Saturn

Tee Off (Virtual Golf) [Saturn – Beta / Tech Demo]

In 1994 / 1995 Core Design was working on a new golf game titled “Tee Off”, planned to be released on the Sega 32X, Playstation and Saturn. Various magazines published 3D models for the characters, taken from an early tech demo, that shown an awesome graphic for its time. As wrote by Yakumo and Segafreak_NL on the Assembler Forum, Tee Off later became Virtual Golf / Tournament Leader and was released in Europe and Japan only for the Saturn. The 3D pre-rendered models were never used in the final game, but the option select font remained the same. You can see a video from the final version on Segagagadomain!

Thanks to Rod_Wod and Celine for the scans!

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Velocity [PSX SATURN – Cancelled]

Velocity is a cancelled SciFi action game that was in development by Cave Logic Studios and PF Magic for the original Playstation and Saturn. It seems that the game was never officially announced so there are not many info about its gameplay or story, but thanks to an interview with Kevin Seghetti (former Cave Logic programmer) by GDRI, we can learn more about this lost project:

After Ballz, Cave Logic worked with PF.Magic on a 3D game originally for the Sony Playstation and Sega Saturn called Velocity. For many reasons, that project took several years and was eventually canceled. Cave Logic became Recombinant Limited, and we used the same 3D engine (which we called World Foundry) to start on a project for MGM Interactive called Cyberthug. But a few months into that, MGM Interactive was canceled by MGM, so that game didn’t get finished, either. By that time, I had about had it with the game industry, so [I] went and got a programming job doing embedded control systems instead (and never looked back).

Some screenshot were shared online on Source Forge. Thanks to Celine for the contribution!

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The Incredible Shrinking Character [Cancelled – PSX SAT PC]

The Incredible Shrinking Character is a cancelled action adventure game that was in development by Go-Go Interactive Studios and that would have been published by Cyberdreams for the Playstation, Saturn and PC in 1996. The plot involved a crazy doctor that shrinked the main character with an experimental potion. Players would had to explore the (now) huge laboratory resolving puzzles, to find a way to return to normal. As we can read at Bill Narum’website, former owner of Go Go Studios:

The year is 1959. You are a Private Investigator hired to investigate the mysterious disappearance of Julie Caldwell, daughter of a wealthy east-coast industrialist family. The subject, in her early twenties, was last reported heading to visit the home and laboratory of Dr. Warren Franklin. […]

On the afternoon of January 30th, you head off to the doctor’s castle for the interview of a lifetime. Unknown to you, Dr. Franklin has laid a trap, and you awaken in a stupor to find yourself only 3 feet tall and gradually shrinking. You realize now that finding Julie will be no simple task. […]

Another reoccurring sound you can’t help but notice is that of a female screaming, most likely the victimized Julie. The volume and intensity increases as you approach the dungeon. You must find the antidote and save Julie soon, but first you must evade becoming dinner for the doctor’s house cat, and numerous other deadly creatures, bats, rats, roaches and ants, etc. that inhabit the mysterious castle.

They planned at least 10 levels in the game, in which the main character would have shrinked more and more each hour, leaving us to deal with big ants and size-based puzzles. A short preview of The Incredible Shrinking Character with some screens were published in NextGeneration magazine issue 14 and some more info on the project can be found at Bill Narum’website. You can even download a playable beta demo for PC! Huge props to Bill for preserving some documents of this lost game!

Thanks to Celine for the contribution! Thanks to Ari for a backup of the demo!

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Mudkicker [PS1, PC, Saturn – Cancelled]

Mudkicker is a cancelled off-road racing game that was in development in 1995 / 1996 by Scavenger for Playstation and PC (with a rumored Sega Saturn conversion, but it was denied by a former developer). The project was meant to be published by GT Interactive, along with Amok, Scorcher and Into the Shadows, but only the first 2 titles were finished. In January 1997, before Scavenger could complete and deliver the remaining two titles, GT sent Scavenger a letter setting forth notice of “material breaches of the Agreement by Scavenger” and purporting to terminate the development of those games. Because of these problems with their publisher and lack of money, Scavenger had to close down. Mudkicker was never finished and vanished forever with the closure of the studio.

Thanks to Rod_Wod and Celine for the magazine scans!

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Free Runner [Saturn – Cancelled]

Free Runner is a cancelled action adventure (?) that was in development in 1995 by Rebellion for the Sega Saturn. There are not many info about its gameplay, but a little background on the story and a couple of screenshots from a target render were found by Rod_Wod in an old Sega Power magazine. It seems that in Free Runner players would had take the role of a cyber hacker, who had to surf the net to investigate a brutal real-world killing. The game was shown (?) in some form at E3 1995.

If you know someone that worked on this game and could help us to preserve more info and media, please let us know!

Thanks to Rod_Wod for the contribution!

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