[monkspider]

Here is an article I wrote regarding some of the more famous prototypes out there. Hopefully the fine community here will find some enjoyment in it.
http://www.examiner.com/x-5349-Wichita-Video-Game-Examiner~y2009m4d8-Eight-legendary-prototype-versions-of-famous-videogames

[Smeg]

Two Resident Evil games but no California Raisins? For shame.

[monkspider]

Fear not, I have a followup article planned that will focus on completely unreleased games. This one was more focused on early versions of games that eventually came out.

[Tongueman]

Call me a grumpy old [unpublished] man, but doesn't the Wichita Examiner employ even one editor?

Paragraph 2,3, etc: "Today, we will explore several prototypes that were significantly different than their retail cousins." (s/b "from")

Paragraph 3: "Shinji Mikami createing a game..."

Paragraph 3: "has surfaced on the web__showing multiple encounters..." (2 spaces)

Paragraph 4: "something's wrong but i can't put my finger on it..."

Paragraph 5: "According to lead developer Yu Suzuki, the game's developmentt cost..."

Paragraph 6, 7, 8: "this art house classic actually began it's life on..." (s/b "its")

Paragraph 10: "Hideki Kamiya started work on a follow up." (s/b hyphenated)


Otherwise, an interesting read, of course (but you're kinda writing to the converted here anyway.) :)

[TheRedEye]

[PACHUKA]

plus the article sucks.

[billscat-socks]

That Mario 2 "proto"...not only did no one know of it before, there's barely anything different in it to warrant it a big deal. Unless of course you're one of those idiots ho thinks a supposed "proto" release of what is essentially the final game but on a OMG PAL BOARD AND IT'S TITLED PROTO BY THE SELLER, that's not anywhere near what I'd call legendary, not by a long shot.

[TheRedEye]

[ProgrammingAce]

Just the fact that an NES proto cart made it out of their headquarters is impressive in and of itself...

[Xkeeper]

[Carnivol]

I guess one Resident Evil (3.5) could've been swapped for something like Too Human. But I guess there are other games on the list that just as well could've been swapped out before picking out an RE title. Resident Evil 2 and 4 really do have some rather interesting and radically different versions. Which is rather interesting, considering how awesome the final result of both of them are.

I agree that SMB2 belongs on the list there, though. A nice sample of localization history and the steps taken inbetween start and the goal line.

[Kiddo]

On the note of the Sonic 2 Prototype, various other Sonic prototypes have come around, and one of them is an even earlier prototype - which is notable for having apparently been the prototype displayed and played on various episodes of "Nick Arcade", meaning it was on cable TV years before it was ROM dumped. It's mostly incomplete and has a lot of Sonic 1 holdovers.

Considering the upset that two RE listings caused, though, perhaps it was for the best that only the first major Sonic prototype release was mentioned.

Also, perhaps some various other candidates would include the pre-Gameboy Color Pocket Monsters Gold and Silver versions, pre-StarFox-ified Dinosaur Planet, and, well, if you want to go back into golden-age arcade gaming, "Crazy Otto".