Games That Are Impossible To Play
These are games that aren't just de-listed, only available through second-hand markets/piracy, or have community run servers keeping the game alive; but games that are flat out impossible to play as intended nowadays, regardless of if you have a copy or not.
Open to suggestions.
Open to suggestions.
45 Games
The game that inspired this list in the first place.
[iOS] Due to requiring always-on DRM, the iOS port specifically is impossible to play now. This port allegedly made alterations to things such as save point locations and XP values, meaning it was a "unique" (if worse) version of the game that is currently impossible to even launch due to its delisting from the App Store.
[PS3] While the game is still technically playable, the game's main purpose (collecting points from all online players that are used for a common goal) has been completed already, leaving the game "beaten" and impossible to truly play as intended.
[Mobile Phone] The 2018 remake is commercially available on PS4/Switch/PC, but the original version on flip-phones was only available via a subscription service that is now offline and currently considered lost media, as no complete builds are currently circulating online save for a scant few screenshots.
Garfield: The Lost Levels was a SEGA Channel exclusive version of Caught in the Act featuring cut levels from the base game. Due to the online-only nature of Sega Channel, these levels could not be dumped from a cartridge, and with the discontinuation of Sega Channel in 1998, it's incredibly unlikely for the ROM to resurface.
Konami offered 4 DLC chapters featuring a brand new character named Andy for download via the Mobile Adapter GB. However, the data only remained on the console until it was powered off, meaning that the 4 DLC chapters were never properly archived, and with the death of the service, they are considered Lost Media (although the first chapter, Spring, has been partially archived due to a Konami strategy guide containing a flowchart walkthrough of it.)
While the game can still be downloaded and launched, the shutdown of the game's central chatbot server means the game can no longer be completed legitimately, since the chatbot is no longer able to respond to player input.
45 Comments
warhawk?
I believe Darkspore's now offline server-based DRM now means that it is impossible to play. Maplestory 2 was shut down recently too.
Rise of Incarnates, I think
Updated!
@Hattori Warhawk is officially dead but fans have actually managed to get the online working again, disqualifying it from the list.
@Hattori Warhawk is officially dead but fans have actually managed to get the online working again, disqualifying it from the list.
can't you find a rom of noby noby boy floating around and play it?
my nomination would probably be like club penguin, though there are fan recreations of it I think. dead island epidemic too
my nomination would probably be like club penguin, though there are fan recreations of it I think. dead island epidemic too
Tales of Phantasia has fanmade English patches for the original SFC version, as well as the later PS1 remake. The GBA version also has an official localization... but it's not great.
The SNES Satellaview games? BS Zelda, Mario, etc.
@letshugbro Roms are out there for the satteliview games if you go looking fo them. Not sure if that counts though.
As for other games, Curiosity: What's inside the cube - from peter moleyneux is a shout.
As for other games, Curiosity: What's inside the cube - from peter moleyneux is a shout.
Great list btw
Lots of online and mobile games probably qualify for this - I don't play a lot of them but I know Pokémon Rumble Rush and Sailor Moon Drops are examples of mobile games that were discontinued and are completely unplayable now
Woah, was not expecting as much traction as this got. Thank you for the kind words everyone! I've updated the list with more suggestions and added some notes to entries that required a bit more elaboration.
I would say Darwin Project.
shin megami tensei ios doesn't work on modern iphones
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Just fyi you can play a speedrun version of Moirai, found it here. For anybody curious the specific reason it got taken down was because of a scripting vulnerability. It's obviously not the same since the online component is circumsized but if you're curious about being able to walk around and get the jist, there it is!
@Erato_Heti Can't believe I missed this! Interesting development, I'll update the entry accordingly.
Chaos Rings series, 3 entries are no longer available on mobile and only be played IF:
-have a psp vita
-JP account
-buy a brand new physical copy of Prequel trilogy (by a digital code)
-have a psp vita
-JP account
-buy a brand new physical copy of Prequel trilogy (by a digital code)
The original version of 25th Ward was for flip cellphones, now lost to time.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwX4lE2sCS0&ab_channel=goodlookingguy51
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QwX4lE2sCS0&ab_channel=goodlookingguy51
Xenosaga Pied Piper is similar to 25th Ward in that has been lost to time in some defunct online service for japanese phones.
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Archagent recently played Garfield Caught in the Act, and it reminded me that it had a sequel of sorts that was Sega Channel exclusive. It was apparently supposed to be repackaged as a 32X game, but it was canned so it's lost.
https://lostmediawiki.com/Garfield:The_Lost_Levels(lost_Sega_Channel_exclusive_levels_of_game;_mid-1990s)
https://lostmediawiki.com/Garfield:The_Lost_Levels(lost_Sega_Channel_exclusive_levels_of_game;_mid-1990s)
@Vee Yeah! I didn't bring it up there because it wasn't tangential to my point, but the SEGA Channel exclusive sequel was actually the levels that were cut from the game being repurposed. A few of those levels do show up in the other versions of the game, like the Game Gear demake and the PC port, but some of them are still permanently lost.
As far as I know, the original Flappy Bird is completely unplayable unless one has the original downloaded on an iOS device with the correct version.
You could add Counter-Strike Online 2
Motor City Online has been unplayable since 2003, though there's a VERY rough workaround that lets you play the tracks without the MMO aspect https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YxyzVo6fR9s
add every past fortnite season (trollface)
Cant fucking wait for overwatch to be on this list
https://afkgaming.com/esports/guide/is-overwatch-1-shutting-down
https://afkgaming.com/esports/guide/is-overwatch-1-shutting-down
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KB0
3 years ago