Re: The 'Lost' Apple IIgs Games

[Mitchell Spector <mitch2gs@hotmail.com>]

"Tempest" <tempest@atariprotos.com> wrote:

>After reading through many old posts (most from the late 90's), I've
>discovered that several IIgs games that have yet to be released do
>exist as prototypes (or were at least reported to exist).  Does anyone
>have any information on these IIgs games?
>
>Fairy Tale Adventure

    It was listed in the "Games Guide" in the May 1988 issue of inCider
magazine, complete with screen shot and system requirements. Never
heard or saw anything beyond that, just a rumour it was in development.

    inCider also reported several other IIgs games being in development, 
such as: Operation Wolf, It Came from the Desert, Heatwave, Flintstones,
and had printed IIgs ads for Renegade, Bubble Bobble and S.D.I.
  
>Sword of Sodan (not the 3 level demo)

    Scott Patterson was in the middle of writing the port when he abruptly
left the project. Then Jimmy Huey stepped in to replace him but for some
reason or another, Discovery Software cancelled the whole project (shrinking
IIgs market?). Apparently 70% of the game was completed but pretty unstable
and buggy.

    Jimmy Huey has the source code and compiled beta version, so do at 
least two former beta testers that frequented comp.sys.apple2. I asked,
begged, and pleaded to have a look but they all refused saying they had
signed an NDA with Discovery Software (which no longer exists). One of
them is Jeff Barbanell, he offered to sell it to me about a decade ago.

>Bard's Tale III

    Bill Heineman had started work on it, never finished it though. He had
several other unfinished software projects, Mario Teaches Typing is one
that pops to mind.

>Renegade

    Taito used to have ads claiming it was available for the IIgs (along with
Bubble Bobble). One person from Australia claimed he actually _had_ the
beta copy and described it to me, saying it was in of the same calibre as
Rastan, but I think he was pulling my leg about ever having had it.

    Puzznic was finished by not commercially released; a leaked copy got
circulated though. No idea to this day whether Renegade, Bubble Bobble
or Operation Wolf were in development for the IIgs...it's all rumour.

>Sim City

    Bill Heineman started it only to find out Maxis wanted a US$150,000
licensing fee to do the port. That killed any hope for it.

>Old posts seem to indicate that these games were either finished but
>not released or at least started, but there really hasn't been any talk
>of them in almost 7 years.  Any new information?

    Not much has changed, although the Apple IIGS Gaming Memory
Fairway did uncover a handful of lost games--some I'd never even
heard of before:

http://www.whatisthe2gs.apple2.org.za/the_fairway/unreleased.html

    Dragon's Lair II: Time Warp is another lost game. Apparently from what
I could gather it had been fully completed and just not released. There's
also Ninjaforce's KABOOM! (a clone of Bomberman) which is playable
shape but not finished, and I'm not sure whether it ever will be.

Mitchell Spector