Sphear was an action-adventure set in the Phillipines which was in development at n-Space in 2006/2007. Started after their GameCube title Geist, the studio worked together with Nintendo once again. However, Nintendo cancelled the game when they decided to focus on games with a broader appeal (for example Wii Fit). Other victims were Kuju London’s/Headstrong Games’ Knight Wars, a spin-off from the Advance Wars series, as well as Project Hammer, developed by NST.
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This game was originally intended as a Nintendo GameCube game. By summer of 2007, Super Paper Mario was moved to Wii. An early version of the game had a different looking version of the Whoa Zone from Chapter 4. Also, an early screenshot shows Mario under the effects of the Mega Star, but is colored very differently (giving his current colors rather than the initial ones seen in Super Mario Bros.). Oddly, he is shown in his proper colors in the official trailer that was released at the same time, which may imply that the screenshot’s release way simply delayed.
In a screenshot featuring Big Blooper, there’s an odd Pixl that is shaped like a ladder. It never actually appears in the final game. This could be an early version of Carrie. Also, in the same screenshot, Tippi is present, but she was kidnapped by Francis at this point in the game, and by the time she is rescued, also Big Blooper cannot be fought again. Finally, the scene depicting Bowser and Peach’s wedding at the beginning of the game was also slightly different in beta versions; the ceremony would appear to have once taken place in more of a room than an open area, there were no flowers decorating the columns, the rising of the Chaos Heart was surprisingly light, and Count Bleck raised his cloak up earlier than he did in the final version. Plus, in the screenshot, Peach is standing instead of having been knocked over, and Bowser looks normal than shocked. [Info from Mariowiki]
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Gamepopper101 has found some beta-differences in an early trailer for this game: “Strong Bad’s Cool Game for Attractive People (SBCG4AP) Episode 1 – Homestar Ruiner (Yeah I know, long title), it’s a wiiware (and PC) game from TellTale Games. Differences from final game include:
Link from the X-Cult hack forum, has found some unused characters in the code of Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games for the Wii: Birdo, Donkey Kong, Jet & Silver. Other “hidden” characters like Shy Guy, Goomba or the Monkey, are normally used only in the background of the game, but thanks to the WiiRD they became playable and some of them have even animations for the various olympic games.
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Pop is a WiiWare game by Australian developer Nnooo. The game was released in North America on May 12, 2008 as a launch title and costs 700 Wii Points. Pop involves the player popping bubbles to score points against a time limit. Players click on bubbles that float up the screen using the Wii Remote, gaining bonus points if popping successions of bubbles, and adding more time to the clock. [Info from Wikipedia] In the videos from the beta version, the Bad Bubbles were originally crosses (released version has skulls instead) and they don’t “pop” like the final version, but just disappear when you point and click at them.
Thanks to Gamepopper101 for these infos!
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