Unseen News

Unseen News

State of Emergency [PC, Xbox, PS2] Beta

Yassine Bakrim
23-12-2025
1 Comment

State of Emergency was a fantastic beat’em up originally developed by Vis Entertainment in 2003 for PS2, Xbox and eventually PC. The game garnered widespread recognition for its raw depiction of cities overrun by protestors and police officers running amok. It was a game like no other, and one that hasn’t been outdone ever since.

Early in its beta form, we can notice some differences, particularly the main characters of the game: the Freedom members. Not only was their face texture different, but some differences, like less blood during combat, alternate police officers’ outfits and the citizens running around, were also slightly different. Please, check the image gallery below for a full breakdown:

Images:

  • Freedom Members have different face textures (Mack, Libra, Spanky, Freak, The Bull)
  • Different NPCs
  • Different task force costume (changed twice)
  • Different objective pointers (basic at this stage of development)
  • Slightly different level structure (?)
  • Blood spills on the ground (a lot!)
  • Weapons are unfinished (missing glow)

Videos

Credit: Evan Hanley

Some differences can be observed from this video:

  • Different timer
  • Different objective reminder
  • The arrow pointing to where you should go is different here
  • Ambulance (?)

Additionally, the game was originally scheduled to release in October 2001, but it was eventually pushed back to 2002. 

Unseen News

Kill.Switch [PS2, Xbox, PC] Beta and Cut Content

Yassine Bakrim
15-12-2025
No Comments

Kill. Switch is a third-person shooter developed by Namco Hometek and published by Namco in 2003 for PC, Xbox, PS2, and the Game Boy Advance. The game revolutionised the TPS genre by introducing several groundbreaking concepts that ultimately influenced high-profile titles like Uncharted, Gears of War, and Rainbow Six: Vegas.

Despite its influence, Kill . Switch sadly didn’t receive any nominations or awards. However, its legacy is deeply embedded in the DNA of modern third-person shooters.

Before its release, the game underwent several changes, as seen in E3 and beta footage. One striking difference is the HUD, which was originally green instead of blue. In another clip, Nick Bishop—the game’s protagonist—had a different running animation. Additionally, early concept art reveals plans for a female lead character, though this idea was ultimately scrapped.

Unfortunately, there isn’t much information about Kill. Switch’s pre-release development beyond E3 and demo footage, as well as a few bits of trivia. Fun fact: Kill. Switch had two follow-ups in development. One was titled The Adversary, and the other The Displacement City Under Siege. Unfortunately, the projects were cancelled around 2005 and never came to fruition.

Concept Images:

Note: Thanks to writer and producer Alvin Muolic. The character concept art sketches were made by artist Christian Gossett (the man behind The Red Star himself!)

Beta Images

 

The HUDs

 

Credit: Evan Hanley, Jabler

Videos:

Differences:

  • HUD was changed twice (first it was green, then soft blue with lines)
  • Different running animation for Nick Bishop in early builds
  • Different attack
  • Guards don’t warn others when you throw a flash bomb at them
  • Different pointer HUD (changed twice)
  • More enemies in certain areas than in the final release
  • The enemy AI is tougher
  • The AI movement is often unpredictable
  • A sandstorm effect is present here, which was removed from the final release. Visibility is also difficult in the early builds (sandstorm area only).
  • Entirely different main menu
  • Different tutorial
  • Different objects in several environments

This video documents the early codename, various settings the developer experimented with and more

A documentary about the inception of Kill. Switch and the cancelled sequel

 

Unseen News

Swords of Heaven [PC] – Cancelled

Yassine Bakrim
30-11-2025
No Comments

Swords of Heaven was a strategy-infused hack-and-slash title in development at Afkar Media for over a year and a half before ultimately being cancelled in 2005-2007. The project aimed to transport players back to the 7th-century Arabian Peninsula, placing them in the boots of a formidable Arab warrior leading his army against Persian and Byzantine forces. Victory hinged on defeating enemy factions and claiming their territories.

Most of the gameplay focused on carving through waves of incoming soldiers with your blade or picking them off from afar with a bow. Strategy, however, was the game’s true backbone—success demanded careful planning and amassing as many allied fighters as possible to turn the tide of battle. Though the concept was ambitious and new for its time, it never had the opportunity to fully mature. Funding issues eventually sealed its fate, and the project was shelved before completion. Today, only a preserved demo remains as a glimpse into what could have been.

Around this time, Afkar Media was attempting to carve out a place in the gaming industry by developing titles inspired by Arab culture and history. While the studio found notable success with the controversial Under Ash and its sequel Under Siege, they struggled to replicate that momentum in the years that followed.

Images:

Videos:

Credit: TunisianRetroGamer

Demo of the Game is preserved on Itch.io 

Unseen News

Dead to Rights: Double Tap [PS2] – Cancelled

Yassine Bakrim
27-11-2025
No Comments

Dead to Rights: Double Tap was supposed to be the follow-up to Dead to Rights: Reckoning. Unfortunately, the game didn’t progress far into development aside from a few concept artworks. According to Project Lead Tim Jones, the game would have used the Guncon capabilities on the PS2 to introduce players to an impeccable light-gun experience, but again, it didn’t happen. Here’s a section from what Tim Jones shared with me:

“There were plans to follow up DTR Reckoning with a light gun shooter for the PlayStation 2 Guncon accessory. It had a working title of Dead to Rights: Double-Tap. We’d already done a couple of lightgun games at Rebellion (with Gufighter and Gunfighter 2: The Legend of Jesse James), so it seemed to make sense. Sadly, it never materialised…”

It is unknown whether we will ever get to see the concept design of the game, but hey, it’s here now for you to know about it!

Thanks to Tim Jones. 

Unseen News

Project Flame [PC] – Cancelled

Yassine Bakrim
07-11-2025
No Comments

Project Flame was a cancelled 2D run-and-gun game that began development in 2008, originally conceived as a Flash-based title with plans to expand onto PC, iOS, Android, and even consoles (Xbox 360 Arcade). Spearheaded by a Syrian developer based in the UAE alongside a small team of artists and programmers, the project reached a playable demo stage that showcased a couple of levels.

Unfortunately, by 2010, internal disagreements and funding issues led to the team’s dissolution and the eventual cancellation of the game. To preserve its existence, the developer later uploaded the demo to their Behance page, allowing others to experience a glimpse of what Project Flame could have been.

Credit: Huge thanks to TunisianRetroGamer for the discovery

Images:

Videos:

This video has a few beta differences.