In brief: Hidden Palace is back with another serving of prototype gaming goodness. This time around, the dump is focused on the original Microsoft Xbox and Sega's Dreamcast, both of which played a very important role in the history of the home video game console.
Back in March, if you recall, Hidden Palace added more than 700 unique PlayStation 2 prototypes to its database with the promise that much more was coming. Indeed, just one month later, the group dropped a combined 500 additional PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Philips CD-I prototypes.
The video game preservationists have just added 349 Microsoft Xbox prototypes and 135 Sega Dreamcast games to their growing collection of early developer builds, press previews or otherwise unreleased prototypes under the Project Deluge umbrella.
As of writing, Hidden Palace has examined nearly 4,000 discs with “absolutely no end in sight.”
Highlights from the latest dump include an early build of 4 Wheel Thunder that was compiled five months before the game launched (at the time, it was known as Offroad Thunder) as well as prototypes of Test Drive Cycles, Vigilante 8: Second Offense, WWF Attitude, Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater and Ready 2 Rumble Boxing Round 2, all for the Dreamcast.
On the Xbox, Hidden Palace has archived an unreleased port of American Idol, He-Man: Defender of Grayskull, Pac-Man World Rally and Hail to the Chimp, the latter of which was eventually released on the Xbox 360.
There are also some interesting Xbox prototypes from Sega developers, which isn’t too surprising considering some view Microsoft’s console as the spiritual successor to the Dreamcast. These include ToeJam & Earl III, Crazy Taxi 3: High Roller, Jet Set Radio Future and Sega GT, just to name a few.
Beware, this is completely crazy!!!
— Sega Dreamcast Info (@CombyLaurent1) September 18, 2021
Secret race in a Dreamcast prototype of SEGA GT !!!
Name of the race is "sonygt2" !!!
Who's there? It's Luigi !!!!!!!!#sega #dreamcast #Nintendo pic.twitter.com/ajqb0crQ8l
In related news, one preservationist has found Luigi tucked away in the Sega GT prototype. Mario's brother can be located in a hidden race named "SonyGT2," perhaps a reference to Sony's Gran Turismo franchise.
https://www.techspot.com/news/91335-nearly-500-dreamcast-xbox-prototypes-join-project-deluge.html
