SRPG

Mobilesuit Gundam MSPlatoon.com [WonderSwan Color – Cancelled]

In 2001 Bandai announced Mobilesuit Gundam MSPlatoon.com for WonderSwan Color. However the game concept, known during production as “the Net Gundam“, first concept was in 1997 when developers at Bandai started to think to create a Gundam game designed to work over the Internet. MSPlatoon.com was a strategy game that allowed gamers to play as a soldier for the Republic of Zion or the Earth Federation and engage fights in operation plans announced every week by server-side so to battle with other humans online. Over the time you could even become a leader of your chosen side.

The online component was guaranteed through the WonderGate, an add on that allowed the WonderSwan to access to NTT Docomo network, or through a special cartridge to connect with a PC (see image below). This interesting title, the first multiplayer online game for a dedicated handheld system, was planned to be released in autumn of the same year but seems the concept was far too ambitious so Bandai quietly cancelled the project.

Images:

 

Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance [Beta – GameCube]

As we can read on Wikipedia, Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance tactical RPG developed by Intelligent Systems and published in 2005 by Nintendo for the GameCube. Path of Radiance is the first Fire Emblem title to feature three-dimensional graphics on the battlefield, replacing two-dimensional sprite animations and landscapes with fully rendered 3-D models. It is also the first game in the series to make use of full motion video and voice acting to present cinematic sequences at key points in the game. The FMV sequences were animated by Production I.G.

Below you can see a bunch of scans from the beta version of Fire Emblem: Path of Radiance, where the story and characters are slightly different. Ike’s name is Paris, for example. Also, a video of Fire Emblem 9 close to completion, but with different HUD elements. If you can notice more differences, please let us know!

Thanks to Iven Allen for the contribution!

Images:

Videos:
 

Phantom Brave [Beta / Concept – PS2 Wii PSP]

Phantom Brave is one of the many Strategy-RPGs created by Nippon-Ichi Software. Phantom Brave offers some twists on the traditional SRPG formula (no grid-based movement, but characters freely move within a movement circle), along with ludicrous amounts of customization, and an emotionally engaging story.

Initially for the Playstation 2, Phantom Brave was also ported to the Nintendo Wii and Playstation Portable. The Wii port, “We Meet Again”, was bundled with a media CD, containing illustration work, sprites used in-game, and character artwork featuring some aspects not found within the game. The images found reveal characters details (Sprout’s cape, Marona has more emotion, character being able to dual-wield weapons, etc.) that never made the final cut.

Thanks a lot to Elliott Temple for the contribution!

Images:

 

Iris Angel [Dreamcast – Cancelled]

Iris Angel, also known in japanese as Nijiiro Tenshi, was a strategy game for Dreamcast, to be published by Japan Corporation at the end of the last century, which was cancelled before it was released for unknown reasons. In the game you would have played as Shujin, the blue haired knight you can see below, who has the goal to stop the evil witch Myure (the woman with the long silver hair) that threatens the world of Tiran.

To do so Shujin had to train and command a group of seven magic-knight girls, and even to boost their relationship in a way that resembles Red Entertainment cult classic Sakura Wars (Sakura Taisen).

Below you can look at some original artworks, portraits, in-game screenshots, SD comics, small animations and sample from the FMVs all taken from the official japanese site, by now long dead.

Images: 

Dark Empire [GBA – Cancelled]

Dark Empire is an unreleased RPG that was in development by Marvelous Entertainment for the GameBoy Advance. This project was previusly unknown, untill an auction for its prototype was posted by Sample_Seller on Ebay in June 2009. As we can read from the item description:

DARK EMPIRE for the Gameboy Advance !!

RARE ORIGINAL SAMPLE/PROMO VERSION !!

FIRST ONE EVER FOUND !!

Will run on any US Gameboy Adance system. Original promo/sample game was never released or completed, game is playable but only around 30% complete. Very good graphics for Gameboy Advance, you have a world map, a castle you can go to and a village. Ingame text is Japanese, developer most probably Marvelous Entertainment.

It’s fun to notice how the developers used some real photos (as one of Mel Gibson from the Braveheart film) as placeholders for the characters avatars in the game, before the final ones were finished. The gameplay would have probably been like a traditional RPG / SRPG, and looking at one of the photos added in the auction it seems that there were some 3D scenes too (maybe for the combats?).

Images: