NH3 began as a two-man project in 2010 but was abruptly brought to an end for unknown reasons. No data is available online, or a way to reach out to the developer for more information. What remains is a YouTube video.
Dead to Rights: Redemption [PS3/Xbox 360]
Dead to Rights: Retribution is often remembered by fans as a gritty, no-nonsense third-person shooter released in 2010 by Volatile Games and published under the Namco Bandai umbrella. This game was a reboot of the Dead to Rights franchise that brought back cop Jack Slate and his loyal companion Shadow, delivering a hard-hitting experience that combined close-quarters combat with gunplay. But what most people don’t know is that Retribution wasn’t always the game we got.
Long before the final build took shape, the project began life under a very different title— Dead to Rights: Redemption. This early version aimed to be a grounded reboot — more noir, less neon. Gone were the exaggerated shootouts and over-the-top spectacle. In its place was something colder, leaner, and more emotionally restrained. Jack Slate’s original design reflected this direction: vulnerable, more human than action hero.
Several experimental ideas were on the table during this phase. A set of mini-games, deeper Shadow integration, Co-op features, and even a multiplayer mode originally titled “Banged 2 Rights.” Many of these never made it past early prototyping.
So what brought about the change?
According to Assistant Lead Designer and Story Writer Ben Fisher, the game’s tone was restructured after a shift in Namco’s internal direction, specifically from the American branch. Fisher noted:
“With a producer change at Namco US, the game shifted more towards a ‘core’ Namco tone. What they had in mind was more like Tekken, so we layered up some of the more operatic tone over time — in fact you can see the roots of a more grounded tone in the mocapped cutscenes because they were recorded first.”
What started as a slow-burn crime drama gradually morphed into the stylised, bombastic action game we now know as Retribution. That shift wasn’t just tonal — it bled into every corner of the design, from visuals to pacing to Jack’s final character model, which bore more resemblance to comic book anti-heroes like The Punisher than his original noir blueprint.
Below, you’ll find rare concept art and early design documents from the Redemption phase of the game, showing a version of Jack Slate that almost was.
Concept Art:
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- Some unused enemies
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- Cut characters
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- Cut characters
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- Early Jack Slate look
Design Document:
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- Shelved multiplayer mode
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- Returning characters from DTR1
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- Shelved mini-games
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- Shelved adrenaline mode
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- Cover of the document
Videos:
Fan-documentary containing a mini-interview with Ben Fisher and other trivia
Huge thanks to Evan Hanley and Mr Pinball64.
Pitfall: Return to the Jungle [Edge of Reality] — PS2 (Original Pitch)
Pitfall: The Lost Expedition is one of the most unknown 3D platformers of all time. The game featured robust gameplay mechanics, a fantastic storyline, and an amalgamation of Metroidvania elements all installed into the game. However, did you know that way before the game was even made, the folks at Edge of Reality had an entirely different vision in mind?
According to Richard Ham, the original concept of the game would have played more like the Uncharted series; Pitfall Harry would fight against dinosaurs and huge creatures, along with an emphasis on using guns more than fists and kicks. Unfortunately, this concept was denied by Activision, as they wanted a robust platformer that would stand tall face to face with other prominent mascots like Jak & Daxter, Mario, and Crash Bandicoot. Activision, basically, wanted to have their own Mario killer. A cartoonish take on the Pitfall series as opposed to Pitfall 3D on the PS1.
There isn’t much information about this original concept apart from a document made by Richard Ham and a video of the legend himself mentioning RTTJ in a few lines. (More details from the document will be available in a separate article!)
Director Richard Ham talks about the original concept in a few lines starting at 9:32
Dead to Rights: Retribution [Beta – PS3/Xbox 360]
Dead to Rights: Retribution, or Redemption as it was known early in development, is a third-person shooter developed by Volatile Games and published by Namco in 2010. This is the 4th and last game in the DTR franchise, originally created by Namco Hometek. Below is a trailer that shows several changes prior to the game’s release.
- Different running animation
- Different walking animation
- Captain Innesse looks different here
- The guy Jack beats to a pulp in the final release looks different here
- Slightly different combat animation
- Temple Tower is different from the outside
- Tseng shoots Triads instead of Police Officers in the trailer
- Lack of blurred focus during special execution
- Slightly different pause menu
- Enemies’ blood splatters on the suit that isn’t present in the final release (?)
Dead to Rights: Reckoning [PSP – Beta]
After the release of Dead to Rights 2, work on a spin-off entry titled Dead to Rights: Reckoning began. According to programmer Kim Randell, this entry started life as 100 Bullets by Acclaim before being cancelled, and some of its assets were used to make DTR Reckoning. The very early screenshots of Dead to Rights: Reckoning led many to believe this entry was just going to be a direct port of Dead to Rights 2, but in the end, it wasn’t. Fun fact: Dead to Rights: Reckoning was Namco Hometek’s last-ditch effort to utilize assets from the cancelled Dead to Rights 2: Hell to Pay. The original sequel of Dead to Rights.
Credit: GTW
Below, you can see a collection of images showing the early build of Dead to Rights Reckoning:
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- Early box art of the game
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- Early build of Dead to Rights Reckoning
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- Early build of Dead to Rights Reckoning
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- Gameplay build with Jack’s signature Jacket from DTR2
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- Gameplay build with Jack’s signature Jacket from DTR2
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- Gameplay build with Jack’s signature Jacket from DTR2
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- Gameplay build with Jack’s signature Jacket from DTR2
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- Gameplay build with Jack’s signature Jacket from DTR2
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- Gameplay build with Jack’s signature Jacket from DTR2
