10 Features You Didn't Know Were Cut From Classic Video Games
6. Nintendo Ordered Link & Samus Removed From Marvel: Ultimate Alliance
Marvel: Ultimate Alliance was known for its huge roster of comic book heroes, and the Wii version might have added two Nintendo favorites to the mix, if not for some bungling shenanigans by the developers.
See, the Vicarious Visions team, responsible for the development of the Wii port, were told by publisher Activision to add beloved Nintendo characters Link and Samus as a way to "please Nintendo." The developers followed the instructions, adding the two characters to the game's roster and producing a demo to show Nintendo's executives.
Sadly, they didn't get the reaction they expected. Nintendo hadn't given permission for their properties to be used, and what was worse, Vicarious Visions had inexplicably added them to a demo that was still clearly based on the PlayStation 2 version of the game - down to featuring on-screen PS2 button icons.
Seeing their characters appear alongside iconography associated with their fiercest competitor did little to "please Nintendo," and the devs were ordered to remove the characters immediately. Thanks to Vicarious Visions' carelessness, the dreams of every young nerd who ever doodled Link killing Dr. Doom with the Master Sword shall remain unfulfilled.