New Cancelled Games & Their Lost Media Added to the Archive

SoulCatcher [Xbox 360 – Prototype]

SoulCatcher is a cancelled game that was in development by Rare LTD for the Xbox 360. The project was meant to be a prototype for a fantasy action adventure game in first person view, that used the Xbox Vision Camera and a customized proto-wand for motion-controls to attack and do magics. At Develop 2011 in Brighton, Rare’s Nick Burton shown a video of this game, but sadly it seems that none recorded it. If you know someone that participated at the event and was able to take some photos / videos of SoulCatcher, please let us know!

Ultimate Domain [Arcade – Cancelled]

Ultimate Domain was a 3D fighting game in development by Atlus for Sega’s Model 2 board around 1996. The game had 8 characters ( of which 3 were women ) animated with the aid of JAC ( Japan Action club ) for the motion capture sessions. One peculiar feature was the SOL-POWER where the characters can utilise the sun power to charge up super killing techniques ( just like Daitarn 3 ! ). Ultimate Domain doesn’t appear on Atlus or Model 2 release lists so we can conclude that it was never fully released in the arcades.

Scan from Computer & Videogames issue 181.

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Banjo-Kazoomie [Xbox – Cancelled]

Banjo-Kazoomie was a prototype for the original Xbox which was started at Rare Ltd. in 2004. Players were able to construct their karts out of different parts, therefore after it was cancelled the concept may have evolved into Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, which was released on Xbox 360 four years later.

Brendan Gunn about this project:

“I’ve always wanted to do a racing game. I got to spend two weeks working on a prototype racing game for the Xbox. It was codenamed ‘Banjo-Kazoomie’, and it was a kind of kart racer, but you constructed the karts out of different parts, so I guess it was kind of a precursor to ‘Nuts & Bolts’. But for those two weeks I was doing the driving mechanics for it”

Special thanks to DKVine and RareMinion.com!

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Trail Blazer (Death Track) [GameBoy – Cancelled]

TrailBlazers, aka Death Track is a canceled and unreleased game being developed by Argonaut for the GameBoy. It’s currently unknown why this got canceled and unreleased. It was being licensed by Activision, but developed by the famous Argonaut Games, hence it being in wireframe 3D. This game takes a 3rd person approach to the track, and only offers one camera setting.  An interesting note is the combat elements in the game and the upgrade system before each race. You can purchase engine upgrades, homing missiles, oil slicks, mines, and the like. While in race, you can press select to rotate through your defenses, and press up on the D-Pad to deploy them. It feels like if the game had seen a release, it would have pushed the GB to it’s limits, as only Argonaut knew how to do.
If you are more questions, contact Digmac at obscuregamers.com or assemblergames.com

Thanks to Celine we can see a screenshot of Trail Blazer, found in Joypad magazine issue #8.

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Clay Fighter: Call of Putty [Cancelled – Wii / DS]

Clay Fighter: Call of Putty is a cancelled fighting game in the ClayFighter series, started for the Super NES in 1993. On September 2009 Interplay announced a return of ClayFighter for WiiWare and DSiWare, with a new project named “Clay Fighter: Call of Putty”, a joke with Call of Duty. This game was suppose to be an updated version of ClayFighter: Sculptor’s Cut and was planned to be released in 2011 for Wii and DS but it soon vanished in limbo and in the end it was never released.

Some info were published in Nintendo Power, November 2010 issue:

– Updated version of Clay Fighter 63 1/3 for the N64
– 16 fighters
– Bad Mr. Frosty, Kung Pow, High Five, Bonker, Lady Liberty, and Sumo Santa, Boogerman, Earthworm Jim included and i have heard rummors about hobo cop coming back
– Standard punches and kicks (3 strengths each)
– Powerful meter-based supermoves
– Finishing moves (Claytalities)
– Training mode
– Single-player story mode available
– Exhibition matches and 2-player versus mode as well
– Late 2010/early 2011 release

If you have more info in this lost project, please let us know!

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