So, after all these years of first lurking and finally subscribing, I've decided that it's time to enter the realm of making forum topics, instead of just reading them.
My idea was to simply start a thoughtful, and hopefully polite discussion about what kind of canceled game could actually be the most likely title to come to the Switch.
(and please, site admins, don't lock this topic and tell me to put it in the general Switch thread, because it would pretty soon drown out there, in all the generic posts about a multitude of Switch-related topics, which is exactly what I do NOT want to happen with this discussion/exchange of thoughts and/or philosophies, and this specific rumor topic deserves to stand on its own, and get the attention that it deserves)
So, to get things started, and to shed some light on why I chose this title for this topic (as well as this specific topic itself), I'll just quote myself from the various rumor articles about the canceled/revived game and "Scalebound possibly coming to Switch", so you guys and girls can at least see where I'm coming from and why I'm thinking what I'm thinking. Hold on to your hats, because in real Angry Titan fashion, it's going to be a massive text wall, so here goes:
Rumour: Nintendo Has Plans To Revive A "Dead And Buried" Game
I think a lot of people are misreading this article, and are simply naming games they would like to see.
To me, it reads as if it's a game that was in production with Nintendo, but Nintendo canceled it, and now decided to revive it, so it's their own game they're possibly reviving, meaning that it's probably not going to be any non-Nintendo game, ruling out the likes of Scalebound completely, in my opinion.
When I read the headline on the front page, I immediately thought about Project H.A.M.M.E.R., and it's kinda typical to see that both in the interview mentioned in the article and in the comments section, so many people mention that game. It could very well be the one, seeing as it was all but finished when it got canceled.
Some other possible contenders could be Raven Blade, The Grinder, Sadness, Shadow of the Eternals, Metroid Dread and any other number of canceled GameCube and/or Wii games.
EDIT: Come to think of it, Metroid Dread actually could be a thing, depending on the state it was in, when they canceled it. Now that Metroid Prime 4 is delayed, that could be used to keep the Metroid hype alive, and keep us busy until 2020, or whenever the new game is finally released...
Although I do seem to remember that most of these other efforts where anything but finished, especially Sadness, which never even got any further than a proof of concept, if even that.
So, ultimately, I wouldn't be surprised at all, if it is indeed Project H.A.M.M.E.R. And back when it was first revealed, and gameplay of the title was shown, I actually kind of liked it, so if they managed to update that to modern standards, then why not?
Rumour: PlatinumGames' Scalebound Is Being Revived As a Nintendo Switch Exclusive
Nah, it's going to be Project H.A.M.M.E.R., or that at least stands a FAR better chance of becoming the "previously finished, but canceled by Nintendo and pronounced dead" game.
And like others have already said, the game as it was, already ran like crap, and the graphics were far beyond what the Switch can display, so if they even couldn't get it to run properly on an Xbox One, then how the hell would they get it to run on the Switch?
And not only that, but how far would they have to scale down the graphics? This is not Doom or Wolfenstein, this is a game with a large, open world, and lots and lots of assets, all displayed in resolutions that the Switch could never handle.
The fact that it once was intended to be on the Wii, doesn't mean anything in that respect, seeing as it has gone through so many changes and has grown to such proportions, that it would seem pretty unlikely to land on the Switch.
But, on the off chance that it actually IS Scalebound, then I will be quite impressed, and I will applaud Nintendo for saving yet another IP, but at the same time, I would also hope that they'd really work at getting all of the kinks out of it, and there are quite a few, so it would be quite the task that they'd be setting themselves up for.
Former PlatinumGames Producer Pooh-Poohs Scalebound Rumour
Although I would normally agree with the sentiment of "guy who doesn't work at Platinum anymore wouldn't be able to know anything about it", I disagree in this specific instance, because of the weight of his role, being a creative director, so he was pretty high up in the chain, which could definitely mean he still has some inside knowledge, regardless of him not working there anymore.
And besides that, I don't believe the Scalebound rumor anyway, regardless of it originally being planned for the Wii. To turn around what it had already changed into, to make it a good fit for the Switch, would be an almost Herculean task, so I just don't see that happening.
A third party game is actually the least likely. First off, the original rumor specifically seemed to suggest that it was about a game that Nintendo canceled and labeled as dead, and for Nintendo to be able to revive a third party project, they'd either need to have permission from the parties involved, which in this case would be Microsoft, because they still hold the rights, or they would have to buy the entire thing from the party that owns it, so that they have complete control over it.
I don't see either of those things happening, so chances of it being Scalebound, or any other third party IP, are slim to none. So, provided both rumors are even remotely true, it will sooner be a first or a second party game, that's being revived.
And another obstacle would be that Microsoft actually renewed the trademark for Scalebound in May 2017, and that's likely to last for more than just a couple of years (federal trademarks, for example, last 10 years, with applicants having to express their intent to keep the trademark around the 6 year mark, if they want to renew it).
So, either Nintendo would have had to make a deal with Microsoft, or they should have bought the IP and the rights to the trademark from them, if the latter is even possible.
Or, if Platinum is still planning on doing anything with the idea, that would mean that they wouldn't be able to use the name "Scalebound" for it, so whatever happens, no game with that title could come to the Switch, unless Microsoft plays ball...
So, in short, I think that the canceled game that's going to be revived, actually IS Project H.A.M.M.E.R.
In general, all rumors must be taken with generous amounts of salt, but some people are more believable than others, and some things add up better than others, and as such, my money is on Project H.A.M.M.E.R. to be this revived game, simply because if I'd have to choose between Imran Khan from Game Informer, or Liam Robertson, who is not only a regular contributor to Nintendo Life, but also a well-known and dedicated retro and canceled games investigator and journalist, then my vote goes to him.
And just to warm all you kids and adults up to the idea of getting a newly imagined version of Project H.A.M.M.E.R., I'll end this with the rather interesting and thorough investigative video that Liam made earlier about the history and the demise of the original version of that game:
Side note: forget I mentioned The Grinder as a possible candidate. Someone else already pointed out to me in the comments section of that specific article that Microsoft took over that game and turned it into a mediocre top down dungeon crawler...
UPDATE:
Today, on the 20th of February, I've been e-mailing with Nintendo Life's Damien McFerran, and he explained to me that Liam Robertson's words were misunderstood, and Liam himself is now apparently getting a bit annoyed that people were jumping to conclusions that he had implied that Project H.A.M.M.E.R. might be
the revived game.
So, all you Project H.A.M.M.E.R. haters can sleep easy now: until further notice, that's not going to be
the game that Nintendo might bring back to live...
But that doesn't mean that any other game will be. Perhaps the rumor will remain exactly that: just a rumor, so there's of course also still a chance that Nintendo isn't going to revive any game at all...
Either way: until then, the guessing game is on again, and every possible title is fair game. But do try to give some actual explanation on why you think that your guess will be the game in question, instead of just mentioning games you'd like to see, simply because "reasons"...
Hahaha, fact that you put that in is comical 700 words later
I was actually watching some Scale bound gameplay last night and I thought 2 things, 1. man this looks awesome, shame it got canceled and 2. I highly doubt this would come to the switch.
Like I said in the Nintendo Life article comments, I think the game that'll be revived is that Ubisoft party game for Wii U (How Well Do You Know Your Friends), it fits perfectly with Ubisoft's current support for Switch.
@Grumblevolcano Well, that would most certainly fit the description of something that people will NOT expect, as stated in that first article, about a canceled game being revived...
This was one of the few games I was looking forward to getting an Xbox One for (if I ever did). My cousin who has an Xbox One asked for any "Xbox One exclusive games' I was looking forward to (was hard to think of many compared to PS4), and the game I said was Scalebound. He didn't hear about it, so I showed him gameplay from it and he thought it didn't look good (was still an alpha build) , and he dismissed it once I told him the Bayonetta devs made it (he doesn't like Bayonetta since she "stole Mega Man X's spot on the roster in SMASH").
So if Scalebound was the rumored cancelled game Nintendo was reviving, then that would be swell since I already have a Switch, and if said game was getting revved up again as a Switch exclusive, put two and two together, and, uhhh, soOoO, WINK WINK....YEE!
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I'm not keen politics since that stuff is spooky, I'd rather watch SpongeBob over Fox News anyways!
And just to warm all you kids and adults up to the idea of getting a newly imagined version of Project H.A.M.M.E.R., I'll end this with the rather interesting and thorough investigative video that Liam made earlier about the history and the demise of the original version of that game.
You definitly got my interest. I don't know how or why, but I didn't notice the announcement of Project Hammer back then and yet it's totally a game I would love to play.
Not enough games allow to fight with a giant hammer imo!
Really hope you are right and that's the game they are planning to revive!
@SheldonRandoms No offense, but your cousin has a rather weird reason for not liking Bayonetta. It says nothing about the Bayonetta game itself.
@redd214 Of course, the footage is indeed well over a decade old, but the initial idea had Arcade beat em up (with a MASSIVE hammer!) written all over it, so I actually kinda liked it, and was sad to see it being cancelled. Just imagine the same premise, but with vastly improved graphics, more engaging gameplay, and options to go online and do either co-op or player vs player battles. Could be quite entertaining, if you ask me. Kind of like the Switch version of Crackdown. (well, the previous two Crackdowns in any case, seeing as the latest installment isn't doing all too well in the ratings... )
@BakaKnight Well, chances are that it's actually quite possible, if Liam Robertson is to be believed.
And seeing as he is a contributor to Nintendo Life sometimes, they might even be inclined to make another article out of that. Well, at least, if he is inclined and/or able to share a bit more on what his specific sources have told him...
I think I'm going to put in a request for Nintendo Life to pick this up, so perhaps we'll soon see another article about Project H.A.M.M.E.R. being featured on the front page.
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I would love for it to be Scalebound but I don't think it is. Imran Khan of Gameinformer, the same guy who started this "dead and buried" game rumour, said last month that aside from Prime 4 and Trilogy, there's "more Metroid stuff” on the way. I imagine more Metroid means 2D Metroid.If that's true then it could be a port of Samus Returns but with only a few weeks between his comments, my money is on it being Metroid Dread.
You misinterpreted the original rumor. It never said that it was a game that Nintendo cancelled.
The game, according to Imran, is one that was publicly announced and then later cancelled, and is NOT a Nintendo game.
Those two pieces of information completely rule out Project H.A.M.M.E.R and that Ubisoft title (it was never publicly announced, just revealed after the fact when Liam dug it up). Besides, why would Nintendo revive that Ubisoft title?
Really the list of possible titles that come to mind:
@Grumblevolcano How would that work though? That Game mostly required using the Wii U's built-in camera feature. which AFAIK the Switch doesn't have. unless Ubisoft makes major changes to that game for Switch, I don't see it happening. (unless they use that LABO Camera for it. which is possible.)
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I don't really put too much stock into those rumours. I mean, we got a ton of ''rumours'' in the past few weeks. And if that Witcher 3 rumour is anything to go by, it's based on a whole lot of nothing.
That being said, I'd love to see Scalebound make a comeback. I'm just not sure I'd want to play it on the Switch. It looked pretty rough as it did, and I'm not sure the Switch can run it like it was originally meant to be. No offence to anyone who feels offended by this
Project HAMMER looks pretty boring. I think that one should remain dead. Megaman Legends 3 would be cool though.
@redd214 Mega Man Legends is one of those games that still looks very good today. One of the few first generation 3D games that holds up. They wouldn't even have to change the art style
@OorWullie Metroid Dread could be another good alternative, but I think that Metroid Dread might even be a possibility outside of this whole rumor, because it could also be a game that Retro might have been working on. Having said that, far as I can remember, it was never more than a proof of concept, so in comparison to either Scalebound or Project H.A.M.M.E.R., it wasn't nearly as far in it's production cycle.
@IceClimbers I don't think I did. It didn't specifically state that it was a Nintendo game, but the way it was written, and in the context of the entire source material, it seemed to me that it pointed towards a title that Nintendo had canceled and is now bringing back to life.
After all: if you think about it, Nintendo wouldn't be able to bring any title that's not their property to life, UNLESS the party or parties involved cooperate or give their permission. That to me makes third party titles a whole less likely, which leaves only second and first party games.
Another thing that might have some substance, is Liam Robertson's statement on the matter. Imran Khan has hardly ever been right, especially concerning the most recent rumors, and quite a few of them, he simply copy/pasted from Twitter user and leaker King Zell, who actually predicted most of them before he even mentioned them (such as the correct date for the last Nintendo Direct), so that rules out Khan being right about this, far as I'm concerned.
Robertson on the other hand, states having multiple sources that told him that it is indeed Project H.A.M.M.E.R., and if you look at his reputation, and network, I'd sooner see him being on to something than anyone else. His articles and videos are always on point, and he knows his business.
(see update at the top of the page)
But ultimately, it's still nothing but a rumor, until we find out what this previously canceled and now revived game actually is, provided that part of the rumor is even true in the first place...
@redd214 Depends on what you like, of course. Personally, I had lots of fun with the first two Crackdowns, and I really love arcade-type games, so for me, not every game needs to have humongous, layered plots, intricate story lines and deeply engaging personalities and/or characters, to be enjoyable or entertaining.
And to ALL of you: remember, the rumor said that it would be a game that people would NOT be expecting, so all bets are still open, unless more information on it being little more than a rumor is confirmed...
@ThanosReXXX There's plenty of reasons a 3rd party could cooperate. With Platinum being implied to own the rights to Scalebound (if not the name) and still internally wanting the game to happen, that doesn't rule it out. Not that I think it's Scalebound lol, that'd be ridiculous. It does rule out ideas like Megaman Legends 3 that were turned down internally, but anything that died due to lack of funding is still fair game, like how Nintendo randomly brought Bayonetta 2 to life after Sega dismissed the idea. (Still the most bizarre announcement of my ~20 years of being a Nintendo fan IMO) If it is 3rd party, it's almost certainly a game with a separate developer and publisher.
If there's any truth to it, Shadow of the Eternals feels oddly likely. I've got nothing other than a gut feeling saying they're planning to focus on more JP aimed games internally, and expanding on using external resources for the west.
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Topic: Is Scalebound REALLY coming to Nintendo Switch, or are we missing some other, actually possible candidates?
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