HyperScan (lost builds of unreleased Nickelodeon licensed games for Mattel video game console; 2006-2007): Difference between revisions

Latest revision as of 01:44, 6 May 2024

The HyperScan console.

Status: Lost

The Mattel HyperScan was a video game console released on October 23rd, 2006.

The system's main gimmick was a reliance on collector cards, which contained gameplay elements (characters, settings etc) that were unlocked by a built-in RFID scanner on the console. The unit itself plus a starter pack of cards originally retailed for about $75-$95 USD; the rest of the cards were sold separately, in random packs of 6 for $10-$12 USD - meaning players might spend hundreds of dollars to complete a single, very basic game that would only be playable on a poorly-built, severely underpowered console.

Unsurprisingly the HyperScan experiment lasted less than a year, most of that spent on clearance shelves before being quietly discontinued altogether sometime in 2007. Only five known complete games were released for the console, nearly all based on licensed properties. At the time of its cancellation there were two further games in development, based on Nickelodeon properties, that were never released.

Games

Avatar: The Last Airbender: Based on the animated series. There is currently no known information on the gameplay, but it is said to have been finished, or nearly so, just as the HyperScan was being discontinued.^[1] A booster card pack and another "air series" have also been confirmed.

The only existing pieces of media for the game are boxes for the game pack and booster pack. It is rumored that some copies either leaked or made it to store shelves for a very limited time, but this has not been confirmed.

Nick Extreme Sports: The last game to have been announced for the HyperScan, this time based on multiple hit Nickelodeon franchises. It is not known which ones specifically save for SpongeBob SquarePants, who is featured on the cover art for the game. The game itself was scrapped very early on during development and there is no other info available. It was allegedly called "Nickelodeon Sports" at some point, but there are no pictures or pieces of media showing this.^[2]

Availability

The failure and eventual end of the HyperScan led to these games being cancelled. Both games are completely lost and have not had any content or information resurface for years. It is unlikely they will resurface soon due to the obscurity of their intended console and the unique difficulties in porting or emulating them to other systems.

Gallery

Cover art for Avatar.
Cover art for a booster card pack of Avatar.
Cover art for Nick Extreme Sports.

External Links

HyperScan Wiki article featuring, mentions and box covers.

References

↑ A blog with information on both games. Retrieved 16 Oct '23
↑ An article about the HyperScan's games, with information on both Avatar and Nick Extreme Sports. Retrieved 16 Oct '23

[1] A blog with information on both games. Retrieved 16 Oct '23

[2] An article about the HyperScan's games, with information on both Avatar and Nick Extreme Sports. Retrieved 16 Oct '23

[1]

[2]

@@ Line 1: / Line 1: @@
 {{InfoboxLost
-|title=<center>Unreleased HyperScan Games</center>
+|image=Hyperscan.jpeg
-|image=126656sb.jpg
+|imagecaption=The HyperScan console.
-|imagecaption=Cover art for Nick Extreme Sports.
 |status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
 }}
-The '''''Mattel HyperScan''''' was a video game console released on October 23rd, 2006. The system was met with negative reviews on release for it's poor design flaws, lack of games, and it's main gimmick which were cards used with games to unlock features or characters.
+The '''''Mattel HyperScan''''' was a video game console released on October 23rd, 2006.
-Because of the failure and flop of the console, it only lasted a year in the market, quickly being discontinued sometime in 2007. '''Due to this, there were 2 planned Nickelodeon themed games that never got released for the HyperScan due to its failure and discontinuation.'''
+The system's main gimmick was a reliance on collector cards, which contained gameplay elements (characters, settings etc) that were unlocked by a built-in RFID scanner on the console. The unit itself plus a starter pack of cards originally retailed for about $75-$95 USD; the rest of the cards were sold separately, in random packs of 6 for $10-$12 USD - meaning players might spend hundreds of dollars to complete a single, very basic game that would only be playable on a poorly-built, severely underpowered console.
+Unsurprisingly the HyperScan experiment lasted less than a year, most of that spent on clearance shelves before being quietly discontinued altogether sometime in 2007. Only five known complete games were released for the console, nearly all based on licensed properties. At the time of its cancellation there were '''two further games in development, based on Nickelodeon properties, that were never released.'''
 ==Games==
-===Avatar: The Last Airbender===
-'''Status: <span style="color:red;">Lost'''
-'''Avatar: The Last Airbender''' was a planned game based on the Nickelodeon animated series of the same name. There is currently no known information on the gameplay, but it has been said to have been almost finished and scrapped just around the time the HyperScan was discontinued.<ref>[http://hyperscangames.blogspot.com/2013/06/unreleased-or-unfinished.html A blog with information on both games, although poor grammar.] Retrieved Apr 22, 2023</ref>.
-A booster pack containing cards and an "air series" was also planned, but were scrapped along with the game itself. The booster pack would have came with 6 cards, while the game pack came with an unknown amount.<ref>[https://hyperscan.fandom.com/wiki/Games HyperScan Wikia article featuring mentions and box covers.] Retrieved Apr 22, 2023</ref>.
-The only existing pieces of media for the game are boxes for the game pack and booster pack. It is rumored that some copies either leaked or were available for a very limited time, but this has not been confirmed.
+'''''Avatar: The Last Airbender:''''' Based on the animated series. There is currently no known information on the gameplay, but it is said to have been finished, or nearly so, ''just'' as the HyperScan was being discontinued.<ref>[http://hyperscangames.blogspot.com/2013/06/unreleased-or-unfinished.html A blog with information on both games.] Retrieved 16 Oct '23</ref> A booster card pack and another "air series" have also been confirmed.
-===Nick Extreme Sports===
+The only existing pieces of media for the game are boxes for the game pack and booster pack. It is rumored that some copies either leaked or made it to store shelves for a very limited time, but this has not been confirmed.
-'''Status: <span style="color:red;">Lost'''
-'''Nick Extreme Sports''' was another planned game also based on Nickelodeon franchises and series. It is not known which franchises this game features outside of SpongeBob, who is featured on the cover art for the game. There is also no known information on the gameplay, however it is presumed that the cards are used as powerups or playable characters.
+'''''Nick Extreme Sports:''''' The last game to have been announced for the HyperScan, this time based on multiple hit Nickelodeon franchises. It is not known which ones specifically save for SpongeBob SquarePants, who is featured on the cover art for the game. The game itself was scrapped very early on during development and there is no other info available.
+It was allegedly called "Nickelodeon Sports" at some point, but there are no pictures or pieces of media showing this.<ref>[http://videogamekraken.com/mattel-hyperscan An article about the HyperScan's games, with information on both Avatar and ''Nick Extreme Sports''.] Retrieved 16 Oct '23</ref>
-This game was never finished, and was scrapped very early on during development. It was also cancelled around the same timestamp as Avatar for the same reasons. This game was also the last game to have been announced for the HyperScan.
-There is currently no other information outside of the cover art for the game. It was also allegedly called "Nickelodeon Sports" earlier in development, but there are no pictures or pieces of media from when the game was called that.<ref>[http://videogamekraken.com/mattel-hyperscan An article about the HyperScan's games, with information on both Avatar and Nick Extreme Sports.] Retrieved Apr 22, 2023</ref>.
 ==Availability==
-As mentioned previously, the failure and eventual end of the console lead to these games being cancelled and unreleased.
+The failure and eventual end of the HyperScan led to these games being cancelled. Both games are completely lost and have not had any content or information resurface for years. It is unlikely they will resurface soon due to the obscurity of their intended console and the unique difficulties in porting or emulating them to other systems.
-Both games are completely lost and have not had any content or information resurface for years. It is unlikely they will resurface soon due to the unpopularity of the console.
 ==Gallery==
 <gallery mode=packed heights=300px>
-Avatar-gamepack.png|Cover art for Avatar.
+Avatar-gamepack.png|Cover art for ''Avatar''.
-Avatar-booster.png|Cover art for the booster pack of Avatar.
+Avatar-booster.png|Cover art for a booster card pack of ''Avatar''.
+sb.jpg|Cover art for ''Nick Extreme Sports''.
 </gallery>
+==External Links==
+*[https://hyperscan.fandom.com/wiki/Games HyperScan Wiki article featuring, mentions and box covers.]
 ==References==