Action RPG

Dragon Hoard [PC – Cancelled]

Dragon Hoard was a kind of a “dragon simulator” by Blue Fang Games, slated to be released in Q2 2000. The user would start as a young dragon in a fantasy land, which was claimed to be a fully simulated world where he should build his relations with humanoid races (humans, elves and “the Vrak”), terrorizing or helping them in exchange for knowledge, prestige or gold (there’s also a “vanity” stat mentioned). Fighting rival dragons would also be a necessity. Between missions, or “stages”, the dragon would enter a long sleep (not played in real time, of course), during which the creature would grow bigger and stronger, and can be upgraded, learning new spells and attacks. The outside world would change, too.

It’s interesting to know that in 2011 a game called Hoard by Big Sandwich Games was released, impementing many ideas of Dragon Hoard on a smaller scale. There was also an earlier attempt by Primal Software called The I of the Dragon.

More info: archived version of a preview on GA-Source.

Article by Chentzilla

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Probably how the Vrak should have looked:

Some more concept art:

 

Elysium (Cavedog) [PC – Cancelled]

Elysium is a cancelled RPG which was in development by Cavedog, described as an “episodic role-playing adventure” with more than 40 planned episodes, each of which wouls offer 10 to 20 hours of gameplay. The driving force behind it was Producer/Designer John Cutter whose past credits include the classic Betrayal at Krondor. The episodes however would never be released probably because GT Interactive ( the publisher ) was spiraling into debts at that time and soon would be acquired by Infogrames.

For more information about the game check RPG Vault intreview with John Cutter.

Scan from GamePro issue 109.

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4th Battalion [PC – Cancelled]

4th Battalion is a cancelled Action RPG that was in development by russian studio GFI Russia (MiST land). The game was announced in August 2005 and it was planned as a prequel to Paradise Cracked / Access Code: PARADISE.  4th Battalion’s script started 20 years before the events of “Access Code” on-ridden civil war Mars. The game’s protagonist was meant to be a representative of the Earth and the only hope for restoring order on Mars. The main mission in 4th Battalion was to establish new stability on Mars. As we can read in an old press release:

  • Up-to-date graphics, using all the power of modern video chips.
  • The most realistic physics and dynamics.
  • Real lighting and spectacular special effects.
  • Huge and fully interactive world.
  • Complex and non-linear plot.
  • Advanced Dialogue System.
  • Ability to drive more than 30 kinds of vehicles, from light sand-buggy to heavy assault walking-tank.
  • Huge list of available weapons and equipment.
  • Unlimited possibilities to improve your character.
  • You will be able to fully modify and upgrade vehicles for any purpose.
  • Massive dynamic battles with thousands of units.
  • Ability to create your own army.

In the end the game was never released, maybe because they did not find a publisher interested in the project.

Thanks to Megalol for the contribution!

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Good & Evil [PC – Cancelled]

Good & Evil is a cancelled Action RPG / RTS that was in development by Cavedog Entertainment / Humongous Entertainment by a team leaded by Ron Gilbert, a game designer, programmer, and producer, best known for his work on several classic LucasArts adventure games, including Maniac Mansion and the first two Monkey Island games. The project was cancelled when Cavedog’s main company, GT Interactive, fell into debt.

As Good & Evil was still in early development, GT saw Cavedog’s game as another economic risk and decided to stop the project in fall of 1999. GT Interactive was then purchased by Infogrames and the Cavedog label was discarded by Humongous Entertainment in 2000. Cavedog officially declared bankruptcy in 2000.

Using Ron Gilbert’s own style and humor, Good & Evil was meant to be a funny take on the classic RPG formula, as we can read in an old Gamespot article:

The warrior arrives in town, trips over a drainage ditch, impales himself on his own sword, and dies. Now they need a new hero. […]

As you’d expect from the Monkey Island creator, Good and Evil is going to use lots of humor; – much of it directed at role-playing conventions. Characters will talk amongst themselves about “leveling up,” for example, while the plentiful dialogue and ridiculous characters, like an evil crow, will retain Gilbert’s absurdist bent. […]

Largely inspired by Legend of Zelda, Gilbert is designing a large, fully 3D world to be played in a third-person perspective; it will be open enough for gamers to explore on their own, in a nonlinear fashion, while simultaneously keeping things story based. […]

Even if Good & Evil was never finished, it seems that after 10 years it’s main concept was reused in DeathSpank, an action RPG designed by the same Ron Gilbert and developed by Hothead Games, released in 2010 for Steam, Xbox Live Arcade and PSN. As we can read in a couple of interviews with RPG Codex and 1UP:

RPG Codex: Given your and Clayton Kauzlaric’s connection to Total Annihilation, was there any consideration of going with an RTS? Any other genres you’d like to give a try? Any genre you’d never try?

Ron Gilbert: Funny you should mention that. Back when I was running Cavedog Entertainment, I was designing a game called “Good & Evil” that was a melding of adventure and RTS. DeathSpank shares a lot in common with that game. As far as other genres I’d like to try? Just about anything except FPS. I’m not a huge fan of them and I’d probably make a really bad one.

 

1UP: Before DeathSpank, you were working on a game called Good & Evil [which got cancelled partway through development]. Have any of those ideas directly influenced what you’re working on now?

RG: Actually, quite a bit. Good & Evil was back when I was at Cavedog [Entertainment — the hardcore-leaning division of Gilbert’s company Humongous Entertainment]. That was a little bit of a blending of an adventure game and a real-time strategy game. I think the thing about adventure that really interests me a lot now isn’t so much the weird, complex puzzles, but it’s just the way adventure games tell stories, and the way that they tell them through those puzzles, and, for me at least, the humor that adventure games have. That’s one of those things that was a little bit lost when the classic adventures went away. It’s like this whole thing was lost and I really wanted to bring that back. But there’s actually quite a bit from Good & Evil and it just made its way into DeathSpank — the weird, bizarre feel that I had for that world is definitely something that is in DeathSpank.

Thanks to Celine for the contribution!

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Gothic [PC – Beta]

Gothic is an action RPG developed by Piranha Bytes and released in 2001 for PC. As we can read on Wikipedia, the team worked more than 4 years on the development of Gothic’s technology and some screenshots from an early beta version with much more blocky polygon models and fewer details were found by derboo in Power Play magazine issues 5 & 9 / 1998 and issue 5 / 1999. Check the gallery below to see the beta screens and compare them to the video from the final version!
Also, LOTS of info and screens can be found in this topic @ World of Gothic.

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Video (from the alpha version):


Video (from the final version):