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There are many different kinds of video games that get developed and released to the public. But sometimes, certain games end up becoming lost to time, often because of development issues or the aftermath of a poor release. And while most of those lost games are gone forever, there are a few examples of ones that were found and given a type of release for everyone to see and play. A game that was once believed to be lost for a time was Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 Wave Net, an online-enabled version of Ultimate Mortal Kombat 3 that was played in a small selection of arcades. But through the Mortal Kombat: Legacy Kollection, fans of the series were finally able to play the once-believed lost version of the game. Other lost and found games have seen their own kinds of releases in various forms, including being uploaded to the internet for others to play in an unofficial capacity. With technology evolving fast throughout the decades, games that were believed to have been lost for a long time have a second chance at being seen by those interested in their legacy. And in a few cases, big game companies have even taken on the task of finally releasing them for curious players. Here are three video games that were once lost media, but are now found and playable today. Star Fox 2 A once lost SNES sequel For big Nintendo fans, Star Fox is a series that is one of the cornerstone franchises of the Super Nintendo era. The original game not only has a significant historical spot in the legacy of Nintendo, but was known for pushing the SNES far with its graphical capabilities. Officially, there was only a single Star Fox game released for the system, but there was a sequel planned for it. Star Fox 2 was originally developed and set to release in 1995, but was canceled before it could hit retail store shelves. The reason for the game not coming out was over concerns about the advancement of 3D visuals in games, with Nintendo being worried that Star Fox 2 would look inferior to some of the other major 3D games set to release around that time. The game itself was very similar to the original Star Fox on Super Nintendo, with some minor differences. Instead of linear levels, players would command two Arwing pilots on a map and order them to engage with enemies that appear. The object of the game was to prevent Corneria from being heavily damaged, while defeating enemy units and controlling planets that are located throughout the entire map. Many aspects of Star Fox that would appear in later games get their first introduction in Star Fox 2, including the first appearance of the villains from team Star Wolf. It wouldn't be until 2017 that the world would officially be able to play Star Fox 2 in any capacity. Nintendo's release of the Super Nintendo Classic included the unreleased game among a number of other classic SNES titles. Although the games included with the retro console were solid, the main reason Nintendo fans wanted to buy it was because of Star Fox 2 being playable for the very first time. Reactions to the game were mixed, but it was a piece of lost Nintendo history that was finally going to make its way into the hands of players. Star Wars: Return of the Jedi: Ewok Adventure The other Star Wars game for Atari 2600 The Atari 2600 has many games within its famous library of titles, including a number of games related to the Star Wars franchise made by Parker Brothers. After the release of the first few movies, Atari had a collection of Star Wars games that were released for the system, including the first Star Wars video game ever made, The Empire Strikes Back for the Atari 2600. There were a total of four official Star Wars games for the system developed and released by Parker Brothers, including one based on Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi called Death Star Battle, but there was one additional game that never came out in retail stores. A prototype of a second game based on the release of Return of the Jedi was made and put onto a single cartridge, but never finished development enough to see a full release. For a long time, the game was known to have been developed, but was believed to be lost. It wasn't until 1997 that the prototype cartridge with the game was revealed to have existed. The game was canceled back in 1983 by Parker Brothers after discussions with designer Larry Gelberg about the game did not go well, leading to the entire projected being halted. The single prototype cartridge was given to the son of one of Larry's colleagues at Parker Brothers, who later sold the cartridge online for over $1,500. Files of the game were eventually uploaded online for people to see and play. The gameplay of Ewok Adventure is based on a scene from the movie that takes place on the forest moon of Endor. Players control an Ewok on a glider and work to take down Imperial Forces and help destroy the shield generator. The game was difficult to control for most people, as it relied on using momentum and careful aiming to fly around on screen while taking out Imperial troopers that appear. Akira Genesis anime classic adaptation A few different video games based on the anime classic Akira have been released over the years. But a game that was set to come out for the Super Nintendo, Sega Genesis, Game Boy, and Game Gear never saw the light of day. The company THQ, which were behind many releases in the mid and late 90s, was going to publish an Akira game that was developed by Black Pearl Studios, one of their subsidiaries. The game was going to be based on the Akira manga that was released in 1993, with a preview that happened at the 1994 Consumer Electronics Show. However, growing financial problems with THQ forced the company to stop development and cancel the game's release, which was originally planned to come out in 1995 for all platforms. For a long time, many people believed that this Akira game was completely lost and wouldn't ever be seen by anyone else. It wasn't until 2019 that files for the Sega Genesis version of the Akira game were uploaded and shared online. News of the rediscovery of the game spread fast, especially through the anime community online. This gave everyone the opportunity to play a long-lost game based on one of the most beloved anime features of all-time. The gameplay of Akira on Genesis is very interesting because it blends multiple styles of action together. Platforming levels were complimented by first-person shooter sections, as well as high-speed chases that put players in control of the famous Akira motorcycle. Playing the game is rocky, as it suffered from crashes and a few other technical hiccups, mostly due to development never fully being completed. The game also had cutscenes that are based on the manga, along with a variety of musical cues, but not all of them are used within the game itself when playing. Rediscovering what was once lost
