StarCraft: Ghost

StarCraft Ghost is a cancelled PS2, Xbox, and GameCube game from Nihilistic Software. The game was to be a third-person shooter set in the Starcraft universe.

Expected release date: Fall 2003, then Winter 2003, then Q4 2003, then March 2004, then Q1 2004, then Fall 2004, then September 2005, then Spring 2006

Starcraft Ghost Australian XBM issue 2 Australian XBM issue

You play as Annabella Terra, aka Nova.She is a Terran espionage agent. Your job is to investigate some chemical called Terrazine Gas. The Terrans, Zergs, and Protoss are interested in it.

[[Starcraft Ghost OUKPS2M issue 27 (December 2002).png] Official UK Xbox Magazine issue 27 (December 2002)

The gameplay was to be a stealthy affair. You have a cloaking device. Some enemies have devices to uncloak you however. You also have thermal goggles and an EMP for disabling electronics.

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Nova is an agile girl, capable of manouvering around her environment like a ninja. You can shimmy up pipes and then hang upside from them to snipe Zergs.

Starcraft Ghost GamePro Issue 172 (January 2003).jpg GamePro Issue 172 (January 2003)

Speaking of psychic powers, being a Ghost soldier, you have some abilities of your own. You can cloak, see heat signatures through walls, and make yourself faster.

Starcraft Ghost PS2 OUKPS2M issue 31 (March 2003) 1.png Starcraft Ghost PS2 OUKPS2M issue 31 (March 2003) 2.jpg Starcraft Ghost PS2 OUKPS2M issue 31 (March 2003) 3.jpg Starcraft Ghost PS2 OUKPS2M issue 31 (March 2003) 4.jpg Starcraft Ghost PS2 OUKPS2M issue 31 (March 2003) 5.jpg Official UK PlayStation2 Magazine issue 31 (March 2003)

There would also be the 'required by law' door lock puzzles. You would have to match your PSI energy using colour wave patterns.

Starcraft Ghost EGM issue 165 (April 2003).png Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 165 (April 2003)

You have plenty of weapons, like the assault rifle and the sniper rifle. You also had laser weapons, grenades, shotguns, flamethrowers...

[[Starcraft Ghost EGM issue 169 (August 2003).png] Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 169 (August 2003)

Nova is also well-versed in close combat melee. You can sneak up behind enemies and stealth instakill them. You also had a QTE where different button combinations do different combos.

Starcraft Ghost Nintendo Gamer issue 18.png Nintendo Gamer issue 18

Nihilistic Software stopped developing Starcraft: Ghost in Q4 2004 for some reason. Swingin' Ape Studios swung in to take over. Blizzard Entertainment purchased Swingin' Ape Studios in December 2005. A consequence of this was that the GameCube version was canned.

Starcraft Ghost NGC issue 108 (July 2005) NGC issue 108 (July 2005)

The GameCube was cancelled due to lack of online support. At Blizzcon 2005, Starcraft: Ghost was playable in multiplayer form. A 16 player tournament was held. It gained positive feedback.

Starcraft Ghost PS2 OAUSPS2M issue 19 1.jpg Starcraft Ghost PS2 OAUSPS2M issue 19 2.jpg Starcraft Ghost PS2 OAUSPS2M issue 19 3.jpg Starcraft Ghost PS2 OAUSPS2M issue 19 4.jpg Official Australian PlayStation Magazine issue 19 (October 2003)

Starcraft: Ghost was to be set 4 years after StarCraft: Brood War. Backstory behind Nova and this game were novelized in the book StarCraft Ghost: Nova. The book was released in November 2006. By then the game was at a standstill.

[[Starcraft Ghost Xbox OAUSXBM issue 22.png]] Official Australian Xbox Magazine issue 22 (Xmas 2003)

In March 2006, Blizzard postponed the game to consider the PS3 and Xbox 360. The game was held in limbo for ages, not officially cancelled.

[[Starcraft Ghost GMR issue 13 (February 2004).png]] GMR issue 13 (February 2004)

The success of World of Warcraft and development of Starcraft II kept resources away from Starcraft: Ghost. Blizzard lost faith that Starcraft: Ghost could succeed. Starcraft: Ghost was cancelled, just six months away from completion. We would have to wait until 2014 when Blizzard officially declared this game cancelled.

Starcraft Ghost EGM issue 194 (August 2005).png Electronic Gaming Monthly issue 194 (August 2005)

That wouldn't be the last time we heard of Nova. Aside from the StarCraft Ghost: Nova novel, she also starred in the Starcraft II DLC, StarCraft II: Nova Covert Ops. You can't keep a good soldier down.

[] Trailer from 2005

[] Opening cinematic

[] Gameplay footage


 * https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/StarCraft:_Ghost
 * http://starcraft.wikia.com/wiki/StarCraft:_Ghost
 * https://www.polygon.com/2016/7/5/11819438/starcraft-ghost-what-went-wrong
 * https://www.gamespot.com/articles/starcraft-ghost-delayed-to-2004/1100-6028897/
 * https://www.gamespot.com/articles/starcraft-ghost-delayed-nihilistic-no-longer-on-the-project/1100-6101105/
 * https://www.gamespot.com/articles/swingin-ape-taking-over-starcraft-ghost/1100-6102131/
 * https://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzard-buys-swingin-ape/1100-6124763/
 * https://www.gamespot.com/articles/starcraft-ghost-not-beaming-onto-gamecube/1100-6137109/
 * https://www.gamespot.com/articles/blizzard-yanks-staff-from-console-project/1100-6155203/
 * https://www.gamespot.com/articles/starcraft-ghost-has-never-been-officially-cancelled/1100-6406568/
 * https://www.unseen64.net/2008/04/15/starcraft-ghost-xboxps2gc-unreleased/