The transition of the video game industry from physical media to a digital future has generated a growing interest in the preservation of the medium’s history. This topic becomes especially relevant, given that many classic titles are at risk of being forgotten. In this context, video game researcher Bruno de Figueiredo has made an important breakthrough by sharing online the ISO file of the game TRIPITAKA, a sequel to Cosmology of Kyoto, of which only one physical copy was known. Tripitaka, but what is that? Cosmology of Kyoto, released in 1993 in Japan by SoftEdge and […]
The transition of the video game industry from physical media to a digital future has generated a growing interest in the preservation of the medium’s history. This topic becomes especially relevant, as many classic titles are at risk of being forgotten. In this context, video game researcher Bruno de Figueiredo has made an important breakthrough by sharing online the ISO file of the game TRIPITAKA, a sequel to Cosmology of Kyoto, of which only one physical copy was known.
Tripitaka, but what is that?
Cosmology of Kyoto, released in 1993 in Japan by SoftEdge and later in North America, gained some recognition among video game enthusiasts. However, its sequel, TRIPITAKA, had largely remained in obscurity. After an exhaustive search effort, De Figueiredo managed to acquire the existing CD-ROM, which was sold in 2023 for less than $300. The release of the ISO will allow fans to experience the game through emulators, preserving a part of history that might otherwise have been lost forever.
In parallel, major video game companies have begun to recognize the importance of digital preservation. Xbox formed a team dedicated to this effort last year, while Sony took the initiative in 2021. However, Nintendo has taken a more reserved stance regarding the preservation of its titles, raising concerns about how games will be preserved for the next generation, especially with the arrival of new cartridges for the Switch 2.
Additionally, a significant obstacle for this movement is the refusal of the U.S. Copyright Office to allow libraries to share their video game collections online, which limits user access and affects the dissemination of the industry’s legacy. This situation highlights the urgency of concrete actions to ensure that the history of video games is not lost in the transition to digital format.
How many games do you have pending to play in your backlog? They probably number in the dozens, but that doesn’t stop you from buying Humble Bundles, sales, launch games, or trying out a few on your mobile… You’ll have time when you retire! After all, think of all the video games that could have been released and weren’t, or those that, once released, were taken down forever and no one has been able to experience again. Or in other words, they have become Lost Media. Lost Media is a fascinating area of the Internet because it reveals a world […]
How many games do you have pending to play in your backlog? They probably number in the dozens, but that doesn’t stop you from buying Humble Bundles, sales, launch games, or trying a few on your mobile… You’ll have time when you retire! After all, think about all the video games that could have been released and weren’t, or those that, once released, were taken away forever and no one has been able to experience them again. In other words, they have become Lost Media. Lost Media is a fascinating area of the Internet because it reveals a world full of “could have been and wasn’t” where we can only fantasize. Are you ready to discover the 7 best games that (most likely) you will never be able to play in your life, even if you want to?
Sonic Cafe
On January 26, 2001, exclusively in Japan, Sega launched Sonic Cafe, its new app, where, for 315 yen a month, you could download several games from the company adapted for mobile and play as many times as you wanted. The curious thing is not that there were titles like Sonic or Puyo Puyo, but that there were also original and unique titles that, as you may already be guessing, have been lost to time.
Among the forever lost minigames, we have Amy no Page One (card game), Eggman no Kazuate Panic! (logic and deduction), Sonic Billards (billiards, of course) or Sonic Kart 3DX. Versions of backgammon, fishing and golf versions, new levels of ChuChu Rocket, naval battles and even adaptations of the classic tale Hansel and Gretel. All lost. Although some of these titles have been found and there is even gameplay of other lost ones, it’s not the same. Sniff.
Akira
Whether you are an otaku or not, you surely know Akira, the classic by Katsuhiro Otomo adapted into film (well, part of the manga at least) that is held in such high regard that even Netflix has not dared to make a live-action version. However, in 1994 it was almost going to have a video game for Super Nintendo, Genesis, Sega CD, Game Boy, and Game Gear. Quite something.
In fact, it was so clear that it was going to move forward that the VHS had a $5 rebate if you also bought the console version in addition to the movie. However, at the last second it fell apart and only the Genesis version has been recovered, playable though unfinished. The rest of the versions belong to the world of the lost forever, and it’s not precisely due to a lack of desire. Well, there was actually a version in 1988 for NES, but we try not to talk about it. Pure chills.
Call Of Duty: Vietnam
In the end, all versions of Call of Duty, whether we like them more or less, remain American responses to the Vietnam War. It was, therefore, logical that during the Xbox 360 and PS3 era, there was consideration to release a game about the country and known at that time as Fog of War, which, surprisingly, was developed in third person abandoning the usual FPS.
Set in the 60s and 70s, this Call of Duty would take us to Cambodia, Vietnam, and Laos. We will never know why it was canceled, but it is well known that it was playable for up to 15 minutes. Nothing is known about this copy, and we only have conceptual art that has come into our hands. Perhaps someday, in a future compilation, it will come to light?
The Dark Knight
Before Arkham Asylum, in the last gasps of movie-based video games, it seemed like a good idea to release a version of The Dark Knight, Christopher Nolan’s 2008 film. However, the screenwriters didn’t even know it was a version of the movie, and they worked for months on a Batman game with no relation… and practically none of what they had conceived was useful.
Moreover, the game engine was increasingly problematic, dropping to five frames per second, and the upgrade kits arrived too late, after the movie had already been released. The team decided to delay the release to coincide with the DVD, but a few months earlier it had already become clear that it would be impossible to deliver a minimally playable title. Pandemic, the developer, canceled it and fired several of the developers in an attempt to cut costs from their failure. We never heard more about this version, but after the Arkham saga, no one is suffering for not having experienced it.
Donkey Kong 3
How? Another Donkey Kong 3 different from the one we know? Correct. In 1984, only in Japan, there was a third part of the monkey’s adventures, only this time in the format… Shooter! In this version, you had to shoot the monkey while it was in the air in twenty different scenarios, for some reason. The game was released on NEC PC-8801, Sharp X1, IBM JX, and NEC PC-6601, but this time we have something more than imagination, because, beyond a few pixel-filled videos, we have the playable versions of PC-8801 and X1 available on the Internet. The rest, for now, remain forgotten… And hopefully, they stay that way to convince us that this is just a simple bad dream.
Final Fantasy 64
It is one of the most fascinating stories in video game history, that time when Square began to test the capabilities of the Nintendo 64 to create their Final Fantasy VII, but its technical errors and the greater capacity of CDs compared to cartridges ended up with the title on PlayStation (as we well know). However, a small playable demo of Final Fantasy VI did come to light, featuring the characters Terra, Locke, and Shadow moving under the Nintendo cartridge.
It was Square’s first attempt to make 3D games, and everyone assumed, after trying the various battles they had programmed, that this would be the next step in the saga. However, the dribbling caused this prototype to disappear never to return, and only a video remains for memory. And since Final Fantasy will probably never return with its main installments to Nintendo, it is also an epitaph for the saga, in a way.
Lightsaber Escape
It is strange that we do not have a Star Wars game available that was actually programmed and could be played, but it is true: in 2015, preparing for the release of The Force Awakens, in Chrome they launched a mini-game where we had to fight our way by taking out Stormtroopers with a lightsaber controlled by the mobile phone.
This was all, really: upon reaching the end and completing it, you could share the time you took on social media. It was a free game, what did you expect? It cannot be tested in any way currently, but it remains a tremendous curiosity for both fans of the galactic saga (even though it has absolutely no lore) and for those interested in video games created solely for certain browsers. The Force, apparently, did not fully support it.
