The development of video games can be a rather curious thing. Usually, when writing a novel, filming a movie, or scripting a comic book, there is generally an idea of what the end goal is in mind. Certainly, changes happen throughout the creative process, but to our recollection, no one has set out to make a Batman movie and changed it to Zorro midway through. Video games, on the other hand, are a bit of a different story. By their very nature, they lend themselves well to on-the-fly alterations both great and small that can lead to drastically different results in the final product. Sometimes a game with no particular iconography in mind will be deemed a good fit for a particular popular franchise, or perhaps the changes made in a sequel are so great that it's determined that spinning it off as something else altogether is the way to go (and, with any luck, leading to two big hit franchises). Maybe a familiar face will be added to another work to boost its visibility in the marketplace, or it could be removed as a matter of failed negotiations. Anything can happen between the time work on a game has begun and when it goes to market, and the results may astound you. Here are ten of the most famous video games which started out as something else entirely.
Former Nintendo Power writer, current Nintendo Force writer. Wrote the book on Mega Man (The Robot Master Field Guide). Was once fired by Vince McMahon. Dabbles in video games, comic books, toys, and fast food curiosities. Once had a new species of exotic bird named after him. It died.
You can find more of his writings, musings, and other such things on his websites at Nyteworks.net.
