Video games go through a lot before they end up in consumers’ hands. In fact, a lot of games are a complete mess mere weeks before release. That said, we never really get to see much of in-development titles outside of very selective clips shown during behind the scenes documentaries or developer diaries. Now, though, to celebrate “Blocktober”, Twitter game developers have gotten together to share images and GIFs of unfinished environments for some of gaming’s greatest games.
The Last of Us
Naughty Dog’s The Last of Us is undeniably an extremely popular game–our very own William Schwartz called it a “generation defining experience“–and that popularity isn’t stopping during Blocktober. Mark Richard Davis, who is currently working on the game’s sequel, has given us a brief glimpse at the original game’s Pittsburgh map (below) which doesn’t really hold the same weight as it did in its finished form.
Killzone: Mercenary
Killzone: Mercenary wasn’t an amazing game on the PSVita, but it was a fantastic demonstration for how a first-person shooter would work on the system. I remember playing countless hours of the game’s multiplayer on Sony’s under-utilized portable system, and even now I like to jump into a quick match with the game’s bots. A developer on the game called Peter Ellis, who now works at Naughty Dog, shared an image of the opening level’s greybox, a top-down view of the un-textured environment. Just look at this thing!
Enslaved: Odyssey to the West
One of the most under-appreciated releases of the last generation, Enslaved: Odyssey to the West is not only a fantastic and beautiful game, but also my favourite thing to come out of this year’s Blocktober. Shared by developer Peter Field, who is now working on the upcoming PS4 exlcuisve DREAMS, Enslaved’s unfinished build is miraculous to look at when compared to its final product.
Before:
After:
Titanfall 2
While there are quite a few Titanfall 2 images being shared by various Respawn developers, my personal favorite to release this Blocktober has to be the pictures for the unfinished War Games map. Shared by the Lead Level Designer for the game, Jason McCord, this is a fantastic look at Titanfall 2 in the nude. Another fantastic share for Titanfall 2 is from developer Chuck Wilson who posted an image of an early build for the game’s Black Water Canal map.
Uncharted 4
Ooooeee, this is a big one. Uncharted 4, as well as its predecessors, has had many images shared for various unfinished maps for the game and this Blocktober is no different! Do you remember the Orphanage level from the game? Well, you’ve never seen it like this!
Just bask in its unfinished glory, mmmm. Shared by game designer Liz Fiacco, this just goes to show how much attention to detail gets poured into every single Uncharted game before release. Other notable shares for the Uncharted series this year include: the driving sequence from The Lost Legacy, Uncharted 4’s Clock Tower sequence, 4’s New Devon/ At Sea, Uncharted 3’s Chateau, and the Museum map for Uncharted 2’s multiplayer.
Payday 2
Overkill’s insanely popular multiple heist sequel Payday 2 has seen a lot of maps in its lifetime. One of the most memorable maps for me personally is the map Nightclub which took me bloody ages to make my way through with the game’s dastardly AI, because I had no friends. Shared by the game’s Lead Level Designer Jason Mojica, here’s a look at a very early image for this map.
Before:
After:
Which one looks better in your opinion?
This Blocktober is massive and still going on so make sure you keep up to date with the Twitter hashtag. If you have any notable examples that were missed during this article, share them down in the comments below!
