Headplate: The game was a strategy game with cartoonish colored characters (orange/brownish, red blue, purple etc - depending on the team). You had your base that you had to protect and you had to attack the enemy base(s) at the same time. It had different weapons like clubs, straw, spade, bazookas, boomerang and suicide bombers etc. When somebody died they turned into liquid that you could drink up with the creature with the straw weapon. New creature spawning was based on the liquid levels you had.

I have googled around for some time and can't seem to find anything (apart from a similar request on escapist magazine forum which is unanswered). I played the demo a while back, can't remember the exact year (it was on a 1997-2003 pc gamer demo disc). Thanks for your help!