New Cancelled Games & Their Lost Media Added to the Archive

Saints Row: Money Shot [Cancelled – Xbox 360/PS3]

Saints Row: Money Shot was an action/adventure game scheduled to be released on the Xbox Live Arcade and Playstation Network sometime in late 2011. It was never officially announced by THQ or Volition, but it was leaked to the web in August 2011. From the existing screenshots and video, we can see that it was going to be some kind of on-rails game where you have to control a bullet in slow-motion through various obstacles before finally hitting your target. Here’s its official description from the leaked XBLA entry.

You are Cypher, a deadly assassin in the world of Saints Row, and you hunt the most elusive targets with the most sophisticated weaponry that Ultor has to offer. How sophisticated? You have the ability to control the path of your bullet to such a degree that you can weave through the hallway of an apartment complex, steer through the legs of a hooker, and even snake your way through a moving train! Avoid striking solid objects and unintended bystanders and make sure you hit your mark!

Within a week of its leaking, Kotaku discovered that the Australian Classification Board had rated Saints Row: Money Shot already, hinting that it was possibly close to release at this point.

In an interview with Worthplaying.com, former THQ boss Danny Bilson stated that Saints Row: Money Shot was still not shelved and that it would possibly be released on the PSN instead as a free game.

On the XBLA, the game would have cost 800 Microsoft Points, and it appears that playing through it would earn you unlockable items for Saints Row: The Third. These items would later be released as a DLC pack called the “Money Shot Pack,” which contained the gun and suit seen in the game as well as a new hover bike, but the “Money Shot” game itself was never included and was officially considered cancelled by this point. Here is some leaked footage of the game from a Czech gaming site.

Article by Tony Lokester

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F-Tank [Tech Demo – Saturn / PSX / PC]

In development by Titus Software, F-Tank was a 3D futuristic tank simulation planned for PC, Saturn and Playstation. The game main attraction was the compatibility with a Virtual Reality headset to enhance the player immersion. The VR-project was never released for these platforms, but it seems that the game evolved into “Metal Rage: Defender of the Earth“, released in 1996 for PC-Dos.

Scans from Mega Force issue 36, CD Consoles 4 – february 1995 + CD Consoles 8 – june 1995.

Thanks to Youloute for the contribution!

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Viper: Red Sector [PSX – Cancelled]

Viper: Red Sector is a cancelled sci-fi shooter that was in development by New World Computing for the original Playstation. The game was based around aerial combats with a squadron of robot fighter planes and the player had to eliminate a race of irate synthetic humanoids through more than 40 levels. The missions were set in open areas, so that you would have been able to freely explore the world to reach the different objectives.  We dont know how much it was completed before 3DO purchased New World and decided to cancel the project.

In 1998 Ocean released another flying shooter for the PSX named Viper, but it should not  be related to Red Sector as it was developed by X-ample.

An image probably taken from a Viper: Red Sector’s FMV was found in EGM #84

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The Little Prince [Prototype – Xbox 360]

In 2008 MKO Games, a French independent studio, worked on a platform / adventure game prototype based on The Little Prince book. The project looked really nice, with a colorful style that was similar to the drawings that are in the book. Microsoft was interested in this proto for their Xbox 360, but they asked MKO to create a second prototype based on the art style of The Little Prince animated series created by Method Animations. Sadly neither of these prototypes was developed into a full game, maybe becaue Microsoft and other publishers seen The Little Prince as a “difficult” IP to sell to gamers.

Thanks to Superannuation for the contribution!

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Ferrari 360 Challenge [PS2 – Cancelled]

Ferrari 360 Challenge is a cancelled racing game that was in development by Brain in a Jar Games and it would have been published by Acclaim for the Playstation 2. It was one of the first announced PS2 games from Acclaim and it promised an arcade racing engine with two main racing modes, eight different circuits, limited car deformation and two-player split-screen multiplayer. The project was officially cancelled in august 2000, because of high development costs and undisclosed troubles with the Ferrari license.

Thanks to Celine for the contribution!

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