Mean Girls (lost build of cancelled Nintendo DS game based on teen comedy film; 2009-2010)

From The Lost Media Wiki
Jump to: navigation, search
MeanGirlsDS.jpg

Cover for the game.

Status: Lost

Mean Girls DS is a video game made for the Nintendo DS, intended as a tie-in for the 2004 comedy film Mean Girls. The game was developed by 505 Games and was released in Europe on September 11, 2009. A United States release was scheduled for April 20, 2010, but was canceled at the last minute.[1] For unknown reasons, the game has not resurfaced digitally or physically since its release, and no copies have been accounted for.

History

Little is known about the gameplay, though the plot is presumably similar to the movie, in that the player acts as a new student at a high-school. Kotaku described the game as being "some kind of Puzzle Quest ripoff," which would make it similar to its PC counterpart, Mean Girls: High School Showdown.[2] However, according to the ESRB, it was an adventure game where the player interacts with characters through text-based conversations.[3] It is also possible the game differs from both of these descriptions, as neither of them seems to match up with the available screenshots.

The game was noteworthy for not including Lindsay Lohan in the cover, despite her major role in the film. Apparently, the official explanation for this was that it was due to a monetary dispute, though many speculate that the actual reason was the actress' poor reputation at the time.[4]

It appears that the game was a financial failure and very few copies were printed; previously announced tie-in games such as the Pretty in Pink and Clueless games were either made PC-download-only or, in the case of the latter, canceled entirely. Though the US release of Mean Girls DS was canceled, it still has a UPC code, and the game has been sold online at least once before.[5]

Despite recent search efforts, no ROM images have surfaced, and no copies have been found currently for sale. There are no known scans of the back cover, though a total of 5 screenshots were found on an obscure Italian site.[6]

Screenshots

References

  1. GameFAQs page for the game Retrieved 30 Sept '16.
  2. Kotaku article on the game Retrieved 30 Sept '16.
  3. The game's ESRB rating justification Retrieved 30 Sept '16.
  4. Wikipedia page for the game Retrieved 30 Sept '16.
  5. Page for the game on The Hunt Retrieved 30 Sept '16.
  6. Screenshots for the game, on Multiplayer.it Retrieved 30 Sept '16.