Commentary on Some Commentary

So, somebody on YouTube has ripped all three and a half hours of Jonathan Pearce's commentary from the PlayStation 2 version of Robot Wars: Arenas of Destruction (functionally identical to the PC version) and uploaded it in one big video. There is a large amount of dialogue not heard in the final game amongst this, much of which points to game modes, robots and other material which was cut during development, so here's a list of everything that apparently didn't make it to the finished product:

• Tag Team, Gauntlet, Pinball and Labyrinth modes
• Unused tournaments mostly arising from the above game modes being cut - at least two of the arenas were meant to have Tag Team tournaments
• The Gauntlet mode would have includes obstacles such as the Sentinel, the Ramrig (both from the second series of the TV show) and a swinging mace
• There are also lines for the various ways of scoring points in the Pinball mode, which it appears would have had special obstacles/targets depending on which arena you were playing it in (references to obstacles such as "spinners" and mines, and a target which would have released a load of pipes when hit)
• Repeated references to having to attack a bear (apparently not a real one), which seems to point to some kind of unused game mode - possibly Capture the Flag originally involved capturing a teddy bear?
• Introduction for a robot called "Axe Master" - judging by where it appears, possibly a runner-up for the "design a robot for the game" competition
• It seems like it would originally have been possible to cover your robot in fur a la Diotoir, likely removed because the physics engine couldn't handle it
• Similarly, the oil barrels in some of the arenas such as the Oil Rig could originally catch fire or spill oil to affect robots' traction
• Other obstacles in some arenas, such as the forklift in the Hamburg Docks, could fall apart in pieces
• Unused accessories such as L-plates
• Unused weapons such as a pneumatic battering ram and a spring-loaded boxing glove
• A particularly notable unused weapon - a liquid nitrogen gun that would have been capable of freezing other robots!
• It would have been possible to paint your robot with textures/patterns such as camouflage or leopard skin, rather than the block colours that are available in the final game
• The flames in the North Sea Oil Rig arena could originally be turned on and off by a valve
• The button that changes the direction of the conveyor belts in the New York Steelworks arena could originally break, causing them to stop completely (as well as originally intended to be a control panel rather than a button)
• References to being hit by laser blasts, which appear to either be from a cut hazard from one of the arenas (likely the Kilimanjaro arena based on where the relevant lines appear), or a totally unused arena
• The Kilimanjaro arena appears to originally have had some scaffolding the robots could drive around on
• The rocket in the Kilimanjaro arena was apparently originally meant to destroy, rather than damage, robots when it fired
• Hidden spike trap in one of the arenas
• Spike boxes as an obstacle in one of the arenas
• The Scrapyard arena would originally have had a pile of cars that could fall over. The crane would also have been functional, and would have pulled robots upwards and dropped them into the car crusher; again, this was likely removed because of limitations with the game's physics engine, but was successfully executed for the sequel, Extreme Destruction
• The watchtower in the Siberia arena could be knocked over
• References to a swinging ball and the lights going out that appear to be features cut from the Tokyo Rooftop arena
• Third place playoffs for tournaments