GameCube

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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Starcraft Ghost [XBOX/PS2/GC – Cancelled]

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StarCraft: Ghost is a military science fiction stealth-action video game under suspended development by Blizzard Entertainment. Part of Blizzard’s StarCraft series, the game was announced in 2002 and was to be developed by Nihilistic Software for the Nintendo GameCube, Xbox, and PlayStation 2 video game consoles. Several delays in development caused Blizzard to move back the release date and the game has not yet materialized.

Nihilistic Software ceded development to Swingin’ Ape Studios in 2004 before Blizzard bought the company, and plans for the GameCube version were canceled in 2005. Blizzard announced in March 2006 that the game is on “indefinite hold” while the company investigated seventh generation video game console possibilities. Subsequent public statements from company personnel have been contradictory about whether production will be renewed or planned story elements will be worked into other products.

Unlike its real-time strategy predecessor StarCraft, Ghost is a third-person shooter, and was intended to give players a closer and more personal view of the StarCraft universe. Following Nova, a Terran psychic espionage operative called a “ghost”, the game is set four years after the conclusion of StarCraft: Brood War and covers a conspiracy about a secretive military project conducted by Nova’s superiors in the imperial Terran Dominion. Very little of the game’s storyline has been released; however, in November 2006 after the game’s postponement, a novel was published called StarCraft Ghost: Nova which covers the backstory of the central character. [info from wikipedia]

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Nightmare Creatures 3 [XBOX/PS2/GC – Cancelled]

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Nightmare Creatures 3: Angel of Darkness was initially announced for a Spring 2003 release for Sony’s PlayStation 2, Nintendo GameCube and Microsoft’s Xbox, but the game soon fell into development hell. It began development at Kalisto Entertainment in 2002 and Ubisoft obtained the publishing rights, but Kalisto soon went out of business and Ubisoft assumed development duties. Kalisto’s apparent concept of the game involved a heroine exploring 19th century Prague during the daytime and merging with a raven at nightfall to transform into a beast and battle Adam Crowley’s monsters, but Ubisoft reportedly began designing the game from the ground up when it gained control over the game’s development and it’s unknown whether Kalisto’s original concept remained intact.

Spring 2003 came and went with no news on the title. In 2004, Ubisoft representatives claimed the game had not been cancelled, but the company has remained quiet about Nightmare Creatures 3 ever since.

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