Dinosaur Planet (found build of cancelled Nintendo 64 action-adventure game; 1999-2000): Difference between revisions

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{{InfoboxLost
{{InfoboxFound
|title=<center>Dinosaur Planet (N64)</center>
|title=<center>Dinosaur Planet (N64)</center>
|image=Dinosaur Planet.JPG
|image=Dinosaur Planet.JPG
|imagecaption=Original artwork and logo of the game.
|imagecaption=Original artwork and logo of the game.
|status=<span style="color:red;">'''Cancelled'''</span>
|status=<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span>
|datefound = 20 Feb 2021
|foundby = [https://twitter.com/forestillusion  Forest of Illusion]
}}
}}
{{#ev:youtube|https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOVBRJToVDY|320x240|right|One hour of gameplay.|frame}}
'''''Dinosaur Planet''''' was planned to be Rare Software's last game for the Nintendo 64.<ref>[http://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/04/dinosaur_planet_n64/ The Unseen64 article, features piles of images and video.] Retrieved 23 Mar '15</ref> It was presented at the E3 2000 trade show.<ref name="IGN impressions">[https://www.ign.com/articles/2001/01/27/dinosaur-planet IGN's impressions on the E3 2000 demo.] Retrieved 23 Feb '21</ref> Afterwards, it was retooled into ''Star Fox Adventures'', released for the GameCube in 2002.
'''''Dinosaur Planet''''' was planned to be Rare Software's last game for the Nintendo 64.


It was available in a mostly playable form in E3 1999 or 2000 (the exact date is unknown), which showed off huge levels and varied combat options.
==Premise==
''Dinosaur Planet'' was an action-adventure game set in a world inhabited by dinosaurs and other reptilian creatures. Unlike ''Star Fox Adventures'', which featured voice acting in a fictional dinosaur language in addition to English, the dialogue was entirely in English.


==Premise==
Gameplay focused on two separate characters: Sabre and Krystal. Both were fully playable and had sidekicks as well as specialized attacks. The player would switch between them by standing on "SwapStones".
From what was shown of the game, it was an action-based 3D platformer that took a more realistic route with its graphics, set in a world that appeared to be mostly inhabited by dinosaurs.
 
==Development==
''Dinosaur Planet'' entered development after the 1997 release of ''Diddy Kong Racing''. The main character was originally Timber, the tiger from said game, but character designer Kevin Bayliss soon decided to replace him with a new character, Sabre, as well as the addition of Krystal. Rare planned an epic adventure full of cinematic sequences, voiced dialogue, and cutting-edge graphics powered by the 4-megabyte RAM Expansion Pak, all contained within a 512-megabit (64-megabyte) cartridge, the largest N64 cartridge size available. About a year into development, Rare put together a demo which was shown off at E3 2000, garnering positive reception.<ref name="IGN impressions"/><ref name="Kev Bayliss">[https://www.videogameschronicle.com/features/opinion/dinosaur-planet-leak/ Kevin Bayliss recounts ''Dinosaur Planet'''s development.] Retrieved 23 Feb '21</ref>
 
===Retool===
When the developers travelled to Los Angeles to present the game at E3 2000, they were told they had a meeting scheduled with Nintendo to discuss the demo; Nintendo of Japan were very impressed with the game and wanted to arrange a "marriage" between the ''Star Fox'' and ''Dinosaur Planet'' IPs. Rare agreed, and so Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto and artist Takaya Imamura worked with them to help with design and drafting a new storyline to accommodate the ''Star Fox'' material, causing heavy changes in content.<ref name="Kev Bayliss"/>


Gameplay focused on two separate characters: Saber and Crystal. Both were fully playable, appeared to have sidekicks or helpers, and specialized attacks.
The game soon transitioned to the GameCube, where it was planned as a launch title, but it was delayed due to issues stemming from the discs' increased loading times over cartridges, as well as faults with the AI of Tricky, the dinosaur companion.<ref>[http://www.nintendolife.com/news/2012/12/feature_the_making_of_star_fox_adventures Nintendo Life's article on the making of ''Star Fox Adventures'', with a brief mention of ''Dinosaur Planet''.] Retrieved 05 Dec '18</ref>


==Retool==
Sabre was changed to Fox McCloud, Krystal was heavily demoted (and infamously changed into a "damsel in distress" role), entire scenes were removed, and the final boss fight was also cut, but the information within the game's files reveal some of what was planned.
In 2002, after the Gamecube was released and the game had to be ported over to the new console, it was changed to '''Star Fox Adventures''', and suffered heavy changes in content.


Saber was changed to Fox McCloud, Crystal was heavily demoted (and infamously changed into a "damsel in distress" role), entire scenes were removed, and the final boss fight was also cut, but information within the games files reveal some of what was planned.
The final game, released in 2002, was well-received by critics but received mixed reviews from fans of the ''Star Fox'' franchise; the game received praise for its detailed visuals and its ''Legend of Zelda''-inspired gameplay, but there were common criticisms including the lack of the franchise's famed shoot'em up gameplay and its weak voice acting.<ref>[https://www.metacritic.com/game/gamecube/star-fox-adventures Metacritic's page on ''Star Fox Adventures''.] Retrieved 05 Dec '18</ref> 


The game was infamously not well-received; criticisms including using stock sound effects and an awkward, made-up language for some of the dialogue.
From what is known of the Nintendo 64 version, it had high-quality graphics for the time and decent sound effects (it's possible many heard are placeholders).


From what is known of the Nintendo 64 version, it had high quality graphics for the time, no made-up languages, and some fairly decent sound effects (it's possible many heard are placeholders).
==Availability==
On February 20th, 2021, Forest of Illusion announced that a build of ''Dinosaur Planet'' was released to the public. The leak was possible thanks to the purchase of a CD-ROM with the game in it, from a Swedish video game collector. The build is dated December 1st, 2000, meaning that it's a late version of the game, shortly after its revamp into ''Star Fox Adventures''.<ref>[https://twitter.com/forestillusion/status/1363090008916193282?s=19  Forest of Illusion's tweet about ''Dinosaur Planet's'' dump.] Retrieved 20 Feb '21</ref><ref>[https://www.videogameschronicle.com/news/rares-cancelled-n64-game-dinosaur-planet-has-leaked-online/ Rare’s cancelled N64 game Dinosaur Planet has leaked online - Video Games Chronicle] Retrieved 23 Feb '21</ref>


No known prototype of '''Dinosaur Planet''' has ever shown up, and it's likely that the original version is completely lost by this stage.
==Gallery==
{{Video|perrow  =3
  |service1    =youtube
  |id1          =cOVBRJToVDY
  |description1 =One hour of gameplay.
  |service2    =youtube
  |id2          =hH_Nn4QwHgU
  |description2 =Gameplay video of the December 1st, 2000 build.
  |service3    =youtube
  |id3          =IFalhK5DLVM
  |description3 =Comparison between ''Dinosaur Planet'' and ''Star Fox Adventures'', featuring Kevin Bayliss.
}}
==External Links==
*[https://archive.org/details/dino_20210220  Download of ''Dinosaur Adventure'' on the Internet Archive.]
*[https://tcrf.net/Star_Fox_Adventures/Dinosaur_Planet_Leftovers The Cutting Room Floor's page on files left over from ''Dinosaur Planet'' in ''Star Fox Adventures''.]
*[https://rarethief.com/dinosaur-planet/ Rare Thief compilation of ''Dinosaur Planet'' material.]


==References==
==References==
[http://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/04/dinosaur_planet_n64/ The Unseen64 article, features piles of images and video:] Retrieved March 23, 2015.
{{reflist}}


[[Category:Lost video games]]
[[Category: Found media]]

Revision as of 21:36, 5 April 2021

Dinosaur Planet.JPG

Original artwork and logo of the game.

Status: Found

Date found: 20 Feb 2021

Found by: Forest of Illusion

Dinosaur Planet was planned to be Rare Software's last game for the Nintendo 64.[1] It was presented at the E3 2000 trade show.[2] Afterwards, it was retooled into Star Fox Adventures, released for the GameCube in 2002.

Premise

Dinosaur Planet was an action-adventure game set in a world inhabited by dinosaurs and other reptilian creatures. Unlike Star Fox Adventures, which featured voice acting in a fictional dinosaur language in addition to English, the dialogue was entirely in English.

Gameplay focused on two separate characters: Sabre and Krystal. Both were fully playable and had sidekicks as well as specialized attacks. The player would switch between them by standing on "SwapStones".

Development

Dinosaur Planet entered development after the 1997 release of Diddy Kong Racing. The main character was originally Timber, the tiger from said game, but character designer Kevin Bayliss soon decided to replace him with a new character, Sabre, as well as the addition of Krystal. Rare planned an epic adventure full of cinematic sequences, voiced dialogue, and cutting-edge graphics powered by the 4-megabyte RAM Expansion Pak, all contained within a 512-megabit (64-megabyte) cartridge, the largest N64 cartridge size available. About a year into development, Rare put together a demo which was shown off at E3 2000, garnering positive reception.[2][3]

Retool

When the developers travelled to Los Angeles to present the game at E3 2000, they were told they had a meeting scheduled with Nintendo to discuss the demo; Nintendo of Japan were very impressed with the game and wanted to arrange a "marriage" between the Star Fox and Dinosaur Planet IPs. Rare agreed, and so Nintendo designer Shigeru Miyamoto and artist Takaya Imamura worked with them to help with design and drafting a new storyline to accommodate the Star Fox material, causing heavy changes in content.[3]

The game soon transitioned to the GameCube, where it was planned as a launch title, but it was delayed due to issues stemming from the discs' increased loading times over cartridges, as well as faults with the AI of Tricky, the dinosaur companion.[4]

Sabre was changed to Fox McCloud, Krystal was heavily demoted (and infamously changed into a "damsel in distress" role), entire scenes were removed, and the final boss fight was also cut, but the information within the game's files reveal some of what was planned.

The final game, released in 2002, was well-received by critics but received mixed reviews from fans of the Star Fox franchise; the game received praise for its detailed visuals and its Legend of Zelda-inspired gameplay, but there were common criticisms including the lack of the franchise's famed shoot'em up gameplay and its weak voice acting.[5]

From what is known of the Nintendo 64 version, it had high-quality graphics for the time and decent sound effects (it's possible many heard are placeholders).

Availability

On February 20th, 2021, Forest of Illusion announced that a build of Dinosaur Planet was released to the public. The leak was possible thanks to the purchase of a CD-ROM with the game in it, from a Swedish video game collector. The build is dated December 1st, 2000, meaning that it's a late version of the game, shortly after its revamp into Star Fox Adventures.[6][7]

Gallery

One hour of gameplay.

Gameplay video of the December 1st, 2000 build.

Comparison between Dinosaur Planet and Star Fox Adventures, featuring Kevin Bayliss.

External Links

References