A playable prototype of a cancelled PlayStation 2 game has been discovered and shared online.
Games That Weren’t’s Frank Gaskin has uploaded a prototype of The Last Job (also known as The Heist), a game in development at Acclaim.
The game was in development at Acclaim’s Cheltenham studio and was reportedly around 40% complete when Acclaim went bust and all projects were cancelled.
According to Gaskin, the game was developed by about 40 people over the course of about a year, and received little press coverage because it was revealed privately at E3 2004.
The game, which was set to be released for the PS2 and Xbox, would have players controlling four different criminals, each with their own special abilities.
Acclaim also reportedly brought in former SAS member John McAleese to help teach the development team how special forces think during operations.
Gaskin said the playable build was provided by one of the game’s level designers, and was a backup to the last known build on PS2 when the game was canceled.
The prototype features most of the stages and some of the storyline from the Old Bank area, with the player also having access to a debug menu that allows them to view other areas such as the Motel, Shipyard, Casino, and Mansion.
But given the game’s early days, bugs are certainly plentiful, and Gaskin warns that falling off the stage could be common.
Games That Werent will reveal more details about the game’s development in the future, but for now, you can download the prototype and run it on a PlayStation 2 emulator or on modified hardware.
