Game demos and their effectiveness in garnering purchases

[Adrian M]

While on the subject of game demos, I'm wondering how effective demos are in influencing your purchasing decisions.

 

I've always enjoyed the demo concept...from the Commodore 64 days, leading up to the Macintosh (and even Sega Saturn...that 99 cent Rayman Demo disc from Ubisoft convinced me to buy it). While I've passed up MANY games based on negative firsthand experience with a demo, I've also purchased far more thanks to positive demo experiences. Whenever I find myself playing through a demo multiple times (recently, in the case of THIEF and FULL SPECTRUM WARRIOR) trying out different characters, routes, etc, I KNOW I will buy the game no matter.

 

Besides the more mainstream games that are pretty much guranteed "Must-Haves"...what suprises me are the nichey games I've purchased over the past few years that I would never give a passing thought to. Simply because it was included on a demo disc and provided me with a brief session of compelling gameplay. I refer to titles like which have all been pleasant and unexpected surprises which prompted me to buy the full version:

*MDK 2 (DC)

*Silver (DC)

*Kao the Kangeroo (DC)

*Speed Devils (DC)

*Hunter: The Reckoning (XBOX)

*D&D Heroes (XBOX)

*Oddworld (the first XBOX demo I ever played)

*Chronicles of Riddick (XBOX)

*Ghost Recon (XBOX)

*Diablo I (Mac)

*Sega Rally (Saturn demo pack-in disc)

*Myth: The Fallen Lords (Mac)

*Exile series (Mac)

*Splinter Cell (XBOX)

 

Of course, sometimes a demo can make a bad game look pretty good. That one level they include may be great, falsely leading you into thinking the rest of the game is great. Some notables that I purchased based on such impressions:

*Battle Engine Aquilla (XBOX - demo level is great, but the full version sucks with escorts missions and protect the base levels)

*Gauntlet Legends (DC)

*Bass Fishing (DC - what a dull game)

*Breakdown (XBOX - I tried to like it....it's fun for the first few days but nausea and repetition sets in after awhile)

*Rogue Ops (XBOX - there's a reason why this sold for like $6.99 new a while back...that demo level is interesting, but the rest of the game is too much trial and error).

*Soul Calibur 2 (XBOX - not bad really, but mostly disappointing. A minor step up from the DC version)

*Gunvalkyrie (XBOX - great early levels but christ does this game fall apart in the end!)

*Chu Chu Rocket (DC -wtf is so great about this game?)

*POD Speedzone (DC - demo level is great...that's all it has going for it though)

*Sonic Adventure (DC - meh)

*StarCraft (Mac - demo level is quite fun - kind of repetitive after that)

There are more, but these stick out the most right now.

[JerseyDevil]

Demos play a big role in my decision to buy a game or not. There were many games I thought I would not like until I played the demo. Of course it works the other way too. I thought I would love Chronicles of Riddick because FPS are my fav genre, but I just did not like it when I played the demo.

I really wish Nintendo would put demo discs in their magazines, like there are for Xbox and PS2.

[figgler]

Demos have little bearing for me, primarily since I'm a Cuber and Nintendo just doesn't put out too many of them. The Star Wars Rebel Strike demo was good, but you had to preorder to get it.

 

I did play through the Vietiful Joe demo about 3 times and bought the

game on release day because of it.

[SteveW]

I've always liked demo games, as far back as all the cover floppy disks that came with UK Amiga magazines that I used to buy. I got to the point that I wouldn't buy an Amiga mag if it didn't have a demo disk. I really appreciate demos. It lets you cut through the hype and general bullcrap and find out for yourself whether a game sucks or not.

[Hydian]

I don't buy any game sight unseen. Demos are a great way of getting a feel for a game before you drop a lot of money on it.

[Rocko]

*Chu Chu Rocket (DC -wtf is so great about this game?)

 

How can you not like Chu Chu Rocket? That game is an excellent puzzle game (About number 5 of my all time fav puzzle games:

1. Zoop!

2. Neighbours From Hell

3. Neighbours From Hell 2

4. Ishido

5. Chu Chu Rocket)

[Adrian M]

*Chu Chu Rocket (DC -wtf is so great about this game?)

 

How can you not like Chu Chu Rocket? That game is an excellent puzzle game (About number 5 of my all time fav puzzle games:

1. Zoop!

2. Neighbours From Hell

3. Neighbours From Hell 2

4. Ishido

5. Chu Chu Rocket)

 

The regular puzzle mode was OK for a few levels. Aside from that, the main game seems to rely mostly on random luck.

[chrisbid]

believe me its not luck, i played in a chu chu rocket tournament at cinciclassic a few years ago, and the guy that won kicked everyones ass. i think they shouldve given you a speed option for n00bs so you can learn the ins and outs easier

[Saikyo]

Demos help a lot, without a demo for Dancing Stage Party Edition

I would have never been introduced to the game at all!

[InanimateCarbonRod]

Demos can be a good help in making a purchase decision. Unfortunately, however, unless it's a playable demo, it can be misleading. I recently got suckered into buying Project Gotham Racing for XBOX based on a demo and was REALLY disappointed in it. I'm not going there again. From now on, I'm renting games before buying them.

[+kisrael]

Another vote in favor of demos.

 

Sometimes developers hate 'em though, because usually they're previews and it screws with the schedule for debugging and what not.

 

And you have to have a lot of confidence in your game...otherwise, like you said, it'll just keep people away.

 

Of course, one of the ultimate Demo success stories was Castle Wolfenstein and Doom and its sequel.

[Adrian M]

Of course, one of the ultimate Demo success stories was Castle Wolfenstein and Doom and its sequel.

 

Right you are.

One of the best examples of the shareware model.

Quake also benefited greatly from this.

[drexel923]

Demos help in my decesion on what games to buy, but I usually get by without them. Most of the games I buy are either ones I know I'll love or ones that I have done research on...which is usually a couple reviews and videos of the gameplay. I think having the demo definitely helps and it has saved me a couple times from buying crap, but I've learned to live without them.

[ninjarabbit]

Two games that I bought because of the demo were Metal Gear Solid 1 and 2. Of course I was going to buy them anyways but the demos made my decisions much easier.

[liveinabin]

I think more demos have put me off buying games. I've bought games based on playing the finished product in a store, but I don't think I've ever been convinced of a games worth by a demo disc.

Lots of times I've bought an old game and been pleasantly surprised how much better than the demo it was. I can't help thinking that if I hadn't played the demo, maybe they would have got more money out of me

 

The only demo disc that really blew me away was the Panzer Dragoon Saga disc that came free with Sega Saturn magazine, but since that was simply disc 1 in its entirety, I don't think that counts.

[Lemmi]

there is only one demo disc that has got me to buy a game or look for it on ebay

 

3DO Captain Quazar

 

i have many playstation demos but none of them had anything that appealed to me

[Raijin Z]

Nowadays it takes me the length of a rental to get sick of a game... so I doubt I'll ever BUY new console software ever again.

[PaulEMoz]

Dunno, but I'm tempted to get Astro Boy on the strength of the demo. It's just that there are so many other games coming out in September!

[Rocko]

Nowadays it takes me the length of a rental to get sick of a game... so I doubt I'll ever BUY new console software ever again.

 

Thats the way I am, but I have a stupid friend who bought Red Faction, and Egg Mania off me for $20 apiece, so I buy them, sell them to him and get my money back,.

[tssk]

A good demo will generally sell the game to me, however a bad demo (on that times out after three minutes for example) will actually put me off the game.

 

Give me a whole track or a whole level from the game and if I like it I will pick it up.

 

The demo of Beyond Good and Evil convinced me that I'd like it.

[Mr Egg]

demos are very important to me . it shows me how commited a company is to its prduct and open to feedback and suggestions from players to improve the game before release like codemasters did with operation flashpoint . instead of just hiding in secrecy and updating the product later after everyone was dissapointed with the original full release and has already forgotten the game one perfect example of this would be Mafia by Illusion

[Gregory DG]

Console demos... I bought DOA2 for Dreamcast based on the demo. Wow, I couldn't stop playing that one. I have bought a few PC games based on the demo. But most of the time demos make me want to AVOID a game rather than buy it.

[sigma]

Demos do crap for me, especially with the state of games nowadays. Give me a rental so I can get a true feel of it.