Demo discs with unreleased games/unique content?

[Nana]

I ran into a video of this game called Bounty Arms on the PS1, which looks pretty cool. And it got me to thinking: what other cancelled games still had bits that got released as a demo at some point? Similarly, games like Chain Dive which got an english demo, but never an english release.

What are some other examples?

This is the Bounty Arms demo, which is apparently on the 5th volume of a JPN series of PS1 sample discs.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Billy Hatcher and the Giant Egg for PC appears to be quite rare, if not particulary expensive. I think it was only released in some European countries. (Not exactly what you're asking about, but a curio regardless.)
I read Sideline (a Japanese computer shmup released only in Poland) had a demo bundled with some Polish games mag.

I for one would like to see a list of all GameCube games featuring Pac-Man Vs. Was it a separate disc? Is any PAL version "safe" (fully speed, full screen or 60 Hz-endowed)?

[LordHypnos]

It was only an independent game, but there was a French dev team that was going to make a shmup for the Dreamcast called Drill. The project collapsed eventually (this was before there were any non-GOAT-store indie Dreamcast games, IIRC), but they left a one stage demo with two difficulty levels (Rookie and Normal). It's called Drill. Would post a link (They did release it for free, I believe), but their website is long gone, and I can only find the CDI on pirate sites.

[Stormwatch]

Sega Swirl for the Dreamcast didn't get a standalone release, but it was included in several demo discs and the web browser disc.

(It also had a commercial Palm release and a free PC download, but the Dreamcast version was far better.)

[LordHypnos]

Sega Swirl for the Dreamcast didn't get a standalone release, but it was included in several demo discs and the web browser disc.

(It also had a commercial Palm release and a free PC download, but the Dreamcast version was far better.)

Also in the Sega Smash Pack Vol. 1. That's where I played it. I should really get back to that some day. Awesome puzzle game

[Damocles]

Christmas Nights came out on a disk bundled with some video game magazine back in the day. I can't remember which one, and I lost the disk a long time ago.

[Doctor Butler]

I think Half-Life 2's demo was a section that was removed from the game entirely.

And I believe MGS2's demo had some stuff that wasn't in the proper game.

[BulletMagnet]

Bravely Default's demo on the 3DS is separate from the completed game, though it's mostly stuff from there cut-and-pasted into different places and such.

Do arcade games that never got past the prototype stage count? Ghostlop is definitely at the top of my list of those, though it kinda-sorta made an unexpected appearance in Magical Drop 5.

[Specineff]

Metal Wolf Chaos was released only in Japan, but an Official Xbox Mag demo disc had a preview, accessible through a trick. Also, the official UK Saturn Mag had all of disc 1 of Panzer Dragoon Saga in a demo, IIRC.

[GaijinPunch]

-There are three (I think) Tech Playstation's that contain 3 stages each for Umihara Kawase Shun.
-Some playstation mag (forgot which one) had ESPGaluda Arrange mode clear replays that you could download to a card and run on your PS2. You could even take over. So yeah, kinda different but I thought that was a pretty obscure bonus for the time.

Omake: What's Shenmue is a bonus scenario wrapped around the game's engine. Pretty cool little demo for that box office bomb. For the uber collector, the Famitsu edition has an orange (and very out of place) cover.

[BrianC]

Sonic Adventure 2 DC's demo had an instrumental version of the song that was used in the full version. The Angry Birds free versions have unique levels not in the full version. Jazz Jackrabbit and Lemmings had special Christmas themed demos with unique levels.

Edit: Read first post. Topic title was misleading. It made me think of demos of released games that have something not in the full version, not demos of unreleased games. Titan AE PSX fits the latter. It has a demo, but was never released.

[Skykid]

Doesn't the exclusive Little Ralph demo have a completely bespoke level and original character? From Famitsu or something?

[GaijinPunch]

Doesn't the exclusive Little Ralph demo have a completely bespoke level and original character? From Famitsu or something?

Yeah, but I don't think he's from Famitsu. I'd have to look it up. He just kinda follows Ralph around.

Keio Yuugekitai Katsugekihen omake disc (found in the book) has a shooter level that was omitted from the game.

Topic title was misleading. It made me think of demos of released games that have something not in the full version

Indeed, but for what it's worth, demos of localized versions of games that exist abroad should be mildly boring to most people on a forum like this. Unless they're really, really text heavy.

[Ed Oscuro]

I think Half-Life 2's demo was a section that was removed from the game entirely.

The Lost Coast thing? Wikipedia says that the (infamous!) ATI-sponsored demo from December 2004 had a portion of Point Insertion and We Don't Go To Ravenholm...don't see anything about it being cut content.

[BPzeBanshee]

Not really "demo" but there was a prototype printed and handwritten discs of the first Half-Life ported to Dreamcast, with some of the content used for the "High Definition" PC / PS2 pack later on.

[lilmanjs]

Not really "demo" but there was a prototype printed and handwritten discs of the first Half-Life ported to Dreamcast, with some of the content used for the "High Definition" PC / PS2 pack later on.

Save for loading times, the entire game is there in the leaked DC port. Was proobably nearly ready for release when it was cancelled.

[apatheticTurd]

Not *discs*, but the demos for Starlancer and Freespace 2 both have two fully-featured missions with unique content that are not in the final games.

[Ed Oscuro]

Speaking of Half-Life, that game's Uplink demo is a pretty decent section of cut gameplay. Makes you wonder what other good stuff gets cut from games all the time. I'd take "second best" over playing the originals which have lost their shock and awe factor through familiarity by now.

[SuperGrafx]

It was only an independent game, but there was a French dev team that was going to make a shmup for the Dreamcast called Drill. The project collapsed eventually (this was before there were any non-GOAT-store indie Dreamcast games, IIRC), but they left a one stage demo with two difficulty levels (Rookie and Normal). It's called Drill. Would post a link (They did release it for free, I believe), but their website is long gone, and I can only find the CDI on pirate sites.

Speaking of DC, there was a game distributed on one of the earlier US Official Dreamcast Magazine demo discs that played a lot like a souped up version of Combat (Atari 2500 version).
If I recall, it allowed for up to 4 players and had some decent graphics.
I'll have to dig out my magazine collection to see if I can find it....far as I know it was never released outside of that demo disc appearance.

[KAI]

Shadow of the Collossus has the headless girl on the demo.

[ciox]

Not *discs*, but the demos for Starlancer and Freespace 2 both have two fully-featured missions with unique content that are not in the final games.

Ah, I finished every mission of Starlancer but never knew about any of that that, thanks for this.

I think Half-Life 2's demo was a section that was removed from the game entirely.

The tradition started with the first Half-Life and its Uplink levels.

[GaijinPunch]

The tradition started with the first Half-Life and its Uplink levels.

Cool... just think how awesome the Half Life 3 demo will be in 18 years.

[Specineff]

Speaking of DC, there was a game distributed on one of the earlier US Official Dreamcast Magazine demo discs that played a lot like a souped up version of Combat (Atari 2500 version).
If I recall, it allowed for up to 4 players and had some decent graphics.
I'll have to dig out my magazine collection to see if I can find it....far as I know it was never released outside of that demo disc appearance.

The closest I can think of is Alien Front Online.

[BIL]

Silent Hill's NTSCU and PAL demo discs both have some stuff differing from the game's retail versions in those respective regions. There may well be a JP demo disc with similar differences, but my KCET-fu is a little rusty at the moment.

Most significant is probably the PAL demo's inclusion of the infamous "Mumbler" demon children in the school. They were deleted and replaced with a much less controversial monster type found elsewhere in the game for the final PAL (and Japanese) releases.

[Obiwanshinobi]

Two complete, unreleased, leaked versions: The Red Star (Xbox) and Chelnov (Saturn; a port of the arcade version). The Red Star FMV (absent in PS2 version) was on an Xbox demo disc.
PAL Gitaroo Man demo had the song sung in English.

[SuperGrafx]

Speaking of DC, there was a game distributed on one of the earlier US Official Dreamcast Magazine demo discs that played a lot like a souped up version of Combat (Atari 2500 version).
If I recall, it allowed for up to 4 players and had some decent graphics.
I'll have to dig out my magazine collection to see if I can find it....far as I know it was never released outside of that demo disc appearance.

The closest I can think of is Alien Front Online.

It wasn't AFO.
It was an actual overhead, one screen Combat simulation.

[Damocles]

Super Boom Tread Troopers from the December 2000 demo disk. It's been a while, but I'm pretty sure it requires two players. Ya know...like Combat.

[Vexorg]

Although it's not really a disc, I've heard that the demo of the Stanley Parable is quite distinctive from the actual game (in a thoroughly fourth wall-breaking way.)

[Obiwanshinobi]

Any more examples of full games bundled with other titles as extras than Pac-Man Vs. and Death Tank (Zwei)? Not like mini-games in jRPGs (where the latter technically consist in the former).
Geometry Wars comes to mind (although I think it's one of Geometry Wars: Galaxies' modes now, thus it can be bought without any other title); not having played PGR, however, I can't tell how it's unlike jRPG mini-games.
There is a puzzle(?) game selectable from the Wander Wonder's main menu that seems to be a completely different genre (Wander Wonder being an action-adventure game like Ys or Zelda).

[BIL]

There's Tiny Phalanx, hidden in Zoom's PS1 fighter Zero Divide. Guevara (FC) also includes a hidden port of earlier SNK game Sasuke And Commander - the NES localisation Guerilla War disables it.