Back in 2010, Bandai Namco released a remake of the original arcade thriller Splatterhouse after it failed to live up to expectations and a number of controversies surfaced. For instance, the protagonist’s startling resemblance to Jason from the “Friday the 13th“ film series sparked a great deal of public outcry.
However, what has been swept under the rug all this time is the unreleased finished beta version of Splatterhouse, which was created by Bottlerocket, albeit Namco later that year acquired 80% of Bottlerocket’s assets, made minor tweaks, and launched the game.
After years now, “MasterDerico,“ a NeoGAF member, became well-known after posting some previously unpublished footage and maneuvers from the beta version that was canceled, on his YouTube channel.
Key Takeaways:
- A NeoGaf user has dug up an interesting backstory of a canceled version of the 2010-released action horror Splatterhouse.
- The now-binned variant of the game was spearheaded by developer Bottlerocket.
- A number of novel features look prevalent in the canceled version, including more enemy types and enhanced graphics.
Take a look at some fantastic moves that were removed from the final version ahead.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A20gNdDyjiI?feature=oembed
The following video shows Bottlerocket’s portrayal of Splatterhouse’s protagonist Rick in its original form.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A20gNdDyjiI?feature=oembed
Comparing Namco’s Splatterhouse to the unreleased Bottlerocket version, the user has a lot to say. We also observed that Rick is a fabulous demon and that there are more enemies, beasts, bosses, and more realistic graphics in the scenes from the leaked deleted version.
In this version, you can also call on previously vanquished demons to battle for you. You can play the game normally or with debug options enabled by pressing the select button.
MasterDerico says he got the deleted game from an acquaintance who worked at Bottlerocket. He continues by saying that while the framerate is greater in the Namco version, 50% of the game was deleted, including moves, opponents, and bosses, and there were needless redesigns of Rick and several creatures.
The majority of people aren’t even aware that Splatterhouse is an arcade game remake or how Namco Bandai’s team convened in front of Bottlerocket Gates one day and loaded all the PCs, Xboxes, and kits.
Thankfully, the 2009 trailer for the Bottlerocket version that was canceled is still available. We’ll combine it with the Namco trailer so the viewers can evaluate them side by side.
Here’s the trailer for the canceled version of Bottlerocket’s Splatterhouse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=keV-jfdRnEY?feature=oembed
In comparison, the video below showcases Bandai Namco’s version, which was the final retail variant of Splatterhouse.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juV1QTHFhDI?feature=oembed
Furthermore, the NeoGAF user’s contact made quite a hassle back in the day by advertising the canceled version on a popular gaming site. On the well-known video game collector website ASSEMbler, a user going by the handle “dulledblade” posted pre-release copies of the Xbox 360 version of Splatterhouse.
He didn’t specify whether the version of Splatterhouse that was allegedly for sale was the one created by the now-defunct Bottlerocket or the one that had been revised by Namco Bandai’s Afro Samurai team when the company moved the project in-house in February 2009.
In addition, “dulledblade” shared a series of screenshots from the upcoming game, each of which featured a screenshot of the game and a post-it note bearing his name to demonstrate that he was in possession of a copy of it.
He also posted some of his items for sale on multiple websites, including the Xbox enthusiast site, Xbox-Scene, where he lists an Xbox Live Gamertag of the same name in his profile.
The user also uploaded exclusive screenshots from the canceled game which itself made a lot of hype. Below is one of those with “dulledblade’s” watermark.
However, what truly surprises us is how many crazy ideas exist but have never been recognized by the public due to various controversies. Splatterhouse is an incredible collection of fighting games with a horror theme, and it makes us long to interact with the entire series.
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