Forgotten Games: Unreleased Gems and Lost Legacies in Gaming History
We remember and talk about high-quality games. Whether they’re standout masterpieces like Dark Souls or safe but beautiful releases like Ghost of Tsushima, these titles are on the lips of every gamer, new or old. They’re well remembered by the public and will likely never fade from public perception.
Ghost of Tsushima
But what about the games that nobody remembers? Forgotten by its creators and remembered only in old gaming magazines, some games never get released. They are doomed to be nothing more than misplaced hopes and unwanted vaporware.
These are the games that were never released. While some fans may mark their passing, they will likely never see the light of day.
Valve’s Unreleased Success
Vaporware is a term for games and products that are never released. While previously worked on by their creators, they were abandoned and forgotten for one reason or another. They're stuck in a state of perpetual limbo, leaving fans wanting more.
The most popular vaporware title has to be Half-Life 2: Episode 3. Valve’s Half-Life 2 was actually very popular with its fans. It was a landmark FPS title, and on release, had critics calling it “the best game ever made.” Its follow-up titles, Half-Life 2: Episode 1 and Half-Life 2 Episode 2, were also well-received, garnering high praise for their cinematic quality, fast, enjoyable gameplay, and interesting story.
Yet, as much hype as these games got, news of Episode 3 slowly died down. Valve talked about it less and less, and its eventual cancellation was quietly announced in uncertain terms. Valve had decided to move away from the episodic format, and the next game they’d make would come when it was ready.
They say hope springs eternal, and with the release of Half-Life: Alyx, fans are looking forward to Valve’s permanent return to the Half-Life series. With no news, though, it does seem like Half-Life is doomed to be half a life.
The Wasted Potential of Duke Nukem
Older fans might remember a once iconic series by the name of Duke Nukem. While earlier titles were 2D platformers, Duke Nukem gained real fame with its transition to FPS, with Duke Nukem 3D. Duke 3D was action-packed and enjoyable, laser-focused on fast, entertaining shootouts. In addition, Duke 3D also had a stand-out personality. Other games had characters like Mario and Pac-Man, wholly focused on their family-friendly image. Duke had no such hesitation. This gun-toting bad-ass was the caricature of every action star of the nineties, complete with one-liners, explosions, and big guns. He was what every kid back then imagined themselves to be - a total action hero straight out of a movie.
Duke Nukem | Courtesy of 3D Realms
Yet, as cool as Duke Nukem was, even he couldn’t make a gaming company release his most hyped-up game. Duke 3D’s sequel got caught in limbo, stuck in development hell. A 2001 trailer showed snippets of what it could’ve been, but it found itself delayed for another decade before Gearbox acquired Duke Nukem and released it to the public in 2011. The sequel eventually came out as Duke Nukem Forever, his latest (and last) game, and was nothing but a shadow of its former self. Its poor quality and awful themes were so distant from the parody character 3D realms had made and proved that the only thing forever about the new Duke was how bad it was.
What really stings, though, isn’t that Duke Nukem Forever was bad but that fans eventually got an unreleased prototype of what it once was. This restoration project is incomplete, but it shows all the potential that has gone to waste. For all intents and purposes, this prototype had been completely scrapped, and it could’ve been trampled so that Gearbox could release an awful, unenjoyable shooter.
Duke Nukem Restoration Project
Legacy of the Forgotten
These are just two examples of games that never saw the light of day. Plenty more never get past the drawing boards, or worse, end up like Prey 2, stuck in development hell and eventually canceled.
It’s lucky people still remember these titles, but how many more risk being forgotten? How many games have had their legacies stripped away and changed, like that Dungeon Keeper and its abominable Dungeon Keeper Mobile? And how many more times will it continue, as we see franchises and series we love slowly get torn apart and destroyed?
This is what happens when people forget a game’s roots. Companies change core features, stray from a series’ identity, and leave us with games that look, feel, and play nothing like their original.
Honoring the Lost
What would Dark Souls be like today if Miyazaki had caved to internal criticisms and made his games easier? How would games like Doom Eternal look if they’d caved to publisher pressure and made it “safer” and by the numbers?
Dark Souls
As gamers, it’s up to us to stop this degradation of long-loved series. We have to support the games that treasure the designs and traditions of their inspirations. Games like Sonar Shock, inspired by System Shock, and JESTER, inspired by retro titles like Pac-Man, are great ways to keep the flame burning and to keep our games alive.
JESTER
Similarly, supporting indie and retro gaming devs is a good start to keep creativity alive. Developers like Nightdive work to rerelease classic titles for the public to enjoy, and independent companies like New Blood help support independent developers.
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About the Author
Alexander Cuaycong is a writer with a passion for history and video game. When he's not busy buried in dusty books, he's out there trying to make his fantasy worlds come true. For him, gaming isn't a hobby so much as a calling, and it's one he's been doing his best to follow. Whether it's reviewing games, or writing about their history, he's on a mission to spread that love with others.
