Welcome to Games That Weren't 64!
We cover Cancelled & Unreleased Video games for the Commodore 64 computer. A non-profit large archive dedicated to preserving lost games that were never released to the public, as well as prototypes and the odd preservation of released titles. Our aim to share 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 and have saved over the years.
Latest News and Posts
GTW64 September 2024 update
As we leave Summer and begin to enter into Autumn, we have more updates to the Commodore 64 archive with the following for the month:
Stargate found!
If you missed it earlier this month, then the long lost AtariSoft development of Stargate has been recovered.
5 new entries added
Harris House Software titles, Mission Extreme, Monster Bash, Sinister, Time Capsule
10 updates added
7 Minutes To Midnight, Black Cauldron, Championship Run, Covermount casualties, Industria 14, Make My Day!, Murder!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles 3, Tetris, Xamitlu
See you next month!
Mars Cops
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.
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
Hydrogenese – Preview of a game missing for 35 years on the Commodore 64
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/
Time Capsule
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
Early Paradroid screens added
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!)
Stargate (C64) saved after 40 years!
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:
Various C64 preservations
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.
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).
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.
GTW64 August 2024 update
Well, after a bit of a break there was quite some backlog to clear. Thank you for all the submissions and also kind words about my Dad. This month we have a slightly larger GTW64 update with the following below – which includes many Novotrade concept titles:
19 new entries added
Altair’s Adventures, Butterflies, Chase on Wheels, Countdown 64, Flight Simulator, Hunting with the Columbia, In Search of the Aurora, Mandragore (Spanish edition), Nightmare around the Falklands, The Astronaut Eater, The Flintstones V1, The Blob, Unknown Chinese puzzle game, Unknown boat game, Unknown four-part game, Which one out of Seven, Whuppie Tale, Windsurf, Zoids 2
19 updates added
A stack of updated entries too to keep you busy, and with hopefully some findings around the corner:
Apprentice, Arthur, Ball Breaker, Black Bandit, Born In Space, Centurion Software titles, Cyber Cop, Freewheel Burning, Gremlins: Part 2, Memory Man, Metal Army, Moreta – Dragonlady Of Pern, Ooze, Quark, Software House, Splish Splash, Telmar’s Gold, Unnamed Star Trek game, Zzap Italia homebrew
GTW64 July 2024 update
Apologies all – its a very small GTW64 update this month, as my Dad sadly passed away at the beginning of the month. As a result, i’ve been busy making funeral arrangements and sorting out bits and pieces.
Normal service will hopefully start to resume from next week onwards and for next month. Thank you everyone for your support!
1 new entry added
4 updates added
Arthur, Born In Space, Chinese Juggler V1, Game Maker
Dedicated to my Dad – Charlie Gasking (27/06/37 – 03/07/24)
GTW64 June 2024 update
Now in the middle of 2024, a bit of a slow down with new entries with just the one (a second Gremlins adventure game), but also 18 updates to pre-existing entries (check the “History” tab for each for more details), including some major findings on EastEnders (sadly not good news!).
1 new entries added
18 updates added
Alien Vs Predator, Arthur, Beat Em Up, Corporate Raider, EastEnders, Eleroo, Galencia Khaos Sphere, Gremlins, Gunboat, Inside Trader, Maximum Retaliation, Paranoid Pete, Space Raider, Splish Splash, Squad One, Stargate, Sword Of The Samurai, Vietnam Gunboat
See you all next month!
