Van Helsing is an awesome action-adventure game where you get to play as the titular monster hunter Van Helsing himself. The game plays similarly to Devil May Cry, Ghost Rider and many action games released during that time. Before launching in 2004, we can observe tiny beta changes from the images below.
Changes:
Castlevania: Lords of Shadow is a modern reboot of the Castlevania franchise originally developed and published by Konami. Mercury Steam managed to revamp the combat of the original franchise, injecting a well-done combat system undoubtedly inspired by several action games of that era. Not only this, but the art direction of the Lords of Shadow is nothing but a work of art. Before the game was released for the PS3, Xbox 360, and PC, it underwent a few changes. Most of the beta content is challenging to find, but there are a few differences and cut content we can observe below.
This video is important as it shows a glimpse of the initial pitch of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow. The game was originally going to feature Simon Belmont, but that didn’t happen. Eventually, Simon Belmont, Alucard and Trevor were incorporated into Mirrors of Fate.
Below, you’ll find a couple of iterations and cut characters. One of whom looked fascinating in the design process.
While attempting to create a compelling design for Lord Dracula, Mercury Steam generated a host of iterations. One of them was a Frankenstein Dracula that didn’t make it past the cutting room floor.
Menacing, bloody and gruesome are just some of the words one can use to describe these early designs of Lord Dracula. While Dracula didn’t make an appearance in Lords of Shadow or Mirrors of Fate, he was the main character of Lords of Shadow 2.
Another character that went through various iterations was none other than the Prince of Darkness himself, Alucard. In these early designs, we can see that Alucard bore a slightly different look. That is pretty much everything I can find from the beta footage of Castlevania: Lords of Shadow.
After years of dormancy, Perfect Dark was set to make a return, boasting stunning visuals, refined mechanics, and a fully re-imagined reboot. Unlike previous entries in the franchise, this revival wasn’t being helmed by Rare. Instead, a new studio called The Initiative was steering the wheel. The game was officially announced in 2020, and Perfect Dark fans couldn’t wait to see Joanna Dark return after years in the shadows.
Occasionally, snippets of gameplay would surface online here and there, offering brief glimpses into the project’s progress. But for the most part, Microsoft Game Studios and The Initiative never announced a concrete release date
That is, until July 2nd, 2025 — when Microsoft confirmed the cancellation of the Perfect Dark reboot and the closure of The Initiative. According to Microsoft, the cancellation was the result of a broader strategic shift and cost-cutting measures within the company. What remains now are a handful of gameplay clips and concept images of what could have been.
According to a write-up by MP1st (efrain), we can read more details about this cancelled Perfect Dark game:
“The creative vision was to reimagine the franchise while retaining the core DNA from the original Nintendo 64 title. The primary inspiration for this approach was the HBO series Westworld, which successfully reimagined a classic property for a modern audience while exploring fresh themes and concepts.
The documentation also reveals that up until at least April of this year, The Initiative was actively working on the game’s Vertical Slice 1. In game development, this term refers to a playable proof-of-concept that gives a representative idea of the final game’s quality and feel. It is mentioned too that this vertical slice belonged to “Season 1.” which could confirm previous reports claiming that an episodic format was planned for its release.
When it comes to gameplay, the documents mention several conceptual systems, such as the Relentless System and a Reward System, though only one is detailed in-depth.
This is the Adrenaline System, which would have treated adrenaline as a resource that the player would’ve regenerated over time and granted access to a variety of powerful abilities. These would have included the capacity to heal, increase damage dealt to enemies, or reduce incoming damage. We would’ve also got the ability to slow down time to dodge bullets, aim with more precision, or even increase movement speed. Killing multiple enemies in quick succession would have extended this slow-time effect, with the possibility of activating special execution animations.
Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams is the fourth mainline instalment in the Onimusha franchise, developed and published by Capcom. This instalment revamped the combat of the previous trilogy, introduced a new main character, a new RPG system, and a different direction altogether. However, before being released to the world, the game underwent several changes. One of which I think should have remained.
Differences:
Differences:
Rise of the Kasai is the sequel to the Mark of Kri originally developed by San Diego Studio and published by Sony in 2002. The sequel kept the fundamentals of the original and introduced a cast of new characters, villains and new goons for you to hack and slash through. Before Rise of the Kasai released in the market, there were a few beta changes that you can observe below. Oh, and an online Co-Op system was implemented early in the development of the game, but Sony cut that feature from the final release.
Beta changes:
