I have a special love/hate relationship with game demos. I love the fact that they exist. I tend to think of it as good omen for a game if the publisher releases a demo as opposed to forcing you to make your purchasing decision strictly off screenshots and online reviews. Kinda like how bad movies don’t advance screen for critics, to me the lack of a demo puts up a red flag. However, the one thing I hate about demos, is just how poorly they tend to represent the game they are selling. I suppose it’s just a limitation of the format, how can you really show everything a 20 hour game has to offer in fifteen minutes? Some demos for great games just left me cold, such as Batman: Arkham Asylum or Dead Space. The games themselves are exceptional but the demos just didn’t work well enough to make me say “damn, I want this game!”
This has been a constant sticking point with me and demos for a while. At least it was until I played the God of War III demo last week. This, gentlemen, is how you create a demo that not only left me pining for more action, but so thoroughly convinced me of GoW 3’s awesomeness I’d have ran out that instant and bought the game if it were available.
The demo is perfectly scripted. It’s probably representative of the first 15 minutes of the actual game, but it hits a number of marks that need to be present in a great demo. First, it introduces you to the core gameplay in a way that is easy for newbies to the series but also serves as a great refresher if you’ve played the first two games. It doesn’t babysit you at all, but teaches pretty much everything you’ll need to play the full game in just a few minutes. Second, the action never lets up. The pacing keeps you constantly moving, fighting, and gazing at the insanity all the way up to the dramatic conclusion. I don’t think I’ve played another demo that felt so much like a polished mini-game the way that GoW 3 does.
So there you have it demo people. Make your demos as exciting, polished and well paced as God of War III’s and you will sell lots of games. You have my Personal Guarantee!™
You’ve got to watch out though. Just as a demo such as Arkham Asylum or Resident Evil 5 can make the game seem much worse than it actually is, a demo for a game such as Brutal Legend can make it seem much better than it actually is. I’ll probably play God of War 3, but it may be in 2011, after the price has dropped.