don't click here

Hidden Palace prototype releases

Discussion in 'General Sega Discussion' started by drx, May 3, 2016.

  1. evilhamwizard

    evilhamwizard

    Researcher
    1,392
    455
    63
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    [​IMG][​IMG]


    Spyro the Dragon (Jun 15, 1998 prototype)
    Discuss this release on our Discord server!

    Hello everyone! Today we have a nice surprise for you courtesy of hwd45, a nice prototype of the original Spyro the Dragon for the Sony PlayStation!

    This prototype contains a lot of differences in comparison to the final build. Unfinished levels, early level design, different unfinished voice recordings, and much more. hwd45 recorded a lot of footage for this prototype and wrote a write up that will soon go on TCRF very soon.

    Until next time!
     
  2. Ashura96

    Ashura96

    HEROIC VERSE Oldbie
    Oooh. I remember the demo disc version had a handful of things different from the final game. That might have been based off this beta then.
     
  3. Dark Sonic

    Dark Sonic

    Member
    14,631
    1,610
    93
    Working on my art!
    Man things get really weird in that demo in the final world. Gnasty Gnorc was looking verrryyy different at one point.
     
  4. evilhamwizard

    evilhamwizard

    Researcher
    1,392
    455
    63
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG][​IMG]


    Spyro the Dragon (Jul 19, 1998 prototype)
    Discuss this release on our Discord server!

    Hello everyone! It's that time again with yet another prototype of Spyro the Dragon for the Sony PlayStation thanks to Gh0stBlade and hwd45!

    This one is about a month after the previous prototype as well as a month before the first available final version. Despite only being a month before the final, it contains quite a few number of differences. For instance, the title screen still hasn't been completed and lacks the intro or ending cutscenes. Many of the dragons within the game still lack dialog throughout the game, and most of the music track ordering is the same as the previous prototype still.

    Until next time!
     
  5. evilhamwizard

    evilhamwizard

    Researcher
    1,392
    455
    63
    [​IMG]

    .Hack Infection Part 1 (Jan 9, 2004 prototype)
    Amplitude (May 27, 2003 prototype)
    Black (Aug 16, 2005 prototype)
    BMX XXX (Oct 9, 2002 prototype)
    Capcom Fighting Jam (Oct 29, 2004 prototype)
    Carol Vorderman's Sudoku (Jun 7, 2006 prototype)
    Cold Winter (Feb 9, 2005 prototype)
    Crisis Zone (Jun 18, 2004 prototype)
    Dead to Rights (Apr 25, 2003 prototype)
    eJay Club World: The Music Making Experience (Jun 27, 2002 prototype)
    EyeToy: Play (Mar 19, 2003 prototype)
    Guilty Gear Isuka (Oct 6, 2004 prototype)
    King of Fighters 2002 (Apr 7, 2005 prototype)
    Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes (Aug 8, 2002 prototype)
    Midnight Club: Street Racing (Oct 17, 2000 prototype)
    Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny (Jul 24, 2002 prototype)
    RoboCop (May 14, 2001 prototype)
    Soulcalibur III (Oct 4, 2005 prototype)
    Syphon Filter: Dark Mirror (Jun 22, 2007 prototype)
    Tekken 4 (Jun 13, 2002 prototype)
    TimeSplitters 2 (Aug 25, 2002 prototype)
    TimeSplitters: Future Perfect (Jan 7, 2005 prototype)
    Transformers (Mar 22, 2004 prototype)
    Viewtiful Joe (Sep 2, 2004 prototype)
    Warhammer 40,000 - Fire Warrior (Jul 7, 2003 prototype)
    Without Warning (Aug 8, 2005 prototype)
    XIII (Aug 7, 2003 prototype)
    XIII (Jul 31, 2003 prototype)
    Hello everyone! Today we'd like to share with you a nice assortment of confirmed PlayStation 2 prototypes that were acquired during our community group buy. This lot covers prototypes for various systems such as the PlayStation, PlayStation 2, original Xbox, and much more. This is just a fraction of what we were able to acquire through the efforts of our very own community! We were even able to acquire a few more prototypes as well. In the upcoming weeks, we'll be sharing all the prototypes that we were able to confirm as being different from the final build. Check out the group buy lot page for a complete list of all the prototypes that were acquired from this lot specifically, including items that were identified as final or matched a preexisting dump.


    We'd like to thank all those who donated for all the prototypes featured in this lot. We'd like to thank b-damandude, baruk0, Cliff Racer, DarthDub, Demon, DRW, burninrubber0, ehw, Fred Wood, HorrorTroll, kabojnk, KailoKyra, Kneesap, kuriatsu, LedInfrared, mementomori, RetroReversing.com, Sazpaimon, StarlightChaos, The Swarming Dark, TheAdmiester, TiKAL, TONY9675, XJR9000, mlk, ZeaLiTy, and Zoda-Y13. Without your help we would have never been able to acquire and preserve so many prototypes.

    Next week we'll be releasing the prototypes that were discovered for the original PlayStation. Stay tuned for some more treats very soon!

    Until next time!

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Overlord

    Overlord

    Now playable in Smash Bros Ultimate Moderator
    19,218
    965
    93
    Long-term happiness
    Carol Vorderman's Sudoku to Viewtiful Joe.... quite a spread of genres. Nice work, as always.
     
  7. evilhamwizard

    evilhamwizard

    Researcher
    1,392
    455
    63


    Welcome back, everyone! Today we'd like to share with you the PlayStation prototypes that were acquired during our community group buy that was held back in February this year. As a reminder, this lot covers prototypes for various systems such as the PlayStation, PlayStation 2 (which we released last week), the original Xbox, and much more. Again, this is just a fraction of what we were able to acquire through the help of our very own community! Since February, we were able to acquire a few more prototypes from the same lot as well. Each prototype (except for Cardinal Syn) was dumped with DiscImageCreator and various Plextor drives for Redump submission. The list above includes only the items that were confirmed to be prototypes. Anything that was a perfect match for the final was added to the list that you can check out on this page.

    There are a few standout items in this part of the lot. The highlight of the lot is a prototype of the canceled, unreleased PlayStation port of Killing Time! Acclaim acquired the rights to three of Studio 3DO's games so that they could port to various consoles. Even though a tentative release date was announced in Electronic Gaming Monthly, this was the only game acquired by Acclaim that never saw a release on any other console aside from the 3DO and personal computers. Be sure to check it out!


    Stay tuned for some more treats very soon!

    Until next time!
     
  8. Travelsonic

    Travelsonic

    Member
    826
    20
    18
    Woah a Dance Dance Revolution (in this case, Dancing Stage (specifically DancingStage EuroMIX for the PSX)) prototype? MY DDR hacking/research senses are tingling with excitement IRRESPECTIVE of how much is or isn't different!

    (A part of me hopes that some day more protos from this series find their way to the public - but irrespective of if that ever happens, I am thankful for the taste(s) of DDR prototypes we get whenever we get them.)
     
    Last edited: Sep 17, 2020
  9. Ashura96

    Ashura96

    HEROIC VERSE Oldbie
    Would love to see more bemani prototypes in general, however non-western prototypes (esp arcade releases are unlikely) given Konami's nature. Would love to see early prototypes of the first beatmania when it was called DJ GROOVE and DJ BEATS.
     
  10. evilhamwizard

    evilhamwizard

    Researcher
    1,392
    455
    63
    [​IMG]

    Battle Arena Toshinden URA (Nov 7, 1996 prototype)
    Bust A Move (Jul 30, 1998 prototype)
    Cool Boarders 3 (Jul 1, 1998 prototype)
    Dancing Stage Fusion (Jul 8, 2004 prototype)
    Dancing Stage Unleashed (Jul 1, 2003 prototype)
    Diver's Dream (Jan 14, 1999 prototype)
    Fighter Maker (Oct 7, 1999 prototype)
    Freedom Fighters (Jul 15, 2003 prototype)
    Full Spectrum Warrior (Mar 22, 2005 prototype)
    Gradius III and IV (Sep 11, 2000 prototype)
    Kensei: Sacred Fist (Nov 2, 1998 prototype)
    MTV Sports: Snowboarding (Sep 17, 1999 prototype)
    Maximum Force (Jul 24, 1997 prototype)
    Mega Man Legends (May 8, 1998 prototype)
    Mortal Kombat 4 (Apr 2, 1998 prototype)
    Mortal Kombat Trilogy (Aug 26, 1996 prototype)
    Psychic Force 2 (Nov 9, 1999 prototype)
    Rival Schools: United by Fate (Aug 13, 1998 prototype)
    Rogue Ops (Nov 6, 2003 prototype)
    Sega GT Online (Oct 3, 2003 prototype)
    Shaolin (May 25, 1999 prototype)
    Streak Hoverboard Racing (Oct 3, 1998 prototype)
    Strider 2 (May 30, 2000 prototype)
    The Dukes of Hazzard: Racing for Home (Sep 17, 1999 prototype)
    Time Crisis: Project Titan (Feb 9, 2001 prototype)
    Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Lockdown (Jan 21, 2005 prototype)
    Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 2 (Jul 10, 2000 prototype)
    U-Move Super Sports (May 21, 2004 prototype)
    Discuss this release on our Discord server!

    Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
    Last month we were offered yet another pick from the same lot. The community came through and were able to acquire a little over 50 of the 60 or so discs available!
    We'd like to thank all those who donated for all the prototypes featured in this lot. We'd like to thank andlabs, b-damandude, baruk0, Cliff Racer, DarthDub, Demon, DRW, burninrubber0, ehw, Fred Wood, GoldS, Hexatendo, HorrorTroll, kabojnk, KailoKyra, Kneesap, kuriatsu, LedInfrared, mementomori, Missle, OKeijiDragon, Protodude, RetroReversing.com, Sappharad, Sazpaimon, StarlightChaos, The Swarming Dark, TheAdmiester, TiKAL, TONY9675, XJR9000, mlk, ndiddy, Quazz, Xkeeper, ZeaLiTy, and Zoda-Y13. Without your help we would have never been able to acquire and preserve so many prototypes.

    Stay tuned for some more treats very soon!

    Until next time!
     
  11. evilhamwizard

    evilhamwizard

    Researcher
    1,392
    455
    63
    [​IMG]
    Final Fantasy (Prototype)

    Discuss this release on our Discord server!

    Hello everyone! Today we’re shifting gears and focusing on an early English localization prototype of the original Final Fantasy for the NES, courtesy of Stephan Reese (check out his YouTube channel here)!
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    [​IMG][​IMG]
    [​IMG][​IMG]


    This prototype contains a large number of text differences in comparison to the final US release. This prototype is from before Nintendo's standards department had their way with the script and took out all the references to death/killing/religion. Have fun!​
     
  12. evilhamwizard

    evilhamwizard

    Researcher
    1,392
    455
    63

    A storm is brewing, capable of transforming the land with every downpour.
    Introducing, one of the biggest endeavors that we have taken yet.

    It’s been a while since our last release back on New Years day. In the months before and since that release, we have been working on something truly special - a project so massive it practically eclipses everything that we’ve tackled up until this point. The only thing comparable was back on February 23rd, 2008 (over ten years ago) where we released over one thousand prototypes for various Sega consoles from old QA department backups. Since then, there have been many releases that have come close to matching the amount of content that could be found in a single release. But up until now, including our own efforts, they have only focused on specific periods of gaming history or specific products, companies, etc. Until today.

    Today we are introducing the first part of Project Deluge, an ongoing project to assess a gigantic lot of various video game prototypes, pre production assets, and archival material spanning multiple console generations. These aging items were miraculously rescued from being destroyed, thrown away, or sold through the herculean efforts of ‘’’one person’’’. This person not only took on the task of backing up everything in their possession ‘’’single handedly’, but was so overwhelmingly kind enough to let us look at and preserve each item in his collection with no strings attached. Yes that’s right, all of it. For nothing in return.

    So for the first part of the lot, we would like to present to you over 700 unique prototype builds for the PlayStation 2! Since the list of builds is so massive, we had to relocate the list to its own page that you can access here! Compressed, this brings a total of about 860 gigabytes of data. For obvious reasons, we chose not to host the matched builds but we are keeping a public record of each one and any interesting properties that can be found in them in a table that you can check out here. Eventually, we will be populating the site with various other assets from the lot as well, so keep an eye on this page in the coming months.

    We would like to thank all the members of the Project Deluge team for helping us with this project so far. Without your help, it would’ve taken eons for anything to come about. We’d like to thank Jason Scott from the Internet Archive for giving us an opportunity to go through this journey and for providing the hosting for this ongoing project, and Iniche for working with the owner of all of these wonderful builds to make it all happen. Special thanks to Master Emerald for once again creating beautiful art for us to help make each of our releases something special (especially on short notice!). We’d like to thank drx and ehw for writing the scripts and helping get the project initially off the ground, and Sazpaimon for taking everything much further by expanding the capabilities of the script, running some of the builds on hardware, the streams, and so much more. And last but certainly not least, we’d like to thank all of our researchers (Zoda-Y13, GopherGirl, Xkeeper (TCRF), Rusty (TCRF), Shoemanbundy, Hwd45, SolidSnake, DigitalWarrior, Nex, and Drac) for taking the time to help us go through every single build in this lot so far (and all those delectable sports prototypes).

    Well, that’s it for now folks! As this lot is an actively on going project, we do not have a tentative release schedule. However, be prepared for the next part of the lot real soon. More is on the way, so hang on tight! Also be sure to be on the lookout on The Cutting Room Floor (TCRF) for some more detailed research of the items featured in the lot in the coming months ahead.

    Until next time, have fun everyone!
     
  13. biggestsonicfan

    biggestsonicfan

    Model2wannaB Tech Member
    1,608
    406
    63
    ALWAYS Sonic the Fighters
    It's fucking massive...
     
  14. Flygon

    Flygon

    Member
    That is mindbogglingly gigantic.

    All the effort to make this possible, too. Incredible.
     
  15. Travelsonic

    Travelsonic

    Member
    826
    20
    18
    3 DANCE DANCE REVOLUTION PROTOTYPES?!?!?!?!

    **NERDGASMS**

    "Holy jumpin' fuckin' shit-balls!" - George Carlin

    EDIT: Missed that a prototype of Dancing Stage Fusion was released a year a month and a day ago.... **double-nerdgasms**
     
    Last edited: Mar 21, 2021
  16. Black Squirrel

    Black Squirrel

    no reverse gear Wiki Sysop
    8,543
    2,465
    93
    Northumberland, UK
    steamboat wiki
    That's quite the thing

    Well done to all those involved!
     
  17. Ashura96

    Ashura96

    HEROIC VERSE Oldbie
    I was initially excited but so far there really isn't much to them other than one having placeholder graphics and one of them being dated after the final release.
     
  18. Travelsonic

    Travelsonic

    Member
    826
    20
    18
    IMO, unused GFX alone isn't the most spectacular, but still, I like having prototypes from these games in general, so I'll take it.

    (in some of the prototypes IIRC there was also unused or alternate step charts, and other data - especially apparent in the Ultramix proto released last year. Actually, that the DLC was IN THE FUCKING GAME pissed me off - even though it was what, $5 each for each pack (bought them all back in the day - especially since the song that got me hooked on the game/is still my favorite, Burning Heat! (3 Option Mix) was among the DLC), something about that stuff being in the game already but being paywalled pisses me off. XD )

    I do find, on the DS Fusion prototype, it quite interesting that the FreeZe! graphic/judgment label that is seen in every judgment graphic sheet from MAX onward, but unused, was actually translated into German, Spanish, French, and Italian.
     
    Last edited: Mar 22, 2021
  19. Elratauru

    Elratauru

    Little Shiny Emurralds Member
    I've seen the Project Deluge announcement on Twitch (and I followed it all along) but I still wanted to say thanks so freaking much for all this massive dump of protos.

    That stuff is godlike, so much history in each of these protos. Been browsing the differences for a few ones I was interested and holy crap, it confirms some speculation I had before on some game decisions.
     
  20. Tiberious

    Tiberious

    Yeah, I'm furry. Got a problem? Oldbie
    777
    15
    18
    The part that has me most excited is "spanning multiple console generations".

    Hoping this means a bunch of 16-bit protos too. Awaiting that stream eagerly.