During the
launch of the spectacular flop, the C64GS console, many companies
got behind the console and announced various exciting cartridge
conversions for the console, but most were sadly never to be. These
titles wouldn't really make a full GTW entry, but we'll be listing
and taking a brief look at each planned title... Maybe we can
hopefully find some prototype cartridges/images for you to download
of these titles if developers come forward with anything
interesting. However, what you'll find is sadly many of these were
only vapourware... and Commodore promised 100 released carts by
Christmas 1990... pah!....
And thats it. We will add more titles as we learn of planned cartridge releases. An interesting note to round off but in a SCI(Chase HQ II) feature the programmer was asked, "If you did a cartridge version of SCI, what would you put in?". Does that mean there was a DIFFERENT version planned for tape and disk? ... another question, but likely that nothing much was changed/added... Also, spoil sports Electronic Arts announced at the time they wouldn't be producing any cartridges. At least we were spared from 100 different Fifa clones maybe?...
Snow Bros - 1991 Ocean Software.
Conversion from Toaplan arcade game, planned to be cartridge only according to Commodore Format magazine. Nothing ever surfaced in the press about this title, and we currently have a GTW entry for the game as we try and find something of it.Operartion Thunderbolt - 1990 Ocean
Probably the second version of the game, but would there have been many improvements to this poor conversion?Addams Family - 1991 Ocean
Commodore Force magazine later reports that along with Space Gun (Which did get a cart release), Ocean's poor movie licence was to be put on cart too. Might have been nice, but we need confirmation of this first.Double Dragon - 1990 Ocean
Who knows why Ocean wanted to do Double Dragon again on the C64!... This was not to be the dire Melbourne House version, but a totally new version The surprising thing is that the game was finished, but only had limited release it seems and not official release anywhere. Mat Allen has one of very few cartridges produced, which has a flimsy label and uninspiring cover art. The game is not much better than Melbourne's attempt, but at least the characters are not split with a gap in the middle! You can find downloads of the rom image at Mat's site here.Wings Of The Apache - 1991 Ocean Software
A rumoured title of Ocean's, and one which no-one seems to know much about. Had it been released, I guess it might have had a cartridge release, depending on how ambitious the game was.Hook - 1991 Ocean Software
The game was released on tape and disk, but the manual states instructions for Cartridge too. Maybe this one was a little too late for Ocean to bother putting on cart once they saw the failure of the other games and the console.Dawn Of Steel (Myth II) - 1991 System 3
A title which is already documented in the archives, but yet another System 3 title which would have gone to cart had it been released.Last Ninja 3 - 1991 System 3
Hmmm... this one was actually advertised heavily as being on cartridge. Even one magazine stated cartridge only!.... so did they have a cartridge to review from??? Cart copies were apparently made according to Dan Phillips, but the game was never sold in that format and the carts were all internal System 3 carts. I know for a fact that Mat Allen is watching with eagle eyes for when it ever (if ever) it comes up on ebay... aren't you Mat? :) ... In recent times we have been chasing up those involved, and Stan Schembri was contacted and confirmed prototypes were made, but he didn't have one anymore. The last person to chase up is John Twiddy.... most likely to have something of the game...Turbocharge - 1991 System 3
Yet another planned cart release, and one surely to knock Chase HQ 2 off the best cart driving game spot?... Again, we think this had prototypes made. We hope for someone to come forward with a prototype (and for LN3 too), so Mat Allen can make some .crt backups for people to see.IK Deluxe - 1991 System 3
Mentioned elsewhere in GTW already... Had IK Deluxe been complete, it was penned for cartridge release. Seems like Archer may have had muliload in mind, so again this would have been a nice system 3 cart.Vendetta - 1990 System 3
System 3 had many planned and advertised cartidge conversions, one such was Vendetta which never came out to our knowledge. As with Last Ninja 3, we never did see anything apart from adverts. Myth and Last Ninja remix were released on cartridge however, but that was it. The cartridge version was to be revamped, and the game was to have better enemy fight logic. Stan confirms work on the game, and it seems improvements were made, but he confirms many cartridges were scrapped as the C64GS was seen as a flop, hence only a few System 3 titles on cartridge. Only person who may have a prototype is none other than John Twiddy.Turbo Outrun - 1990 US Gold
US Gold never released anything for the GS, but this was one of the planned titles. Mentioned by Mark Kelly, there were to be many new features and improvements. One noticable installment would have been a race game construction set, allowing buyers to design their own Turbo Outrun levels/cars etc. The idea at the time of the interview with Mark was not presented to US Gold, and they never officially backed it. This one sank without trace too.Golden Axe - 1990 US Gold
Another Mark Kelly plan... nothing much talked about about this game... but some obvious improvements could have been including more enemies on the screen and even the missing two player mode... oh, and the missing levels too?.... This would have been a good one, but sadly it was never to be.Moonwalker - 1991 US Gold
Confusion with this one. Would US Gold stick with the terrible game they originally released, or would they do a new conversion of the Moonwalker game from the Megadrive, or even the obscure arcade game?.... Either way, US Gold would have probably hashed it up, like they have done with pretty much everything else they ever did...Kick Off 2 - 1990 Anco
A revamped version of Kick Off 2 planned for cartridge, with improved music by Fredrik (Moppe) Segerfalk, which can be found in HVSC. New menus were coded by Ben Hayes, but the cartridge version was canned rather quickly. Apparently the whole revamp was a mess according to Ben Hayes.California Games - 1991 Epyx / US Gold
Epyx were rumoured to convert a load of their back catalogue to cartridge, starting with California Games. Epyx were no strangers to carts by releasing carts for the Atari VCS. Epyx were in trouble at the time, and it seems this may have been lost as a result. Doubtful it was ever started, but what a popular cart this would have been!The Games: Winter Edition - 1991 Epyx / US Gold
Another planned Epyx game, this time one of the more unpopular of games events which Epyx did.The Games: Summer Edition - 1991 Epyx / US Gold
Following the Winter version, came the Summer version planned too.... heartbreaking loss here aswell?Impossible Mission 2 - 1990 US Gold
Hmmm... a tasty sounding cartridge conversion, as US Gold planned more carts and opted for some older titles, including this classic. I doubt that US Gold would have added any extra presentation, but who knows?Infiltrator - 1990 US Gold
Another golden oldie, but maybe a bit too golden?.... Still, the lack of a multiload would have benefitted this classic!Leaderboard - 1990 US Gold
US Gold never released it, but a company in Australia did!... and the cartridge is kind of rare and hard to find. Again you can find a rom dump at Mat's site, but then did US Gold have their own version with extra presentation?... All these extra questions!!Gauntlet 2 - 1990 US Gold
Funny that around the time of Gauntlet 3 there were plans also to convert Gauntlet 2 to cartridge. A funny choice, and I would have put more money towards seeing Gauntlet 3 on cartridge instead... but US Gold always aimed to please...Turrican 2 - 1991 Anco
A strange cartridge release from Anco, and not Rainbow Arts themselves. Seems like Anco were after the rights to Turrican 2, so they could cash in on a cartridge version. This would have been a fantastic cart game to see, but it was never to be.X-Out - 1991 Anco
Yet another Rainbow Arts licence to Anco. Maybe Anco never secured the rights in the first place?.... Not a great SEU, but still rated as a classic by many. This would have succeeded well on cartridge, as disk and tape loading systems almost killed the game in the first place.Wrath Of The Demon - 1991 Ready Soft
A game which had a few troubles getting distributed even on tape and disk!... Wrath was planned for the console along with all the rest. For a game with massive content and feature, this would have been a big release like Shadow Of The Beast was... maybe better?... This was gonna be class, but did it ever get to a prototype stage? .... Well, it seems that a cartridge version does exist, with very clear detail in Zzap magazine on the letters page talking about instantaneous loading and how awesome it was in issue 79. Were Zzap sent a cartridge review copy?... was the cancellation of the GS the reason why Wrath was delayed and later released on Disk?Narco Police - 1991 Dinamic
Yet another title released on tape and disk from the Spanish giants, and another tough game too which benefitted from cartridge. Carts are confirmed to have been made, and Mat Allen has one here. Thanks to Niels for the heads up!Satan - 1991 Dinamic
We can confirm that this has been done, because Mat Allen has found a copy of the game, and another surfaced on Ebay recently. But was this a full release, or a limited trickle like Double Dragon?... I'd say the later, but this squeezes in here just about... Should be on, or coming onto Mat's site about now... here.AMC - 1991 Dinamic
Not a very good game, but another Dinamic recent release. We believe that their post 1990 games were planned for cartridge only, and this fits into it. We don't know if this did actually get started or not... but we say post 1990, but read below...ENTIRE BACKCATALOGUE?? - 1991 Dinamic
A bit vague I know... but Dinamic stated they were converting their entire back catalogue to cartridge, maybe including Navy Moves, After The War etc. But just how far did they plan?.... Surely not Game Over and Army Moves too?Subutteo - 1991 Electronic Zoo
Not a particularly great simulation, but Electronic Zoo thought it was worthy of a cartridge release. Never got mentioned again, so must have been when Electronic Zoo went bust.Orcus - 1991 Electronic Zoo
A popular title in GTW, which we know was never completed... mainly because Electronic Zoo went under. This maybe would have been awesome.Prohibition - 1991 Infogrames
Infogrames tried to jump on the bandwagon with a particularly weak Untouchables/Op Wolf clone. A single loader anyway, this would have been a waste.Bubble Ghost - 1991 Infogrames
Another pants title, and one which was also penned for cartridge. This would have flopped too.... another single loader. Would it have offered anything new?Starglider 2 - 1991 Microprose
Never really fully mentioned as a conversion, but we proved it did exist from the preview which currently sits in GTW. Had it been finished, Microprose wanted it for a cartridge release. If the game was a multiload, then this would have benefited. Maybe a battery backup could have been included??Gunship - 1991 Microprose
Microprose wanted to convert some of their backcatalogue too, and Gunship was one title they planned. This would have been awesome, and maybe with a battery backup it would have been an essential purchase. Never heard anything of this one...Silent Service - 1991 Microprose
Following Gunship, Microprose also mentioned a conversion of this classic. Would either game benefit from any extra presentation too?Betrayal - 1991 Microprose
An average RPG which might have pleased a few people in this more recent planned title at the time. Again, it never surfaced.International Soccer Challenge - 1991 Microprose
Mentioned as the sequel to Microprose Soccer, which we well know as Sensible Soccer V1. However, we can state that it was not to be the Sensible Soccer we all know and love that was being converted, but a completely different game by Microprose which featured 3D action, with a behind the player view point. One to add to GTW's archives too, because this never got released...Rick Dangerous 2 - 1991 Microprose
A popular title, and one which would have faired well on cartridge. The first game did make it onto a multipack cart, but the sequel sadly never quite made it.Project Stealth Fighter - 1990 Microprose
This might have benefitted from cartridge, but was only under consideration. It seems Microprose saw the doom of the GS coming...Fire and Forget II - 1991 Titus
Another Titus title, and one of a particularly "Forget"-table (sorry!) game. Canned with the rest, but was any carts made??Battlestorm - 1991 Titus
A game which is relatively unknown, but Titus announced it for cartridge. Never got mentioned again.Crazy Bikes - 1991 Titus
Another unknown game, which seems to be a Crazy Cars clone with Bikes?.... Sounds a bit naff, but who knows?Armalyte and Sanxion - 1991 Thalamus
Thalamus' contribution was to be slightly more generous by giving away two games on a cartridge. Boy, these would have been popular too no doubt! Again, they never happened and it seems Thalamus lost interest in the GS early.Hawkeye and Quedex - 1991 Thalamus
Another multi-cart gem planned by Thalamus.Delta and Hunters Moon - 1991 Thalamus
Another multi-cart gem planned by Thalamus... it gets better...Creatures and Summer Camp - 1991 Thalamus
Another multi-cart gem planned by Thalamus.... do you feel sick yet?Retrograde and Heatseeker - 1991 Thalamus
Another multi-cart gem planned by Thalamus.... thats it i'll get me coat!Bloodwych - 1990 Mirrorsoft
A Dungeon Master style RPG which was very popular, and again may have benefited being on cartridge. Mirrorsoft went under during 1991, so any hopes of a cartridge release were dashed.Falcon - 1990 Mirrorsoft
A planned conversion of the famous Amiga flight simulator. This would have been an ambitous conversion, and after seeing Battle Command, this could have done well if released on cartridge. Did anything of this one even get started code wise?Pro Tennis Tour 2 - 1991 Ubi Soft
A planned sequel which never happend not even on tape/disk. First game was ok, but not spectacular. It may have been the first game planned for cartridge, but two press statements say PTT2, another just says PTT for cartridge release. Either way, neither got released.B.A.T - 1991 Ubi soft
A half well recieved RPG from Ubi, but as with PTT, this never got out of the doors. Another game to benefit by having large multiloads removed.Midwinter - 1990 Mike Singleton
Apparently this was to be converted to the C64 to take advantage of the cartridge hardware. The game was rumoured to contain sprite landscaping. Again, nothing was ever heard again about it.Barbarian III - 1991 Palace
No doubt that Palace changed their mind on doing carts early on, but I expect that the multiload would have been removed and that is it.Spy Who Loved Me - 1990 Domark
The Spy Who Loved Me was to feature extra presentation and also include the Operation Wolf style sub game which was on the Amiga, but missing from the C64 tape and disk versions.Venus Flytrap - 1991 Gremlin
This was to be Gremlin's first cartridge game, but it never happened... but neither did the actual conversion anyway.... Did it ever get started?Ultima VI - 1991 Mindscape
A huge RPG and ambitious one planned by Mindscape on cartridge, with a battery back-up. This would have been fantastic, and no doubt popular too. But this one never got out of the doors, or even mentioned again.Battlechess - 1991 Mindscape
Mentioned along with Ultima VI, the Interplay classic was to become Commodore's new Sargon Chess. It never seemed to had happened though.Space Rogue - 1991 Mindscape
A spectacular game on the level of Battle Command, and this would have been an awesome cartridge title!... No doubt about it!... Mindscape whetted our appetites, but again never delivered...Jack Attack V2 - 1990 Commodore
Still feeling sore perhaps?... Commodore had early plans to bundle Jack Attack 2 with GS consoles, but obviously had a change of heart by getting 4 other popular games on a multicart. This would have had improved graphics, but maybe it was too simple a game to exist on its own... and by this time Commodore had stopped producing games for the C64.Volfied - 1991 Empire
Listed in a schedule list as a planned cartridge release!...Duck Tales - 1990 Titus
Listed in a schedule list as a planned cartridge release!...And thats it. We will add more titles as we learn of planned cartridge releases. An interesting note to round off but in a SCI(Chase HQ II) feature the programmer was asked, "If you did a cartridge version of SCI, what would you put in?". Does that mean there was a DIFFERENT version planned for tape and disk? ... another question, but likely that nothing much was changed/added... Also, spoil sports Electronic Arts announced at the time they wouldn't be producing any cartridges. At least we were spared from 100 different Fifa clones maybe?...
