Games That Have Been Lost in The Sands of Time

[Magmavision2000]

Just like other forms of media, video games also can become lost. Whether it's an MMO that had its servers shut down or a game that was advertised in magazines but disappeared, never to be seen again, lost games are an interesting thing to look at, here's a couple of lost games that interest me.

 

ドンキーコングの音楽あそび or Donkey Kong's Fun With Music was an educational game for the Famicom planned to be released in 1983. Not much is known about it, the only thing we know for sure is it was going to teach players about music using characters from the Donkey Kong series. All that exists of it today are some screenshots. 

Another game I would like to talk about is Heavyweight Champ which was a sega game released in 1976. This game unlike Donkey Kong, has some historical value since this is the first fighting game ever made. Although since the game (supposedly) didn't do well, it faded into obscurity and only one destroyed cabinet and some screenshots has surfaced.

Do you guys know about any more games that have been lost?

Edited March 15, 2020 by Magmavision2000

[digdugnate]

E.T., our pariah of the 2600 world, was going to be in a number of games for the TI 99 4A.

 

https://www.videogamehouse.net/gamemain/cartsde/et/

 

 

I'm not sure on the legitimacy of the story with George Lucas, but I can say that I played the ET Frogger clone as a ROM and it's a pretty solid one.

[Magmavision2000]

I forgot to add that my sources for the info and the photos are from the Lost Media Wiki.

https://lostmediawiki.com/Donkey_Kong_no_Ongaku_Asobi_(cancelled_Famicom_educational_game;_1983)

 

https://lostmediawiki.com/Heavyweight_Champ_(lost_SEGA_arcade_boxing_game;_1976)

[Tempest]

I've always wanted to know more about that Donkey Kong music game.  I wonder if any prototypes still exist?

[Magmavision2000]

15 minutes ago, Tempest said:

I've always wanted to know more about that Donkey Kong music game.  I wonder if any prototypes still exist?

If the screenshots aren't mockups, then hopefully at least one prototype exists.

[Magmavision2000]

Here's 2 more I found on the Lost Media Wiki.

 

1. The Laser Clay Shooting System (1973) was the result of Nintendo trying to capitalize on all the vacant bowling alleys in Japan after the bowling fad of the 60s died. It was the brainchild of Hiroshi Yamauchi and Gunpei Yokoi, with Yamauchi coming up with the idea and Yokoi developing the "game".

 

It technically wasn't a video game since it used 16mm film projecting "clay ducks" going across the screen.

The gameplay from what I understand was like duck hunt and those light gun toys they produced in the 70s.

 

Unfortunately, these came out either during or right before the 1973 oil crisis so they had to shut then down or else they would have to file for bankruptcy. However, in 1974 they released a "mini" version for arcades.

 

No known units have resurfaced.

https://www.lostmediawiki.com/Laser_Clay_Shooting_System_(lost_Nintendo_16mm_film_shooting_gallery_game;_1973)

2. Dracula Hunter (1979)

This one's weird since we have proof the game exists today and we even have gameplay footage, it's just that we can't find a cabinet in the wild and the people who have it haven't dumped the ROM. It was popular in Japan and even had a cameo in the manga Gamecenter Arashi, however it just disappeared over time. 

 

The only known PCB for sale sold for ¥2,711,000 and the whereabouts of this PCB is unknown. Strangely, we have two videos showing gameplay, one from an actual cabinet and one from an emulator. So it seems someone has dumped the ROM, but it was for their personal use.

https://www.lostmediawiki.com/Dracula_Hunter_(lost_arcade_game;_1979)