[Manhunter71]

I'm not sure I agree with this whole demo thing - granted, they give you a preview of the game so you can make a decision as to wether you're going to buy it or not, but a lot of the time when you get demos with pc mags there are sometimes 2 or 3 levels of the game on there!

Don't you think this spoils the excitement of buying a new game? You've played 3 levels and quite often this can be a large portion of the game!

I'm not saying I've never played a demo but if I start to play it and it looks promising I usually don't even complete it. I'd rather wait for the final game and enjoy that as much as possible

[artwking4]

I only play demos to see if the game will actually work on my computer, before I spend money and find out it doesn't. Sometimes I'll play it through just little to get a feel of the game, if I'm on the fence as to whether or not to get it. I hate that they tend to spoil the story or if they end up being a significant chunk of the game.

My favorite demo ever was the Space Quest 6 demo, which included locations from the full game but had completely new puzzles. So nothing was spoiled really.

[rio]

I rarely play demos but I have nothing against them. I'm more likely to play a demo to get a feel for the interface and quit than to play the whole demo.

[Maquisard]

Demos good, two legs bad!

[Antoinetta]

I virtually never use demos because with a 56K modem dial-up, downloading most of them is too much of a pain in the ass. I can generally find out pretty much all I need to know about a game before it comes out by reading previews and following what people have to say on this and several other Adventure game sites.

On a related note, I notice that the demo for Legacy: Dark Shadows was released AFTER the game. I mean, what's the point?

Antoinetta

[DustCropper]

Demos are very important to me, and I like to play a game's demo before making a purchase. I suppose they're less important to me in adventure games than in games of other genres, though, and in AGs I mainly rely on reviews in judging whether or not I should buy the game.

Developers should always released demos of their games. Without their demos I doubt I would have ever had any interest in Syberia or Return to Mysterious Island.

[lumi]

Originally Posted by artwking4

I only play demos to see if the game will actually work on my computer, before I spend money and find out it doesn't.

Same with me. Depending on the reviews I've read, I'll also play it a little to see if it's interesting. For example, I had heard enough good things about Syberia to buy without actually completing anything, but with Moment of Silence I had to actually play through the demo before coming to a decision.

[EasilyConfused]

Originally Posted by Antoinetta

I virtually never use demos because with a 56K modem dial-up, downloading most of them is too much of a pain in the ass. I can generally find out pretty much all I need to know about a game before it comes out by reading previews and following what people have to say on this and several other Adventure game sites.

What Antoinetta said, except only reading this site.

[Fum]

I live for demos, I base my life's schedule around the releases of demos for major titles. Demos are key to the existence of mankind.

...Just needed to balance out this debate, way too many naysayers here. Carry on.

[simpson_yellow]

I only like playing demos for games that I'm not especially interested in, as I feel it can / does ruin the magic for my most anticipated titles. That said, I'm still likely to play demos for games I'm enthusiastic about if they just fall into my lap. Probably just kick myself for it later, though.

Also, along the lines of the SQ6 demo that artwking4 mentioned above, I love demos that comprise entirely different material from the game (like the original Half Life demo). Those demos seriously get my respect.

[Elton28]

I voted "Other".

Reason being is that I will only install/download a demo if its something I really CANNOT wait to get my hands on eg: when Unreal Tournament 2004 was announced, I just had to have the demo, as I needed to check out the gameplay compared with the old UT, and how it was going to run on my 'puter.

Generally though, I will check out previews/reviews from varying sites to get an overall opinion of the game first, before rushing out to buy it.

Now, if only PC Zone and PC Gamer would stop putting discs on magazines, they would be a whole lot cheaper (they cost about £6.00 in the UK)

[Kolzig]

Demos are good. I like to test interesting games before I buy them, and usually demos show the overall feeling of the game well enough.

[stepurhan]

Originally Posted by Antoinetta

On a related note, I notice that the demo for Legacy: Dark Shadows was released AFTER the game. I mean, what's the point?

Antoinetta

Because some undecided people will still want to play a demo before committing to shell out for the game. Granted you miss out on the opportunity to whet people's appetites pre-release but I reckon you'll still catch some waverers this way.

When I had dialup I ignored demos for the same reasons others have stated. Now I've got broadband I use them in addition to reviews and the like. If I like the sound of something I'll download a demo to see if I've understood a reviewer's descriptions correctly.

Return to Mysterious Island - played the demo, liked it, bought the game, liked it. I'm incredibly biased against AC adventures and I don't think one or two positive reviews would have done the trick.

Syberia - liked the demo, was really looking forward to playing it. Big disappointment.

Dark Fall 1 - demo was so-so, looked like your standard Myst clone. Turned out to be a great game. I guess the scary atmosphere was missing from the demo.

Moment of Silence - didn't care for the demo, very grim and dark, dialogues too long for my taste. Bought the game anyway and liked it very much.

Demos good or bad? Don't know.

[Jeenius]

I don't think I always play the whole demo of whatever game but sometimes I do. I sometimes play a bit just to see if I'll like it before I play the game. Sometimes I play the whole demo and finish it wanting more. Sometimes I don't like it enough to buy it, which is somehting I wouldn't have known before. So in other words demos work for me!

[jannar85]

I tend to play demos to see if the game is any good. Also, I tend to read reviews

[Quadriflax]

Demos are always a good thing. No one HAS to download a demo at play it thus removing risk for spoiling the game for those who have that fear. I realize demos don't always best represent the game as a whole, but usually they do give a pretty good feel for what to expect. And it was mentioned before, but sometimes demos aren't EXACTLY the same as the full version. Sometimes the full version ends up having more things to do on the same screens as the demo. But even if they are identical, they're usually not at a critical part of the game, so nothing major is disclosed anyway. At least this has been my experience with the demos I've downloaded and played.

That said, I can't wait to get the Still Life demo!

[pinkgothic]

Normally when there's a demo out I tend to know how many "levels" the game has beforehand - so I know how much, in percentages, I'm potentially spoiling. If it's too much, I stop playing, simple as that.

I think, as was already mentioned, the main point of a demo, to me, is to see if it runs. Paticularily with the re-release of the Labyrinth of Time this was important to me, as an example, though it's not that much of a pointer as I already know the game, so nothing can spoil it for me. Though I do believe that there were no biggies in the demo that ruined it... hmm... might need an outside opinion here, though.

[Avinash_Tyagi]

I like Demos that present the control sceme for the game and whet my whistle as to the story. So for me a Demo should only feature about 15-25 minutes of gameplay, just enough to leave me wanting more.

I don't like to play demos. I don't know why.