Dinosaur Planet (found build of cancelled Nintendo 64 action-adventure game; 1999-2000): Difference between revisions
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|imagecaption=Original artwork and logo of the game. | |imagecaption=Original artwork and logo of the game. | ||
|status=<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span> | |status=<span style="color:green;">'''Found'''</span> | ||
|datefound = 20 Feb 2021 | |datefound=20 Feb 2021 | ||
|foundby = [https://twitter.com/forestillusion Forest of Illusion] | |foundby=[https://twitter.com/forestillusion Forest of Illusion] | ||
}} | }} | ||
'''''Dinosaur Planet''''' was planned to be Rare Software's last game for the Nintendo 64.<ref>[http:// | '''''Dinosaur Planet''''' was planned to be Rare Software's last game for the Nintendo 64.<ref>[http://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://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. | ||
==Premise== | ==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. | ''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. | ||
The 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== | ==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:// | ''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://videogameschronicle.com/features/opinion/dinosaur-planet-leak/ Kevin Bayliss recounts ''Dinosaur Planet'''s development.] Retrieved 23 Feb '21</ref> | ||
===Retool=== | ===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 | 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 was 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"/> | ||
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:// | 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://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> | ||
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. | 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.<ref>[https:// | 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://metacritic.com/game/gamecube/star-fox-adventures Metacritic's page on ''Star Fox Adventures''.] Retrieved 05 Dec '18</ref> | ||
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 and decent sound effects (it's possible many heard are placeholders). | ||
==Availability== | ==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:// | 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://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> | ||
==Gallery== | ==Gallery== | ||
{{Video|perrow = | {{Video|perrow =4 | ||
|service1 =youtube | |service1 =youtube | ||
|id1 =cOVBRJToVDY | |id1 =cOVBRJToVDY | ||
|description1 =One hour of gameplay. | |description1 =One hour of gameplay. | ||
|service2 =youtube | |service2 =youtube | ||
|id2 =hH_Nn4QwHgU | |id2 =gfQbUWLKje0 | ||
| | |description2 =Yuriofwind's video on ''Dinosaur Planet'' and ''Star Fox Adventures'' beta. | ||
|service3 =youtube | |||
|id3 =tW6e3C0iSy4 | |||
|description3 =Hard4Game's video on the game's beta elements. | |||
|service4 =youtube | |||
|id4 =hH_Nn4QwHgU | |||
|description4 =Gameplay video of the December 1st, 2000 build. | |||
}} | }} | ||
==External | {{Video|perrow =1 | ||
*[https://archive.org/details/dino_20210220 Download of ''Dinosaur Adventure'' on the Internet Archive.] | |service1 =youtube | ||
*[https://tcrf.net/Star_Fox_Adventures/Dinosaur_Planet_Leftovers The Cutting Room Floor's page on files | |id1 =IFalhK5DLVM | ||
*[https://rarethief.com/dinosaur-planet/ Rare Thief compilation of ''Dinosaur Planet'' material.] | |description1 =Comparison between ''Dinosaur Planet'' and ''Star Fox Adventures'', featuring Kevin Bayliss. | ||
}} | |||
==See Also== | |||
*[[Banjo-Karting/Banjo-Kazoomie (lost prototypes of "Banjo-Kazooie" racing games; mid-2000s)]] | |||
*[[Banjo-Threeie (non-existent sequel to platformer game series; early 2000s)]] | |||
*[[Cascade (lost build of cancelled Xbox 360 massive multiplayer online game; 2000-2007)]] | |||
*[[Diddy Kong Racing Adventure (found build of cancelled Nintendo GameCube sequel to "Diddy Kong Racing"; 2004)]] | |||
*[[Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (lost build of cancelled Virtual Boy port of Super Nintendo sequel platformer; 1996)]] | |||
*[[Donkey Kong: Coconut Crackers (lost build of cancelled Game Boy Advance puzzle game; 2002)]] | |||
*[[Donkey Kong Racing (lost build of cancelled Nintendo GameCube racing sequel game; 2002)]] | |||
*[[GoldenEye 007 (found build of cancelled Xbox Live Arcade remaster of Nintendo 64 first-person shooter; 2007-2008)]] | |||
*[[Jet Force Gemini (lost build of cancelled Game Boy Color port of Nintendo 64 third-person shooter; 2000)]] | |||
*[[Project Dream (lost builds of cancelled Super Nintendo/Nintendo 64 precursor to "Banjo-Kazooie" platformer; 1994-1997)]] | |||
*[[Sabreman Stampede (lost build of cancelled Xbox 360 adventure platformer; 2002-2005)]] | |||
*[[Savannah (lost build of cancelled Xbox 360 Kinect prototype; 2006-2007)]] | |||
*[[Twelve Tales: Conker 64 (lost build of early version of "Conker's Bad Fur Day" Nintendo 64 platformer; late 1990s)]] | |||
==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 leftover from ''Dinosaur Planet'' in ''Star Fox Adventures''.] | |||
*[https://rarethief.com/dinosaur-planet/ Rare Thief compilation of ''Dinosaur Planet'' material.] | |||
==References== | ==References== | ||
{{reflist}} | {{reflist}} | ||
[[Category: Found media]] | [[Category:Found media]] | ||
[[Category:Found video games]] | |||
Latest revision as of 00:55, 11 October 2023
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.
The 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 was 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
See Also
- Banjo-Karting/Banjo-Kazoomie (lost prototypes of "Banjo-Kazooie" racing games; mid-2000s)
- Banjo-Threeie (non-existent sequel to platformer game series; early 2000s)
- Cascade (lost build of cancelled Xbox 360 massive multiplayer online game; 2000-2007)
- Diddy Kong Racing Adventure (found build of cancelled Nintendo GameCube sequel to "Diddy Kong Racing"; 2004)
- Donkey Kong Country 2: Diddy's Kong Quest (lost build of cancelled Virtual Boy port of Super Nintendo sequel platformer; 1996)
- Donkey Kong: Coconut Crackers (lost build of cancelled Game Boy Advance puzzle game; 2002)
- Donkey Kong Racing (lost build of cancelled Nintendo GameCube racing sequel game; 2002)
- GoldenEye 007 (found build of cancelled Xbox Live Arcade remaster of Nintendo 64 first-person shooter; 2007-2008)
- Jet Force Gemini (lost build of cancelled Game Boy Color port of Nintendo 64 third-person shooter; 2000)
- Project Dream (lost builds of cancelled Super Nintendo/Nintendo 64 precursor to "Banjo-Kazooie" platformer; 1994-1997)
- Sabreman Stampede (lost build of cancelled Xbox 360 adventure platformer; 2002-2005)
- Savannah (lost build of cancelled Xbox 360 Kinect prototype; 2006-2007)
- Twelve Tales: Conker 64 (lost build of early version of "Conker's Bad Fur Day" Nintendo 64 platformer; late 1990s)
External Links
- Download of Dinosaur Adventure on the Internet Archive.
- The Cutting Room Floor's page on files leftover from Dinosaur Planet in Star Fox Adventures.
- Rare Thief compilation of Dinosaur Planet material.
References
- ↑ The Unseen64 article, features piles of images and video. Retrieved 23 Mar '15
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 IGN's impressions on the E3 2000 demo. Retrieved 23 Feb '21
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Kevin Bayliss recounts Dinosaur Planet's development. Retrieved 23 Feb '21
- ↑ Nintendo Life's article on the making of Star Fox Adventures, with a brief mention of Dinosaur Planet. Retrieved 05 Dec '18
- ↑ Metacritic's page on Star Fox Adventures. Retrieved 05 Dec '18
- ↑ Forest of Illusion's tweet about Dinosaur Planet's dump. Retrieved 20 Feb '21
- ↑ Rare’s cancelled N64 game Dinosaur Planet has leaked online - Video Games Chronicle Retrieved 23 Feb '21