MALE ANNOUNCER: Teaser trailers and early gameplay videos always get gamers hyped.
But video game development is a difficult process.
Sometimes, even the most promising titles end up in the can.
Welcome to WatchMojo.com and today we'll be counting down our top picks for
the top ten CANCELED video games.
For this list, we selected games that were officially announced
so for those of you looking for "Half-Life 3," it can't make the list
since its development has neither been confirmed nor denied.
In "B.C.," players would have been tasked with developing
a tribe of cavemen, fighting for survival in a dinosaur-infested world.
Realistic ecosystems and food chains were promised,
so if you hunted a certain type of animal too much, it would go extinct
and cause a chain reaction that could lead to long-term catastrophe.
It sounded like a really ambitious idea and it was,
in fact, TOO ambitious.
"B.C." was canceled after its developers determined that its scope was too big
to be completed in a way that would satisfy gamers.
[Character screams]
[Demented laughter]
ANNOUNCER: Just several weeks before it hit stores, publisher Virgin Interactive
had to cancel "Thrill Kill" after they were acquired by Electronic Arts.
After the game got the restrictive "Adults Only" rating from the E.S.R.B.,
The E.A. board eventually decided to cancel the game, citing its gory
and rather offensive nature.
Fortunately for those of you who are sadistic enough to want to try out
this gory fighter, the developers decided to leak the nearly-completed version online,
after the game got canned.
It must suck to work so long and something and then have it canceled
by some board members, but that's business for ya.
The "Arkham" series is awesome, but before those games, there was another
epic story-driven Batman game in development.
"Gotham By Gaslight" was to be based on the comic book series of the same name,
and throws Batman into a Victorian England steampunk setting, where the main villain is Jack the Ripper.
It sounds cool, but unfortunately THQ couldn't secure the franchise rights
to the iconic caped crusader,
and this game was canceled after only one teaser video was seen.
[Men in game shouting threats]
MAN IN GAME, whispering: It's badass.
ANNOUNCER: The original "Prey" fused visceral run-and-gun shooting gameplay
with some interesting mechanics such as the ability to manipulate gravity
and make your Cherokee main character perform "spirit walks."
In "Prey 2," you would have played a human bounty hunter with amnesia,
as he attempted to uncover his past and blast aliens on the planet Exodus.
ALIEN IN GAME: Somebody shoot this mother--! [gunfire]
ANNOUNCER: "Prey 2"'s development was troubled from the start, and after almost six years
in development, the game was canceled because it didn't meet Bethesda's "quality standards."
Six years of work down the drain? Y'ouch!
MAN IN GAME: Then they throw me out of the dojo!
ANNOUNCER: Perhaps no Sega property is as revered by hardcore game as the "Shenmue" series.
[Character grunting and groaning]
ANNOUNCER: We all know of the demise of the Dreamcast, and despite "Shenmue II"
being ported to the XBox, it sold poorly, even with rave reviews.
Sega has no plans to finish the series, and what's worse
is that, according to developers, the story has been completed.
While fans cling to hope that it may still happen, seeing as the budget
for the first two games was a whopping $7 million, it's unlikely that Sega will invest in a third.
MAN IN GAME: No-ooo!
ANNOUNCER: There was a lack of adult-oriented games on the Wii, so it's a shame that "Sadness"
never saw the light of day.
One of the first games announced on the console, "Sadness" mixed
beautiful black-and-white graphics with horror gameplay
that was going to be tense and psychological.
It promised a really unique storyline dealing with mental disorders and
family issues in a bleak Eastern European setting.
The game's release became questionable when no gameplay footage
was ever shown and it was eventually unceremoniously canceled due to development issues.
"Starfox 2" had its plug pulled mere days away from hitting stores
because Nintendo felt that the recently-released Nintendo 64 would translate to poor sales.
The original "Starfox" was an on-rails space shooter with innovative 3D graphics
and "Starfox 2" improved upon its gameplay with a more open-ended
mission structure and bigger fleets of ships.
Fans have translated the completed Japanese version,
so although the game was officially canceled, it's still rather playable
and its strategic layout eventually became part of "Starfox Command" on the DS, so not ALL was lost.
[Triumphant fanfare]
Blizzard also had another project, an MMO known as "Titan," that was canceled recently.
Although, with "Starcraft: Ghost," Blizzard was planning on giving us
an upclose-and-personal look at the much-loved "Starcraft" universe.
In "Ghost," a stealth shooter, you would have controlled a Terran Ghost named Nova,
as she used various gadgets and technologies to sneak her way
through hostile encampments.
Blizzard has a really good track record with its games
So "Ghost" must have been canceled for good reason, right?
MAN IN GAME: There are no maybe's here, lieutenant. They turned their spiny tails and ran away
before the first crop ships had set down.
ANNOUNCER: When Disney purchased LucasFilm in 2013,
they shut down its video game studio, LucasArts.
Previously, "Star Wars: Battlefront 3" got frozen in Carbonite in 2008, and "1313" was dropped
down the Sarlacc pit with the developer's closure.
Simply put, early gameplay footage of "1313" looked spectacular.
It was meant to be the grittier, more violent take on the Star Wars universe
that so many of us have been wanting for so long.
Still, with the confirmed revival of the "Battlefront series,"
one hopes that this highly-anticipated third person shooter is next in line
for an awakening.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
DIDDY KONG: Yee-haw! whoopee!
MAN IN GAME: Turn around when I'm talking to you. Turn around, damn it!
Aah! You broke my nose!
ANNOUNCER: Capcom certainly has a way of breaking the hearts of fans everywhere
by canceling not one, but four highly-anticipated "Mega Man" games.
First, there was "Mega Man Legends 3," which was the long-awaited sequel to the cult classic "Legends"
platformer series.
Then there was "Maverick Hunter," a dark and intense-looking first person shooter.
Then there was the "Mega Man Universe," a sandbox that allowed players to create
and share their own classic, 2D Mega Man -style stages.
Finally, there was an MMO known as "Mega Man Online."
All of these games got the unceremonious chop.
Now, with series creator, Keiji Inafune having left Capcom
to make "Mighty Number Nine," one of the most iconic video game characters of all time
may as well have been canceled himself.
Are you disappointed with this list? Is there a canceled game that you were really looking forward to?
MAN IN GAME: [indistinct]
ANNOUNCER: For more highly-anticipated top tens published every day,
be sure to subscribe to WatchMojo.com
Transcribed by Anthony Caraballo Rodriguez.