The Best Games Never Published

This may have been covered before but this is the first time I've seen it so I thought I'd mention it here. TwitchGuru.com has made a list of what they consider some of the best games that never got published.

Among those covered is Origins Ultima Online 2/Ultima Worlds Online (which also contains a mention of Privateer Online).

Another noteable game they cover (at least for me anyway) is Babylon 5:Into The Fire .

Also on the site is an article about space flight sims. There are several mentions of Wing Commander here, including the authors hope for a new "non-arcade" entry in the Wing Commander series.
 
Our favorite Space Sim series had a couple of unfinished (or not even started) projects like the Maniac Missions and Privateer 3. Wing Commander 2 for SNES comes to mind as well.

I believe there was a Starfox 2 game that never made the market, despite early development pictures, high buzz and a long development time before it was canned.
 
Any unreleased Wing Commander game

Babylon 5: Into The Fire

Stargate SG-1: The Alliance

Final Fantasy 8 (PS2 version)*

Final Fantasy 7 (PS3 version)*


*The two final fantasy games are not really unreleased games as Square never intended to release them on the new systems. But they did create tech demos using a updated scene from FF8 (showing off the graphics of the PS2 before its launch) and the intro to FF7 (showing off the graphics of the PS3 before its launch). And each time the internet was full of rumours that were going to release new versions of the games on those systems.
 
This is currently being released in episodes via GameTap.

Sam & Max: Season One is (legally) distinct from the cancelled Sam & Max: Freelance Police title.

My holy grail is Wing Commander 2 for the SNES. It's Wing Commander 2 rebuilt from the ground up for the SNES in 1995. The game was completely finished, shipped off to Japan and never seen again. If you've seen the screenshots, you'll know why this is so cool - it has stuff like full color VDUs and Ferrets with different cockpits...

After that comes Wing Commander III for the Saturn, which was apparently very close to completion. Wing Commander III ports can be amazingly unique (3DO) or slavishly exact copies (Mac, PSX). Who knows where it would have fallen?

Wing Commander Prophecy DVD would have been on here... but, of course, we've all played that now;) Thanks, me!
 
Yup, thanks LOAF! But in doing so you've set a high bar for yourself, we're all banking on you being the one to convince EA to release WC2 for the PSP or Wii VC :D I'd definately like to see it on the VC, we've already seen a title or two never released outside of Japan so it's the logical next step.
 
I remember when I was starting out on the internet all the buzz was about the Maniac Missions. That really would have been pretty neat.

Was it ever a real project or just the fevered dream of madmen?
 
Sam & Max: Season One is (legally) distinct from the cancelled Sam & Max: Freelance Police title.

True enough. I wonder what was changed after the team left to "finish" the game under their new corporate name...
 
True enough. I wonder what was changed after the team left to "finish" the game under their new corporate name...

Everything, I would guess -- they didn't buy the rights to the characters from Lucasarts, they waited for them to retun to Steve Purcell and then got them. As such, they *don't* own any of the work done on the original game... and I'm betting Lucas is watching them very carefully on this.

Yup, thanks LOAF! But in doing so you've set a high bar for yourself, we're all banking on you being the one to convince EA to release WC2 for the PSP or Wii VC I'd definately like to see it on the VC, we've already seen a title or two never released outside of Japan so it's the logical next step.

Oh, I've done things since then... :) I talked to EA about finding WC2 for EA Replay 2, but my understanding is that they were unable to locate a copy... and then EA Replay 2 itself became a 'finished and missing' game. I've pretty much run into a road block with WC2 - EA doesn't have it, none of the developers have it, there's no prototype known to be in private hands...

My best guess for 'next coup' would be the unedited movie. That one has at least been confimed to exist...

Damn, I wish they had released Ultima X.

Or Worlds of Origin: Ultima Adventures: Origin Chronicles: Ultimax: Commanderateer.

Was it ever a real project or just the fevered dream of madmen?

It was never more than an informal pitch. The fan idea comes from a quote about it in CGW, so it is something Origin came up with... but it never actually had any material generated like something like Strike Team or Privateer 3.
 
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