Beta + Cancelled FPS Video Games - Page 12 of 68

Solar is a cancelled sci-fi FPS that was in development around 2004 by Brat Designs, planned to be released on PC. The game was inspired by massive multiplayer FPS such as Battlefield 1942, and would have featured both single player and multiplayer modes over vast terrains, with up to 32 players. Single player would use multiplayer maps with the addition of advanced AI bots to simulate multiplayer gaming styles.

Some details about the game were available on the old Brat Design website:

“’SOLAR’ has two warring factions, each with its own set of weapons and vehicles, varying from trench mortars to long range bombardment cannons with payloads of neurotoxins. Transportation in ‘SOLAR’ varies by faction, each with a unique range of land, sea and air units, providing varied game play choices.
In addition to this are the Necro. An army of undead soldiers, re-animated by a toxic brew created by fallout from decades of nuclear, chemical and biological war. Mostly chaotic by nature, these troopers are a constant threat to both sides, but can be a useful resource if brought under the influence of one faction.
Interactive environments add another game play element to ‘SOLAR’. Buildings crumble as they are hit by shells or are crashed into with vehicles; gun emplacements can be manned to cut down the opposition in a hail of bullets trees and other incidental scenery can be cleared by a well placed grenade. All this leads to a dynamic, ever changing battlefield.”

Features:

Vast terrains with huge viewing distances
Interactive environments with fully destructible buildings
Weather conditions including fog, acid rain and snow
Three Campaigns (Earth, Mars and the Moon)
Two warring factions each with their own technology set
Advanced bot AI and path finding
Battlefields containing up 32 AI or Human players
Ground, aerial and aquatic vehicles capable of multiple crew members
Called in air strikes and artillery bombardments
Weapons of mass destruction (ICBM’s and Orbital laser platforms) Chemical, biological and radioactive
Cooperative MP modes including, Interdiction, Retrieval, Assault, VIP Escort, Search and Destroy, Recon, Rescue and Sabotage
Standard MP modes including Last man standing, Death match, Team Death Match, Capture the flag, Assault and King of the Hill
MP playable demo currently available for publishers only.

Gaming websites such as Eurogamer and Gamespot wrote about Solar at the time, but it seems Brat Designs was not able to find a publisher interested in their project and that could be the reason for it never being released. A trailer for the game was released by the team (also re-uploaded on GamersHell), but we cannot find it anymore online (if you have a copy of the file, please let us know!). The same team was also working on another cancelled game titled Toon Army for Xbox and Playstation 2.

Thanks to SarkSweet and Daniel Nicaise for the contribution!

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Images:

Others, PC / MAC

Heavy Gear 3 (Savage Entertainment) [PC – Cancelled]

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12-06-2021

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Heavy Gear 3 is a cancelled mecha based FPS that would have been the third chapter in the HG series, in development around 1999 by Savage Entertainment and planned to be published by Activision on PC. The team wanted to expand the mechanics found in previous Heavy Gear games, adding more robots, on-foot fighting and exploration, similar to what Titanfall did 15 years later.

Some details about this lost game were shared online by former Savage artists and producers:

“This was Savage’s first project after being “spun-off” from Activision. It was an exciting opportunity to build on the success of Heavy Gear 2 and a coinciding children’s TV show based on the series. We started with a very small team of 6 to handle environments, characters, and animation. Some new visual advances were spectacular maps to add shine/material variation, multiple texture terrain painting and emissive alpha. We were able to expand the universe by introducing a new class of “Gear” called the Paladin. His design was inspired by a medieval suit of armor and was backed by the new “Bishop” Reich. Many of our features were ahead of their time, such as the Gear Pilot being able to get out of his Gear and fight on foot, while the Gear protected him – this is a major element of “TitanFall” being released March 2014. […] Unfortunately, Activision couldn’t decide what kind of game they wanted to make (single player or massive multiplayer) and cancelled the title.”
“Our first project was to be Heavy Gear 3. Our goal at Savage was to have one team where no one was a pure manager. Everyone would work directly on the project. I worked as a 3D artist on Heavy Gear 3 in addition to my role as Producer, and CFO of the company. Sales of Heavy Gear 2 didn’t live up to expectations and Activision exited the giant robot combat market, cancelling Heavy Gear 3.”

Concept art from this lost game are preserved below, to remember its existence.

Images:

Others, PC / MAC, Playstation, Sony

Under Pressure (Rage Software) [Cancelled – PC, Playstation]

monokoma

04-06-2021

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Under Pressure is a cancelled underwater shooter adventure that was in development by Rage Software Newcastle around 1997, planned to be released on PC and the original Playstation. By looking at the few screenshots available it seems you would have been able to play in first and third person, exploring a 3D sea filled with fishes and robotic enemies.

As it happens for many other cancelled games, today not much can still be found online about Under Pressure. Screenshots were published on Edge magazine in February 1997 and a former developer mentioned the title in an interview with Arcade Attack:

“Have you ever worked on any games that were never released, and if so, which unreleased games do you feel would have been the most successful?
After Power Drive Rally, I designed and helped create ‘Under Pressure’ running on PC for Rage Newcastle, an underwater submersible/action adventure game in 3D. EA were funding the game development at the time, but unfortunately they pulled the plug mere months away from release. The next game we made was the co-op space shooter Expendable, also known as Millennium Soldier on the Dreamcast/PC.”

Microsoft, Others, PC / MAC, Xbox

Reprisal (Power Infused) [PC, Xbox – Cancelled]

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31-05-2021

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Reprisal is a cancelled first person shooter / RPG that was in development from 2001 to 2004 by Power Infused Productions for PC and the original Xbox. The team conceived it as a hybrid between Quake, Thief and Deus Ex, featuring 3 different playable races, each one with their own gameplay mechanics, weapons and abilities. For example you would use stealth to play as humans, direct assaults to play as a cyborg, and manage resources to play as an Alien.

In august 2004 the team was searching for more developers on the CGSociety forum:

“Reprisal is the story of conflict between three races over a space station (Joshua 20) at the edge of our solar system Humans have kept their CAT battle machines stationed there in case of conflict for centuries. The invading alien army, guided by a Prince who seeks to prove himself, struck the station first, seeking to turn these weapons against their masters. The plan goes awry, causing the CATs to turn against both human and alien, and trapping all three races together in a desperate struggle for survival.”

As the game progresses, players would have taken control of the three sides and learn to use their unique powers. These races were:

Cyborg Assault Tanks (CATs) – Vicious and overwhelmingly powerful, these killing machines were once used to fight wars for humans. In Reprisal, they have turned against their masters and gone into a killing frenzy.
Humans – Weak and devoid of natural armaments, humans are the most adaptable of the three races. They are also able to squeeze into areas of the space station the others can’t access.
Aliens – Masters of genetic engineering, aliens are capable of altering their own bodies to suit their needs. While not as overwhelming in force as the CATs, aliens have the distinct advantage of being able to retreat from battle only to return more powerful than before.

“Playing each race requires a different skill set. For example, while CATs can charge into battle, wildly firing at everything, Humans need to sneak around conflicts, searching for a safe place to attack from.
While the game is set entirely on a space station, it has been designed to contain a large enough variety of environments to satisfy even the most hard-core gamer. During the course of the game, the player will venture through enormous mechanical devices, simulations of alien worlds, zoos filled with genetically engineered monsters, infested hallways that come alive, and even venture out onto the hull of the station itself.”

Reprisal would have offered some interesting features for its time:

Adaptive characters – The player will be able to adapt the look and abilities of the characters they play. In some cases, these changes will be minor and other cases will be major (replacing the lower torso with wheels).
Destructible weaponry and environments – Certain weapons will become available that allow the player to knock holes in some walls and destroy some weaponry (to keep it out of the “wrong hands”).
Body specific targeting and damage – over forty different spots on the body where the player can cause damage to the opponents.
Overlapping storylines – Players will encounter themselves in previous and future incarnations as they play through the scenario.

Unfortunately the team was not able to find a publisher interested in Reprisal and the project had to be canned in late 2004.

Thanks to Daniel Nicaise for the contribution!

Images:

Others, PC / MAC

Delta Force: Angel Falls [PC – Cancelled]

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31-05-2021

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Delta Force: Angel Falls is a cancelled strategy-focused FPS in the “Delta Force” series that was in development for PC by Novalogic between 2007 and 2012. Missions would have been set in Colombia and Venezuela, with the US military trying to take down drug cartels and totalitarian regimes. As in previous DF titles, players would have been able to explore huge outdoor environments, eliminating enemies, assassinating political targets and destroying military equipment.

Some details about the game were shared by Novalogic on their old website:

“In the near future, set in the north-west region of Central America and spanning both Colombia and Venezuela, “Delta Force: Angel Falls” presents the rural, sparsely populated areas of this exotic locale. The South American environment provides a premise which is naturally beautiful and full of new millennium conflicts.
Marginal governments, involved in local expansionism, continually scuffle with one another and with major global powers. Complicating matters, drug cartels have evolved beyond money to political forces rivaling established governments. Influenced by current events, the game is both topical and novel.
The sometimes local philosophy of “your enemy is my friend and your friend is my enemy” gives rise to a multitude of ever-changing alliances and conflicts which drive the game’s rapid action. The culmination of the conflict takes place in the Angel Falls area of Venezuela providing both a spectacular setting and a surprise ending.”

Exciting single player missions spread over several campaigns.
Challenging multiplayer maps supporting multiple game types.
Scenarios, tactics and equipment inspired by extensive consultations with former Delta Force personnel.
Large, open environments with operating land, air and sea vehicles.
Gratifying gunplay, well-balanced weapons, and tactically interesting dynamic environments.
Support for huge numbers of combatants per game with co-operative play against all new AI.

Sometime in 2011 the team opened an Alpha Phase for the game, accepting applications from fans. Unfortunately in the end the game was never completed and we don’t know how much was done before its cancellation.

As far as we know, Angel Falls was a different project from The Unit: Operation Acid Gambit, another cancelled game by Novalogic (but they may have shared the same 3D engine). In October 2016 the team vanished, their assets and IP (including Delta Force) were bought out by THQ Nordic.

Thanks to Daniel Nicaise for the contribution!

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