Every game that was never released for the spectrum!
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| EVERY GAME THAT WAS NEVER RELEASED FOR THE SPECTRUM!
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Of particular interest:
The Games:
This was advertised at the same time as 19 Part 1 – Boot Camp. The first game saw the player taking part in a number of training exercises, with this sequel placing the player in Vietnam. Cascade, however, disappeared soon after 19 Part 1.
Conversion of Commodore 64 game. Reported in T’zers in issue 4 of Your Sinclair.
Possible 128K version of the game mentioned in issue 47 of Sinclair User.
This is mentioned in T’zers in issue 12 of Your Sinclair. The game was unreleased by Activision but did eventually appear as 3DC by Hit Pak. First, an unnamed board game previewed in Issue 2 of Your Spectrum who reported that A & F had “recently signed the rights to a new title, launched recently at Earls Court toy fair.” Second, from issue 6 of Your Spectrum another unnamed game (who knows what the hell this was supposed to be!):”It’s a brilliant idea and we’ve already got a lot of the graphics done. But I can’t say any more at the moment.”
A series of Q & A general knowledge games. Mentioned in issue 6 of Your Spectrum which reports that the first in the series will probably be A Question of Sport.
Crash issue 47 carried a feature on the 200AD games which Piranha were planning. The article mentions at the end that Piranha are considering a game based on this strip.
Previewed in Your Sinclair.
Game based on Russ Abbott’s television character (well, it probably sounded like a good idea at the time!). Advertised for both Spectrum and Commodore 64, only the C64 version was ever released.
Ocean advertised this game in late 1984/early 1985. Elite in fact obtained the licence to produce the Airwolf game, so Ocean’s version never appeared.
Mentioned in issue 45 of Sinclair User in the feature on St Brides.
Previewed in Sinclair User, the game is a: “Multi-stage spacey shoot out which plays at about every orientation you could imagine. You can fly a space ship vertically up the screen, shooting and bombing, you can fly a space ship sideways across the screen, and you can go sideways and diagonally and every other way in a plan-view section...” Sounds brilliant!
Interviewed in issue 32 of Sinclair User, he states, “I was tempted to do Android 3…but I decided to leave it for another day.”
Previewed in issue 79 of Crash.
The sequel to Panzadrome. First reported in T’zers in Your Sinclair number 1. The game was to first be published by Ariolasoft but a later report appeared stating that Activision were to publish the game.
An unfinished game which Don Priestly mentions in his interview on I’ve Started So I’ll Finish.
Sequel to Assignment East Berlin. Reported in issue 33 of Sinclair User.
A finished game which was unreleased. Simon Cobb refers to this game in the article on Lothlorien in issue 8 of Crash.
A conversion of the arcade game of the same name, A demo of the game was featured on the cassette on the front of issue 64 of Your Sinclair. TZX reports that “the game was scrapped when Activision wound down their Spectrum game development.”
This was to be the second in Global’s series of games based on the Golden Turkey films.
Matthew Smith had been quiet for three years after the release of Jet Set Willy when Willy Meets the Taxman failed to appear. This game was heavily advertised during 1987 and was much hyped as his great comeback game. An interesting preview of the game appeared in the June 87 issue of Sinclair User. “Speedy scrolling roads with some trucks and some birds and a dog (for that’s what the game entails) may not sound like the makings of wonderful epic but, technically, it’s pretty damned neat. The graphics are enormous and everything zooms around at impressive speed. It’s looking very good, and, let’s face it, it’s been three years in the making, and so it really ought to be. Gameplay-wise it seems a little freaky, as it seems to involve not a great deal other than running left and right on the screen and trying not to get either run down by a truck or bombed by a chicken.” Apparently Smith was unhappy with the finished product and it was not released. The game was re-written (not by Matthew Smith) and was eventually released by Software Projects as Star Paws.
Game based on the short-lived American TV series. Bug-Byte did release the Commodore 64 version of the game, which was fairly awful. The Spectrum version was previewed in issue 9 of Your Spectrum: “…the game will begin with an underworld consortium having stolen the design of a program to create and control Automan, which they use to produce an evil facsimilie. That, of course, will never do, so it’s up to the player to find the imposter’s controller and destroy the program – a task which will only be possible after working through the game’s two main modules. The first of these will be a cartoon adventure in which animated characters move around on what John [Phillips] describes as a lifelike display, while carrying a variety of objects and performing an equally varied selection of tasks. Exactly what these objects are or what dangerous deeds are to be performed, JP isn’t saying. Anyway, on to phase two. This is where it’ll all happen, because the imposter’s controller will have to be chased through a 3D display of Manhatten skyscrapers to his home base, where there’ll be a cartoon showdown as to try to destroy this techno-criminal’s computer and black out the imposter Automan.” The game was supposed to be completed for Christmas 1984.
From issue 41 of Sinclair User: “An arcade adventure with similar graphics to Alien 8 (again?). Baal, an apprentice devil must prove his worth before being allowed to steal souls from earth. Work your way up the levels to get out of hell.” It was supposed to be scheduled for an August 1985 release.
Backpackers Guide to the Universe Part 1 was billed as the first part of a trilogy. Sadly, Fantasy disappeared soon after they released the first game.
Perhaps the most (in)famous of all the Spectrum unreleased games. Probably the best article on the story behind the game can be found in issue 12 of Crash in The Biggest Commercial Break of Them All (available on the on-line version), which tells the story about the television program which charted Imagine’s downfall. Briefly, Imagine were one of the most publicity-hungry company’s of their day. From early 1984 they began publicising their so-called Megagames, Bandersnatch for the Spectrum and Psyclapse for the Commodore 64, and a number of different adverts appeared during the year for the games in the computer press. Imagine had said that they had reached the limit of the capabilities of the Spectrum and planned to release the game with a hardware add-on which would increase the Spectrum's memory. Various reports suggested that the game would costs anywhere between £20 to £40. The game though was never finished and Imagine collapsed during about the Autumn of 1984. On Games That Weren’t Marc Dawson comments that the Megagames had reached “quite an advanced stage and looked incredible.” The game never appeared despite the fact that Ian Heatherington and Dave Lawson formed a company called Fireiron (nb – I have also seen reports saying this company was called Finchspeed) and planned to release the game for Sinclair Research for the QL either on ROM cartridge or Microdrive. Some of the programmers who worked on Bandersnatch went on to form Denton Designs and their first game Gift from the Gods was described as a “direct descendant” of the ill-fated Megagame. The central character in Gift was said to be very similar to the one in Bandersnatch. The game also made an appearance for the Atari ST in the guise of Brattacus, released by Psygnosis, a company also formed by messrs Heatherington and Lawson. Marc Dawson comments on GTW that Brattacus was a mixture of Bandersnatch and Psyclapse.
A beat ‘em up which was previewed in issue 14 of Your Sinclair and the August 1988 issue of Sinclair User. The game was released for the Commodore 64.
Simon Butler refers to this game in his ZX Specticle interview. He says that the game used the same engine as Hunchback The Adventure and was basically an excuse by Ocean to milk the Batman licence. It was apparently finished but never released. Of this he comments that it was “no great loss.”
This game was advertised in 1985 by Gremlin and was also the subject of a Crash design the loading screen competition. Screenshots of the game are featured in July 1985’s issue of Crash in the feature on Gremlin Graphics which contains the following description of the game: “Beaver Bob in Dam Trouble is described by Ian [Stewart], as a game for the slightly younger player, which isn’t to say that it’s easy. Above the surface of the river, stands a wooden hut with several floors. This platform section of the game sees Beaver Bob collecting dynamite. Below the surface of the river are the beaver’s two dams, and a secret hideaway where he keeps food and is able to take a breath. The river is infested with crocodiles which not only eat beavers, but also steal dam logs. The object is to replace the stolen logs to keep the level of the reservoir up, whilst avoiding crocodiles, schools of piranha and hunting scuba divers.”
This was mentioned in the interview in issue 14 of Crash with the artist Steinar Lund, who designed the cover for the game: “I haven’t seen the game…The brief was that it was in a blue tunnel with the red rings which you sort of had to blast away, but I have no clear ideas as to what the game was really like.”
This is mentioned in issue 2 of Your Spectrum. The game was to be an arcade game and feature the player as a boy scout doing various jobs.
Conversion of BBC Micro game. Reported in issue 17 of Your Spectrum,
The game was completed and garnered good reviews in Crash, Sinclair User and Your Sinclair. However, Destiny went out of business and the game was never released. It did eventually appear as a Crash covertape game.
He says on I’ve Started So I’ll Finish that he wrote ¾ of a Colossal Cave type game which was never finished.
War game mentioned in the article on the company in issue 27 of Crash.
Mentioned in T’zers in issue 18 of Your Sinclair.
From issue 5 of Your Spectrum: “Another project currently under wraps at BB is a, so far, unnamed little number where the player guides a person through a 3D world and views a variety of passing objects through their eyes. Says BB’s Trevor Hall, “We don’t know what the storyline will be yet. It could be an adventure, or perhaps like Manic Miner, where you have to pick up objects.” But whatever the theme, the word is the game’s real attraction will be the ability to show objects getting larger as they are approached, and diminishing as our character moves away from them.”
Written and reviewed in Sinclair User. Artic were forced to withdraw the game because of a copyright infringement with the Andrew Lloyd-Weber musical of the same name. It was slightly re-written and released as Paws.
Reported in issue 14 of Your Sinclair. A Commodore 64 version was released.
Your Spectrum issue 4 reported that Channel 8 were working on a game and trying to secure a licence for one of IPC magazines characters.
A racing game based on Formula Ford 2000. It was mentioned in Sinclair User issue 41.
Circus game mentioned in issue 10 of Your Sinclair.
Arcade conversion which Imagine advertised at the same time as their other Konami conversions, such as Green Beret.
Reported in issue 11 of Crash.
Reported in issue 11 of Crash
Previewed in issue 71 of Sinclair User. The game is set on All Hallows Eve. You play the part of a witch who must take over all 13 witches covens in the world so that they don’t take over the earth. The preview says, “…the whole thing takes place on broomsticks. Lots of spells to collect and magic to perform.”
Crossword puzzle game. Reported in T’zers in issue 4 of Your Sinclair.
Adventure game advertised towards the end of 1984 and featured in issue 9 of Your Spectrum. The report says that the aim of the game is being kept quiet but “the final program will feature a few railway carriages littered about and a ventriloquist’s dummy (who just happens to be a prince who’s been zapped by a spell in some time in the distant past)…”
Previewed in magazines and advertised during 1987.
Advertised in 1992. Games That Weren’t reports that the Commodore 64 version was completed but Hi-Tec went into liquidation before they could release it. It’s likely therefore that this was also the fate of the Spectrum version.
Mentioned in issue 2 of Crash in the article on Starzone.
Planned conversion of the Dragon games Franklin’s Tomb, Lost in Space and Fishy Business which comprised the trilogy. The games were to be released as a set for £14.95. Reported in issue 7 of Your Spectrum.
Mentioned in issue 9 of Your Sinclair in the T’zers column. Beyond did produce a Commodore 64 version of the game.
Previewed in issue 77 of Crash.
This game was advertised in the earlier part of 1984.
Dave Perry mentioned in an interview in issue 32 of Crash that he was working on a new game with Chris Hinsley which “concerns bendy cylindrical rubber-like doobries”!
A Gauntlet clone “with a difference.” Mentioned in T’zers in issue 16 of Your Sinclair.
The game was advertised quite extensively in 1985 by Durell and was completed but not considered good enough for release. An article in issue 25 of Crash remarked: “although halfway through the project there was a moment when it looked like the game might make a commercial release, it didn’t come up to scratch.” Clive Townsend, however, did use some of the routines from this game in the programming of Saboteur.
I don’t think this was ever advertised by Atarisoft but both issue 2 and 3 of Your Specturm and issue 1 of Crash mentioned that Atarisoft would probably release an official version of the arcade game for the Spectrum.
Game based on the television series. It was advertised in late 1984/early 1985.
Issue 36 of Crash revealed that John Heap, of Denton Designs, was working on a game based on ancient Egypt. Staurt Fotheringham reveals on I’ve Started So I’ll Finish that he did “all the graphics in a couple of complete, but unreleased Denton Designs action/strategy games.”
Issue 46 of Sinclair User carried a report the Electric Dreams were planning on re releasing this game.
Mentioned in T’zers in issue 18 of Your Sinclair.
On I’ve Started So I’ll Finish he mentions a completed game, the last he worked on, which he sold to Alternative Software at the same time as Up For Grabs: “It was a bouncing ball game, hi res monochrome and consisted of about a dozen “rooms”, with the player looking down. The ball bounced between the “screen” and the floor. I can’t remember what it was called…”
Previewed quite extensively and much-delayed. Only the Commodore 64 version was ever released.
Classic Atari/Commodore 64 game. On I’ve Started So I’ll Finish Mark J. Jones says that “I did the graphics for the Speccy version of Dropzone which didn’t come to anything…”
Crash issue 12 reported that Softstone had bought the rights to produce a game based on the book/film Dune. The player would be “able to choose more arcade or strategy content during play.”
Mentioned in The Games That Time Forgot on the TZX site.
Mentioned in issue 13 of Your Sinclair.
Sequel to Eureka reported in T’zers in Your Sinclair issue 2.
Mentioned in an interview with Platinum Productions in issue 21 of Crash. This was a re-written version of their earlier game of the same name written in the style of Robotron. The article mentions that Software Projects were interested in publishing the game but nothing ever came of it.
The unfinished third game in the would-be Lords of Midnight/Doomdark’s Revenge trilogy. The games were planned as a trilogy from the start and Eye of the Moon was mentioned as early as issue 5 of Crash. Directory: Spectrum Spectrum -> Comments on the Digital Dividend Spectrum Reallocation Discussion Paper Spectrum -> Idea: a collaborative Organizational Design Process Integrating Innovation, Design, Engagement, and Action Spectrum -> Be The Dream 925 S. Sailfish Dr Spectrum -> Spectrum Management for a Converging World: Case Study on Australia International Telecommunication Union Download 155.86 Kb. Share with your friends:
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