Welcome to Games That Weren't!

We are an Cancelled & Unreleased Video games archive with prototypes, developer history and assets for many computers and consoles of all ages. A non-profit large archive dedicated to preserving lost games that were never released to the public. Sharing history and stories from the developers, assets and more before it is too late. GTW has been preserving lost video game history since 1999.

Please Browse our archive and discover the many entries that we host for many different platforms.

Latest News and Posts

Mars Cops

Posted: by Frank Gasking

1988 Arcana Software

Platforms: Atari ST, Commodore Amiga, Commodore 64

Mars Cops is game that we’ve long covered within our C64 archive and we found after a mention A game in Zzap issue 49 on page 3 – listed as coming soon on the Amiga, Atari ST and C64. A few mentions were done of the game across a few issues, but sadly nothing was to ever surface.

marsshot7

Thanks to contributor Jason Lethert (who has trawled through and dug out a lot of information about the game via archive.org and Stephen Stuttard’s amazing scans), we learn now a lot more about the Amiga and ST editions which seemingly got much further ahead compared to the Commodore 64 edition. We are sceptical that an 8-bit version ever existed, but we keep an open mind until confirmation.

As you might guess, the game has you flying around the Mars terrain, but with a Afterburner’esq viewpoint with your ship travelling along the surface and in space. Perhaps it may even be closer to SEGA’s Galaxy Force, which was released around the same time – was that a major inspiration perhaps? Continue reading →

Posted in: Atari ST, Commodore 64 (C64), Commodore Amiga, Reviews | Tagged: | 7 Comments

Last Ninja collection + unreleased titles

Posted: by Frank Gasking

A quick news post to highlight that System 3 have launched a new Kickstarter to release a special Last Ninja collection on various platforms including PS5, PS4, Switch and PC.

Last Ninja advert image

Why are we reporting this? Well, the Diamond Ultimate Collection tier will offer previously unseen content with demos of Last Ninja 4 for the PC and IK++ on PC.

Unfortunately it has been made clear that the demos cannot be reproduced anywhere else upon release – so at best we’ll add some screenshots and video of the demos in action in the near future.

For more details, visit the Kickstarter page.

Posted in: News, PC | 2 Comments

Hydrogenese – Preview of a game missing for 35 years on the Commodore 64

Posted: by Frank Gasking

Missing for 35 years, a preview of the long lost Hydrogenese on the Commodore 64 has finally been recovered by CBA/SCS+TRC. A brilliant early look at what could have been an amazing space shooter!

In addition to the shooter part of Hydrogenese being recovered, parts of the platformer elements were also saved. These have been added to the download thanks to CBA/SCS-TRC.

Read more about the title at:

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/hydrogenese/

Posted in: GTW64 news, News | Leave a comment

Time Capsule

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1987 Keypunch Software

Platforms: Atari ST, Commodore 64, Atari 400/800, Apple II and PC

A very short entry for a title that was advertised within the manual of Aliants at the very end. Time Capsule was listed as “Coming Soon” and was a strategy action game.

Nothing else is known at this stage, and no version seems to have surfaced for any other platform. If you know anything more – please do get in touch.

With thanks to Michael Huth for highlighting.

Gallery

Posted in: Apple II, Atari 400/800/XL, Atari ST, Commodore 64 (C64), PC, Reviews | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Early Paradroid screens added

Posted: by Frank Gasking

Thanks to Andrew Braybrook, rare prototype Paradroid screens on the Commodore 64 (including early unused “fishbone” designs) were preserved for the excellent Graftgold book by Retro Fusion Books. Many didn’t make it inside, but thanks to Ste Day, here is a glimpse of them all in full.

All the screens can also be viewed in full glory on our prototype page on the game at: https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/paradroid-v1/

To order the Graftgold book, please visit: https://fusionretrobooks.com/products/graftgold
(NOTE: Copies are running out fast!)

Posted in: GTW64 news, News, Prototype, Unused materials | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Planet 10

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1989 Mastertronic

Platforms: ZX Spectrum and Commodore 64

A short entry for a Mastertronic title that never was called Planet 10 – a late title that was due for release back in 1989.

It is thanks to a great article by Simon Plumbe about the game on the ZX Spectrum (which was also unreleased) that we learn about the title for the first time and a potential C64 conversion.

The game itself was created by Davor Magdic, and was reviewed by most major ZX Spectrum magazines of the time but disappeared without a trace and never made it out onto shelves. It was essentially a 3D version of Pac Man and each level was a recreation of the original Namco mazes. Continue reading →

Posted in: Reviews, ZX Spectrum | Tagged: | Leave a comment

Stargate (C64) saved after 40 years!

Posted: by Frank Gasking

Following on swiftly from the amazing recovery of Monster Muncher on the VIC-20, we now have the Commodore 64 edition of Stargate by Atarisoft for you. A long lost development by Tom Griner which has been part of our search for many years now.

It is all thanks to the brilliant Ken Van Mersbergen for his preservation efforts and saving the title for Games That Weren’t to add to its archives. It is another case pretty much closed!

More details at:

https://www.gamesthatwerent.com/gtw64/stargate/

Quick YouTube video of the gameplay:

Posted in: GTW64 news, News | 1 Comment

Monster Muncher

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

1983 Spectrum Games

Platform: Commodore Vic 20

Monster Muncher was a simple Pac Man clone due for release on the Commodore Vic 20 by Spectrum Games back in 1983, and was fully advertised too. The ZX Spectrum version was known to see release and had been available for some time – though the VIC 20 edition was missing.

tape top

What is particularly interesting about this title is that it was written by Matthew Smith of Manic Miner fame, and took a few hours or so to write. According to Matthew, he sold the game to a few people himself, but that was it. Though accounts change slightly in a different interview with Matthew.

Thanks to an interview with Paul Drury at Nottingham’s Screenplay Festival in February 2005, we learn more about the origins of the game… Continue reading →

Posted in: Commodore, Commodore VIC-20, Reviews | Tagged: | 5 Comments

Various C64 preservations

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

As well as preserving unreleased games, we also try and preserve titles which are known to be released, but are not yet digitally preserved. We have another two Commodore 64 games for you today, as well as some extras which are unfortunately not working. Click each title to download.

Million Brick 2

MillionBrick

A previously unpreserved SEUCK sequel by Outlaw-Emix Software in 1991 which has been found and recovered by Csaba Virag on some old disks that were very kindly donated by Zsolt Tarczali (who had sent Csaba hundreds of disks for free). When prompted with “:”, enter “VARAZSOL” (without the quotes).

Heli-Maths

helimaths

A currently unpreserved 1984 educational title from Kerian software. It’s listed on Retrocollector.org with some scans, but there is currently no TAP image and its not in Gamebase 64. This was found in a bundle of games (without an inlay sadly) at Level Up Games in Canterbury.

Unknown BASIC files (Not working)

Along with Heli-Maths, I found a few blank cassettes that had some recordings on. They seem to be BASIC programs that were saved – possibly experiments or type-ins from a magazine. Unfortunately, after numerous attempts to try and load – I didn’t have any joy. The above download are a set of DMP files I created on my DC2N and the outputted TAP files. If you can get anything going, please do get in touch.

With thanks to Csaba Virag, Zsolt Tarczali and Level Up Games (Canterbury) for their help with seeing these items preserved.

Posted in: Commodore 64 (C64), GTW64 news, Preservation | Tagged: | Leave a comment

The Last Job

Posted: , last updated: by Frank Gasking

2005 Acclaim Studios Cheltenham

Platforms: Sony PlayStation 2, Microsoft Xbox

Our next entry into the archive is one where very little is known, but today that is about to change at Games That Weren’t with The Last Job. Not only with details about the game, but an exclusive preview build that you can now download and check out for yourself.

lastjob (21)

As time has gone on since the start of the games industry, the size of the games being produced have meant sadly much larger casualties with a larger impact. Games which have had a year or more spent on them with often tens to hundreds of people putting their life and soul into it – just to be discarded. This sadly would be the case with The Last Job. Continue reading →

Posted in: Microsoft Xbox, Reviews, Sony PlayStation 2 | Tagged: | 1 Comment