When it comes to games at the top of our most wanted lists, we count the minutes until launch day, watch every new trailer, invade the forums, and scour the internet for the tiniest shred of new information. Then suddenly a playable demo pops up a few weeks before the release. Our heart stops, our breathing gets heavy, and our body goes into sensory overload mode. Suddenly everything else takes a backseat while we yell at the download bar to, “Hurry up!”, maybe with some colorful words added in.
Pre-release demos are a godsend from developers, and from everyone’s perspective, the pros far outweigh the cons. Gamers get a taste of what’s to come. Perhaps it’s a prologue to an RPG, a multiplayer map in a shooter, or just a smattering of action that leaves you wanting more. The experience is short-lived, but it’s enough of a fix to satisfy the craving. Most demos let you play multiple times in case the urge returns. The best demos are ones that supply experiences not found in the final version, as well as those that provide tangible rewards that can be carried over to the full game. Bravely Default and the recently released Pokémon Alpha Sapphire/Omega Ruby are two such titles that bestowed useful items to transfer over, providing a slight edge at the start and a sense of accomplishment and pride for tackling the demo.
Demos also provide an opportunity, free of charge, for those who may be on the fence about purchasing the retail version. It allows them to make a personal judgment based on actual gameplay rather than simply reading one person’s opinion in a review or hands-on preview. The same point benefits the developers and publishers as well. The odds that a potential buyer will play a demo and be sold on the title are greater than those who would opt out, unless of course the game lacks quality to begin with.
With the media shifting into the digital realm, the accessibility of demos on any platform is easier than ever. Though brick and mortar retailers like GameStop aren’t big fans of digital distribution, the financial bottom line for producing physical copies versus digital versions has publishers easily leaning towards the downloadable format.
The digital medium is primed for demos, so then the question becomes, why doesn’t every game have a demo? Well, there are plenty of possible answers, the likeliest being that developers are so pressed for time to meet the launch deadline with publishers cracking the whip behind their backs that there’s simply no time to put together a demo. They may also not feel they need to expend the resources for extra marketing. Or perhaps they’re worried about a poor reception from the demo which could hinder sales. Another possibility is that playable demos are becoming less prevalent with many games in development providing open and closed beta sessions. Getting your hands on those coveted beta keys is easier than ever, and despite most builds being littered with bugs, beta testing provides a sizable portion of the game to play during the testing period, which sometimes can run weeks or even all the way up to the launch of the game, as many MMOs tend to do nowadays.
What do you think? Should every game have a demo prior to the release, or do you prefer to let the anticipation build until the full game is launched? What were the best demos you’ve played, and what upcoming games would you love to see a demo for? Or are you on the beta ball at all times, and get all your fixes through the test builds? Let us know in the comments below.