Games you were excited to play, only for them to get canceled.

[Tonberry]

Naughty Dog suddenly "grew up" and considered themselves "too mature" for the cartoony style of game that was Jak & Daxter. As such, the concept they had for Jak 4 eventually evolved into something dark and gritty they felt was too removed from the heart of that franchise, which is why Jak 4 morphed into The Last of Us.

While I love The Last of Us, great game, I still cry myself to sleep. I mean if ND aren't gonna do jak with Jak anymore, why not outsource him? Or are they open to outsourcing but no one wants to touch the IP?

It just doesn't seem fair when a franchise like Ratchet just keeps on going and going. Even Sly disappeared off the map after 4 on the PS3.
View attachment 17374

I remember when these screenshots first appeared everyone ridiculed them.

The thing that makes me think canning this was probably a good move is how it’d likely just be a shooter with climbing elements, like Uncharted. I’m not sure personally how a new JD game would play, but I’m happy with the ones we got.

mean if ND aren't gonna do jak with Jak anymore, why not outsource him?

They already did that with Lost Frontier and it was pretty bad.

 

[MegaHiro91]

I remember when these screenshots first appeared everyone ridiculed them.

The thing that makes me think canning this was probably a good move is how it’d likely just be a shooter with climbing elements, like Uncharted. I’m not sure personally how a new JD game would play, but I’m happy with the ones we got.


They already did that with Lost Frontier and it was pretty bad.

I agree that converting the artwork they had into Last of Us was the best move, I am just sad that they completely abandoned all hopes of a Jak 4 because, again, they felt they had grown out of cartoons.

Yes, Lost Frontier was bad, but then give someone else a shot? One studio messing up shouldn't mean the definitive death of the IP. I mean, how many other franchises screw up and are still going strong? Granted these days games are so expensive to make that no studio would dare start a project they don't know for sure will be a home run... but Lost Frontier was on the PS2, yet no else gave the series a try on PS3 or 4?

 

[Tonberry]

I agree that converting the artwork they had into Last of Us was the best move, I am just sad that they completely abandoned all hopes of a Jak 4 because, again, they felt they had grown out of cartoons.

Yes, Lost Frontier was bad, but then give someone else a shot? One studio messing up shouldn't mean the definitive death of the IP. I mean, how many other franchises screw up and are still going strong? Granted these days games are so expensive to make that no studio would dare start a project they don't know for sure will be a home run... but Lost Frontier was on the PS2, yet no else gave the series a try on PS3 or 4?

Not to be pedantic but it was actually a PS2 port of a PSP game
I agree with your sentiment though, they could give it to someone else, but I guess they don’t want to. Outsourcing in that way is still pretty rare in games I feel.

 

[MegaHiro91]

Not to be pedantic but it was actually a PS2 port of a PSP game
I agree with your sentiment though, they could give it to someone else, but I guess they don’t want to. Outsourcing in that way is still pretty rare in games I feel.

I know it was, but I assumed you knew that I knew.

 

[Tonberry]

I know it was, but I assumed you knew that I knew.

Do have the art for Daxter from that same Naughty Dog thing by the way? I was looking for it but couldn’t find it with commentary like that pic anywhere.

 

[RanmyakuIchi's iconRanmyakuIchi]

I know it probably wouldn't even have been that good, but dammit I want to at least play it once.

 

[Lee__Kanker]

SIGH

And Prey 2

 

[Somnia]

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I know it probably wouldn't even have been that good, but dammit I want to at least play it once.

I honestly think it would've been pretty solid. If the fighting game community has taught me anything it's that even the weirdest, jankest games will foster a dedicated scene of people who love it regardless. The dev team had pedigree and contemporary games like KoF: Maximum Impact were fun despite the silliness and complicated legacy.

Besides, it had Strider and Alex in it. It couldn't have been anything but peak!

Prey 2

Maaaan the fact that we lost this game to a hostile takeover by Zenimax/Bethesda is still so fucking depressing. Shame that Human Head never recovered...

Post automatically merged: Jan 29, 2025

Final Fantasy Versus XIII. I know XV exists and is also pretty good, but the brutalist skyscraper-filled gothic story about star-crossed lovers just wasn't the same as the boy brand road trip in rural Texas we ended up getting.

tbf even what we know of Versus tells us that we'd still have plenty of boy band road trip. Game just would have actually had a coherent, finished story and romance :')

 

[What's His Face]

StarCraft: Ghost
Ace Harding: Lost in Las Vegas (NES)
Fireteam Rogue
Megaman Legends 3 (fuck you, Crapcom)
Silent Hills
Eternal Champions: The Final Chapter
Star Wars 1313 (fuck you, too, Disnope)
Dino Crisis 3 & Parasite Eve 3 (no, those abominations using their corpses as their skin do NOT count)

 

[ZombieFish]

The Lost. Loved Irrational, loved where survival horror was going, ate up GameSpot’s previews, but alas.

[EDIT: Wait, what? Turns out it exists and is on Myabandonware. How am I just finding this out? Guess I know what I’m doing tonight.]

 

[dr grim]

Prey 2

Command and conquer generals 2

 

[Trainer Red]

... I'm probably one of a few people that actually fell for the Pokemon Stars hype lol
Even though it turned out that was gonna be a plan B if the Nintendo Switch sales weren't as expected ... they should have released it still !

And I guess Pokemon Z probably counts ? There's enough evidence to suggest it was supposed to have came out in 2015 with all the internal placeholders found and all ~
Ah well Pokemon Legends Z-A kinda makes up for it ... sorta

 

[Jakkaraius]

I was really looking forward to the Highlander game since I'm a huge fan of the movies but sadly it was not meant to be

 

[Comster]

I really wanted to play Sonic X-treme for the Sega Saturn, but I was so disappointed when I found out that the game was cancelled. This happened back in the 1990s.

 

[cjl8336]

I remember being completely geeked out for Sonic Xtreme only for it to never happen - I decided on a PlayStation instead of a Saturn for my birthday in 1997, and the rest is history

 

[King Koopa's iconKing Koopa]

Scalebound and the real Dinosaur Planet.
Also Deep Down. It's not cancelled but the odds of it happening are likely.

 

[stealthRUSH]

I remember anticipating Sonic X-treme on Sega Saturn which never surfaced. Bonk: Brink of Extinction on Xbox 360 was another one, but with low expectations- still was disappointed it was canned.

 

[Ikagura]

I remember anticipating Sonic X-treme on Sega Saturn which never surfaced. Bonk: Brink of Extinction on Xbox 360 was another one, but with low expectations- still was disappointed it was canned.

Wow, they planned Bonk?

But it looks a bit ugly like that Wiiware Adventure Island but I would've been curious to play it.

Sadly in the 00's 2D platformers unless they're indie or Mario they wouldn't survive.

 

[TheWanderer]

So apparently there was a sequel to Total overdose that got axed
Sad tbh it was my favourite childhood game

 

[yona]

vtmb 2 :(

 

[PhrawzT]

vtmb 2 :(

Is it actually cancelled?
I know it has had many planned release dates for the past 2 years that have come and gone.

 

[Lee__Kanker]

There was a trailer for a new ridge racer some years ago...

 

[OmegaPunch's iconOmegaPunch]

There was a trailer for a new ridge racer some years ago...

WHAT?! WHERE?!

 

[Lee__Kanker]

WHAT?! WHERE?!

It was gonna be a switch game :(

Namco was having success on the switch so it made for a good fit..

 

[OmegaPunch's iconOmegaPunch]

It was gonna be a switch game :(

Namco was having success on the switch so it made for a good fit..

You've gotta be kidding me...