Video Game Lost Media
Many video games are preserved, allowing them to be played for generations. However, some games become lost to time, unable to ever be played again. Most games become lost because they are only accessible through the Internet. Many games that faced this were on the Satellaview and Sega Channel, peripherals for the SNES and Sega Genesis. These games were downloaded via satellite to a console, allowing the games to be played. However, none of these games were re-released, and the service providing these games shut down. This required fans to step up in order to preserve the games with emulators through the Satellaview’s saved game data on old game consoles. However, many games were never restored on these consoles, making them disappear.
An expansion to the “Legend the Zelda: Link to the Past” was called “BS The Legend of Zelda: Ancient Stone Tablets.” The majority of the game is able to be played now, however the expansion included an orchestrated soundtrack, voiceovers, and intro cutscenes. These aspects have been lost, making a big aspect of the game lost, as well.
On the Sega Channel, a version of “Garfield Caught in the Act” was released and had three levels not in the retail version. These levels have been called “Garfield: The Lost Levels.” Unlike the Satellaview, the Sega Channel did not keep game data, thus giving people no way to recover these lost levels.
The Satellaview keeping game data has allowed games that were once considered lost to be found and played again. Kirby’s “Toy Box” was a collection of minigames that was considered lost for a long time. In 2016, most of the minigames were found, but one game, “Ball Rally,” was still lost. Four years later, “Ball Rally” was finally found, making the whole collection complete.
Unfortunately, many games are still dependent on online stores, making lost media far more likely than before. The most famous example is “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game,” released digitally for the Xbox 360 and Playstation 3. However, it became delisted in 2014, unable to be played. Many people, however, clamored for its return, and in 2020, “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World: The Game – Complete Edition” was released and had all the DLC in the game. The complete edition got a retail release as well, allowing the game to be played for generations afterwards.
One of the most infamous games that became lost media was P.T. P.T was a psychological horror game from Hideo Kogema and Guillermo del Toro that reveals in the end it was a “playable teaser” for the next Silent Hill game. After the creator had a falling out with Konami, the publisher, P.T. was completely removed from the digital store. This game was beloved, making it heartbreaking to be lost. The only way to currently play the game is to have a PS4 with the game still on it, as you cannot redownload it.
Games that are always online become unable to be played when they finally shut down. Some are left online via fan servers, but most games are lost forever. Lost media is a horrible thing to happen as its history is not rightfully preserved. However, some of these examples of games being found can also bring hope that not everything is lost forever.
