Demo per Day

Summary

2008-09-25T22:10:00.000+01:00

It has been interesting to see some recent news chatter in the gaming blogs about demos and incentives. Some of the more recent examples:

Battlefield Bad Company's "Find all Five" program which included one goal of ranking up to level 4 in the demo in order to get a gun unlocked in retail game.
Mirror's Edge has a pre-order promotion for the retail game that grants people access to the Time Trial mode in the demo, which comes out a little before the full game.
If you bought an episode of Qore, Sony's PlayStation video magazine on the PSN Store, you got early access to a demo for Motorstorm: Pacific Rift. Strangely, in the EU early access was instead handed out via random givaway to PSN members.

I just posted the previous four reviews today, very late. I wrote them all today but back dated them to roughly when I played the demo. There isn't as much detail as I would normally write since I'm basing them on memories from a few weeks ago, unfortunately. I haven't been playing many other demos recently so I am pretty much up to date now. I hope to write up other reviews more promptly in future, but I have a feeling posts will be coming in much less frequently due to time constraints. I have been trying out other services such as Xfire and Raptr to compare them but that has taken the place of playing traditional game demos and I don't think those warrant a post here. I just wanted to mention that I am still out there looking for new gaming experiences, (new to me at least,) to try but I'm not always getting that recorded here.

Audiosurf

2008-09-14T11:59:00.004+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Audiosurf
Dylan Fitterer
Valve
Rhythm
Not Rated
15th February 2008
15th February 2008
PC (Reviewed)
http://www.audio-surf.com
Unknown
4th September 2008

What did I think before playing?
I had heard a lot of hype about this and it is a bit of an Indie hit. It would be cool to take the music I already had into a game to play, but I didn't think it would really work, (e.g. match up to the beat.)

What is included?
Tutorial levels that show you how the game works, what you need to do and what affects different songs will make on the game. You can also create an online account to add yourself to leaderboards for the games you play. While online you can also search for the scores for pretty much any other song you can think of since someone will have used it in Audiosurf.

What did I think afterwards?
It turns out that this is really just a Columns style game of connect-tree-or-more with a little bit of decision making to be made while flying through the beats of your songs. I only have a couple of MP3s handy and I wasn't familiar with them so it is touch to judge how well the "notes" matched up to the songs, but it did feel like certain colors matched up to the beat. I'm not so sure about the rest of the notes that were flying at me, but that was usually because many more came at you during the busier sections of the music, so it seems like the processing is working.
It was quite impressive that my performance could be rated against other players that had played the same track as me through the use of leaderboards and stats, even though the chances of us having the exact same MP3 are probably very low.

Would I buy the full game?
This would be a fun time killer. I'd be much more inclined to purchase this on my iPod Touch to play on the go, especially since I can guarantee I have MP3s on the device whereas I have to periodically purge my PC's hard drive to make room for other stuff. While playing on a PC, (outside of a web browser,) I'm typically looking for a fuller game experience than Audiosurf is going to provide me.

Demo Pros
Learn the game and even play with your own tracks. Online leaderboards tease your competitive streak.

Demo Cons
The game did crash while I was searching the leaderboards for other tracks. As such, I'm not sure of the full limitations on playing the demo vs. what you get when purchasing the full title.

Demo Rating 8 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed

2008-08-27T22:11:00.004+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms

Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Star Wars: The Force Unleashed
LucasArts
LucasArts
Action
Teen
21st August 2008
16th September 2008 Buy Now
Xbox 360 (Reviewed), PS3, Wii*, PS2*, PSP*, Nintendo DS*, N-Gage*
http://www.lucasarts.com/games/theforceunleashed
905MB
27th August 2008

What did I think before playing?
I have been looking forward to this. I have some friends that worked on it plus the premise and promise of being a badass with the force sound cool.

What is included?
What feels like a mission early in the game, possibly contrived for the demo which lets you try out some of the early force powers. You can see in the menus that there would be more moves to pull off later in the full game after unlocking them.

What did I think afterwards?
Pretty good. The graphics are nice, the sound was as you would expect and there are some impressive moments in the action. What I didn't like was the tricky targeting system which meant facing your desired object and hoping it was selected. That becomes difficult when there are several enemies coming at you in a bunch whilst running past a stack of crates. Pin pointing the guy or box you want is hit and miss. Being able to cycle through targets may have helped. It made the game that much harder and I died several times during my two play-throughs, (more so the second time on Hard.) I also didn't like the use of quick-time events. I've never been a fan of them and one pops up right at the end of the demo when fighting a mini-boss. I understand why it is there, but I thought the encounter could have been better.

Would I buy the full game?
I kinda feel like I have too, but the demo didn't quite live up to the hype for me. I'm sure I would get used to it when playing the full game and perhaps the more impressive powers you unlock will make things a little easier.

Demo Pros
Good length, you get to mess around with the force including destroying Tie Fighters.

Demo Cons
The opening cut scene has a stutter near the beginning every time. That doesn't bode well.

Demo Rating 8 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

The Wonderful End of the World

2008-08-27T21:57:00.004+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

The Wonderful End of the World
Dejobaan Games
Dejobaan Games
Racing
Not Rated
25th January 2008
25th January 2008
PC (Reviewed)
http://www.dejobaan.com/wonderful
220MB
26th August 2008

What did I think before playing?
Never heard of it. Stumbled upon it within Steam because the great name, which conjured up memories of BioShock and other stories of failed dreams of ruling the world.

What is included?
The first two levels of the game.

What did I think afterwards?
Huge disappointment, but its because I judged a book by its cover, (or rather a game by its title.) Turns out this is a Katamari Damacy rip off in which you play a VectorMan-a-like running around trying to touch all of the objects in the scene within the time limit in order to get them to stick to you so that you grow bigger which means even larger objects will stick to you.

Would I buy the full game?
The second level contained some nice video game references, but this really just looks like a student project that they managed to put up on Steam to try and make a quick buck. More power to them, but no thanks.

Demo Pros
Colorful, humorous, good length.

Demo Cons
Not much wrong with the demo.

Demo Rating 8 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Code of Honor 2: Conspiracy Island

2008-08-27T20:36:00.007+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Code of Honor 2: Conspiracy Island
City Interactive
City Interactive
First Person Shooter
Mature
11th July 2008
29th July 2008 Buy Now
PC (Reviewed)
http://www.codeofhonor2game.com
515MB
22nd August 2008

What did I think before playing?
One I hadn't heard of and assumed was old.

What is included?
Initial section of the first level.

What did I think afterwards?
Turns out this is a new release and the latest in a series. It must be from a small developer because it looked like a game from 3 years ago, (the sea texture is what stood out the most to me!) Pretty generic first person shooter on an island. Think the beginning of Crysis, without the nano-suit, if you were playing it on a PSP.

Would I buy the full game?
Nope. Overly generic and nothing special. I would rather seek out a free mod for a game I already had.

Demo Pros
It worked.

Demo Cons
Nothing really wrong with the demo, just the game.

Demo Rating 5 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2

2008-08-12T20:03:00.006+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved 2
Bizarre Creations Ltd.
Activision
Shooter
Everyone
30th July 2008
30th July 2008
Xbox 360 (Reviewed)
http://www.bizarrecreations.com/games/geometry_wars_retro_evolved_2
Not Sure
12th August 2008

What did I think before playing?
I loved the first version of this game, which was the Xbox 360's killer app for a while. I could never quite get to 1 million points...

What is included?
You can play as much of the new "Deadline" mode as you want.

What did I think afterwards?
In "Deadline" you get three minutes to get as high a score as possible with unlimited lives. This is just one of six game modes available in the full version of the game, which includes a slight tweak of the "Evolved" game type. You can now play with four players at once, there are new enemies to face and there has been a bit of a steroid kick to the graphics to add a drunken, Las Veas-style, neon glow.
It feels like you get much more for you 800 MS Points, which can only be a good thing. I am surprised that Bizarre included the "Evolved" mode in the sequel, thinking that they might try to score some sales of the prequel based on the new release.

Would I buy the full game?
I have stopped playing the original to move onto a stack of other games, but if I didn't own that already then I would definitely have picked this up.

Demo Pros
Full access to one game mode, but one that restricts you to a 3 minute session at a time before being prompted to buy the full version. The rest of the features that will be unlocked by doing so sit prominently on the UI to taunt you too.

Demo Cons
It would be nice to at least see the other game modes in action even if I cannot play them to get a better idea of longevity.

Demo Rating 9 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Braid

2008-08-11T20:27:00.004+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Braid
Number None Inc.
Microsoft
Platform / Puzzle
Everyone 10+
6th August 2008
6th August 2008
Xbox 360 (Reviewed)
http://www.braid-game.com
144MB
11th August 2008

What did I think before playing?
There has been a little controversy bubbling up around this game and its pricing. Gamers have found it interesting to listen to Jonathan Blow in getting a tiny bit of insight into the development process, specifically the decisions surrounding the pricing of games being put XBLA. This being a small indie title which has gathered some great scores from critics. Braid is supposedly quick to play through but is supposed to be a rewarding experience in the same vein as Portal.

What is included?
The full first world, (world 2?) along with a taste of the next two levels.

What did I think afterwards?
First of all, this game has a fantastic musical score along with some pretty oil-painting-like graphics. It truly is relaxing to play this game because of it. The game begins with a dark and moody scene with your character in the shadows. There is no menu to speak of, you just get prompted to move your character with the left stick. You soon enter your first world, (for some reason named world 2,) after reading through a bit of love story and have to start solving the puzzles. On the second part of the world, (2-2 if you will,) I was already stumped on how to reach two of the puzzle pieces you seemingly need to collect, but that doesn't stop your progress.
There are obvious heavy influences from the original Mario Bros. games, right down to the goomba and piranha plant enemies. When reaching the end of world 2 you are greeted by a very polite and cute dinosaur who informs you "The princess is in another castle." I noticed a few other nods to gaming legends too, including a Donkey Kong section. The dinosaur also acts as a salesman, blocking your progress much further into the game and asking you to hit the X button to unlock the full version. You just get enough of a taste of the variations you are likely to see throughout the game to be tantalized.

Would I buy the full game?
I am very tempted, but I think the price may be a bit high at 1200 points. Even at 800 I would think twice. It feels like this game will gather a cult following, but I don't see it reaching the mainstream. The game is easy to play, (you can never really die since you are expected to reverse time if that happens,) but the puzzles look like they will get tough and this title has little going for it in terms of brand recognition or marketing campaign, (beyond the "Summer of Games" promotion from Microsoft.)

Demo Pros
Shows of the game beautifully with a full world followed by pieces of the next two.

Demo Cons
None I can think of. Perhaps that dinosaur is pushing the game a bit, but he is ever so polite about it.

Demo Rating 9 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Demo News

2008-08-09T13:26:00.002+01:00

This week I've checked out Barkley Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden but didn't think it was worth posting a review, seeing as how it is a totally free game, (and made by some crazy hobbyists.) It has been pretty funny so far so check it out if you have a little time.

Some interesting stories on the Too Human demo. Apparently extra functionality would unlock over time, (although you could just put your console clock forward.) It also ended up being an extremely popular download.

One last story is the appearance of demos on Xbox Live long after the retail release. Seems like people aren't happy with that and expect the demo up front, which I would probably agree with since the idea is to Try Before You Buy, but at least you can now do that, (better late than never.)

Pro Cycling Manager: Season 2008

2008-07-31T20:21:00.005+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Pro Cycling Manager: Season 2008
Cyanide
Focus Home Interactive
Sports
Not Rated
22nd July 2008
19th June 2008 Buy Now
PC (Reviewed), PSP, Xbox 360
http://www.cycling-manager.com
760MB
1st August 2008

What did I think before playing?
"Hmm, a cycling game. I wonder how that would work? Maybe it is just like any other racer. Wait, this is a 'Manager'. If it is anything like 'Football Manager' I'm not going to like this one."

What is included?
A tutorial mode, a Tour de France stage and an indoor track race.

What did I think afterwards?
For what you get, this is a large download with an even bigger install footprint. After putting DirectX on your system, the installer also adds things such as VS components and .NET. What the hell are those for? Installing also requires a restart, annoyingly.
When I got around to playing the game, it had to be the most boring I have ever played. I started out with the three tutorials, which were utterly pointless. One of them made you sit there for tree minutes just to prompt you to do a right click. Track racing mode is ok, but is over very quickly in the three lap demo. The last mode to try was the Tour de France which let you play one stage. This was horrible, with a ton of buttons and controls on the screen for you to try and get your team to win, the vast majority of which are not explained in the tutorials.
The whole thing feels cheaply made with menus flashing past and the loading screen freezing, (what is the point in a loading spinner if it is being rendered on the same thread as the file loading, making it stall and seem as if the game has hung?)

Would I buy the full game?
No. Awful.

Demo Pros
You get to see the gameplay.

Demo Cons
The game is rubbish. The installer is nasty and the whole thing feels cheap and disposable.

Demo Rating 1 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Depths of Peril

2008-07-31T19:25:00.003+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Depths of Peril
Soldak Entertainment
Soldak Entertainment
Role Playing Game
Not Rated
16th August 2007
5th September 2007 Buy Now
PC (Reviewed), Mac
http://www.soldak.com
68MB
29th July 2008

What did I think before playing?
I had never heard of this and there was no description of what the download was when I got it.

What is included?
From their website:

"In the Depths of Peril demo, you can play all 4 characters, explore the first part of the world, play through part of the storyline, experience a lot of the dynamic world with consequences, and get a taste for the covenant gameplay and it's only around 70MB."

What did I think afterwards?
This is a Diablo-like game, but with a more strategic goal than just killing all the monsters. Your character is the sole member of a "covenant" which has to recruit more members to build up power so that you can raid the neighboring covenants to gain domination of the world.
I picked a Mage and played through some of the missions with most of my time taken up with tutorials and explanations of game mechanics/objects. Playing the demo felt like a tabletop game in that there was a lot to explain due to the relationships between covenants and the goal of the game, along with the characters, equipment, trading, etc.
Throughout the main menus there were lots of "Order Full Version Now" buttons. Clicking them minimized the game client and launched their website. Annoyingly, the game client did not shut down when doing this so you had to go back and properly exit the game. Upon quitting the demo the same website popped up anyway, so the "advertising" in the UI was pointless.

Would I buy the full game?
No, but I'm not a fan of this genre. This has a small, indie feel to it but with a play mechanic that could attract a nice little community. From the look of their website there seems to be a set of modding tools available too.

Demo Pros
Quite a bit to play through and experiment with. Tries to upsell the main game directly. Relatively small download.

Demo Cons
Nothing much to speak of, but the game bores me.

Demo Rating 8 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Slow Updates

2008-07-31T18:48:00.003+01:00

There have been a few days recently without new posts. It comes down to a variety of reasons, but not necessarily because I haven't been playing games!

First, I've been cutting it down to three demos per week since I need my lunchtimes to get other stuff done sometimes, or things get a little hectic at work so I can't spare the time.

Secondly, I have been playing some closed betas that I'm not really at liberty to talk about, so I couldn't post my impressions here:

Finally, I have had a few problems with some of the demos I have been trying to play:

Neverwinter Nights Demo – 389MB download which leaves me with a blank screen when I run it.
Sudden Strike 3 Demo – 269MB download which throws up a "Demo date expired" message when you start the game, (obviously after you have gone through the install process.)

I do have a couple of reviews to write up though, so expect them soon.

Frontlines: Fuel of War

2008-07-23T20:09:00.005+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Frontlines: Fuel of War
Kaos Studios
THQ
First Person Shooter
Teen
8th July 2008
25th February 2008 Buy Now
PC (Reviewed), Xbox 360
http://www.frontlinesgame.com
1.9GB
23rd July 2008

What did I think before playing?
That this was another war-based FPS that must be coming out soon.

What is included?
This is a multiplayer only demo with two maps to play on. It is not clear if you can unlock new equipment, but I suspect not. There is also an "Extras" menu which includes a kind of knowledge base about the game, characters, equipment, etc. and an option to "Enter a Code." What those codes may be, where you get them and what they would unlock are anyone's guess. I heard there was an ARG around this title which involved passwords, so perhaps this is related?

What did I think afterwards?
You start out with a cool intro movie which gets across the idea of using modern warfare equipment, (think drones,) to push forward the front line of battle. After seeing that it seemed like an innovative idea to really highlight the front line.
After exploring the menus a little to see what was available, it becomes clear that you really just have to jump into an online game and find out how it works. Up comes a game browser which I use to filter some games, (e.g. populated, not full, running on dedicated server,) and join a 64 player game, (the largest you can have,) in progress. That loads up pretty quickly and I am presented with a kit screen and a map showing the front line. I have to pick a spawn point on the battlefield behind the front line. I play for a while and very quickly die. The game isn't running very well on my machine and it seems that the players out there are already good at this game, (which is where skill based matchmaking would trump game browsers every time.)
After running around for a while, trying out the five character classes and various equipment, I'm starting to get the occasional kill. It seems like you can only capture bases that are immediately either side of the front line though, (i.e. you must capture the bases in a linear order.) Now I realize the front line mechanic isn't anything special and is just a highlight of something that happens naturally in any FPS. In fact, it limits your attacking options when your team is on the back foot. In a game like Battlefield 2142, for instance, in that situation I wound try to sneak around to one of the other team's bases away from the front line in order to open up a second front.
What I did find annoying was that the respawn time felt long, with you sitting watching a loading spinner as you waited. Worse, spawning would fail sometimes and I would have to try again. I assume this is down to the base I was spawning on was over taken while I was waiting, but since I already had to wait for the spawn button to activate after a short timer on the spawn point select map after dying, I don't see why I need to wait again.
It may be worth pointing out that this demo came out five months after the retail game. I had said before that this could be a good way of keeping your game in the news, but five months feels a little too long after launch for me. I would imagine one or two months makes more sense, just after the initial sales bump.

Would I buy the full game?
No. Seems like a pretty generic FPS and has a steep learning curve when you just get popped by snipers almost immediately.

Demo Pros
Multiplayer demos are always great for giving you an idea of how much fun a game could be in the long term, (the Unreal Tournament 2004 demo springs to mind.)

Demo Cons
Almost 2GB! I had much more fun with 4MB yesterday.

Demo Rating 7 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Smiley's Shooty Adventure

2008-07-22T21:50:00.004+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Smiley's Shooty Adventure
Caffeine Monster Software
Caffeine Monster Software
Shooter
Not Rated
28th April 2008
28th April 2008
PC (Reviewed), Mac
http://www.caffeinemonstersoftware.com/smiley.php
4MB
22nd July 2008

What did I think before playing?
I had never heard of this one. It sounded stupid from the title and was a tiny download so it seemed like a quick indie effort. Sounds perfect for a rushed lunchtime review.

What is included?
15 levels, (of 80,) from the campaign mode with a link to buy the full version.

What did I think afterwards?
This was actually a fun, Robotron-like shooter. The graphics are a mix between bad programmer art and funky particle effects. There are several game modes listed on the main menu, (along with Credits and a "How to Play" button,) but only the campaign mode is available in the demo. You can play through the fifteen levels within about 10 minutes, at which point you are prompted to buy the full version, or go back to the main menu. If you choose any of the other modes you get a splash screen detailing what you get if you buy the full version along with a link.

Would I buy the full game?
A fun game, a well thought out demo, but I wouldn't buy a game like this when I already have similar titles such as Robotron and Geometry Wars on my Xbox 360.

Demo Pros
Easy enough to finish quickly, but you just about see the difficulty curve start to increase. Interesting enemies too. A tiny download. A link in the game to buy the full version takes you right into PayPal.

Demo Cons
Nothing wrong with the demo, but the game feels throwaway because of the graphics and the small window you play in.

Demo Rating 9 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

TimeShift

2008-07-14T18:45:00.004+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

TimeShift
Saber Interactive
Sierra
First Person Shooter
Mature
15th November 2007
30th October 2007 Buy Now
PC (Reviewed), PS3, Xbox 360
http://www.timeshiftgame.com
1.2GB
14th July 2008

What did I think before playing?
This wasn't a game I had heard of and just stumbled across the demo while trawling bigdownload.com. I assumed because it was recently added to that site that this must be a relatively new game, so perhaps it came from a tiny developer. I was intrigued because it was a multiplayer enabled demo.

What is included?
A section of a single player map and a multiplayer mode. Unfortunately it seems the multiplayer servers have been switched off at this time.

What did I think afterwards?
This is an interesting one since this is a title that was in development for a long time. The game was released on PC and Xbox 360 at first, (PS3 came later,) on 30th-Oct-07. About three weeks prior to that, 11th-Oct-07, a single player demo was released, as is typical. Two weeks after the retail release an updated version of the demo shipped which added a multiplayer mode, 15th-Nov-07. Perhaps giving the gaming news websites something to print about your game after that initial release period is a good idea, and why not make that something free for the public, (even if it is only a demo)?
Unfortunately that means I was mistaken and this was a title that was old enough to have the multiplayer servers switched off already, (at least for the demo,) so I couldn't sample that piece. That left me with the single player which was a snippet from an opening level, I assume. The graphical style and gameplay reminded me a lot of F.E.A.R., a game which was also published by Sierra but two years earlier. I really enjoyed that game and was sold on the demo of it, but TimeShift didn't have quite the same magic. The level you played through in the F.E.A.R. demo turned out to be an amalgamation of a few different scenes taken from the first hour or so of gameplay, with some interesting scripted sequences and ending by fading to black as a boss battle was about to start. The TimeShift demo had the same feel and ended the same way, but I can't be sure that this wasn't just a straight copy of the opening few minutes.

Would I buy the full game?
Nothing wrong with the demo, but I found the time traveling piece gimmicky which caused the level design to be restrictively linear with the set pieces there just for you to use your powers. So, no I wouldn't buy it.

Demo Pros
Included both single & multiplayer, and revisited a title after release.

Demo Cons
Servers are off now, so I can't test out the multiplayer. To be fair, we are talking about a demo that came out around eight months ago.

Demo Rating 8 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Combat Arms

2008-07-11T20:16:00.005+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Combat Arms
Doobic Studios
Nexon
First Person Shooter
Not Rated
11th July 2008
Unknown
PC (Reviewed)
http://combatarms.nexon.net
440MB
11th July 2008

What did I think before playing?
I've been working on Battlefield Heroes which is a free to play, cartoon style, shooter mid-session game looking for a wide audience. Combat Arms will be a competitor that looks for the more hardcore audience by delivering a more traditional, realistic FPS, which is perhaps what people would have expected of the Battlefield franchise when moving into the MSG market.

What is included?
Not sure yet, but it seems like there are several game modes and weapons to use.

What did I think afterwards?
After logging into the website with my existing Nexon account, (I have tried out Kart Rider before,) downloading the 440MB installer, setting up the game and trying to play I kept getting a cryptic error message with code 30022. I wanted to play so I tried searching for answers to my problem. The Nexon support pages were useless so I resorted to Google. As it turns out, the game has launched in open beta but only for North America, which is not mentioned anywhere on the website that I can see. Many other people on the forum thread had fallen into the same trap as myself and were less than amused.
I'll be back to review this one later, but this was a terrible first experience. I would expect many players wouldn't have found out what that error message meant, and fewer would have bothered to voice their opinion when they found out, so this must have bothered many people.

Would I buy the full game?
This is a free to play game, but you can buy yourself character customization items, such as hats and clothes. I doubt I would buy any items.

Demo Pros
It looks promising and is free!

Demo Cons
Us in the EU are locked out for now, with no indication before downloading. In fact there are two download buttons on the website; one for North America and the other the "Global Server".

Demo Rating 1 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Lively

2008-07-09T23:23:00.005+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Lively
Google Inc
Google Inc
Social
Not Rated
8th July 2008
8th July 2008
PC (Reviewed)
http://www.lively.com
Unknown
9th July 2008

What did I think before playing?
I hadn't heard of this app until an email went around at work pointing out Google's exciting new project that may be a competitor to Second Life et. al.

What is included?
This is a new project that is out in (perpetual) beta, just as all Google projects are. You get to do some simple customization to a character, create and decorate your own 3D chat room, then chat with people in those spaces.

What did I think afterwards?
The link that went around at work was for a Tech Crunch article on Lively. It was interesting since there was a demo video as well as an embedded version of the app right on the page, (I have done the same below by embedding my room.) So if you are intrigued enough to click on one of these embedded objects you get a pop-up window containing the Lively homepage with a prompt to install their viewer. After quickly doing that the pop-up closes and you are put back on the page you were viewing, with the room loading itself up. Easy, assuming you already have a Google Account.
Perhaps things are running slowly under the weight of all the sudden interest in the project, but I couldn't get into a chat room at all, so I never go to try the chat properly. I tried a couple of different rooms and would load up the assets but never see any characters appear, even after waiting 10 minutes. I had to give up and tried creating my own space instead. That worked out fine. I first setup my character and then put some furniture in a room, as seen in the image above. The options available at this point are somewhat limited, but you can see where this project is probably heading. There is mention of a catalog to choose more custom items for your character and space, so I would expect these to be funded by some form of micro transaction, (I know Google has a wallet system, but do they need to develop themselves a PayPal?) It is a definite competitor to all of the other game-like chat spaces out there, such as Habbo Hotel. I would imagine it helps if you have an existing Google Talk friends list since that is supposedly what Lively is built on top of.

Would I buy the full game?
This is a free game so there is nothing to buy! I can't imagine myself using this app much though, beyond a little experimenting. And I'm pretty certain I wouldn't go spending real money on virtual items for my avatar either, but I'm sure plenty of others will.

Demo Pros
A colourful beta of a new Google pet which is free to play, easily accessible via a browser and relatively easy to use.

Demo Cons
As a developer you know that in a beta you should expect bugs. I couldn't connect to a chat session and was told that I couldn't see the catalog because Google thought I was a bot. That is a pretty big turn off as a consumer's first experience. I also found the mouse control frustrating in trying to direct the camera so I could move my character and the items in my room.

Demo Rating 5 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

SimCity Societies

2008-07-08T19:39:00.004+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

SimCity Societies
Tilted Mill Entertainment
Electronic Arts
Building Sim
Everybody 10+
12th June 2008
13th November 2007 Buy Now
PC (Reviewed)
http://simcitysocieties.ea.com
791MB
8th July 2008

What did I think before playing?
I knew this game was developed by a third party rather than Maxis and thought this was a casual version of SimCity, perhaps with more focus on the Sims themselves more than the building aspects.

What is included?
A tutorial level that then leaves you to carry on playing. I think the catalog of items you can build is slimmed down, but I can't be sure.

What did I think afterwards?
My guess at what this title would be sounds pretty accurate, but it came across in a slightly different way to what I had imagined. The game plays roughly like the previous versions of SimCity, but with certain aspects simplified such as not needing to connect power stations to your buildings, or even build them nearby. But then other things are complicated, such as having to satisfy your residents' Creativity, Spirituality and similar stats. The buildings you have to choose from have more of a cost or payback for each of these stats and you unlock more choices by hitting certain levels in those categories. You have to keep your population entertained and make sure they have jobs. All of this goes round in a cycle as you grow your society.
Not much more to say other than that. You are made to play through the tutorial which then leaves you to carry on building your city, seemingly until you get bored. You cannot save your progress either.

Would I buy the full game?
Probably not. I would rather play a more technical version of SimCity, such as 4. The game is trying to appeal to casual players and existing SimCity fans. I think it leans more to the casual side but may not satisfy either completely. But that is down to my taste, while this demo itself is pretty good.

Demo Pros
Walked through the main points in playing the game then left to try it.

Demo Cons
Large download, late release, (I assume there must have been an earlier demo though, in which case it is a plus that they brought out a new demo to show off new content.)

Demo Rating 7 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Diablo II

2008-07-03T21:25:00.003+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Diablo II
Blizzard North
Blizzard Entertainment
Action Role Playing Game
Mature
29th June 2000
29th June 2000 Buy Now
Mac, PC (Reviewed)
http://www.blizzard.com/us/diablo2/
135MB
3rd July 2008

What did I think before playing?
The internet exploded this week when Diablo 3 was announced. I watched a gameplay video to try and see what all the fuss was about since this is another series that I had never sampled. It looked fairly impressive so I thought I would check out the previous installment to see how it really plays.

What is included?
This is a shareware version of the game. It seems like you can only play as the Barbarian class with a limited skill tree but I don't know how far into the game you can progress.

What did I think afterwards?
Starting up the installer played a loud sound clip, so I was glad I had my headphones plugged into my PC at work! Getting into the game I hunt around for some video settings, but I seem to be forced to run at the current resolution. Oh well, lets play.
The game is played from a 3/4 perspective and is a medieval, hack 'n' slash RPG. I start by talking to the people in a camp that I am started out in. All of the conversations are one way, but have text to read and high quality voice overs. The world seems pretty large, but I set off exploring and complete my first quest of wiping out all of the monsters from a nearby cavern. I have to return to the camp to collect a reward, so perhaps this game would involve lots of slow back tracking... that is never a plus in my book. Anyway, I had stumbled across the beginnings of my second quest while I was searching for the entrance to the first, so I head back there. At this point there are many more monsters and I didn't have the hang of checking my health orb and applying potions since the first quest was so easy. In fact, I dropped a few potions while I was managing my limited inventory space, (those extra boots seemed like a good thing to trade later!) Anyway, I eventually bite off more than I can chew and rush in to my last fight.
By this point I have been introduced to a varied assortment of enemies, introduced over time, each having their own quirks and attack patterns. It kept the battling interesting, but the ridiculous amount of mouse clicking was a little grating; not just on my wrist but also to the people around me I'm sure. One of the comments in the Diablo 3 gameplay video was that "the control scheme is so simple, you only need a mouse." That appears to be true, but I found it annoying.

Would I buy the full game?
I don't think I would go back and buy the old installment at this point when Diablo 3 is coming up. As far as I am aware the story isn't a key element and I am sure Blizzard will be targeting players that are new to the series, (seeing as it is eight years, almost to the day, since Diablo 2 was released,) just as much as the fans. As a demo of a game though, this was pretty good. It was long enough to get your teeth into.

Demo Pros
Limits the amount of characters and skills, but provides a good length of playtime.

Demo Cons
Not so much faults of the demo, but you have to run at a fixed resolution and you are constantly mouse clicking.

Demo Rating 9 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Deus Ex

2008-07-01T20:19:00.008+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Deus Ex
Ion Storm Inc.
Eidos Interactive
Action Role Playing Game
Mature
17th June 2000
22nd June 2000 Buy Now
Mac, PC (Reviewed), PS2
http://www.eidosgames.com/games/info.html?gmid=109
139MB
1st July 2008

What did I think before playing?
This is another one of those "must play, classic" titles that totally passed me by. I don't really have an idea of what this one is about or how it is played. I'm thinking it is something third person and tactical, such as Syndicate, or some futuristic cop story, a la G-Police.

What is included?
A training level and the first map. Interestingly, Ion Storm released an addon pack for the demo which included the second mission about a month after the retail release.

What did I think afterwards?
So this game is played from a first person perspective, but it isn't your typical FPS. It is much more based on stealth and RPG elements, which is rather disorienting after playing more tradition FPS fare for years.
I started out with the tutorial which takes a little while since there are a few different aspects to explain, (different types of weapons & equipment, movement and stealth,) and the characters explaining what to do speak pretty slowly. All of that was fine, although I had to repeat the sneaking section a few times because I kept getting caught by the guards. Parts of it reminded me of Half-Life, which is a title I loved.
Next I tried the actual missions. Very quickly you get the idea of what this game is going to be about. If I were to play the full title I have a feeling there is going to be a government conspiracy unraveled in front of me and I'll switch sides to the "terrorists" before long. There is a simple, multiple choice conversation system as part of that and seemingly large maps to explore which will give you multiple routes and solutions to problems. However, I soon ended up dying by getting caught in a firefight with multiple enemies. I was sneaking around just fine and was trying to hack a computer terminal. I suppose the enemy AI wasn't frozen while I did this and a mobile turret came and found me. Running from that just lead me to a crowd of others and I was soon overwhelmed. I would have to start over, but didn't have time.
Being an eight year old title you can easily crank up the settings on this one, but it is always going to look like an old Unreal game, (I thought it was the original Quake engine when I was playing.) It didn't take long for me to spank one of my allies with a crow bar mistakenly, (enemies are a kind of brown while allies are a slight green...) which didn't impress him; he soon stopped talking mid sentence and scarpered.

Would I buy the full game?
I think this game would be too slow for me to play. It would take quite a switch to go back to the days of sneaking without a mini-map on the HUD, in an FPS where I want to be shooting rather than picking locks.

Demo Pros
Not sure how long the first mission is, but I get the impression this is a pretty big game. I would expect there is enough story in there to get you hooked. Interesting addition of the second mission too.

Demo Cons
Nothing much. This is just a tough game with visuals that show their age.

Demo Rating 9 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Spore Creature Creator

2008-06-30T19:56:00.004+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Spore Creature Creator
Maxis
EA
Character Editor
Everyone
17th June 2008
17th June 2008 Buy Now
PC (Reviewed), Mac
http://www.spore.com
205MB
30th June 2008

What did I think before playing?
Spore is huge in both anticipation & scope and this is the first taste we all get of Will Wright's latest brainchild.

What is included?
This is almost a demo of a demo. You get about 25% of the body parts available in the full Creature Creator, which itself is just a part of the full edition of Spore. You also get access to the Sporepedia to view other people's creature creations and upload your own to share. Screenshot and video recording are included, with the ability to upload direct to YouTube built in.

What did I think afterwards?
The engineers at Maxis must have spent a long time getting the interface for the creature editor just right. Simplifying down the interfaces you see in Maya and 3DS Max to a consumer level which is fast, intuitive and responsive is a remarkable achievement. My abomination is in the screenshot above, looking particularly pleased with itself.
The Sporepedia only showed me my creations and those from Maxis. I'm not sure if I should be able to see other user generated content here at the moment.
The YouTube integration didn't work for me, but I have visited YouTube since and I think it is because I hadn't linked my YouTube account to my Google account, so when being prompted for an email address in game, it was never going to work.
There isn't much more to do in this after you have fiddled with you first character though, apart from do it again... and again.

Would I buy the full game?
Well, I'm itching for more, but from Spore itself rather than the Creature Creator. I would have liked to have access to more body parts, but this is a demo. But as I have said I feel like it is a demo of a demo. I don't see the value in purchasing the full Creature Creator. Still, I suppose it is a way of making some money and introducing a more casual audience to the world, (universe?) of Spore without overwhelming them with the full game's from-bacteria-to-the-beyond flow, ("See how easy it is to play this game? You can be even more creative in the full version!"). So, no to Creature Creator but yes to Spore for me.

Demo Pros
Easy intro to the world of Spore, play God in 5 simple steps, integration with YouTube and the ability to upgrade to the full product online.

Demo Cons
Limited resources to play with and really a demo-of-a-demo.

Demo Rating 6 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Fallen Empire: Legions

2008-06-27T19:13:00.005+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Fallen Empire: Legions
GarageGames
InstantAction
First Person Shooter
Not Rated
25th June 2008
Unknown
PC (Reviewed)
http://www.instantaction.com/legions
Unknown
27th June 2008

What did I think before playing?
I heard about this title through Penny Arcade. Legions is apparently the spiritual successor to Tribes; a well loved, jet-pack totting FPS that I have never had the pleasure of picking up. Legions is a web browser based game that is currently in beta.

What is included?
I noticed two levels available to play in two game modes, capture the flag and team deathmatch. There may also be more, and since this is a beta I would expect more to be added over time.

What did I think afterwards?
I had mixed reactions to this one. First of all I am very impressed by the size of this game in terms of feature set as a browser based game. It certainly looks likely to rival "full" games, with multiple game modes & maps, but more impressively the lobby system and general accessibility of the system.

The whole thing is browser based, with just a plugin to install, (which means you have to acknowledge that annoying yellow bar in Internet Explorer; although the InstantAction website does a good job of informing the user of that.)
The plugin will then automatically download and install any game files needed for any of the Instant Action games, including Legions, as soon as you click "play" on them.
The player has a friends list and personal profile page which are all easy viewed, (by clicking on a player's name in the player list for the current game for example.)
The lobby and party system seem well rounded. You can create a party to travel between games with and easily see what is happening in each game, (e.g. number of players, which mode and map.)
Cleverly, to get players hooked, once you have the plugin installed you can use their game browser and party features all the way up to the play/join game button. It is only at that point that you download the game itself, when you have already committed yourself to playing. Luckily the download is quick.

But after all that praise there has to be some negatives. The game had a few issues taking my input, for example thinking my mouse button was always down which left my gun constantly firing and overheating. The game itself also suddenly disappeared a few times, leaving my mouse pointer constrained to a black box. I had tried quitting games & rejoining them or refreshing the InstantAction website, but the best fix was to close the browser, (sometimes forced to use Alt+F4,) and start again.
Because of all that I only got to play for a short amount of time. I was trying CTF on the snow map. The gameplay was a little frantic and required twitch reactions & skill to actually make a kill. Perhaps I was playing with a and set of new players since I found I spent a lot of time with the enemy flag back at our base waiting for our own to be returned. No one seemed to want to go and get it so I had to keep flying around and defending myself to prevent the other team scoring.
It will be interesting to see where this title ends up because the attempt to draw players in easily versus the hardcore nature of the gameplay are a little at odds, (but hey, hardcore players deserve a useful interface too!)

Would I buy the full game?
The game is free as far as I am aware, so why not? But I don't think I'll be putting any more time into this game. I have enough others all demanding my attention right now, but I could see this being a good "play anywhere", (dare I say, workplace lunchtime,) title for a lot of people.

Demo Pros
Ease of access, good feature set, free.

Demo Cons
Hardcore gameplay, (subjective, I know,) and bugs... but then this is a beta.

Demo Rating 8 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness

2008-06-25T20:46:00.006+01:00

Title

Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms

Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness
Hothead Games
?
Adventure RPG
Mature
21st May 2008
21st May 2008 Buy Now
Linux, Mac, PC (Reviewed), Xbox 360
http://www.rainslick.com
208MB
25th June 2008

What did I think before playing?
I like the Penny Arcade web comic, but can the pair that are so quick to criticize other games make one themselves?

What is included?
The first section of the first level, which is basically a tutorial. You will get an idea of the gameplay and see the kind of items you can unlock, such as movies, (the cut scenes,) and soundtracks. There is also the option to upgrade to buy and upgrade to the full title.

What did I think afterwards?
I noticed a PDF manual was installed so I took a look at that first. That gave me the impression this was going to be a point-and-click, but I wasn't impressed by some of the terminology used, ("slide gauge" and "initiative".) Very gamer centric, but then I suppose that is the niche audience for this title.
Starting the game you get the option to unlock the full title, but the button did nothing for me, (I was expecting my browser to pop up, but waiting for a minute didn't reveal anything.) Ignoring that I start the game, (and now notice my browser start up in the background...)
To give the player a little more ownership of the action you are presented with a character creation screen after the short intro. Admittedly the assets to choose from are limited, but it is cool to see your digital self animated in the comic style 2D during cut scenes, as well as 3D while playing, (that's mine in the image above.) The art style matches the comics wonderfully, as does the writing. It is the typical holier-than-thou from Tycho and unashamed violence from Gabe that we all know and love, intermixed with a surprising amount of swearing in a humorous way. The narrator is excellently voice-acted too.
After playing, my web browser had indeed started up and was sitting and waiting for me to buy a license for the full game.
There are obviously going to be similarities between this and the Sam & Max demo I tried earlier, (not least of which the character attitudes,) but I think the gameplay and presentation differences mean fans of this type of game could happily play through both.

Would I buy the full game?
Yes, it seems entertaining, but no because as with Sam & Max I don't get a sense of how long this episode will take to play through, so I can't decide if the value is $20 or not. At least This demo lasts a little longer than Sam & Max's.

Demo Pros
Great presentation, ability to unlock the full game easily, enough of a game to enjoy.

Demo Cons
No sense of how big the game is.

Demo Rating 7 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Battlefield: Bad Company

2008-06-23T20:00:00.005+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Battlefield: Bad Company
EA Digital Illusions CE
Electronic Arts
First Person Shooter
Teen
5th June 2008
24th June 2008 Buy Now
PS3, Xbox 360 (Reviewed)
http://badcompany.ea.com
800MB
23rd June 2008

What did I think before playing?
First off, full disclosure, I helped work on this game. I also took part in the closed beta for this on Xbox 360, (similar to the Halo 3 beta, but you didn't need to buy Crackdown!) so I had a good idea of how the game would work in multiplayer. I have both liked some and disliked some previous Battlefield titles.

What is included?
The first single player level, multiplayer matches and viewing stats. You also unlock a free weapon for use in the full title by playing multiplayer mode and reaching rank 4 in the demo.

What did I think afterwards?
I actually had to play this across two sittings due to time constraints and didn't get a full stab during either, unfortunately. Despite that, however, I was impressed with the game.
I started out with the single player mode since that would be new to me. It seems like the first level since you get some intro cutscenes to setup the story and get prompts on how to do things while in-game. I didn't quite get time to finish the level but had fun blasting away at the enemies and blowing up buildings.
The multiplayer mode I was already familiar with from the beta. Not much has changed, which is a good thing since it is great fun. I have found some Battlefield games can be pretty hardcore and difficult to get into, (BF2 springs to mind and Modern Combat to some extent,) but I fell right into this one, (as I did with 2142.) There seems to be some polish to the presentation since the beta, (mostly a brush up of the in-game graphics,) but it is hard to point to specifics. Either way, the game looks great with a slightly grainy filter applied to give a more cinematic quality.

Would I buy the full game?
Yes I will, but then I get it free/cheap from work. If I were a regular customer I would still be tempted since this is a great demo. Lots is offered to the player, with a solid amount of single player spied up with never-gets-old online play. If I only had $60 to spend the decision for me would be between Call of Duty 4, (since I must be the only guy on the planet that doesn't own it yet,) or BFBC.

Demo Pros
Lots of content. Shows most of what you would get in the full product. View your stats online and unlock weapons for the main game.

Demo Cons
Some server issues at launch.

Demo Rating 10 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.

Old Reviews

2008-06-10T18:14:00.001+01:00

I'm away for two weeks, so to fill the gap here are some quick notes on some notable demo experiences I have had in the past few years, before I started this website.

Clive Barkers Jericho (PC) - I thought this was a pretty terrible demo. It stats half way through game where I would think you would be expected to be proficient at switching characters and using their powers. Muddy graphics which made it easy to get lost at points and an uninteresting story aside, it was the tricky Quick Time Event that really put me off this game.

Fight Night Round 3 (360) - This demo made me buy the game. I would never have thought to give a boxing title a second look but this came out early on in the Xbox 360's life and seeing as how I was the only person I knew with the console, I was looking for content to show off to my friends. This was great fun to play with a control scheme that allowed players to jump right in easily but deep enough to take time to master it. And becoming a master had the fantastic payback of being able to pull of some truly devastating punches that the graphics and sound convincingly delivered. One arena and two characters to choose from game you enough of a taste, and even though it wasn't clear there would be any more on offer, (turns out you have to heal wounds between rounds in the full game for example,) it was clear this was a must buy for me, even if it ended up just being pulled out on boozy nights with friends, (which it didn't. I took my character all the way up to the championship!)

BioShock (PC, 360) - People were raving about this title and raising the hype, but it wasn't really on my radar until near release. I played the demo on Xbox 360 first and figured it would be a game I would like. Before buying I then got the PC demo via Steam to see if it would run better there, (FPS's are easier to control with a mouse,) but decided to go with 360. So the demos in this case gave me a controlled method of testing in which format to make my purchase. It ended up being a great game, but I wish I hadn't read so much about it before hand.

Burnout Paradise (PS3, 360) - This is one that I actually helped work on so I was viewing this one from a different perspective. I was impressed with what the team had put together and it was great to talk to other players about what they thought. I hadn't played a Burnout title before but this game looked great, the crashes were immense and the online multiplayer was seemless and fun so I definitely would have picked this one up as a consumer. It would still be in my 360 now if my console were not out for repair at the moment.

Devil May Cry 4

2008-06-06T23:30:00.003+01:00

Title
Developer
Publisher
Genre
ESRB Rating
Demo Release Date
Full Release Date
Platforms
Official Website
Demo Download Size
Review Date

Devil May Cry 4
Valve Corporation
Capcom
Action
Mature
5th June 2008
8th July 2008 Buy Now
PC (Reviewed), PS3*, Xbox 360*
http://www.devilmaycry.com
804MB
6th June 2008

What did I think before playing?
The Devil May Cry series is now in its forth iteration and has established a loyal fanbase. I know there are people out there that really like these titles, but I've never played one. I thought this may be a survival horror game, but turns out it is another hack-n-slash, third person, beat-em-up.

What is included?
Two modes: 1) a time limited mode which gives you 10 minutes to get as far as you can and 2) a boss battle mode in which, with only one health bar, you fight two large monsters at once.

What did I think afterwards?
Nvidia have got their ads all over this one. The first screen of the installer is all about how DMC4 uses the latest graphics technology, sat next to Nvidia logos. When starting the demo after the install, logos for Nvidia, Intel and others flash by. (Not important really, but just wanted to point out that some games are selling out. I can't say if this game in particular is specially engineered for Nvidia cards, but that would be a bad thing if games start heading that way.)
Anyway, before starting the demo a config screen popped up allowing me to setup the controls... but only for a gamepad. It implies that you should really be playing with a gamepad, (an Xbox 360 one at that,) however it seems to just be a mapping of gamepad buttons to keyboard keys. I decided to bite and play with a 360 controller.
After starting the demo the first thing I do is check out the options. I noticed this one had all the graphics settings all defaulted to HIGH, including an HD resolution of 1280x720, running in a letter-box mode. I didn't change anything to see how well this would really run, since the desktop I am using isn't a graphical beast. For whatever reason I am then held to ransom by a progress bar which takes minutes to finish with absolutely no explanation for what is going on, (optimizing shaders?) After all that, the "Performance Test" option caught my eye. I thought this would tweak the settings to something more sensible, but was actually just a typical game scene running with an FPS counter so that you could judge how well the game would run with the current settings. I was getting an average of around 25FPS, which was good enough for me, so I started the game.
I began with the 10 minute mode which let me know what was going on by throwing up a tip each time a new attach became available, or I picked up a new item. The main thing that jumped out at me was that you had to go through doors to progress which broke the world up into very discrete units; something somewhat dated in today's sandbox-game filled world. It also wasn't obvious what you had to do to actually get through those doors. Where most games now throw up a tool tip for any "actions" that can be performed, this title suddenly changed the jump button into the "go through door" without any prompting. Aside from that, this was a fairly standard beat-em-up I think, (there isn't a huge difference between this and Kung-Fu Panada, beyond graphical style!)
After getting through a few scenes my time ran out, a "Coming Soon" splash screen went by and I'm sent back to the main menu. I tried my hand at the second mode in which I had to fight two boss monsters. Not much difference between this and the first mode really, so I gave up after two attempts.

Would I buy the full game?
No because I don't see what is special about DMC4 compared to other titles in the genre. Perhaps there is a strong, ongoing storyline throughout the series, but that doesn't come across in the demo.

Demo Pros
Good performance with a high quality output. The ten minute limit gives you a good taste of the gameplay and provides an extra element of excitement due to the added urgency of progression.

Demo Cons
I'm not keen on the advertising, but that helps Capcom pay for the game. Not much wrong with the demo, but I found the gameplay samey and nothing stands out as unique to me.

Demo Rating 7 / 10

Thoughts after playing the full game?
If I play the full game I will put comments here about whether I feel the demo was representative of the final product and if I am happy with the purchase.

Sales Figures
If I can find sales information about a game after it has been released I'll add that here. It may be useful to track demos to sales performance.