E3, TGS, GDC and PAX are just a few of the major game shows where developers and publishers promote their up-and-coming games. Many are well into development while others are simply tech demos. But it’s the latter that can be absolutely fascinating a year or two down the road.
Here are just a few games that underwent some major changes before being released:
Zelda 64 – Zelda Ocarina of Time
As much as we loved the Zelda 64 tech demo the final product was a huge improvement
Where were you when first shots and video footage of Zelda 64 were released? After comparing the 1995 announcement to the 1998 Ocarina of Time N64 release, (3 years after the demo had been released) one thing was clear…it was purely a ‘tech demo’. This was mainly due to Zelda 64 originally being planned to be a 64DD launch title (released in 1999 the 64DD N64 add-on flopped and was only ever released in Japan with 9 games).
Dead Rising – Frank West E3 2005 vs 2006
Dead Rising’s Frank West almost looked like a guerilla before going under-the-knife for the games 2006 release
After viewing the Dead Rising announcement demo and then playing the fully released game, you’ll notice that Frank West looks like he’s had some work done….
Devil’s Third 2010 vs 2014
Devil’s Third changed its engine, character, publisher and even its platform (now Wii U exclusive) after its 2010 announcement
After leaving Tecmo in 2008 and forming his own games company, (Valhalla Studios) Tomonobu Itagaki announced his new IP – Devil’s Third. However, after a change in game engine (due to the license owners going bust) and their publisher collapsing, (THQ) it was no surprise that Devil’s Third would undergo some drastic changes.
Hit the comments below (or tweet us) and let us know any other game show demos that you think were seriously reworked in some way, before release?
