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Barbarian/Fuzzy Kittens [PS1] – Early Concept

Yassine Bakrim
16-10-2025
No Comments

The Mark of Kri is a stylish and satisfying hack-and-slash title that debuted on the PlayStation 2 before being ported to the PlayStation 4 years later. It made full use of the right analogue stick to streamline combat, delivering a truly revolutionary control system for its time. The game is best remembered for its striking art direction, robust combat mechanics, brutal finishing moves, and impeccable sound design.

Interestingly, the origins of The Mark of Kri trace back to the original PlayStation. During its early development, the project carried the codename Barbarian, before being briefly renamed Fuzzy Kittens on the PS2, and ultimately settling on the title we know today. Below you can see a few early sketches of Rau and Tati from the game’s initial production phase.

Credit: thanks to artist Jeff Merghart.

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Video: Mini-Interview with Jeff Merghart and Dan Mueller

  

Others, PC / MAC

Team Buddies 2 [PC – Cancelled]

monokoma
01-02-2019
2 Comments

Team Buddies was an interesting merge of top-down shooting and real time strategy elements, developed for the original Playstation by Psygnosis Camden Studio (later SIE London Studio) and published in 2000 by Sony Computer Entertainment in Europe and Midway Games in North America.

As we can read on Wikipedia, its gameplay was quite fun and original for its time:

“The game is a mix of Worms‘ humour and a typical real-time strategy game. Central to the game’s theme is the ability of a team of buddies to stack crates in a 2×2×2 pad located in their starting area. Stacking the crates in different ways make different items when the resulting larger crate is broken; for example, a single crate on a stacking pad produces a light weapon, four crates positioned horizontally makes a heavy weapon, and filling the pad creates a vehicle.”

This was the last game released under their Psygnosis name, before they were completely absorbed by SCEE. The same team was working on a new version of Team Buddies for PC, that was internally treated as a sequel because of how much more freedom they had when not constrained to the PS1 limitations.

Unfortunately Sony did not want to invest money into the PC market and all Psygnosis games in development at the time for Computers were either cancelled, moved to PlayStation consoles, or licensed to different publishers. This “Team Buddies 2” was then canned and the team was moved to other projects, such as Dropship: United Peace Force and World Tour Soccer 2003 for PlayStation 2.

A few years ago a small indie team started working on a fan-remake of Team Buddies and a former Psygnosis Camden developer got in contact with them, sharing a video of this lost sequel. You can watch the footage below:

Thanks to Matthew for the contribution!

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Playstation, Sony

Omega Boost (Red Plasma) [PSX – Target Render]

monokoma
02-12-2011
5 Comments

Red Plasma was a shooting game with robots that was in development by Sony Computer Entertainment for the original Playstation. A single screenshot, probably from a target render or a tech demo, was found by Celine on Console Plus magazine #34.

Lost Level’s user Deadguy2322 has identified how the mech design is very akin to Polyphony Digital’s Omega Boost released on Playstation four years after that initial target render was shown.

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Playstation 2 (PS2), Sony

Splash Dive [PS2 – Cancelled]

monokoma
08-10-2010
No Comments

Splash Dive is a cancelled action adventure game similar to Ecco the Dolphin, that was in development in 1999 by SCEI  for the Playstation 2. The project was meant to be one of the first PS2 launch titles and it was even featured in the early console tech demos but something went wrong during the development and in the end Splash Dive was never released. From IGN we can read an interview with Splash Dive’s producer Kaoru Hagiwara:

HPPS2EX: First of all, what kind of game is Splash Dive?

KH: If you look at the screenshots, I think you’ll understand that its a game about the ocean featuring dolphins. We’re selling it as an action game. Not action-adventure, action. Players control the dolphin and try and make friends with other dolphins. Swimming at full speed, jumping above the water: I think it will have a refreshing sense of action to it. When you talk about games and the sea, adventure and simulations come to mind. There have been lots of games that feature floating or searching for fish, so we thought, “How can we create a new, refreshing kind of action?”

HPPS2EX: I see. The basic objective of the game is to become good friends with other dolphins, but what exactly do you do to accomplish this?

KH:The key will be what the player does, but the excitement of discovering what to do, is something that I would like to keep quiet.

HPPS2EX: In Splash Dive, you will be able to enjoy dolphins and their form of communication, right?

KH: Dolphins, have their own form of communication, which is very different from humans. One type is voice. Kind of like “Dolphinese.” We’re trying to put in all of these into the game as best as we can. We don’t want to have a dolphin specialist look at the game and say “That’s not right!” Therefore, we’re really working on the dolphins’ appearance and the way they sound.

Thanks to Celine for the contribution! If you are able to find that old Spash Dive video, let us know!

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PSP, Sony

Room [PSP – Cancelled]

U64 Staff & Contributors
03-07-2010
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Room is a cancelled 3D Social Network that was developed by Sony Computer Entertainment Japan for the PSP Network. The service was similar to the PlayStation 3’s service, PlayStation Home. Room was first announced at TGS 2009 and closed beta test occurred from October 2009 up to April 15, 2010. Selected PSP owners received an invitation and more details to participate in the closed beta test

Development of the service halted on April 15, 2010 due to the feedback from the community. SCE Japan thanked those who participated in the beta testing for their feedback. [Info from Wikipedia]

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