Every now and again it happens that a much anticipated game gets canceled or for some other reason never gets released.
In recent memory there’s “Manhunt 2″ which was stopped completely but has since then, after it’s developer Rockstar Games had censored parts of the game, been released for the PlayStation 2, Nintendo Wii and PSP in the US. Europe has yet to see it’s release since the BBFC rejected even the modified version of the game.
Also there is the case of “Project H.A.M.M.E.R.”, a game for the Nintendo Wii announced at E3 2006 which received much initial interest from the gaming community, myself included. The prospect of playing a raging cyborg armed with a huge hammer in his quest to cause massive blunt-force trauma to evil alien robots was one hard to pass on, especially considering the Wii’s controls. The Wiimote was practically made for games like this.
However, for reasons unknown “Project H.A.M.M.E.R.” will probably never see the light of day since Nintendo decided to cancel or “pause” indefinitely it’s development earlier this year.
When I read about this I was beside myself with disappointment and quite a bit pissed off, that’s how much I’d been looking forward to crushing malevolent robots with my Wiimote.
Why Nintendo would decide to cancel a game that has already received a fair bit of push and exposure, and that there has obviously existed some sort of playable demo of for well over a year, is beyond me. I think it’s a waste and really stupid.
But OK, so they will not finish “Project H.A.M.M.E.R.” and I’ll have to live with that, but what about that demo that they showed at E3 last year? Could we have that? Slap it up on The Shopping Channel and make it a cheap download. That would at least make me a little happier. At least then we can crush a couple of robots and delight in some aggressive flailing of the Wiimote, even if it’s not a full game.
As a matter of fact, why doesn’t the game companies do the same for other titles that get canceled but are still kind of playable? I’m sure plenty of gamers would be willing to fork over $5 or something like that for a small morsel of what could’ve been. I know I certainly would.
The “Manhunt 2″ story got a lot funnier a couple of weeks ago when it was widely reported that the fully playable uncensored version for the PS2 was available for download in various locations. It made me chuckle to say the least, but it was no surprise – I knew this would happen sooner or later.
The gaming world wants “Manhunt 2″ and it wants it unedited and uncensored. I’m not saying that the final release isn’t a great game even though lots of gore has been taken out of it, but the uncensored version is really the game as it was meant to be, and that’s way the gamers want it.
It’s later been revealed that the leak that put the game out there for download was someone working at Sony in Europe. Normally I wouldn’t condone this sort of behavior, making intellectual property available for illegal download I mean, but in this case I say give the guy a friggin’ medal!
I have no idea why this guy took the risk and did what he did, but I’m hoping it has to do with him being someone who actually gives a shit about gaming as an art form and understands that as such the uncensored game deserves to be made available.
More than anything though, this effectively shows that censorship doesn’t work and is just plain stupid. Just like me and my friends found a way to get uncut copies of gory horror movies back when I was a teenager, as long as an uncensored version exists of a game or any other kind of media, it will eventually end up in the hands of those who really want it.
So let grown ups decide for themselves what they want to play or watch. Period. Censorship is stupid and doesn’t work.
And give us the spoils of your canceled projects. Now.
