I've downloaded a few demos recently and have been thinking about how they shape the purchase decisions I may make with games. Mostly it falls back to my
Without dragging on for another paragraph, just what was demoed?
LIMBO:
I've heard about Limbo for awhile now, but have only recently been fired up about it after learning it was coming to Steam/PC. I've played about 30 minutes of the demo and know it's definitely going to be a purchase at some point. The game is a great little platformer and is creepy as hell.
EDGE:
I happened to notice EDGE on the front page of Steam yesterday and decided to give it a whirl. Being it's from Two Tribes who made Toki Tori, it piqued my interest. I've only played through maybe 5 or 6 levels, but I think it will definitely be on my purchase list. The game loads well, has some crisp graphics and is really fun. It reminds me of the old Marble Madness game I used to play on the NES, though only with a cube.
Eufloria:
I demoed Eufloria on Steam over a year and a half ago and this is one case where it helped me determine that I couldn't justify the price. The game is pretty interesting and between the screensaver-like graphics and soothing atmospheric sound, it can deliver a unique and relaxing experience. Though for $20 (at the time) it wasn't worth it and basically turned me away from future purchases during Steam sales. I think it got down to $5 during this past sale, but I had to pass again with all the other games considered.
WiiWare:
Sigh, I know, the download service on the Wii that we're all disappointed with in some way. I'll try stay off my soapbox, but will say that overall I'm pleased that we are getting some WiiWare demos. Some of those games are such a mixed bag of uh, questionable fecal matter, that I think demos are very important. (even more so that the prices are generally higher than PC/Steam and there are never sales!!)
So what's the problem? Well, the selection of demos is limited and they are only offered for a certain period of time. I guess I'm supposed to watch for Nintendo news and access the shop channel on a regular basis to make sure I don't miss the demo? What if I'm not interested in a game until later down the road? Yep, there's the rub.
Certainly a welcome addition, but it's another clear sign that Nintendo just isn't in tune with the rest of the world. So for now when I happen to see some news or have the shop channel up I'll see if there are any new demos and download all of them to a SD Card for future use. (it does seem that if you download the demo you can still access it later on even if they remove it from the shop channel. Just view your history)
BitTrip Series:
I think I've downloaded about 5 of the BitTrip game demos on WiiWare and have messed with them a bit. This is another area where I think demos have helped as I have a lot of respect for Gaijin games, but just can't get into most of the Bit games. I'm not a huge fan of beat/music type of games and unfortunately that seems to be most of the series. Although the one exception is BitTrip Runner which I picked up during the recent steam summer sale and am really enjoying it.
Fluidity:
Another demo which I thought was very good, but haven't purchased yet. I really like the water concept and it's a perfect use of the WiiMote without feeling forced or really gimmicky.
Conclusion:
Overall I'm in favor of demos and usually attempt some due diligence demoing prior to purchase. Though, I've been pondering if demoing has lead to me holding off on purchases until a later date when the game has a deep discount. Has the demo satisfied my curiosity and excitement for a new game? Well, maybe to a degree. The other factor is a large selection of backlogged games which I'm not doing a very good job at completing. Sure the game is cool, but do I really need it now or should I just go and try to finish the other 45 sitting out there? There's no urgency and plenty of time to pick it up during a sale.
I never had a chance to demo SuperMeatBoy, but I very much doubt I would have held off. Though I did demo VVVVVV briefly and immediately knew that it needed to be purchased at the full $4.99 price. I didn't care that I missed the 10% off pre-purchase or anything else.
Do you usually try to demo games or do you stick to reviews and videos more often? Do you think demos help with purchases?
