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General discussion (archive)Demos can kill a game.(47 posts)(47 posts)
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This is my favourite topic
Posted January 23, 2013
There is also the other side of the coin, demo's that really showcase the game.

I remember getting a demo disc that had the first Age of Empires on it, If it werent for that demo id have never thought about getting it because it wasnt the type of game id normally go for, not only did I spend countless hours playing it and its sequel but my parents played it as much as I did. That demo cause me so many hours of contentment (i also spent a lot of time playing the demo till I had the cash to buy the full game)
Posted January 23, 2013
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reaver894: There is also the other side of the coin, demo's that really showcase the game.

I remember getting a demo disc that had the first Age of Empires on it, If it werent for that demo id have never thought about getting it because it wasnt the type of game id normally go for, not only did I spend countless hours playing it and its sequel but my parents played it as much as I did. That demo cause me so many hours of contentment (i also spent a lot of time playing the demo till I had the cash to buy the full game)
That's why I mentioned Commandos BEL in the original post. It gave you just enough of a taste to make you want the whole game and in turn it didn't missrepresent the entire game. I never played AOE 1 demo because I found Gold for about 10 bucks and I figured even if it sucked what could I possible lose with a deal like that!? Of course that is totally off subject but then, so am I.
Posted January 23, 2013
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tinyE: Anyone have any thoughts on this or do I need to get a life and stop thinking about stupid shit like this? :P
Have you MET us?!

Like Darkcloud said there was an Extra Credits episode about it: http://www.penny-arcade.com/patv/episode/demo-daze

If you don't wanna watch it they basically summarize four possible outcomes: A) You were going to buy the game and the demo reinforces that. B) You weren't going to buy the game and the demo reinforces that. C) You were going to buy the game and the demo makes you reconsider. D) You weren't going to buy the game and the demo makes you reconsider. Only one of the outcomes is positive, the others are either bad or meaningless, so a lot of publishers prefer to just not make any demos instead of making one like the one you played.

If you really want one before trying a game there is always the option to pirate it before you buy it, which I think it's fine. How much you can play before making your decision, though, is up to the individual.

As for the demos themselves they're really hard to make, think of a game like Spec Ops: The Line whose demo scared away a lot of people, how can you convey the biggest draw of your game, the narrative, without spoiling the best parts? When they're well made though it can even mask a few of the flaws in the game, I bought Bioshock based on the demo without realizing that the gameplay would get dull after a while.
Posted January 23, 2013
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DukeNukemForever: I need new glasses. I read "demons can kill games" and thought the thread is about a game where demon monsters ruined the gameplay ;-)
That's exactly what my brain saw at first heh. Maybe we're just evil!
Posted January 23, 2013
I think the demo of Pyschonauts has pretty much put me off ever buying the game.
Posted January 23, 2013
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Mentalepsy: I think the demo of Pyschonauts has pretty much put me off ever buying the game.
I remember the demo. It made me hate the game for a long time. But due to so many people online raving about it, i decided to get it on PS2 as part of a retro revival a year or two ago.

It was definitely worth getting. A very interesting and artistic game. Memorable!
Posted January 23, 2013
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JudasIscariot: I find the worst offenders to be the demos that take place in a wholly different area that does not exist in the full game.
I LOVE IT.

Especially in old microsoft games. Age of empires, Starlancer demos featured missions that are not present in the full game. It has two huge advantages

1) if you play the demo, it won't spoil a story for you
2) even if you have the full game, it's still ok to play a demo

I wish more demos were like that. It was pretty crucial back in slow internet connection era, because if you played a demo, you probably played it through and through a couple times. It's a real pain in the ass to play the same mission again in full version once you bought it.
Posted January 23, 2013
I guess it's hit and miss. i remember playing the demo of No One Lives Forever and when Cate Archer fell off the airplane and I had to shoot down people in mid air while trying to reach the guy in the bottom to steal his parachute... that sold me the game right there.

"Please be full of hay! Please be full of hay!!" <-- that had me in stitches.
Posted January 23, 2013
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JudasIscariot: I find the worst offenders to be the demos that take place in a wholly different area that does not exist in the full game. And they have features blocked off with a "Get the full game!" plastered in place. You want me to buy your game but you're hiding what the heck it's actually like with this demo, well, guess I won't buy the game. I miss the old shareware method where you had an entire episode of the game for free and you had enough content to get a good idea how the rest of the game will play.
I can think of one example that does not fit this. Remember the Starcraft demo ? You would get an idea of the basic terran units, some basic battle tactics on 3 maps (if I recall correctly). This demo campaign was not in the full game but was made to fit with the main story.
Posted January 23, 2013
I tried the demo for Clive Barker's Jericho recently. I had tried it once before maybe a year or more ago but i forgot why I didn't like it. I was soon reminded. It started off good and I was thinking, this looks pretty cool. I wonder why people hated it? Then I get to the first QTE where you climb down into a hole to get to an area below. After a little trial and error I get down the hole okay but immediately when you land there is a brief cutscene where you look up and see a monster above you. They then descend upon you and another QTE begins. After some trial and error I got all the steps of it right, button mashing away but then the monster kills you in the end every single time. Then you get to start over at the top of the hole, make it down, see the cutscene, try again, die again, etc.

I watched the last part very carefully and ultimately concluded the game or demo must be broken here. It is as if maybe one more QTE prompt is missing or something that would have you get up and fight back buy you never get the chance. You just lie there helplessly with no prompts and no mashing helps and get killed.

I will not waste another moment on Jericho after playing this demo. Of course, Jericho's fate was sealed a long time ago and how I feel about it doesn't matter anyway but perhaps this sort of thing was why.
Posted January 23, 2013
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dirtyharry50: I tried the demo for Clive Barker's Jericho recently. I had tried it once before maybe a year or more ago but i forgot why I didn't like it. I was soon reminded. It started off good and I was thinking, this looks pretty cool. I wonder why people hated it? Then I get to the first QTE where you climb down into a hole to get to an area below. After a little trial and error I get down the hole okay but immediately when you land there is a brief cutscene where you look up and see a monster above you. They then descend upon you and another QTE begins. After some trial and error I got all the steps of it right, button mashing away but then the monster kills you in the end every single time. Then you get to start over at the top of the hole, make it down, see the cutscene, try again, die again, etc.

I watched the last part very carefully and ultimately concluded the game or demo must be broken here. It is as if maybe one more QTE prompt is missing or something that would have you get up and fight back buy you never get the chance. You just lie there helplessly with no prompts and no mashing helps and get killed.

I will not waste another moment on Jericho after playing this demo. Of course, Jericho's fate was sealed a long time ago and how I feel about it doesn't matter anyway but perhaps this sort of thing was why.
Rule of thumb:
ALL of Clive's books are great but only one of his games is great, Undying.
Posted January 23, 2013
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dirtyharry50: I tried the demo for Clive Barker's Jericho recently. I had tried it once before maybe a year or more ago but i forgot why I didn't like it. I was soon reminded. It started off good and I was thinking, this looks pretty cool. I wonder why people hated it? Then I get to the first QTE where you climb down into a hole to get to an area below. After a little trial and error I get down the hole okay but immediately when you land there is a brief cutscene where you look up and see a monster above you. They then descend upon you and another QTE begins. After some trial and error I got all the steps of it right, button mashing away but then the monster kills you in the end every single time. Then you get to start over at the top of the hole, make it down, see the cutscene, try again, die again, etc.

I watched the last part very carefully and ultimately concluded the game or demo must be broken here. It is as if maybe one more QTE prompt is missing or something that would have you get up and fight back buy you never get the chance. You just lie there helplessly with no prompts and no mashing helps and get killed.

I will not waste another moment on Jericho after playing this demo. Of course, Jericho's fate was sealed a long time ago and how I feel about it doesn't matter anyway but perhaps this sort of thing was why.
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tinyE: Rule of thumb:
ALL of Clive's books are great but only one of his games is great, Undying.
Yes, I am a huge fan of Undying and that was why I really wanted to like Jericho but sadly, I just couldn't do it. I could not get past that frigging QTE.

By the way, last I knew you can buy a brand new retail copy of Undying on Amazon.com. I did myself a number of months ago. :D
Posted January 23, 2013
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tinyE: Rule of thumb:
ALL of Clive's books are great but only one of his games is great, Undying.
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dirtyharry50: Yes, I am a huge fan of Undying and that was why I really wanted to like Jericho but sadly, I just couldn't do it. I could not get past that frigging QTE.

By the way, last I knew you can buy a brand new retail copy of Undying on Amazon.com. I did myself a number of months ago. :D
Having trouble snipping my quotes, sorry.

I picked up a 'sold out software' version of it a few years ago. Looks great and plays great and was really cheap. Good times. Think I'll reinstall it and play while I put my trusty copy of the orignal Hellraiser in the ol' DVD player.
Posted January 23, 2013
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dirtyharry50: Yes, I am a huge fan of Undying and that was why I really wanted to like Jericho but sadly, I just couldn't do it. I could not get past that frigging QTE.

By the way, last I knew you can buy a brand new retail copy of Undying on Amazon.com. I did myself a number of months ago. :D
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tinyE: Having trouble snipping my quotes, sorry.

I picked up a 'sold out software' version of it a few years ago. Looks great and plays great and was really cheap. Good times. Think I'll reinstall it and play while I put my trusty copy of the orignal Hellraiser in the ol' DVD player.
Did you make you trek to the post office yet? I forget now but there was a game you were waiting on. Or are the roads still too bad? No snow here but damn is it cold in Massachusetts.
Posted January 23, 2013
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tinyE: Having trouble snipping my quotes, sorry.

I picked up a 'sold out software' version of it a few years ago. Looks great and plays great and was really cheap. Good times. Think I'll reinstall it and play while I put my trusty copy of the orignal Hellraiser in the ol' DVD player.
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dirtyharry50: Did you make you trek to the post office yet? I forget now but there was a game you were waiting on. Or are the roads still too bad? No snow here but damn is it cold in Massachusetts.
The roads are clear so I don't have to make the trek, the delivery truck will be out and about. Funny you ask, I'm hanging out in here waiting for him as I don't want to get started on something else and get cut off. Oh, and it is Morrowind I am waiting on.
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This is my favourite topic
Community
General discussion (archive)Demos can kill a game.(47 posts)(47 posts)
(47 posts)