Mace: The Dark Age N64 Prototype release

[Deleted User]

Forest of Illusion released a beta version of the Nintendo 64 beat´em up Mace: The Dark Age.
This build contains quite a few differences compared to the released version.​

1.The first thing you see when you put the power on is the copyright screen that almost the same with only a small difference the prototype says licensed to midway home entertainment instead of licensed by Nintendo. Makes sense though, it was in production so it had no license from Nintendo yet.

2. The intro with the book is missing and instead of that the game shows a demo fight.
I'm guessing because it took them too much time to program and they laid all there focus on the ingame action.

3. The title screen only shows the option press start instead of start, practice, options.
So the practice mode is missing, hmm I guess they made this only for the home version later on.

4. The options screen is present in the prototype version but you get it later on and its different then the release version.
The difficulty is counted in 1 2 or 3 instead of easy medium hard etc. Continues are called coins?
And round times is called "timer adjust". This shows excellent that this prototype is an early beta. The fine tuning is missing.

5. So on too the character select screen it looks the same but later I saw the writing is a little different.
The hidden characters are all available and not hidden yet.

6. The VS screen also shows clearly that the game is still in need of fine tuning because the talking/insulting is missing on the proto.

7. That is all off game stuff so what about ingame? The ingame is pretty much the same.
You can see that this was there main focus at the beginning of programming the game.
The music is the same but the camera is not really perfect jet and is a little closer on the action then the released version.
The game also is a lot darker then the released version. But there are other differences.
The executioner is red instead of black a bloody look? Nintendo censorship? The biggest difference is the missing desert level.
Yes the desert background level is missing and replaced by the level of Grendel.

Source:Forest of Illusion Twitter

 

[FAST6191]

Thinking back now I actually quite liked this game back when (the move to 3d for fighting games was not kind to them, this being one of the nicer ones until the Dreamcast and beyond got it together) even if I would not necessarily have said as such at the time (preferred it to Killer Instinct, much to the annoyance of my friends, if nothing else).
Not sure I would suggest it today as a game to play, though maybe as a historical example of things or in a list of things to consider here for the N64.

List of changes there nothing particularly to note. New levels, controls, moves, characters, cut content and the like might have interested. That said always happy to see more beta code be made available.

 

[KiiWii]

It was all about POJO and WARMECH!

I used to love this game, but it was never a SF2 or Tekken 3 beater

In comparison to the paltry outing of fighters on the console: MK4, Fighter Destiny 2 (yes “Fighter” not “Fighters), Bio Freaks, GASP... Rakuga kids... and ahem... War Gods... Mace was pretty good!

 

[Deleted User]

I just recently figured out the arcade rom works in mame.

 

[FAST6191]

It was all about POJO and WARMECH!

I used to love this game, but it was never a SF2 or Tekken 3 beater

In comparison to the paltry outing of fighters on the console: MK4, Fighter Destiny 2 (yes “Fighter” not “Fighters), Bio Freaks, GASP... Rakuga kids... and ahem... War Gods... Mace was pretty good!

Not a fan of Clay Fighter?

 

[Deleted User]

Clay Fighter on N64 was a disaster. On Snes it was decent.

 

[KiiWii]

Not a fan of Clay Fighter?

Oh lawd no.

I would only be interested in Clay Fighter if you offered me the Sculptors cut N64 cart... I neeeeeeeeed it

 

[FAST6191]

Oh lawd no.

I would only be interested in Clay Fighter if you offered me the Sculptors cut N64 cart... I neeeeeeeeed it

Sure if it makes you happy. Can't be worth that much. I mean it was a random second run from just Blockbuster.

 

[KiiWii]

Sure if it makes you happy. Can't be worth that much. I mean it was a random second run from just Blockbuster.

Lol you surely jest. The blockbuster ones (bowling, stunt car, clay fighter) are all worth shit loads!

edit: 2012 valuations https://blog.pricecharting.com/2012/06/stevesesy-guide-to-nintendo-64.html?m=1

edit 2: https://www.pricecharting.com/game/...er-sculptors-cut?q=clay+fighter+sculptors+cut

HHHHHNNNnnnnnnngggggg

 

[cvskid]

Works good on real hardware using a everdrive 64 v3.0. Just change the file extension to .z64 and it plays fine.