The history of gaming is filled with cancelled games, and titles based on comic book franchises are no exception. A demo build for an X-Men game that was intended to release for the original PlayStation has been discovered by PtoPOnline. Very little is known about the game, but it would have taken some cues from the X-Men comics, and the demo features just two playable characters: Wolverine and Apocalypse. In a neat twist, however, the demo allows players to select the same characters to fight one another, but with different costumes and names. If both players choose Wolverine, Player Two will actually be “Logan” (in some classic flannel attire), but if both players choose Apocalypse, Player Two’s character will go by “En Sabah Nur.”
The demo was created by developer Syrox Developments, back in 1999. From the footage, it’s difficult to say how the final build would have turned out. Unlike Capcom’s Marvel fighting games, the X-Men game would have allowed for some limited 3D movement, and would have featured 3D models, as opposed to Capcom’s 2D sprites. While the playable demo only features two characters, the game would have also featured Magneto, Gambit, and Iceman, among other X-Men staples.
Videos by ComicBook.com
At this time, no reason is known for why the game was cancelled, but the theatrical release of X-Men in 2000 likely played some role. Syrox’s X-Men fighter did not have any association with that film, but a fighting game featuring Marvel’s mutants was released for the original PlayStation in 2000, and that game did share some connective tissue with the movie. X-Men: Mutant Academy did not attempt to follow the events of the film, but it did feature alternate costumes based on the black leather costumes that appeared in the movie, which was used as a selling point on the game’s cover. The game featured all of the characters from the film, as well as comic staples such as Gambit and Beast. Perhaps Syrox’s roster was too different for Activision to sell the game as a movie tie-in.
It certainly wouldn’t be the first superhero game cancelled as a result of a movie. Late last year, an early build of a game based on Sam Raimi’s unreleased Spider-Man 4 film was discovered. Obviously, that particular game was cancelled because the movie never happened. Regardless, it’s always interesting to see unfinished footage from games such as these. It helps paint a stronger picture of the development process, and the impact popular culture as a whole has on gaming.
What do you think of the unreleased X-Men game? Are you happy to see the game revealed after all these years? Let us know in the comments or share your thoughts directly on Twitter at @Marcdachamp to talk all things gaming!
