The Demo Gamer

NEWS: Demo Gamer Hiatus

2011-05-30T11:07:00.000-07:00

Thanks for visiting my site! I've had a fun few months playing demos and writing about them, but family circumstances force me to abandon the Demo Gamer (for now). I hope to be able to return in a few months. In the meantime, keep playing and having fun. Thanks for your support.

--Demo Gamer

OPINION: The Demo Filter

2011-05-27T10:56:00.000-07:00

Having read this great article on Rock, Paper, Shotgun, I started thinking about my relationship with video/computer games in general and demos in particular. It was only recently that I started getting into demos, and only then because I was gaming-funds poor and did not have access to free video games like I did as a kid.

See, my teenage life as a gamer was one that most teens would kill for: free games in the mail, free hardware (even esoterics like the 3DO and Jaguar), attending E3. It was good (still is!) to be the son of an electronic game journalism pioneer. Around 1999, my dad got out of the biz and the gravy train came mostly to a halt. When I moved out, I took my dad's neglected GameCube with me, and contented myself with (free-to-me copies of) Burnout, Need for Speed: Underground, SSX3, and Metroid Prime.

Then I got married to a non-gamer. My gaming dropped sharply at this point, relegated to times when my wife was working and I wasn't. Then we had a kid. Then another. Then we got a Wii (as a gift, even. I'm such a cheapskate. Thanks, mom and dad!). With my money and time even more occupied elsewhere, the Wii didn't get much use, although my oldest son started Wii bowling right around age 3 (he's 5 now). When I had a gaming itch, I tended to fire up The Ur-Quan Masters or Transport Tycoon Deluxe (both free) for a few minutes, nothing more. Then Nintendo restarted their Wii demo program in November of last year, and I played Fluidity.

nintendo.com/gamesites/wii/fluidity/

The Fluidity demo (no longer available, what's your problem, Nintendo?) has to be the best demo I've ever played. It captures the game's spirit perfectly, doesn't take too long, and when it comes to an end, you want more. The Fluidity demo (and SpaceChem, too) were really the genesis of this blog, and since then, I've developed a sort of philosophy about video games. I call it "The Demo Filter". Bascially, if it ain't starting out free to me (a gift, play at a friends' house, or demo), I won't play it. Examples: I play my dad's copy of Gran Turismo 5 on my dad's PS3. I got Portal 2 as a birthday gift. I played Fluidity and SpaceChem as demos before rewarding their creators with my hard earned money. If all you got is a trailer, I'm not interested.

For large-budget, highly-hyped games, a trailer and many professional reviews may do, but for indie developers in particular, I feel that demos are very important. Alec Meer at Rock, Paper, Shotgun writes,

Many indies know better, or at least know that because they lack the option of brute-force, high-spend marketing they have to use other means of letting people know what their game is like. Take a look at demo-hub GamersHell and there are so, so few game demos listed there – and of those that are, the vast majority are indie. Yet still so many indies resist – even most of the mails we get from indie devs simply contain a link to a trailer, with the lack of anything playable both complicating what we can usefully say about the game and the possibility of it capturing the affections of our readers. Frozen Synapse is out today, for instance. It’s ace, you should try it and see if you like it as much as I do. Oh, you can’t. Watch a trailer, I guess.

I've heard good things about Frozen Synapse, but I won't play it until there's a demo. Most games cost more than a music album or movie ticket, and I can listen to audio snippets on Amazon and get my money refunded at the theater before the 30-minute mark of a show. Why should games be any different, especially when there's more money and time involved?

spacechemthegame.com

I use demos as a filter: if the developer has put some effort into a demo, I'm likely to put some effort into their game. When a developer releases a demo, it proves a few things to me: 1) the developer is being honest about its game, 2) the developer feels confident about its game, and 3) the developer is cognizant of the fact that many of its potential customers don't have dough to drop on or before release day. I like to reward developers that exhibit these traits, and I'm sad when I can't because I know that there is so much blood, sweat, and tears that go into many of these games and that peeps need to get paid.

Demos becoming somewhat passé is something that should worry all gamers. Quoth Alec Meer once more:

Adverts and trailers don’t tell you the truth, but so often they’re all we get to go on until embargoes lift and launch-day reviews land. In a very fundamental way, such marketing lies about the experience you’re going to have. The camera angles are rarely those you’ll see yourself, while the checkpoints and the chokepoints and the guy named CockLord12 and all the minor irritations (and indeed minor, personal pleasures) you’d experience bear no mention. It sells an idealised version of the game experience, and one that leans far too closely to the movie model – nothing at all to do with the act of playing a videogame. I couldn’t buy a game based on promotion alone, and to be honest I probably couldn’t buy it on reviews alone – I need to try it myself, see whether it lights up those strange pathways in my brain that entail not just passing enjoyment but complete fixation upon the experience at hand. I need a demo.

Amen, Alec. I'm right there with you on this one. I know one place where it is pretty easy to find a demo: Apple's App Store. PSN and Xbox Live Marketplace are pretty good, too. I wish Wii Ware was so endowed, and I feel terrible for great games like Fluidity that are trapped there out of necessity. Still, we could use more demos, especially for big-budget games.

So what can we as gamers do to help get more demos out there? We can download the ones that exist, to start. Then we can buy the full games that we like. We can take "The Demo Filter" to an extreme and refuse to buy games that don't have demos, however painful this might be (Portal 2, I'm looking at you, although I guess the Portal demo might suffice). I'm not necessarily recommending this, but it's an option. Also, if we ever decide to become developers, let's make sure to include demos with our games.

What's your relationship with demos? Do you use "The Demo Filter"? Ever played a demo so good it grabbed you by the collar and forced you to buy a game at your earliest inconvenience? Those are my favorite. Sound off in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

PS - Rock, Paper, Shotgun is probably my favorite gaming news and opinion site. You should read it often, as I do :D

DEMO: Lead the Meerkats (Wii Ware)

2011-05-23T23:55:00.000-07:00

Lead the Meerkats for Wii (Wii Ware)

Courtesy nintendo.com

Genre: Strategy/Adventure

Full Game Price: $10.00

No. of Players: 1

In 5 words: opaque, superficial, ponderous, incomplete, strategic

The latest demo for the Wii, Lead the Meerkats, is a top-down real-time strategy game where you lead a pack of meerkats on a quest for redemption. Having been thrown out by a rogue pack of meerkats, it is your responsibility to build up your pack and take back what is rightfully yours.

Courtesy leadthemeerkats.com

Gameplay consists of expanding your burrow to increase your territorial influence, gathering food to help baby meerkats be born and grow, and fighting off predators to protect your pack. Using the Wii remote and nunchuk, you guide your meerkats across the map searching for new objectives. Each day is a turn, and after each day, the game rates your performance.

Featuring clever touches like naming rights for individual meerkats and also the pack, Lead the Meerkats starts out interestingly enough, but gets old quickly. The use of the Wii's motion controls is repetitive, somewhat ponderous, and not innovative, and the tutorial provided by the demo is pretty opaque. The graphics are too small and during the night and early morning, it is difficult to see anything. In addition, the music is unremarkable.

Lead the Meerkats may be a good game, but the demo didn't convince me of the fact. When the demo ended (after the 3rd day), I felt like I knew relatively little about the title. Consequently, I cannot recommend it, especially at the $10.00 price point.

Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 8+
Demo length: 15-20 minutes
Demo worth playing? I'm not sure this was worth my time, but if you like nature-themed games and strategy games, you might want to check it out.
Full game worth buying? I really can't recommend Lead the Meerkats, not based solely on the demo.

I am anxiously awaiting the launch of Nintendo's eShop, and I hope Nintendo starts releasing more quality demos next month. Played Lead the Meerkats? Agree/disagree with my analysis? Sound off in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

DEMO: LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars

2011-05-18T23:25:00.000-07:00

LEGO Star Wars III: The Clone Wars for Xbox 360 (Xbox Live)

Courtesy xbox.com

Genre: Jedi Action Platformer

Full Game Price: MSRP $40

No. of Players: 1-2 (simultaneous co-op)

In 5 words: darker, funny, easy, construction, fun

So I recently lucked into an Xbox 360, and wouldn't you know it, my oldest son, now five years old, has played this demo more than I have. He loves LEGO Star Wars almost as much as I do and we have had a lot of fun playing through the LEGO Star Wars III demo multiple times.

If you're familiar with previous entries in the LEGO Star Wars series of games, LEGO Star Wars III (LSWIII) feels very comfortable, and yet, it is fairly innovative when compared to the other games. In the demo, you get to play two different levels, both focusing on General Grievous' ship, Malevolence. One level features ship-based combat while the other is on foot. The ship-based level innovates in that you have to switch between planes of flight and you also land and disembark to perform some tasks. The other level shows how controlling the Force is different in LSWIII compared to previous games. You have more control over how and where you use the Force, and it can lead to some comical results, such as lifting a super battle droid into the air and making it shoot at its comrades. This added level of control raises LSWIII's interactivity and fun factor while also making the game more challenging.

One thing I noticed as I played LSWIII is how dark the levels are. I was constantly struggling to see what I needed to do next the first time I played through, but it seemed to get a little better as I went. The trademark humor of the LSW games remains, and the sound effects and music are great (it is a LucasArts game, after all). In addition, the cooperative multiplayer is a riot and features an interesting split screen mechanism that makes going off on your own a breeze. The demo features everything from barrel throwing to crashing a capital ship into a moon. It is very fun.

If you've never played a LEGO Star Wars game before, this demo is a fine place to start. With a little help, your younglings should find it quite entertaining. What the demo did not convince me of was the value of the full game. I'm probably going to wait for this to drop a few dollars before I buy.

Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 5+
Demo length: 20-40 minutes
Demo worth playing? You get to crash a starship. Into a planet. Using the force. Yes. Play the demo.
Full game worth buying? Not sure, but at $40, it is not a full-price title for the Xbox 360, Wii, or PS3, so it is essentially already on sale.

Any LEGO Star Wars fans out there? Have you played LSWIII? Is it worth the time/money? Sound off in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

OPINION: My Journey to Dell Hell and Back

2011-05-17T09:58:00.000-07:00

(A big hello to everyone visiting from The Consumerist! If you're unfamiliar with The Consumerist, it's a consumer advocacy blog that's both fun and informative. Check it out!)

Recently, I tweeted about my Dell Vostro 1400 laptop that had a defective NVIDIA 8400M graphics chip. I would like to share the story of my successful journey to Dell Hell and back, getting a 3.5-year-old out-of-warranty laptop fixed for free.

Sometime in late 2010, I got a letter in the mail detailing a class-action lawsuit and subsequent settlement regarding defective NVIDIA graphics chips. My laptop had the chip, but I had had no graphics issues up to that point and I could not apply for relief unless my laptop had certain symptoms as defined in the settlement. Then, in mid April, my laptop became unusable. I went to the settlement website and discovered that I had missed the claim window by a month, so I called Dell to see what they could do.

I called more than once, and each time, the front-line phone rep rebuffed my request for free service or replacement. I wasn't about to give up, though. I scoured the internet (including the great pro-consumer website consumerist.com) looking for options, including the sometimes-effective EECB. To start, I ended up tweeting @DellCares the following:

@dellcares Nice when my Dell laptop dies 1 month after Nvidia Settlement stops taking claims. Y U NO RECALL? #delldoesntcare BUYER BEWARE!

After my initial phone calls, I also received a very unsatisfying follow-up email (basically repeating everything the phone rep told me) from Dell support. Knowing I had nothing to lose, I wrote the following response and CC'ed michael@dell.com and michael_dell@dell.com:

One month ago, I could have applied for relief through the Nvidia lawsuit/settlement. I don't see why, with my problems manifesting themselves only 30 days later, I shouldn't be taken care of. Bad customer service on Dell's part, an unwillingness to admit fault. I understand the margins in this business are razor-thin, but that doesn't help me much. The out-of-warranty repair department also wants 2X the price of similar replacement parts I can find elsewhere. Another reason to just leave Dell and find a company that's interested in keeping my business.

This laptop would have at least 2 more years of life in it (running Windows 7 like a champ!) barring this defective graphics problem. I feel terrible for having convinced my sister to buy a similarly afflicted laptop. Dell (and NVidia) are very close to losing a customer forever. It's looking like this will be my first and last Dell laptop. I have a conversation going on Twitter with @dellcares. We'll see how that goes. #dellmightcarewe'llsee

I also joined Dell's Community forums and contacted the guy from this post. Interestingly enough, it did not take long (less than a day) to hear back from Dell's twitter team, and Dell executive support actually called me as well, specifically referencing the email I had sent. The Dell Community rep also got back to me, albeit a little later. Having gotten Dell's attention, the Twitter team sent me a pre-paid shipping box and 10 days later, I had a freely-fixed, properly-functioning laptop. I have had no further problems thus far, and I hope to get at least 2 more years out of this great little machine.

Moral of the story: don't let the bottom tier of support lock you out of a free repair. Go public, go to Twitter, go to Facebook, go to Dell Community, and email Michael Dell. I hope that this will help other people suffering from the NVIDIA graphics issue. Good luck!

--Demo Gamer

DEMO: BIT.TRIP CORE (Wii Ware)

2011-05-05T22:32:00.000-07:00

BIT.TRIP CORE for Wii (Wii Ware)

Courtesy Nintendo.com

Genre: Musical Puzzler

Full Game Price: $6.00

No. of Players: 1-2 (simultaneous co-op)

In 5 words: fast, frustrating, musical, too simple

With BIT.TRIP CORE, I have now played 4 BIT.TRIP demos. FATE felt forced, BEAT was busy, and RUNNER was remarkable. CORE is the least impressive thus far.

Courtesy bittripgame.com

CORE is definitely a BIT.TRIP game in that it starts out simple but quickly becomes overwhelming. Like other BIT.TRIP games, CORE rewards superior performance with better music. The BIT.TRIP CORE soundtrack is about the only redeeming quality I could find, and far too often I found myself not performing up to par, leading to the music dropping out entirely.

BIT.TRIP CORE is too simplistic. It does not make use of the Wii's motion controls like BEAT does and it is not nearly as graphically involved as RUNNER is. CORE is not bad, it's just not that good. And it is tough. If you can follow a beat, you should be alright. I struggled, and it was frustrating. That being written, I absolutely love the graphical style of all BIT.TRIP games, and CORE is no exception.

I have to admit, with a price of only $6.00, BIT.TRIP CORE looks like an OK value. The demo could disappear from Wii Ware at any moment, so if you're interested, you might want to go get it pronto.

Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 6+
Demo length: 10-20 minutes
Demo worth playing? I don't know. If you really like other BIT.TRIP demos, perhaps.
Full game worth buying? It is only $6.00. Probably worth every cent.

BIT.TRIP CORE has been out for awhile, so a few of you have probably played it. Agree/disagree with me? Sound off in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

DEMO: BIT.TRIP RUNNER (Wii Ware)

2011-05-04T22:06:00.000-07:00

BIT.TRIP RUNNER for Wii (Wii Ware)

Courtesy Nintendo.com

Genre: Musical Platformer

Full Game Price: $8.00

No. of Players: 1

In 5 words: fast, simple, challenging, musical, engaging

The BIT.TRIP series of games is hit or miss, but RUNNER is definitely one of the better entries in the series. If you like challenging platformers and classic videogame music, you do not want to pass this game up.

Courtesy bittripgame.com

Like other BIT.TRIP games, RUNNER starts out very simple but quickly combines many simple elements to create complete chaos. Not to worry, though: the rewards are there. The better you do, the better the music gets. As a longtime video game player and fan of techno music, I love the BIT.TRIP soundtracks, and I find it very creative how RUNNER repays its players.

That's not to say BIT.TRIP RUNNER is easy. Far from it. It is quite frustrating at times, and yet highly engaging. It is, in fact, the first BIT.TRIP demo that I played all the way through, and I'm glad I persevered. BIT.TRIP RUNNER brings back memories of the difficult, unforgiving, and rewarding platformers of my youth.

With a price of only $8.00, BIT.TRIP RUNNER looks like a solid value and is on my to-buy list. Give the demo a shot, it is very fun, and remember, you'd better download it soon as it could disappear from Wii Ware at any moment.

Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 6+
Demo length: 15-20 minutes
Demo worth playing? Definitely.
Full game worth buying? Looks like it's well worth it.

BIT.TRIP RUNNER has been out for awhile, so a few of you have probably played it. Is it as good as the demo makes it out to be? Sound off in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

OPINION: Wii 2 Will Be More iPad Than Xbox

2011-05-02T21:31:00.000-07:00

When I first heard about Project Revolution, I was very excited. With its combination of motion and infrared control, I really felt like Nintendo was onto something special. Many of my friends had different feelings, especially as the Wii’s 2007 launch date neared. They were either cautiously optimistic or outright derisive, but I felt from the get-go that Nintendo had a created a game changer.

I was right. With over 80 million consoles sold (and money made on each one, to boot), Nintendo’s Wii is the undisputed commercial success of the last generation of game consoles, and interestingly so. The Wii was not a direct frontal assault on the already-released Xbox 360 or the forthcoming PS3: sub-par graphics, no DVD or Blu-ray playback, and other lacking features made it pale in comparison to its technically heavyweight competition, and yet, Nintendo created and exploited a new market basically overnight by simplifying the way gamers interacted with their games. Nintendo, while leaving a presence in the hardcore-gamer sandbox that Mario built, began to focus on this entirely new sandbox it had created. What Nintendo didn’t know was that it was not alone.

Another company released a game changer in 2007, and it may have been the sneakiest game console release in history. Apple’s pocket game console, disguised as a phone or iPod, became a real gaming machine in 2008 with the launch of the App Store. Competing directly with the Nintendo DS, and less directly with the Wii, the iPhone/iPod Touch (and more recently the iPad) have done very well, and Nintendo has correctly identified Apple as its most important nemesis going forward. And Nintendo is going forward. Next month, Nintendo will show off the Wii successor (dubbed Project Café) at E3 and we will all get a glimpse at how Nintendo plans to fight Apple in the coming years, and how the iPhone and iPad (and even Apple TV) have influenced Nintendo.

I believe this fight will depend on three factors: hardware innovation, developers, and online experience. “But what about HD graphics, Blu-Ray playback, 3D?” you ask. We’ll get to that later.

Neither Apple nor Nintendo are strangers to hardware innovation, as shown by the motion controls present in both the Wii Remote and most iOS devices. Apple certainly dominates when it comes to touch sensing, but Nintendo has plenty of experience with its DS line of portable game machines as well. As with Project Revolution, Project Café has the chance to raise the bar, and rumors of a touch-screen controller make me anxious for E3. The possibilities for a touch-screen controller are practically endless. While I do not expect something as revolutionary as the Wii Remote or Kinect, I figure that Nintendo will do a good job here, which leads to the next point: you have to have revolutionary software to match revolutionary hardware.

Apple’s iOS devices are practically a developer’s heaven. With an entry price of only $99 (compared to the Wii’s ~$2500), many small developers (and large studios) are finding success on iOS. Sure, prices are low and competition is fierce, but it seems that Apple has reduced the barriers to entry better than any other gaming hardware manufacturer. This leads to a lot of garbage apps, but it also leads to many quality titles. In order to compete, Nintendo needs to ditch its disdain for smaller developers and make it easier to develop for Project Café. Nintendo also needs to let developers control their own pricing and demos and fix the Wii’s onerous Digital Rights Management scheme. Related to the developer discussion, Nintendo has one major advantage over Apple: Mario (and Zelda, and Metroid, and so on). Nintendo’s in-house stable of marketable game franchises is a sizeable advantage against Apple (and Microsoft and Sony) that cannot be discounted.

Finally, when it comes to online experience, both Apple and Nintendo have some work to do to catch up to Microsoft and Sony. Nintendo has openly admitted that they squandered a great opportunity to make the Wii even better than it was through a more robust online experience. Apple has launched Game Center, but hasn’t supported it very well. Nintendo has promised to do better, and the end of this month marks the launch of Nintendo’s eShop for the 3DS (and hopefully the Wii as well). The eShop should give us an idea of how much Nintendo has learned from the Virtual Console/Wii Ware mess. What Apple does with Game Center remains to be seen, although there is hope for it in rumored cloud-computing services that are nearing completion. Time will tell!

So, what about other stuff like HD and 3D? I think Project Café will definitely be capable of 1080p video out, but I don’t think it will be graphically amazing. I honestly believe Nintendo will be shooting to beat the Xbox 360 and PS3 by the slimmest of margins graphicswise, primarily so they can sell the machine at a profit as they did with the Wii. I think Project Café may have a Blu-Ray drive and may also function as a media center similar to the Xbox 360 and iOS devices. I don’t think it will have 3D. I do think it will have a touch-screen controller that will double as a keyboard/mouse/input-device-of-some-kind to allow for easy internet browsing/media center controlling. I hope it has a decent game download service.

At the end of the day, I think Project Café will be the most ambitious product Nintendo has ever designed, and the first aimed squarely at Apple. So, where does that leave Microsoft and Sony, exactly? They have said they will wait at least another year before starting to talk externally about their next consoles, and then things should get very interesting. History has shown that there is little room for a 4^th contender in the video game market. Perhaps spacing things out a bit will help, but for now, I guess we just have to wait for E3 and hang out at our favorite gaming blogs waiting for the latest tidbits to drop. I, for one, can’t wait to see what happens. How about you? Sound off in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

DEMO: Hoard (Steam: Windows/Mac)

2011-04-13T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hoard for Steam (Windows/Mac)

Courtesy hoardgame.com

Genre: RTS/Action

Full Game Price: $9.99

No. of Players: 1-4

In 5 words: flying, firebreathing, burninating, genuine fun

So there I was, cruising through the list of Steam demos when I see this Hoard game and I click through. A wonderful concept: instead of playing the shining hero, you play the firebreather, building your hoard and being an all around menace to society. I downloaded this demo last Friday and I've been itching to play it ever since.

In Hoard, your life as a dragon is hard, you're misunderstood. They tried you for arson (in response, you burned the court down) and signed you up for a reality show about how your possessions possess you (in response, you said "Mine!"), and yet your thirst for gold rivals that of Glenn Beck. You're incorrigible.

Hoard is a fast-paced, cartoony action strategy game that feels a little like a tabletop game and a lot like an arcade game. Hoard is more like Trogdor than Smaug in that it takes itself very unseriously and is quite lighthearted. The gameplay is complex, but not overly so: controls are easy to get the hang of, and you can use a keyboard and mouse or gamepad. As you hoard more and more gold, you have the opportunity to upgrade your armor, firebreath, speed, and carrying capacity. Upgrading is highly recommended because all around you, the towns, castles, archers, knights and even the princesses are upgrading. Don't believe me? Look down here:

Yes, even the princesses level up.

Making good strategic and tactical decisions on the fly is a necessary skill for success in Hoard. You have a variety of targets to choose from (buildings, carts, puny humans) and defensive duties as well (both thieves and other dragons can steal from your hoard). Finding a good balance is key and the best strategies are not always obvious. For example, instead of burning a city to the ground, you can inspire such fear in said city that they pay you ransom; or instead of killing a knight, you could allow him to rescue a princess so he becomes a hero and gives you more gold when you roast him later. Each decision has its pros and cons and allows for a multitude of strategies and varied gameplay.

To top it all off, there's both co-op and competitive multiplayer and achievements to keep things interesting. The only small gripe I have about the game is the music. It's a little on the cheesy side, but tolerable, I guess. All things considered, Hoard appears to be a great game at a great price. I highly recommend this demo.

Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 6+
Demo length: 20-30 minutes
Demo worth playing? You bet your burninator.
Full game worth buying? Pretty sure on this one. Thank goodness there's a good demo to help you decide!

Have you gotten your Hoard on? Agree/disagree with my take? Sound off in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

Wii Demo Roundup - 04/11/11

2011-04-12T06:10:00.000-07:00

Howdy, Wiifolk! It's time for another Wii Demo Roundup, although I'm beginning to wonder if I should change the name of this weekly feature because "rounding up" a single demo seems kind of silly. But no matter, hope springs eternal as I wait for Nintendo's eShop. Interestingly enough, this week's demo feels right at home in a wild west roundup. Bring your hat, chaps, and holster, it's time to draw!

Fast Draw Showdown
Rated T for Teen, 1-2 players, Wii Remote only, $5.00

Courtesy digitalleisure.com

In 5 words: old, hokey, bad acting, simple

The first thing I noticed upon firing up the Fast Draw Showdown demo is how old it is. Originally copyrighted in 1994, Fast Draw Showdown was a laser disc-based arcade game that I'm pretty sure I saw in my younger arcade urchin years, now that I think about it. Well, now it's been ported to Wii Ware. Should you care? I don't think so.

The graphics look like 1994, the gameplay, while challenging, is very simple, the acting, writing, and costuming are pretty bad...basically, this demo offers very little. I could see myself putting a few quarters into this in an arcade, just for the novelty of it, but outside of that, without a light gun, the novelty is short. Dying to draw with the best of them? Give the demo a try. It's a small download and will only occupy a few minutes of your time. Otherwise, don't bother.

As an aside, I find it quite rich that Nintendo complains about Apple's cheap App Store games and then allows stuff like this to be released on their own hardware. Pots and kettles 'n' all that. At least in the App Store, this might be priced at $0.99 (still not worth it, really) and we wouldn't have waited over a year for a demo.

Well, that's it for this week's roundup. The end of May and the advent of the eShop cannot arrive fast enough.

--Demo Gamer

Freebie Flashback Friday - The Incredible Machine

2011-04-08T07:34:00.000-07:00

All images courtesy abandonia.com

It's Friday, almost Saturday, and if you're short on funds you've come to the right place. It's time again for a freebie flashback highlighting a classic game that's been abandoned to freedom. This week, Rube Goldberg smiles.

The Incredible Machine is a game that I can never forget. I remember playing it as a kid and I remember the challenge and wonder of creating elaborate machines to complete simple tasks. Using pulleys, weights, ropes, ramps, and even firearms (among many other tools), The Incredible Machine captures most of the whimsical fun of an actual Rube Goldberg machine.

The Incredible Machine is incredibly entertaining and rewarding and was one of the best puzzle games of its time. While its age shows, the game still has legs. If you like clever, mechanical puzzle games, The Incredible Machine is for you. Because it is abandonware, it is free to download, so you can go get it here.

Just like this week's game, the comments are free. Tell me what you think of The Incredible Machine.

--Demo Gamer

DEMO: Slam Bolt Scrappers (PS3)

2011-04-07T07:52:00.000-07:00

Slam Bolt Scrappers on PSN for PS3

All images courtesy firehosegames.com

Genre: Combat Puzzler

Full Game Price: $14.99

No. of Players: 1-4

In 5 words: mutant, challenging, fun, crazy, overwhelming

In nature, mutation is an interesting device. It takes a proven lifeform and changes it into something differentiable from the original, then waits to see how it survives. If the mutated lifeform lives long enough, it becomes proven and mutation can iterate further. The same process happens in the gaming world. Take a proven concept, mutate it, and see how it survives. Slam Bolt Scrappers is a Tetris mutant in the best sense of the word.

Developed by (the aptly named) Fire Hose Games, Slam Bolt Scrappers takes the basic idea of Tetris-style building, and combines elements of Super Puzzle Fighter and Street Fighter to make one amazingly overwhelming gaming experience. There's so much to do in Slam Bolt Scrappers, it feels like you're trying to drink from a...wait for it...fire hose. While not immediately accessible to less-experienced gamers, Slam Bolt Scrappers is a game that veterans should enjoy from the get-go.

In Slam Bolt Scrappers, you take control of a flying builder who organizes a tower. Form squares of the same color to create weapons and defenses on your tower. The larger the square, the more powerful the weapon. To collect more blocks, fight with pigs and ninjas in the air. To keep your opponent(s) from building, attack them personally. You can even rearrange your tower on the fly. Destroy your opponent(s)'s tower(s), and you win.

Sound easy? It's not! Slam Bolt Scrappers makes full use of the PS3 controller's myriad buttons, and while learning the controls is a fairly simple task, mastering them is not. The demo lasts about 20-30 minutes and is representative of the game as a whole. The graphics are really fun and nicely done, and with cooperative and competitive multiplayer modes, the crazy carnage on offer in Slam Bolt Scrappers is theoretically unlimited.

Slam Bolt Scrappers is right up there with Gran Turismo 5 for me: both are great reasons to buy a PS3 (I actually played this demo on my father's PS3). The game, while overwhelming, is also highly intriguing. It left me exhausted, yet wanting more. It also makes me wonder what the Slam Bolt Scrappers mutant games will be like. At only $14.99, this mutant combination of challenging puzzle-fighting looks like a steal. Now, if I only had a PS3...but don't let that stop you! PS3 owners: be sure to check out this demo.

Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 6+
Demo length: 20-30 minutes
Demo worth playing? Oh yeah.
Full game worth buying? Yes. Makes me sad to not own a PS3.

Played Slam Bolt Scrappers yet? Did you like it? Sound off in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

DEMO: Explodemon (PS3)

2011-04-06T11:21:00.000-07:00

Explodemon on PSN for PS3

Genre: Platformer

Full Game Price: $9.99

No. of Players: 1

In 5 words: retro, humorous, run, jump, explode

Explodemon is a platformer that pays homage to the 16-bit glory days of platform gaming. You play as Explodemon, a comical, unwanted, malfunctioning hero, and you must defend your planet against an alien invasion. Explodemon comes across as a bit Mega Man-ish with a hint of puzzle here and there and while retrofun abounds, the game also brings some interesting quirks to the table. First off, Explodemon does not carry any weapons. He is the weapon, must get dangerously close to enemies to defeat them, and he doesn't have full control of his explosive nature. Second, Explodemon's life meter doubles as a strength meter for his dangerous explosions: the better you are at avoiding damage, the more damage you do.

Explodemon is a game that doesn't take itself too seriously: it is full of funny, clever dialogue and other humor that keeps things light. The action vacillates between frantic fun and catch-your-breath calm, pacing the gameplay nicely, and the 2.5D graphics are colorfully cartoony and immersive (no complaints here). The controls are pretty much what you expect from a platformer and are easy to get the hang of. Finally, the music and sound effects are fun and do not detract from the experience.

The Explodemon demo lasts about 10-15 minutes, but may take much longer to download depending on your internet connection and how well PSN is working. The demo gives a good idea of what you can expect from the game, except for one glaring omission: upgrades. They are mentioned in the demo but not actually demonstrated. I would have loved to see how the upgrade system works before buying.

My verdict? As a tribute to platformers, Explodemon works well. As a game in and of itself, it leaves a little to be desired. It is fun, but not really novel enough to command my attention. Perhaps if I knew a little more about how Explodemon upgrades himself, I would be more interested. That being written, at $9.99, you can hardly argue with the price, especially if you like platformers.

Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: 8+
Demo length: 10-15 minutes
Demo worth playing? It is fun, so yes
Full game worth buying? I'm not sold, but the price looks right.

What's your take on Explodemon? Sound off in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

Wii Demo Roundup - 04/04/11

2011-04-05T11:51:00.000-07:00

New day, new demo! Nintendo dropped a strange demo yesterday, and I'm here to tell you all about it. Also, a long-time resident of the Wii Ware demo list gets reviewed. Click on through to read more!

MonsTECA Corral
Rated E for Everyone, 1-4 players, Wii Remote and Nunchuk required, $5.00

Courtesy nintendo.com

In 5 words: strange, immersive, puzzling, curious, simple

MonsTECA Corral, this week's new demo, is a strange game. You can say that about a lot of games, but with this game in particular, it was a little bit of a fun-barrier to me at first. You play the part of a monster herder that must rescue and move monsters away from evil robots. To do so, you must gather swamp gas and give it to the astromaggot (flying space worm) and then jump on its back so it can take you to the next level (of which there are 20). All the while, you must avoid or disable the evil robots that want to capture your herd of monsters.

MonsTECA Corral's controls are quick and easy to master, and while a bit lo-fi, the graphics are fun and the Wii handles the 3D worlds with aplomb. The demo lasts between 15-20 minutes and it reminds me a bit of Darwinia, actually. This is bad: while playing MonsTECA Corral, it felt too derivative and simple. There wasn't enough "new" here to really inspire me to purchase. Still, at only $5.00, if you like the demo, you really can't go wrong with buying the game (the DRM caveat must be noted, however).

Bit.Trip Beat
Rated E for Everyone, 1-4 players, Wii Remote only, $6.00

Courtesy nintendo.com

In 5 words: deceptively simple, musical, pong-ish, retro

Bit.Trip Beat is one of 5 games in the Bit.Trip series, all of which are regarded as some of the finest games on Wii Ware. This demo has been on Wii Ware since January and I played it before starting this blog. I was not impressed much. It was hard to control and too simple for my tastes. I downloaded it again last night because it was the only demo still on Wii Ware that I had not reviewed. I'm glad I did. It was still hard to control and simple, but I actually gave it some effort, and I was pleasantly surprised.

Bit.Trip Beat is deceptively simple and challenging. The first minutes give you the chance to get acquainted with the controls and gameplay which can be described as Pong meets musical side-scroller. I would have loved to have a Pong paddle to play this game, but I had to use the Wii Remote's motion controls instead. The music and graphics are delightfully retro and fun (I wish the kids had not been in bed so that I could have turned it up a bit), and after a few minutes, the game's simplicity has a new companion: frantic complexity. You've got to play it to understand how it is both complex and simple at the same time. And fun! More fun than I expected.

Bit.Trip Beat is a game that I will eventually buy (I'm not sure when), and at $6.00, it looks to be an OK deal. This is a demo that all gamers should download and spend at least 10 minutes with, however. I think you will feel like this is a special game. I don't know how much longer the demo will be on Wii Ware, so go get it! It is free, after all.

Well, that's it for this week. Have you played either of these games or demos? Let us know what you think in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

Freebie Flashback Friday - Command & Conquer

2011-04-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

It's Friday, and it's time for a freebie flashback. This week, we're going to talk about the dangers of tiberium.

Courtesy wikipedia.org

Chances are, you've already played Command & Conquer (C&C). Maybe you haven't played this version, but you played one of them. That's a good thing, because they are great games. What makes C&C special is it is also a genre-defining game. When Dune 2 came out, the term "real-time strategy" did not exist. When C&C was released, people said, "This is what an RTS should be like." If you haven't played C&C, I think you should.

Courtesy mobygames.com

Now, let's talk about tiberium. It is dangerous to humans and worth a lot of money. It is addictive and destructive. Where you had the spice in Dune 2, you have tiberium in C&C. Wars are fought over the stuff and it is the basis for the C&C economy.

C&C features a bunch of fun cutscenes and tough missions set in either Europe or Africa, depending on which side you choose to play: the cultish Brotherhood of NOD or the NATO-ish Global Defense Initiative (GDI). While there is not a huge variety of units and structures, the game is relatively well-balanced and is a riot and a challenge.

Perhaps the best thing about C&C is it is now free to download. Get it here or here. To borrow a line from young/old Indy, C&C belongs in a museum. Not only that, but it belongs on your computer, as well.

Good times, right? I remember playing through this on both sides then waiting for the sequels. Each time a new C&C game came out, it demanded my attention. How about you? Sound off in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

DEMO: Total War: SHOGUN 2 (Windows)

2011-03-31T14:17:00.000-07:00

Total War: SHOGUN 2 on Steam for Windows

Courtesy totalwar.com

Genre: Historical Strategy (real-time and turn-based)

Full Game Price: $50.00

No. of Players: 1, with online multiplayer

In 5 words: complex, eye-candy, historical, epic, difficult

It's been awhile since I posted a demo review for PC and this demo is the reason why. Total War: SHOGUN 2, released this month, features a robust and rewarding demo that every strategy fan should try. It's kept me tied up for weeks.

Courtesy steampowered.com

SHOGUN 2 is the latest entry in the Total War series of strategy games. This series is one I seemed to have missed, but if SHOGUN 2 is at all representative, I need to give the other Total War games a look. Set in 16th century Japan, SHOGUN 2 is an epic strategy game with real-time and turn-based components. As a clan leader, you struggle to unite a fractured Japan.

As clan leader, you have a variety of economic, diplomatic and military tools at your disposal to help extend your influence, nearly all of which are used during the strategic turn-based phase of the game. At the strategic level, you and your opponents take turns. Each turn lasts a season and weather affects morale and combat. SHOGUN 2's tactical real-time strategy mode is limited to combat between foot soldiers, cavalry, siege towers, and the like. In addition, sea power plays a significant role in your quest for unification.

Technically speaking, SHOGUN 2's graphics and gameplay are top notch. The audio is well done, although the character that helps you through the demo seems to vacillate between a Japanese and Scottish accent at times. A minor quibble, but quite annoying at times. Camera and unit control take a little getting used to, but are pretty intuitive after a few minutes of practice.

The SHOGUN 2 demo is not for the faint-hearted, or faint-computered. My Athlon II X2 and 7800GT struggled at times (recommended system specs at bottom of this page). Even then, I put over 3 hours into the demo and never found the bottom. Considering that the game is $50.00, I am pleased that SHOGUN 2 has a demo that really lets you explore before taking the purchase plunge.

I currently have no plans to purchase Total War: SHOGUN 2, but I have to admit that the game is amazingly deep, challenging, and rewarding. If you like strategy games, be sure to give this demo a try.

Demo Gamer Stats:
Age range: Rated T for Teen for language, sexual themes, and violence
Demo length: 3+ hours
Demo worth playing? Definitely worth a test drive
Full game worth buying? I'm not sold, primarily because I'm poor and I don't have the time to put into such a deep strategy game right now. But this is a solid, solid game. $50.00 looks like a very fair price.

Are you a fan of the Total War series? What's your take on SHOGUN 2? Sound off in the comments!

Wii Demo Roundup - 03/28/11

2011-03-30T20:54:00.000-07:00

Welcome back, and giddyup! It's time for this week's Wii demo roundup! We have two new demos on tap this week, something Nintendo has not deigned to deliver since February. But are they worth it? Head past the break to find out.

Dart Rage
Rated E for Everyone, up to 4 players, Wii remote only, $6.00

Courtesy nintendo.com

In 5 words: darts, cheap, meh, varied, better-than-pong-toss-pro

Dart Rage is a game about darts. Shocking, I know. The graphics are flashy and the motion controls are pretty well done. Dart Rage also features a variety of game types and settings within which you can fling your flechettes. Just make sure you have your protective jacket on your Wii remote before you play.

JV Games continues to live up to its name: this is no "varsity" game. I'm not sure it is even a JV game, although it is better than Pong Toss Pro. At only $6.00, if you're dying for a darts simulator, this is probably the way to go. The demo, while short, does give you a good idea of what you can expect from the rest of the game, so kudos to JV Games for that.

Will I be buying Dart Rage? Don't count on it. I'll stick to the real thing if I'm in the mood.

Learning with the PooYoos: Episode 2
Rated E:C (it's for kids, yo!), 1 player, Wii remote only, $5.00

Courtesy nintendo.com

In 5 words: cute interactive learning cell-shaded cartoon, part deux!

Nick Jr. meets Wii Ware. If you have little kids (under 5?), give it a whirl. Otherwise, don't bother.

Well, a pair of mediocre demos this week leaves me wondering if Nintendo would have been better off releasing a demo for PooYoos: Targets of My Dart Rage.

Sigh. The eShop can't come soon enough.

--Demo Gamer

Freebie Flashback Friday - Scorched Earth

2011-03-25T09:09:00.000-07:00

You're hunkered down in a nuked-out crater, hoping your enemies don't have any napalm. A variable wind besets your best attempts at ballistic bombardment and your shield is failing. What to do? What to do.

You admire the jagged landscape while evaluating your options. You could MIRV the guy on the ridge over there, or even better, if you place your shot right, you might be able to Death's Head your way straight to victory. Assuming you don't frag yourself in the process. Decisions, decisions. Welcome to Scorched Earth, my friend.

Courtesy abandonia.com

Destructible terrain. An expansive weapons catalog. Multiplayer action. Scorched Earth brought it all to the table back in 1991. You've seen this game before, and you'll see it again: it's the tried-and-true artillery game. Angry Birds is similar in many ways: choose your angle, set the power of your shot, and pull the trigger. Simple, right?

Scorched Earth was one of the first artillery games that I ever really enjoyed because it is chock full of offensive and defensive options. This makes Scorched Earth one of the deepest and most complex artillery games I have ever played. Now it's abandonware, and you can get it free here.

BTW, if you like Scorched Earth, I highly recommend Worms: Armageddon.

Know any other great artillery games? Sound off in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

Wii Demo Roundup - 03/21/11

2011-03-22T11:39:00.000-07:00

Monday means more free fun in Wii Ware land. This week, go to an alien world in search of fortune and fame in Dive: the Medes Islands Secret.

Dive: the Medes Islands Secret

Rated E for Everyone, 1 Player, Wii Remote only, $10.00 full game price

Courtesy cosmonautgames.com

In 5 words: stunning, deep, disorienting, mysterious, tranquil

Dive: the Medes Islands Secret is an immersive 2D adventure game set in a world that is alien to most humans: the ocean. The first thing you might notice upon playing the demo is just how good the graphics look, especially for a Wii title. The animations and ambiance provide a wonderful setting for this type of game. The Dive demo allows you to explore the first level of 10 offered in the full game where you encounter jellyfish, anemones, and other forms of sea life in your search for treasure. The controls are pretty easy to get the hang of and the gameplay starts out simple, but the deeper you go, the darker and more difficult your quest becomes.

Dive is interesting in that while you have a spear gun, your ammunition is so limited that I can't consider Dive a shooter. In addition, you cannot fully explore each level without upgrading your gear at the dive shop. This gives players the opportunity to play each level multiple times and should make the full game fairly interesting. In addition to the upgrade shop, Dive also has a list of achievements to help divers find direction in the deep.

Sounds pretty interesting, right? Well, you'll have to download and play the demo for yourself. I was not sold. The graphics are gorgeous, but the gameplay is too generic for me. If you enjoy it, I'm sure $10 for 10 levels of Dive is well worth it, however.

Well, Nintendo actually released a decent demo this week. I hope they can keep it up. Come on back next week for another edition of the Wii Demo Roundup!

--Demo Gamer

Freebie Flashback Friday - Wing Commander

2011-03-18T10:13:00.000-07:00

It's that time again, time to step back to an era of mediocre graphics, launching games from the command line, and having a blast. That's right, it's Freebie Flashback Friday, and today's game is a space combat sim classic.

Courtesy Abandonia.com

Wing Commander is the first entry in a series of cinematic space combat games that spawned a terrible movie (I know, right?). It was a great game when it came out, and is still fun to play now. Face off against the Kilrathi, a race of aggressive space cats (much cooler than it sounds) as you fly a variety of ships, dogfighting, escorting, and creating general mayhem wherever you go.

Wing Commander features a branching storyline that depends on your performance as a pilot. A strong set of cinematic features including more than a dozen characters and a bunch of really cool cutscenes keeps things interesting, whether you are taking off, coming home, chatting with fellow pilots, ejecting, or dying in a fiery explosion. Here's a gallery of screenshots. Enjoy.

When I was a kid, I played through this game and enjoyed every minute of it. I even lost missions on purpose so I could explore every branch of the mission tree and I remember epic dogfights against Kilrathi aces. The best thing about Wing Commander (besides the combat) is it is abandonware and free to download. Go get it here!

Any Wing Commanders out there? Have fond (or not-so-fond) memories of this game? Sound off in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

PS - Wikipedia rocks: As development for Wing Commander came to a close, the EMM386 memory manager the game used would give an exception when the user exited the game. It would print out a message similar to "EMM386 Memory manager error..." with additional information. The team couldn't isolate and fix the error and they needed to ship it as soon as possible. As a work-around, Ken Demarest, a developer on the game, hex-edited the text so it displayed a different message. Instead of the error message, it instead printed "Thank you for playing Wing Commander."

REVIEW: Fludity (Wii Ware)

2011-03-16T08:51:00.000-07:00

Jaded. Tired. Bored. That was me a few months ago. My apathy for video games was complete and a year of dust covered my Wii. Then Nintendo restarted its Wii Ware demo program in November of last year. The first wave of demos was alright, but then the Fluidity demo arrived. It quickly captured my attention and deftly liberated me of a few hard-earned dollars.

VISIT THE OFFICIAL FLUIDITY SITE FOR GAMEPLAY VIDEOS AND MORE

Fluidity (by Curve Studios) is a physics-based puzzler/platformer that makes good use of the Wii's intuitive motion controls. You must save Aquaticus, a magical book that has been corrupted by evil black ink called the Influence. Using water, you must banish the inimical ink from the book's 4 chapters by collecting over 80 magical rainbow drops while also finding puzzle pieces which open special play rooms where you refine your water handling wizardry.

Use your water to save fish and reveal a rainbow drop

As you start Fluidity, your control of water is limited to sloshing around and jumping. Tilt the Wii remote left or right to move the water. Move the Wii remote up sharply and your water will spring into the air. As you progress, you collect ability "stickers" that allow you to do things like change physical states and explode. There are 9 ability stickers in all, and by the end of the game, the variety of powers at your disposal is impressive.

Those nasty goop slugs will flare your water into oblivion

Fluidity is also a platformer with baddies you have to defeat. Goop slugs and goop hornets are Influence incarnate and they are out to end your adventure. In addition, you must beware of environmental hazards like acid and lava. Fortunately, there are many clever, captivating contraptions and tricky terrain features that help you complete your task. The way Fluidity's world is presented is cartoony, but not overly so; cute, but not too cute. It is interactive, engrossing, easygoing and even soothing.

Nothing flies quite like ice

Some games (especially Wii games) have a novelty that wears off, be it quickly or not. For me, the novelty of Fluidity never wore off. It seemed like there was always a pleasant surprise just around the corner. Whether I was driving a fire truck, playing basketball, crashing through walls, swinging from a helicopter, or flipping coins in a penny pusher, Fluidity never let me down. Some puzzles are easier than others while some are downright difficult, but this just adds to Fluidity's charm: it is a varied, fantastical adventure that is funny, fun, and lengthy. I must have spent at least 10 hours enjoying Fluidity.

Don't fall in the lava!

Fluidity is a game that I enjoyed like no other in recent memory. It had me happy, smiling, and even content at every turn. Every minute felt like it was worth it because every minute was terrifically innovative and completely rewarding. Despite all this, I lament to tell you that Fluidity is not perfect. The music is very well done, but can get repetitive (it didn't bother me, but others have complained and I can see why), and I would have liked to see more types of goop baddies. Perhaps in Fluidity 2?

Float high in the sky, then rain down

Fluidity is the best game I have played on Wii Ware and is worth at least $30, which makes its $12 price all the easier to pay. That being said, I don't like to recommend games on Wii Ware because of the abusive DRM that Nintendo uses. As a rule, I cannot recommend even good games on Wii Ware. Fluidity is not a good game. It is a great game, and I highly recommend it despite the DRM. I give it a 9.9 out of 10.

Stick to the gear and freeze the goop hornet while you bypass the lava

There is a hole in my gaming heart now that I have finished Fluidity, but my 4-year-old son is still wending his way through this wonderful world of fascinating fun, and I will enjoy helping him. Also, I still have all 4 play rooms to work on, the last of which is quite the homage to Metroid. Well done, Curve Studios. Well done. More, please!

Have you played Fluidity yet? Was it as great an experience for you as it was for me? Sound off in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

Wii Demo Roundup - 03/14/11

2011-03-14T10:58:00.000-07:00

A new week means a new demo in Wii Ware land. This week, it's time to make some music in the Mix Superstar demo.

Mix Superstar
Rated E for Everyone, 1 player/arranger, Wii remote only, $5.00

Courtesy mixsuperstar.com

In 5 words: needs mouse and keyboard, music

This week's Wii Ware demo is a blast from the past for me. I used to make music using Sonic Foundry's ACID tools (now owned by Sony) and Mix Superstar is very similar, but for the Wii. The concept is that you take pre-made royalty-free sound loops and arrange and modify them to make your own music. The demo has a nice variety of loops for you to use, and also includes a couple of songs built in. The demo is limited to 10 minutes, effectively circumventing the analog hole.

Using a keyboard and mouse to arrange music using ACID is somewhat difficult. Using the Wii remote to lay down audio tracks is worse. This type of software really needs a mouse and keyboard just to make things bearable. Still, at only $5.00, Mix Superstar is fairly impressive (most loop-based software is much more expensive than that). You can even expand your loop library through the Loop Shop and share your mixes online at mixsuperstar.com. If you've never tried loop-based music software, you can start here with the demo, I guess, but I would recommend ACID Xpress for Windows instead. I can hardly recommend Mix Superstar, primarily due to the cumbersome controls and Wii Ware's horrible DRM.

Fancy yourself a mix superstar? Share your music in the comments! Here's a song I made a few years back...

--Demo Gamer

Freebie Flashback Friday - Transport Tycoon Deluxe

2011-03-11T10:56:00.000-08:00

It's almost-Saturday, and that means I have a new old free game for you to check out! This week, I'm talking about Transport Tycoon Deluxe.

Courtesy abandonia.com

Transport Tycoon Deluxe is a strategy game of cutthroat transport business domination. You have a variety of tools at your disposal: trains, planes, automobiles, and even ships. You provide the infrastructure to link various industries like a forest to a sawmill or a farm to a factory. The hijinks ensue when your business starts to face competition, but no worries: you can always enlarge your business empire through hostile takeovers.

Transport Tycoon Deluxe is a nice blend of simplicity and complexity, and you get to use a mouse! (Quite the upgrade, compared to Star Control 2). I'll fire this game up every now and then and just start from scratch because there's something satisfying about monopolizing the local coal mines and power stations. That's where my transport empire always starts: very lucrative, you see.

Transport Tycoon Deluxe is abandonware, a game so old no one is willing to put forth the effort to charge you for it anymore! That means you can download it free here. You can also check out an open source version of the game here.

Ever played TTD? Share your strategies for transport tycoonery in the comments!

--Demo Gamer

OPINION: The Future of Gaming

2011-03-11T10:13:00.000-08:00

UPDATE: TEH INTERNETZ WIN AGAIN!

(big /SARC /SATIRE tags here)

REDWOOD CITY, CA - Electronic Arts announced today its "Future of Gaming" initiative, aimed at helping its customers to understand their roles and places in the gaming market. As part of the new initiative, EA will no longer be selling games, but rather the opportunity for customers to audition for the right to play them. The auditions will occur through the EA forums and a minimum of 72 business hours will pass from purchase to approval to play.

"We haven't been selling games for awhile now, we've just been selling licenses, you know, so this was just the next step," a business manager at EA said, asking not to be identified. "We feel that people must agree with us in order to play our super-awesome games. If your opinion, or even sarcasm, is too much for us to handle, you don't deserve our high-quality titles. Oh, and the sale of the right to audition is non-refundable."

Some gamers, expressing disbelief in the new initiative, received the following official response from EA: "It's in the EULA, dudes."

--Demo Gamer

Sound ridiculous? Check this out.

UPDATE: it gets worse.

Wii Demo Roundup - 03/07/11

2011-03-08T09:49:00.000-08:00

Saddle up, it's time for this week's Wii Demo Roundup! Nintendo keeps it simple (and cheap) this week: a single demo called "Soccer Bashi" that previews a $5.00 game.

Soccer Bashi
Rated E for Everyone, 1-2 Players, Wii Remote only, $5.00

Courtesy icongames.com

In 5 words: fun, simple, arcade-y, lasers!, inexpensive

Look at that screencap. Yep, this week we have a soccer-themed "Breakout". Nintendo keeps the hits coming with its Wii Ware demos (not). Seriously, Nintendo should get around to allowing any and all devs put a demo on Wii Ware already. But I digress. So, "Soccer Bashi" has multiplayer, paddle upgrades and downgrades (the laser is the best), the ability to finish a level by scoring a "goal", boss levels, and even a level designer. All for only $5.00. The demo takes you through the first 9 of 90 levels.

Is it fun? Sure. Is it something I want to spend more time with? Not at all. There's not a lot of meat to this game, although I'm sure my son will enjoy it and we can play the demo together. The idea of a level editor is cool and adds some depth to the game, but...it's just Arkanoid-meets-foosball. Still, go get the demo. It is free fun, after all.

That's it for this week. Please remember: the demos don't stick around forever on the Wii Shop channel, so get them now before they're gone, and if you decide to purchase a game, remember that it can only be played on your Wii console and cannot be transferred.

Any big "Breakout"/"Arkanoid" fans out there? Give the demo a whirl and sound off in the comments!

--Demo Gamer