See DICE's unfinshed Genesis shooter, 'Hardcore'

In 1994, before being canceled at the very last minute by publisher Psygnosis (the ailing Sony Liverpool, these days), DICE Studios was one bug squash away from completing sidescrolling shooter "Hardcore" for the Sega Mega Drive (Genesis). When Psygnosis realized that the Mega Drive wouldn't be around for much longer, it canceled "13 games in an afternoon meeting," including Hardcore.

As explained by DICE co-founders Andreas Axelsson and Olof Gustafsson in the YouTube video found after the break (filmed at the DATASTORM 2010 party in early February), Hardcore is currently owned by Sony and Psygnosis, and as such, DICE has been unable to release the game into the public domain (though Axelsson claims to be "working on that"). The game is said to have originally been developed with the Amiga in mind, then brought over to the Mega Drive. Axelsson and Gustafsson reveal that it was "99 percent finished" before being canceled.

Given our love for sidescrolling shooters, we're hoping that Axelsson's intention to release the game publicly eventually pans out. Whaddya say, Sony/Psygnosis? How about you folks get together and work out all this legal mumbo jumbo. For us.

[Via GameSetWatch]

Reader Comments (34)

Looks like it has promise. Would love to see something updated (or not!) see the light of day.

Also, typo in the headline ('unfinshed').

I guess they finshed it... then they unfinshed it. Duh!

(Shrug)

Cool! They made a game about me.

Oh....oh god that video intro gave me a migraine. Just put up all the text you bastards. It's a youtube video not a damn summer blockbuster.

IN A WORLD

INFESTED WITH UNNECESSARY TEXT

ONLY ONE MAN CAN STOP THIS NONSENSE!

HE IS...

NaeemTHM

summer

2010

Instead of just re-releasing games on XBLA & PSN, how about releasing games that didn't get to see that light of day on Sega consoles.

I'd definitely pay $5 for a NEW game before I would a port - unless of course it's something along the lines of say... Phantasy Star 2 or 4.

Thank the Gods you didn't say Phantasy Star III.

Agreed.

Sega, I want Sonic X-Treme, Virtua Hamster, Shadow of Atlantis, oh, and a rerelease of Panzer Dragoon Saga.

Oh, and thanks for reminding me, the unreleased Sega CD version of Phantasy Star IV.

And that third Eternal Champions game...

even if it was a port it would still be just as new as releasing it as a sega game.. which would never happen.

Phantasy Star 2 did get re-released as an XBLA title...

I wonder how many other unreleased classic games there are.

All that comes to my mind is that there is a Universal Soldier for the SNES rom floating around that was completed but never released (but that's probably because it was horrible)

they should release this as is!

kids today dont know what a good shooter feels like :P

They need to take all those old game, "remaster" them in HD, and put them on PSN(and XBLA if Sony feels nice).....I know its a LOT of older games that never saw the light of day that could do well I believe....people are BEGGING for old games like this.....I mean Shadow Complex is a good example of a new game in a old style....so why not get older games that were never released....throw a few thousand dollars behind them for so sprucing and then put em on as many formats as possible?

OMG! the sounds, the graphics.... did i accidentally splash into a hot tub time machine?
i would love to see this exact incarnation released on the XBLA or PSN