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

Revision as of 15:52, 13 January 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 RIFD scanner on the console. The cards were mostly sold separately, in random packs of 10 - meaning players might easily 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. This also means that only five known complete games were released for the console, nearly all licensed properties to enhance the collectability of the cards. Along these lines, at the time of its cancellation there were two planned HyperScan games based on Nickelodeon properties planned but never released.

Games

Avatar: The Last Airbender

Based on the 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.^[1] 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.

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 outside of 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 the booster 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]

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 |status=<span style="color:red;">'''Lost'''</span>
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-The '''''Mattel HyperScan''''' was a video game console released on October 23rd, 2006. The system was met with negative reviews on release for its poor design flaws, lack of games, and its 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. 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 RIFD scanner on the console. The cards were mostly sold separately, in random packs of 10 - meaning players might easily spend hundreds of dollars to complete a single, very basic game that would only be playable on a poorly-built, severely underpowered console.
-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.'''
+Unsurprisingly the HyperScan experiment lasted less than a year, most of that spent on clearance shelves before being quietly discontinued altogether sometime in 2007. This also means that only five known complete games were released for the console, nearly all licensed properties to enhance the collectability of the cards. Along these lines, at the time of its cancellation there were '''two planned HyperScan games based on Nickelodeon properties planned but 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 16 Oct '23</ref>
+Based on the 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.] Retrieved 16 Oct '23</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.
-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.
+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.
-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.
 ===Nick Extreme Sports===
-'''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.
-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 the game's cover art. 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 16 Oct '23</ref>
+The last game to have been announced for the HyperScan, this time based on multiple hit Nickelodeon franchises. It is not known which ones outside of 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>
 ==Availability==
-As mentioned previously, the failure and eventual end of the console led 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==