Curmudgeon Gamer
27 January 2009
More than 600 PlayStation Demo Discs
This is not my not-auction (nor the not-auction of anyone I know) but given my interest in demo discs, it amuses me:
At first I thought 635 demos probably included too many PC demos to be reasonable, but that's actually not the concern. The concern is that many, many of these are repeats. Rare or not, asking $2000 for this is pretty brave. Maybe there really is a collector willing to drop that kind of dough on redundancy.
Or maybe the rares in this set add up to over $2000 and the seller is hoping to find a reseller who wants to take the time to resell the rares separately.
At first I thought 635 demos probably included too many PC demos to be reasonable, but that's actually not the concern. The concern is that many, many of these are repeats. Rare or not, asking $2000 for this is pretty brave. Maybe there really is a collector willing to drop that kind of dough on redundancy.Or maybe the rares in this set add up to over $2000 and the seller is hoping to find a reseller who wants to take the time to resell the rares separately.
--jvm at 16:48
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01 December 2008
Dead Short
There's a strange quality to the Dead Space “Dismemberment” demo. Weighing it at a meagre sub-400 megs on XBL, it basically consists of you playing as distinctive protagonist Isaac Clarke, running into a room with loads of monsters and blasting enough rounds in them to qualify you as a cover model for Guns & Ammo. Then, when you try and leave the room, a bigger monster comes and rips you to shreds.
The whole experience takes about, ooh, five minutes?
It’s an interesting spin, I think. Obviously the game has been out a while now, but the demo does everything in its power to ruin absolutely nothing about the game they’re trying to convince you to buy. It doesn’t give away any particular scare tactics, much of the story or just what the heck is even going on. It’s more of an entrée than a starter, showcasing nothing but the graphics and basic controls.
Which is interesting. Now that bandwidth is mostly meaningless and all that, it’s not unusual to see a demo clock in at about 1.5 gigabytes and just plonk you in the second or third level. With Dead Space, EA have taken a conscious effort to try and hide the game from you whilst, at the same time, trying to convince you to actually buy it.
It certainly left an impression with me, leaving me wanting more. I haven’t picked up Dead Space yet, but I imagine I will do it quicker now. Which is the mark of a good appetizer, is it not? It’s certainly different to the demo for Tomb Raider Underworld, which convinced me that I can wait until that one reaches bargain bin prices.
The whole experience takes about, ooh, five minutes?
It’s an interesting spin, I think. Obviously the game has been out a while now, but the demo does everything in its power to ruin absolutely nothing about the game they’re trying to convince you to buy. It doesn’t give away any particular scare tactics, much of the story or just what the heck is even going on. It’s more of an entrée than a starter, showcasing nothing but the graphics and basic controls.
Which is interesting. Now that bandwidth is mostly meaningless and all that, it’s not unusual to see a demo clock in at about 1.5 gigabytes and just plonk you in the second or third level. With Dead Space, EA have taken a conscious effort to try and hide the game from you whilst, at the same time, trying to convince you to actually buy it.
It certainly left an impression with me, leaving me wanting more. I haven’t picked up Dead Space yet, but I imagine I will do it quicker now. Which is the mark of a good appetizer, is it not? It’s certainly different to the demo for Tomb Raider Underworld, which convinced me that I can wait until that one reaches bargain bin prices.
--Martin at 19:34
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03 June 2008
Stuntman: Fixed
Stuntman on the PS2 was a clever but flawed game. It provided cinematic moments that you can't get in the racing genre, but lengthy loading times crushed the joy from the experience. Ruffin knew it would appeal to me, and it did, but I never finished it.
With Stuntman: Ignition, a sequel on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the load times are gone. Two seconds are required to restart a stunt run, and I can indulge the game's invitation to perfectionism. It is also a lot prettier.
The PSN demo that went up last year was uninviting. The full game gives a better introduction and I'm enjoying it.
On the other hand, if you haven't played the game before and it tries to download the latest update, the system registers and error and drops back to the PS3 system menu. Playing once and restarting fixes that issue.
With Stuntman: Ignition, a sequel on the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, the load times are gone. Two seconds are required to restart a stunt run, and I can indulge the game's invitation to perfectionism. It is also a lot prettier.
The PSN demo that went up last year was uninviting. The full game gives a better introduction and I'm enjoying it.
On the other hand, if you haven't played the game before and it tries to download the latest update, the system registers and error and drops back to the PS3 system menu. Playing once and restarting fixes that issue.
--jvm at 23:53
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02 April 2008
Collecting sickness gone mad (or: Demo discs!)
Well, I've finally done it. I've officially started collecting demo discs.
I've always had a few demo discs around. For example, that's the only way I could play Intelligent Qube for years. (Cue people asking me for an Intelligent Qube ISO...) And my wife nearly killed me when I played the Parappa the Rapper demo for ages. I also picked up the Official PlayStation Magazine demo of Tomb Raider: Legend within the past couple of years.
But now they've gone beyond utility into that bizarre realm of "neat artifacts I'd like to buy just to own". Oh boy. This is like label variations of Atari 2600 games all over again.
Here's the best source of data I've found on them. I even made a spreadsheet of the PS2 demos so I could keep track of mine. I have 13 ... out of over 400 listed on this page. At least I'll have something to keep me busy. I also have 3 PS1 demo discs and a handful of PSP demo UMDs.
Incidentally, there is competition out there for these. On a lark, I bid $18 on a lot of 41 demo discs the other day on eBay. The final bid was $38 or so. Yow.
Anyway, if you've got some you'd like to ditch, give me a holler.
I've always had a few demo discs around. For example, that's the only way I could play Intelligent Qube for years. (Cue people asking me for an Intelligent Qube ISO...) And my wife nearly killed me when I played the Parappa the Rapper demo for ages. I also picked up the Official PlayStation Magazine demo of Tomb Raider: Legend within the past couple of years.
But now they've gone beyond utility into that bizarre realm of "neat artifacts I'd like to buy just to own". Oh boy. This is like label variations of Atari 2600 games all over again.
Here's the best source of data I've found on them. I even made a spreadsheet of the PS2 demos so I could keep track of mine. I have 13 ... out of over 400 listed on this page. At least I'll have something to keep me busy. I also have 3 PS1 demo discs and a handful of PSP demo UMDs.
Incidentally, there is competition out there for these. On a lark, I bid $18 on a lot of 41 demo discs the other day on eBay. The final bid was $38 or so. Yow.
Anyway, if you've got some you'd like to ditch, give me a holler.
Labels: collecting, demo, ps2, psone, psp
--jvm at 08:55
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[ 2 ]
08 November 2007
Uncharted: Drake's Fortune demo
After upgrading my PS3 to the v2.00 firmware, I downloaded the new demo of Uncharted: Drake's Fortune and played through it on medium difficulty. Dude and gal go to find treasure on remote island, their plane is shot down, you are separated escaping. Now you're just a dude in the jungle.
After a few minutes of jungle environments you start running into bad guys with guns. From that point on, the game is mostly combat. At the end there is the tiniest bit of Tomb Raidering, and the game isn't subtle about it -- the hint icon constantly flashes even after you allow it to show you where you need to go.
Frankly, I found the combat difficult. I died a lot, and I think the grenade aiming interface is probably the worst I've ever used. That said, the use of cover was intuitive, which I hadn't expected after watching the videos.
The game looks brilliant, I think. The big waves on the water are a disappointment -- I saw a better effect in Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance years ago -- but everything looks sharp and colorful. The dude (forgot his name) moves smoothly and responds well.
Would I buy the game? Maybe. I do have a hankering to play the demo again, so I guess there's that.
After a few minutes of jungle environments you start running into bad guys with guns. From that point on, the game is mostly combat. At the end there is the tiniest bit of Tomb Raidering, and the game isn't subtle about it -- the hint icon constantly flashes even after you allow it to show you where you need to go.
Frankly, I found the combat difficult. I died a lot, and I think the grenade aiming interface is probably the worst I've ever used. That said, the use of cover was intuitive, which I hadn't expected after watching the videos.
The game looks brilliant, I think. The big waves on the water are a disappointment -- I saw a better effect in Baldur's Gate: Dark Alliance years ago -- but everything looks sharp and colorful. The dude (forgot his name) moves smoothly and responds well.
Would I buy the game? Maybe. I do have a hankering to play the demo again, so I guess there's that.
--jvm at 23:23
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[ 6 ]
25 October 2007
Finally here! God of War PSP demo
The God of War: Chains of Olympus demo promised 9/2007 finally arrived on the 25th day of 10/2007. Way to go, Sony.
The verdict: Short. Bloody. Fun.
Now how long it will take them to finish the full thing?
The verdict: Short. Bloody. Fun.
Now how long it will take them to finish the full thing?
--jvm at 21:33
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12 October 2007
Conan demo
The only redeeming feature of the demo of THQ's Conan is the saucy lady with the bow. She flirts with Conan in the opening cinema and manages to seem alluring despite being a poorly lip-synced assembly of textured polygons. Then she disappears and Conan is left to the business of chopping the limbs off waves of bad guy clones.
At one point, no kidding, the floor was littered with more than a dozen detached arms. With each step, Conan kicked at least one with his feet. If it were at least fun to cut the limbs off, I could perhaps see past the gross detail, but it just isn't. Conan feels like a lumbering Kratos with only two attacks, detach-head and detach-arms. Worst of all, the demo doesn't even reward you with one last shot of saucy bow-woman. You just get to hear her congratulate you at the end.
That said, the game is yet another in the ongoing global war on pottery. Hooray for red and green glowing icons popping out of broken pottery, crates, and armless men!
This demo is currently on Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Store.
At one point, no kidding, the floor was littered with more than a dozen detached arms. With each step, Conan kicked at least one with his feet. If it were at least fun to cut the limbs off, I could perhaps see past the gross detail, but it just isn't. Conan feels like a lumbering Kratos with only two attacks, detach-head and detach-arms. Worst of all, the demo doesn't even reward you with one last shot of saucy bow-woman. You just get to hear her congratulate you at the end.
That said, the game is yet another in the ongoing global war on pottery. Hooray for red and green glowing icons popping out of broken pottery, crates, and armless men!
This demo is currently on Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Store.
--jvm at 10:00
Comment
[ 1 ]
04 October 2007
The Simpsons Game: Awful
I just finished an unenjoyable demo of The Simpsons Game, one of the bigger holiday titles for EA this year. I don't recommend you spend your time on it.
Some aliasing and blocky curves kept the game from living up to my visual expectations. On the other hand, the cut scenes appear to be mostly 2D animation and are quite good.
The entire demo is a boss battle against an evil Lard Lad, the donut store mascot brought to life by Kang and Kodos with their Halloween ray. As Homer and Bart, you must hit doors on Lard Lad's back and then pull out some wires to damage him while he's stunned. Do this three times and you win.
This is easier said than done, not because the game puts fair challenges in your way but because the game doesn't give the kind of smooth control you need to pull it off. The key issue is getting up onto the doors, and I did not enjoy trying. For example, I'd put Bart in a convenient location, use Homer to lure Lard Lad nearby, and then switch back to Bart only to find that he'd left his location. By the time I got Bart back in position, Lard Lad had moved on.
Does it help that the game makes fun of boss battles in Kent Brockman's commentary? A little, but not nearly enough. There are some truly enjoyable lines of dialogue in the game and in the cut-scenes, but you'd be better off catching a rerun of the original series on television.
The demo can be found on the PlayStation Store (for PS3 owners) and will presumably be put on Xbox Live sometime in the near future.
Some aliasing and blocky curves kept the game from living up to my visual expectations. On the other hand, the cut scenes appear to be mostly 2D animation and are quite good.
The entire demo is a boss battle against an evil Lard Lad, the donut store mascot brought to life by Kang and Kodos with their Halloween ray. As Homer and Bart, you must hit doors on Lard Lad's back and then pull out some wires to damage him while he's stunned. Do this three times and you win.
This is easier said than done, not because the game puts fair challenges in your way but because the game doesn't give the kind of smooth control you need to pull it off. The key issue is getting up onto the doors, and I did not enjoy trying. For example, I'd put Bart in a convenient location, use Homer to lure Lard Lad nearby, and then switch back to Bart only to find that he'd left his location. By the time I got Bart back in position, Lard Lad had moved on.
Does it help that the game makes fun of boss battles in Kent Brockman's commentary? A little, but not nearly enough. There are some truly enjoyable lines of dialogue in the game and in the cut-scenes, but you'd be better off catching a rerun of the original series on television.
The demo can be found on the PlayStation Store (for PS3 owners) and will presumably be put on Xbox Live sometime in the near future.
--jvm at 23:31
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[ 4 ]
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