Strange memory

[Kimimaru]

Now that I think of it, a LONG time ago (10 years ago), I remember renting Super Mario RPG: Legend of The Seven Stars for Super Nintendo from a local Royal Video.

The strange part was, in battle, I had Mario, a character I remember as Toad, but it might have been Mallow, and Peach lined up in a straight line behind one another. They took turns going, like in the final version, but all of them were more towards the middle of the screen rather than the bottom-left. Outside the battle was the ground of Peach's Castle, and the backround was black. I was on stairs on some high ground. On the low ground were a few HUGE bomb-ombs. I also remember being in the last place (forgot the name) with the screws that move if you jump on them, but it wasn't foggy. I forgot how I got to the boss, but the boss was 2 people that have skin similar to Mallow's. It took me forever to beat them so I shut the game off.

That's all I remember. Years later, however, I played it again, and it was completely different, even though I have never completed the old version I rented from Royal Video. What do you guys think? A possible prototype? I tried looking for it again a few years ago, but Royal Video got redesigned and no longer had any SNES games.

EDIT: The last place, you know, before you meet Smithy, looked EXACTLY like the one in the V-Jump 95 Presentation. Look at 1:39 in this video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YObbL5LwCJs

[Chupperson Weird]

Sounds to me like you're just jumbling the ingame elements in your mind, since it's pretty much impossible that any kind of early version was ever sold to the public ever.

[Kimimaru]

Sounds to me like you're just jumbling the ingame elements in your mind, since it's pretty much impossible that any kind of early version was ever sold to the public ever.

Actually, it is a memory. Royal Video only lets you rent games, not buy them. Although it is not a good chance that an early version was ever up for rent, it is still possible. One example includes Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

[CrossEyed7]

I have a pretty clear memory of playing a really screwed-up version of SM64. There was a snow world that was just a single strip of ice, with a wall on the right and a bottomless pit on the left. I jumped into the bottomless pit, and then I got kicked out of the painting and lost one or two health points. When I lost all my health points, it went to a screen of Mario's head spinning, saying, in a Barney-esque voice, "Ohohoho! Game over!", and beneath him were three buttons.

It was at some church fundraiser thing, and there was a kid there that oversaw all the playing. As I recall, the policy was that a certain number of tickets would let you play most games until you died, but when I picked SM64, he told me "Well, you can't really die in this game, so you can play until I get back from the bathroom." And then I died and got the aforementioned Game Over screen before he got back.

Also, I think it started out in first-person view, and switched to third-person once I got into the castle (which, incidentally, was much greyer and blander than normal). The moat was empty (can't remember if it was a new file or not), and I think the bridge was wooden. Inside, I couldn't find the door out. There was a Toad at the entrance, except he said what he's supposed to say in front of Hazy Maze, I think. And I'm pretty sure it didn't have the play with Mario's face thing.

I think I may have sent this to the mailbag a while ago. I know I sent it to SMBHQ's memories thing about five or six years ago, when my memories of it were a bit clearer.

I also had a dream once that Toad was playable in SMRPG, except he was about the same size as Toadofsky. He had an insta-kill attack. I remember that I was in a hotel when I had that dream, because after I woke up, I tried to draw him on the little cheapy hotel stationery pads, but I was too young for my drawing skills to be any good. But the SM64 thing definitely wasn't a dream.

[Chupperson Weird]

Although it is not a good chance that an early version was ever up for rent, it is still possible. One example includes Sonic the Hedgehog 2.

I'm confused. Are you saying that Sega released an unfinished version of Sonic 2 to rental stores? I can't find any evidence to substantiate any kind of early version ever being legally released. Yes, there are certainly prototypes of SMRPG, but none that were ever released to the public, and certainly not through rental stores. Games there are/were exactly the same as the retail versions.

[ShadowBrain]

I'm getting this strange sense of deja vu about this story... didn't somebody else--if not here, then just on the internet--say something about this at some point? That's a rhetorical question, but still...

[Kojinka]

You're probably not remembering it the way it actually was.  The mind has a tendency of altering long-term memories.  Studies have shown that photographic memory is not as accurate as people claim it to be.

[Turtlekid1]

I would have loved to see those weird/prototype versions, assuming they're real.

[Kimimaru]

You're probably not remembering it the way it actually was.  The mind has a tendency of altering long-term memories.  Studies have shown that photographic memory is not as accurate as people claim it to be.

I remember it clearly, but only that certain part, because I didn't even play the game too much back then. I highly doubt my memory is misguiding me in this case, because I would have recognized an area that was the same, or similar, in the finished version that I played a couple years ago; however, I didn't.

I'm confused. Are you saying that Sega released an unfinished version of Sonic 2 to rental stores? I can't find any evidence to substantiate any kind of early version ever being legally released. Yes, there are certainly prototypes of SMRPG, but none that were ever released to the public, and certainly not through rental stores. Games there are/were exactly the same as the retail versions.

Sorry, I meant something different about Sonic 2. I meant that people had prototypes, not got them from retail stores, sorry. Back to the SMRPG topic; I was not alone when I was playing that version. My brother also remembers it as well. I think they accidentally made a mistake and sent the game back, because a couple months later it was no longer there.

Also, I don't recall demo versions of Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door and Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga being released, yet MEGAB¥TE claims to have both of those demo versions.

[nensondubois]

I'm sure Nintendo has every game they released as prototypes but they neither keep them or give them away to employees but there is one exception: "Earthbound 0" or "Mother" that was stolen by an angry Nintendo employee.

[MEGAߥTE]

Also, I don't recall demo versions of Paper Mario the Thousand Year Door and Mario and Luigi Superstar Saga being released, yet MEGAB¥TE claims to have both of those demo versions.

Those are store demos.  They didn't start doing specialized store demos until the end of the N64 era.

[Kimimaru]

Those are store demos.  They didn't start doing specialized store demos until the end of the N64 era.

I see. One thing, though. They were merely used for people to see how good the game is incase they wanted to buy the final product. They weren't available for rental nor purchase. How did you get those anyway? I'm just curious, but if you don't feel like telling me, that's okay.

[Chupperson Weird]

They don't always get sent back to Nintendo.

[Turtlekid1]

Some seedy video store employee could snatch it and put it on E-Bay.

[ShadowBrain]

They don't always get sent back to Nintendo.

That would make a good horror movie tagline.