Nintendo 64 & 64DD

Chanbara Fighter – Master of Puppets [N64 – Cancelled]

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Originally announced in 1999, this promising fighting game developed by Bottom Up, unfortunately, was never released. It appears that the software house was closed down a few months later, leaving some incomplete projects for the Nintendo 64, including this Chanbara Fighter. The game should have been a classic fighting game 1 VS 1, but with an interesting super deformed cartoon style. It was possible to chose between a chef, a warrior, a crazy old man and many more. In Chanbara Fighter we would have been able to play in arenas with the background built to resemble a sheet of paper, hand-drawn by a child.

Each character used its own weapon to combat, for example, the chef used a frying pan while the old man had a stick. Chanbara was practically a mix of Super Smash Bros and Soul Calibur! The controls of the game were just as bizarre as its characters:  we would have moved our avatar with the D-Pad, while fighting by moving the analog stick (or the yellow C buttons). There were few good fighting game on the N64 and it’s a shame that this project was cancelled. Chanbara Fighter could have been a very interesting game and maybe even a lot of fun.

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Dezaemon DD [64 DD – Cancelled]

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Dezaemon 3D is a shoot ’em up game creator developed by  Athena and released for the Nintendo 64 only in Japan in 1998. The game was one in which one could design their own shooting game levels similar to the levels shown in Star Soldier: Vanishing Earth. The game had nearly limitless options, from creating the stage boss or adding a custom soundtrack for each level. A 64DD add-on was planned but they never released it: only some messages from the editor mode reveale this unused connection, as you can see from the screenshots below.

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Looney Tunes Space Race [N64 – Cancelled]

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Looney Tunes: Space Race is a 2000 racing game that was originally announced as a Nintendo 64 title in 1998, but it was later moved to the Dreamcast and PlayStation 2. The N64 version was so cancelled. The project was initialy developed by New Wave USA but when it was ported to the Dreamcast, it was completed by Infogrames Melbourne House,  therefore, is not really the same game that was going to be released on the Nintendo64.

italian_flag.jpg [spoiler /Clicca qui per la versione in Italiano/ /Nascondi la versione in Italiano/]Le prime immagini di questo racing game della Infogrames cominciarono a circolare nel Marzo del 1998. Il progetto non sembrava all’insegna dell’innovazione, visto il concept abusato introdotto da Mario Kart, ma aveva comunque delle possibilità di successo grazie alla notorietà del brand e alla particolarità delle vetture, dei razzi.

Inizialmente previsto come gioco per Nintendo 64, venne dirottato durante l’estate del 1999 su Dreamcast, dove ottenne delle ottime valutazioni da parte della critica. Per i possessori della console Nintendo il rimpianto fu comunque limitato, visto che Infogrames oltre che cambiare destinatario cambiò anche mittente: non più New Wave USA (della quale fra l’altro non si hanno più tracce), ma Infogrames Melbourne House; quello che è stato distribuito per Dremcast, quindi, non è lo stesso gioco che sarebbe uscito su Nintendo64.[/spoiler]

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Blast Corps / Blast Dozer [N64 – Beta]

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Blast Corps (Blast Dozer in Japan) was one of the earliest RARE games for the Nintendo 64. Using various vehicles, we had to clear the way for a truck full of nuclear material, so the dangerous cargo would explode only in a safe area. Certainly one of those games that you love or hate it, but without a doubt a truly original title.
Anyway, during the development Rare removed some of the strangest vehicles and tools, such a Scorpion-like mech, a strange throw-punches machine, a mechanical armor and a small tractor with a front paddle.

[English Translation by yota]

italian_flag.jpg [spoiler /Clicca qui per la versione in Italiano/ /Nascondi la versione in Italiano/]

Uno dei primissimi giochi RARE per il Nintendo 64, è stato questo Blast Corps (Blast Dozer in versione JAP). A bordo di una moltitudine di mezzi diversi, era necessario distruggere ogni edificio che impedisse il passaggio ad un camion pieno di materiale Nucleare. In questo modo, il pericoloso carico sarebbe esploso in una zona sicura. Se tutto questo vi sembra strano, una volta provato il gioco potreste rimanerne innamorati all’inverosimile. Oppure odiarlo. Qualunque sia il vostro giudizio, sarete daccordo nel cosiderarlo un titolo davvero originale.

Durante il suo sviluppo, il design dei mezzi a disposizione del giocatore, si evolse in diverse fasi. In alcune immagini e filmati beta, possiamo infatti vedere che in origine erano stati inseriti una serie di macchine e mezzi robotici molto stravaganti e particolari. Possiamo infatti notare una specie di Mech Scorpione, una strana macchina tira-pugni, un armatura meccanica ed un piccolo trattore con pala anteriore. Tutti questi mezzi sono stati rimossi dal gioco.[/spoiler]

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