadable game for the Windows PC by students of Game Design & Development and Game and Media Technology at Utrecht University in the Netherlands.

THQ noticed the game and was very impressed with the team’s work, acquired the rights and handed over the project to Blue Tongue Entertainment to develope the Wii version. [Info from Wikipedia]

MrRetroGamer96 found a video of an alpha/ near beta version of De Blob from E3 2007:  the hud is entirely different, and the other heroes besides De Blob are not the same. Billboards all have the same image in this version, wheras in the final game they are diverse in the image that shows up on them.

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Les trois Mousquetaires [SNES – Cancelled?]

Les trois Mousquetaires (The Three Musketeers) is an action game that was in development by Loriciel for the Super Nintendo, but it seems that the project was later cancelled as we cant find any evidence of its release. Celine was able to find some screenshots from some old french magazines: Banzzai #24 and SuperPower #21. Les trois Mousquetaires’ gameplay should have been similar to the Pocky & Rocky / KiKi KaiKai series, with a top-down perspective in which the characters moving through a level while defeating approaching enemies and destroying obstacles that may block the player’s path. It’s currently unknown if the game had a multiplayer coop mode too.

Thanks to Celine for the contribution!

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Voodoo Islands [PC/PS2 – Cancelled]

Voodoo Islands is a cancelled open world action adventure that was in development in 2002 / 2004 by Spirit / 10TACLE Studios for the Playstation 2 and PC. Gamers were able to play in three different modes in both online and offline play, following the life of a pirate, attacking ships, searching hidden treasures and so on.

As we can read in the IGN preview:

Taking the role of a pirate captain, you set forth on the high seas, fighting against evil cannibals, hostile pirates and the omnipresent Conquistadors. Your aim is to control the Caribbean Sea … but these are not calm waters. This is a treacherous sea full of bloodthirsty enemy Pirates, dangerous Voodoo spells and mysterious magical artifacts.

Sadly the game was canned for unknown reasons. In the gallery below you can see various screens from the project: it’s interesting to notice that the early images released were from target renders, that did not look like the “final” game.

Thanks to Userdante for the contribution!

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Mario vs. Donkey Kong [GBA – Beta / Unused]

Mario vs. Donkey Kong is a Game Boy Advance spiritual sequel to the first Donkey Kong game for Game Boy, developed by NTS in 2004. The game concept revolves around a combination of platform and puzzle elements, challenging Mario to find keys, reach a locked door, and rescue mini-Marios. [Info from Wikipedia]

Upaluppa and Kiiro found many unused stuff and beta levels still hidden in the final game’s code, as a a prototype version of the MvsDK e-card levels, Mini Marios trapped inside crystal balls as keys, some unused coins / stars and a working level editor. It’s possible that the Level Editor evolved from the unreleased Donkey Kong Plus.

Also, an unused Bomb-Ombs behavior. As wrote by upaluppa:

they start running around scared, just like Shy-Guys do, when Mario is equipped with the hammer! You’ll never see them running normally, because none of the levels with Bob-Ombs includes hammers…

Thanks to Hiccup for the contributions!

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Crushed Baseball 2004 [PS2/GC – Cancelled]

Crushed Baseball 2004 is a cancelled Baseball game that was in development by Amaze Entertainment for the Playstation 2 and GameCube, that would have been published by Bam! Entertainment. It was meant to be an over-the-top arcade game (similar to Sega Soccer Slam), featuring crazy characters (you can see a human-shark in the screens below) with superhuman abilities. As we can read from a GameSpot preview:

Special powers, known as mojo abilities in the game, will include pitches that slice through the hitter’s bat like a buzz saw, batters hitting the ball so that it lodges itself in the ground and can’t be picked up, and fielders using suction gloves to ensure that they don’t miss a catch.

Many of the mojo abilities in the game will have to be earned during matches played in one of the game’s fully interactive ballparks. For example, at the Karate Dojo stadium, players who hit a gong with the ball will be rewarded with a new ability, as will players who manage to smash a stained-glass window in the centerfield wall of one of the other stadiums.

Originally announced in october 2002, Crushed Baseball was scheduled for release in March 2003, but it was later cancelled probably because of the publisher’s economic problems. In 2004 BAM! Entertainment was delisted from NASDAQ and continuing financial troubles made it impossible for them to publish any new games.

A GameBoy Advanced version of Crushed Baseball was developed by Griptonite Games and published in September 2004 by Summitsoft Entertainment.

Thanks to Les Betterley for his help in preserving some more screens from this lost game!

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